Over the weekend,my husband and I were invited to a charity auction,a rare opportunity to spend time together.

During the bidding,I found myself drawn to the same oil painting as his secretary.

Just as he was about to bid,my husband threatened to keep bidding higher than the other bidders in order to please his secretary.His move surprised me.

"Azalea Romano,you're nothing more than a dog kept by my family.What right do you have to compete with me?"

As the other bidders started to pull back,I snapped my fingers at the auctioneer.

"Whatever Clyde bids,I'll bid one dollar more!"

——

The words escaped my lips before I could stop them, and in an instant, all eyes in the room turned to me.

A few moments later, the entire room burst into laughter.

"Is she out of her mind? Fighting her own husband over this? Must be a little too much money to burn."

"She's not just crazy; she's foolish! A trophy wife challenging Clyde like this in public? Ridiculous."

"I heard the rumors. A few years ago, Clyde took in a trophy wife and kept her locked away at home. Never thought I'd see her here, though."

The murmurs swirled around us and I saw Clyde Mancini's expression darken, his gaze narrowing with growing irritation.

The next second, Clyde suddenly shot to his feet, pointing at me as his voice rang out across the room.

"Azalea! Put your hand down right now, do you hear me?!"

"You're spending my family's money! How dare you compete with me?"

I leaned back in my chair, calm as a stone, meeting his eyes with an air of indifference.

"Clyde, I'm still your wife, after all. Show some respect when you talk to me."

"If I want something, why should I back down for someone else?"

"And besides, I've never spent a single cent of your family's money. So don't talk nonsense."

I let the words sink in, my gaze sharp and steady.

"Not a single cent of your family's money, so don't twist the truth."

Clyde's face reddened with fury.

"Azalea, haven't I told you to call me President Mancini in public?"

"You're nothing but a dog my family raised. You and I have nothing to do with each other!"

I sighed softly, staring at him intently, "President Mancini, is this really how far you'll go for your little secretary?"

From the moment I stepped into the auction hall, something had felt off.

By all logic, as Clyde's wife, I should have been seated beside him, not tucked away in the farthest corner.

I chose to let it slide for the time being.

After all, Axel Mancini, his father, had always treated me decently, often inviting me to play chess with him.

As a gracious woman, putting up with an arrogant husband seemed a small price to pay.

But who would have thought that my rightful seat had been given to Clyde's secretary, Everleigh Moretti?

A fresh graduate, besides being younger than me, she had nothing remarkable about her.

Yet my foolish husband insisted on defending her.

The thought alone made my anger boil.

Still, the so-called rising star of the business world remained blissfully unaware, continuing to taunt me without end.

"Azalea, who do you think you are? You have no say in what I, Clyde, decide!"

"We've been married for years! You've eaten my family's food and used my family's money; what could you possibly fight me with?"

By the time he finished, Clyde's temper had exploded.

"I'll tell you right now, I'm buying this painting for Everleigh!"

Before I could even respond, the secretary beside him spoke up, unable to hide her smugness.

She looked at me, a victorious gleam in her eyes.

"Miss Romano, I'd suggest you give up."

"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.

"Azalea, do you even have the money to bid? This is an auction, not the vegetable market downstairs from your house!"

Everleigh's face instantly soured when she saw me daring to challenge her boss.

"Don't say I didn't warn you; if you can't pay, you'll be heading straight to jail!"

I lifted my chin slightly, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

"Secretary Everleigh, whether I have the money or not is none of your business. You'd be better off worrying about your boss."

"There's no turning back once a sky lantern is lit."

Clyde's face twisted with rage as he raised his paddle again.

"Azalea, you dare lecture my people in front of me?"

"You enjoy bidding, don't you? Let's see just how deep your pockets really are!"

With a sharp grin, Clyde shouted, "I'll raise by another ten million, twenty million in total!"

His voice thundered through the room, setting the entire venue ablaze with shock.

After all, this was just a charity auction. The items up for bid were decent but nothing worth tens of millions.

And the painting in question? A child's creation, far from the work of a renowned artist.

"President Mancini is truly generous. On behalf of the children in remote areas, I thank you," I said, clapping as I rose to my feet.

"But since this is a charity event, the more money, the better, right?"

With that, I raised a single finger, my gaze meeting Clyde's as the room fell into stunned silence.

"Twenty million… and one dollar!"

The audacity of my bid hit the crowd like a wave. No one expected me to take on Clyde like this.

A hushed murmur rippled through the room, the eyes of every top-tier business figure fixed on me. Even Clyde had been invited only due to the recent rise of the Mancini Group.

I could see from Clyde's face that he was savoring the drama.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me make one thing clear: although this woman is my wife by name, we actually have nothing to do with each other."

"If she can't pay later, Mancini Group will not be responsible."

His words nearly made me laugh out loud.

"President, I'd advise you not to distance yourself from me so quickly."

"After all, you're the one who lit a sky lantern at a charity auction."

"If you can't pay up later, you might be begging me to bail you out."

Before I could relish the moment, the secretary beside Clyde stood up, her voice dripping with contempt.

"Azalea, are you daydreaming?"

"You're just a housewife, thinking you can compete with Mancini Group? How ridiculous."

I shook my head, my gaze fixed on her with quiet composure.

"It might be hard to believe now, but it's the truth."

"If you don't trust me, feel free to let your President Mancini try."

Everleigh raised an eyebrow, scoffing in disbelief.

"Fine. Let's see. It's impressive how people with no sense of their own limits still have the gall to act so high and mighty in front of me."

I wasn't bothered by her words. Instead, I stood my ground, calm and unshaken.

"Sorry, but I'm not like you. I, Azalea, never rely on a man's money."

As soon as the words left my lips, a ripple of whispers spread through the crowd.

"Anyone can talk big. If she's so capable, why settle for being a housewife?"

"Exactly! President Mancini's a billionaire, a rising star. Who does she think she is?"

"She's just a clown, trying to make herself the center of attention. Why even waste time with her?"

I stood, my eyes scanning the room, every whisper falling silent in my wake.