"If you upset Clyde, your days ahead won't be so easy."
Halfway through her sentence, Everleigh suddenly broke into laughter.
"A trophy wife should know her place. Don't you think I'm right, Miss Romano?"
Everleigh's words sparked laughter from the crowd and even the host on stage struggled to hide a smirk.
But I simply waved my hand dismissively and let out a cold, biting laugh.
"So, Secretary Everleigh, you're set on fighting me for this today?"
Everleigh shot me a smirk, her eyes full of contempt.
"Azalea, let's be honest, you're just a housewife with no job. What do you have to compete with me?"
"Clyde just lit a sky lantern, meaning there's no bidding limit. Do you even have enough money to keep up?"
I slowly lifted my head and gave her a faint, knowing smile.
"Secretary Everleigh, you've got it wrong. You and I are not the same."
"I never need a man to pay for what I buy."
As soon as I spoke those words, the crowd erupted in mockery once again.
"Oh my God, she's putting on a show. Without Clyde, she wouldn't even be allowed in the door!"
"Exactly! If she weren't married to the Mancini Family, she wouldn't even be sitting here."
"If it weren't for Clyde, who would even care about her? The host should just announce the result already; stop wasting our time."
The mocking voices around me continued, but they barely touched me. Because every word I spoke was the truth.
If I hadn't been trying to spare Clyde's pride, I could have stood tall and declared that the Mancini Group was mine.
Seeing my silence, Everleigh grew bolder.
"See? I told you, a woman without power should just stay at home. Now look at you, embarrassing yourself."
Before she could finish, I slowly raised my bidding paddle.
"Who said I'm not bidding?"
"It's just money; I've got plenty of it."
The room fell into stunned silence, all eyes on me.
Even the auctioneer on stage paused, clearly caught off guard.
He might have doubted I had the funds, but as a professional, he couldn't just ignore the bid.
Then, Clyde's furious roar echoed through the hall.
"Azalea! You're really set on going against me today, aren't you?!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the secretary standing beside him, then firmly responded, "That's right!"
As soon as my words left my lips, Clyde bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Fine! Fine! Fine! Let's see just how much money you have to fight me!"
Without missing a beat, he raised his paddle and declared, "Ten million!"
Anyone who had ever been to an auction knew that once a sky lantern was lit, there was no turning back. You either kept bidding or called it quits.
Since Clyde was willing to risk everything for a mere secretary, I decided to play along.
"Ten million… and one dollar!"
The moment my words left my lips, every gaze in the room fixed on me. I could see it in their eyes, they were all waiting for me to make a fool of myself.
What they didn't know was that I was the true power behind the Mancini Group.
Years ago, when the Mancini Family teetered on the edge of bankruptcy, Axel had shown up at my doorstep in the dead of night, clutching a marriage contract and begging me to save them.
To repay an old debt, I had no choice but to marry Clyde.
Who could have known that this man would never see my worth?
Not only did he humiliate me time and time again, but now, he dared to light a sky lantern for another woman right in front of me.
There was no way I was going to let that insult slide.
