The repeated questioning and framing, Mathilde had truly fed up.
No idea where the strength came from, but she broke free from the man's grasp, pointing at him and yelling. "Edward, who's forcing whom here!"
"You cheated on me, and even tried to use me to have your child, yet you still have the nerve to say I forced you?"
"You can't be so heartless, Edward!"
The man was stunned, not expecting Mathilde to know everything.
A flicker of guilt had just begun to rise in his heart, but shattered by the explicit photos on the big screen.
The audience erupted in commotion, and many men snapped photos with their phones.
On the big screen, Louisa and Edward were in various intimate positions, practically a live sex show.
Even a competitor jokingly remarked. "Mr. Portier, you're thirty this year, and you still have so many tricks up your sleeve. You have such good kidneys."
“That's not about good kidneys — it's good skill.”
On the stage, Louisa held back her tears and asked with the microphone, "Mathilde, we are sisters. Are you really going to ruin me like this?"
In an instant, all the lights on site gathered around her.
A barrage of insults followed one after another.
"Is Mathilde heartless? She even harmed her own sister."
"I heard, she forced Louisa away to be with Edward, but she never even leaves her a way out."
"No wonder Edward cheated on her. She's such a wicked woman, so scary."
Everyone at the scene was saying she was jealous and immature, as if they were convinced she was the one who did it.
Even Edward was convinced it was her.
"Mathilde, just because you knew I replaced your eggs, you had to take revenge like this?"
"You're fucking ruthless!"
Mathilde was at a loss for words. "Edward, you know who I am. If I did it, I'll own up to it. But if I didn't, don't try to pin this on me!”
“Besides, these are your private photos. If it weren't from the two of you, how could I possibly get them?"
“Edward, she staged the whole things herself!”
A flicker of hesitation crossed his face as he considered the weighed on Mathilde's words.
On stage, Louisa interrupted his thoughts once more.
"Mathilde, I know you're going to frame me again. It's fine. After all, I'm just the adopted daughter of the Haagens. I deserve it. I blame my own lowly life."
"Edward, go back and live a good life with Mathilde. Our fate ends here."
Louisa's bold and passionate nature further captivated the men, driving their offers to even more outrageous levels, some even soaring to over fourteen million dollars.
"Seventeen million dollars!"
"Eighteen million dollars!"
Seeing the price rising higher and higher, Edward had no time to pursue Mathilde's responsibility and immediately raised his paddle to bid.
"One hundred fourty million dollars!"
Once he announced his price, no more voices of bidding sounded in the venue.
All eyes were on the couple.
They laughed at Edward for spending a lot of money on another woman, and laughed at Mathilde for failing to keep her own husband's heart.
Edward disregarded everything and expressed his love in front of everyone.
"Louisa, I love you more than anything else. Even if it means losing everything, I won't give you up."
The two were far apart, yet they gazed at each other with deep affection, making Mathilde, the legal wife, appear like a mistress.
Mathilde felt as if she had been slapped on the face from afar.
Just when he thought he had control in his grasp, an auction house staff approached and reminded him.
"Mr. Portier, we have sorted out all the assets under your name and they are still less than one hundred fourty million dollars."
"Would you like to withdraw your bid, or offer something else as collateral?"
Mathilde's pale lips finally moved. "Edward, do you love her that much? That you're willing to hurt me again and again, even to the point of losing everything?"
The man stared at her, his resolute voice echoing in the venue. "Yes, I love her, so I won't withdraw the offer just now. I must take Louisa away today."
She had her face gloomy and sad. She couldn't tell if it was cold sweat from heartbreak or tears.
She, then, pursed her lips and sneered, "Edward, you're out of money. Just accept your fate."
Suddenly, his eyes gleamed with a cold light. "No, I still have something very valuable."
As soon as he finished his words, he pushed Mathilde out.
"My wife is the eldest daughter of the Haagens. She's valuable enough, isn't she? We'll use her as collateral if we don't get enough money from the auction."
