Tiara held his hand. Only then did his gaze soften a little.

He clearly cared more about her. To avenge the humiliation she had suffered years ago, he had spent two entire years planning all of this just to make me pay a thousandfold.

He had won, completely.

I had finally been hurt enough.

My fingers clenched so tightly they shook. I refused to look at him again.

Disgusting comments kept flooding my ears.

“Damn! I love girls who get all slutty after drinking. Ms. Jackson, I’ll bid ten million for you. One night with me wouldn’t be too much to ask, right?”

“You actually think you can sleep with her? If it’s real, I’ll join the bid with eleven million!”

My hand trembled as I raised my bidding paddle. “I’m going to buy it out.”

Everyone looked at me.

The host sneered. “Ms. Jackson, you’re sure you want to buy it out? There are over five hundred paintings left.”

I slumped back into my seat. “I’m sure.”

“What a pity. I really like pool play.”

“What are you scared of? The others might be even more exciting. Don’t forget that there are over five hundred paintings. Her money won’t last long.”

The host struck the gavel. “Congratulations to Ms. Jackson for buying it out. You will receive the full set of videos, animation clips, and the original swimsuit.”

Cold sweat covered my forehead. I gripped the paddle so tightly my fingertips turned pale.

My thoughts felt hazy as I sat there.

The second piece was immediately brought up. The host announced, “This one is titled ‘First Night’ and has a starting bid of five million.”

The crowd was instantly thrown into an uproar.

“Ms. Jackson was still a virgin when she married Mr. Fuller? I have to get the video of her losing her virginity. Eight million!”

“So all the exciting tendencies she has now was because of Mr. Fuller’s training? Incredible! Eight and a half million!”

The man beside me boldly reached for my leg.

“Ms. Jackson, spend a night with me and I’ll pay to buy this one out.”

I slapped his hand away, my voice cold as ice. “Get lost.”

He scoffed, expression turning vicious.

“Playing innocent now? Aren’t you usually this cheap? Nine million!”

“Eleven million!”

“I’ll buy it out!” I gritted out the words, sweat dampening my palms.

The host glanced at me. “Ms. Jackson, based on your verified assets, you only have thirty million left. You need fifty million to buy this one out.”

My face turned ashen, but I still said, “I’ll buy it out.”

The host laughed disdainfully. “You don’t have enough money.”

I looked at Matthew.

He was already looking at me, yet he didn’t intend to help. Instead, he smirked.

“Why are you looking at me?

“I don’t have a hobby of collecting these things. If you can’t buy it out, then the highest bidder wins.”

Then, Tiara said sweetly, clinging to his arm, “How about I buy this one out on my sister’s behalf?

“Even though we have different mothers, we’re still blood-related sisters.”

A flicker of care flashed in Matthew’s eyes, but the moment he looked back at me, that caring look turned into even deeper hatred.

Everyone in the room was shocked.

“Sisters? That’s huge news!”

“Wow! Mr. Fuller had both sisters to himself?”

Tiara explained in a soft, pitiful voice, “My parents were each other’s first loves. It was Raquel’s mother who stole my father away, breaking them apart. That’s why my mom and I had to live in the countryside. If it weren’t for Mr. Fuller’s support, I wouldn’t have the life I have now.”

Men always fell for this kind of sweet, innocent act. One sentence, zero logic, and they believed every word.

“Tiara really is the better one. She is innocent and kind, not like certain people who inherited all those bad traits…”

A flash of smug satisfaction crossed Tiara’s lips as she looked at me.

“As your little sister, I can only help you once.”

“I don’t need it,” I said coldly.

“Huh?” Tiara seemed genuinely surprised.

I didn’t bother being polite.

“It seems like everyone’s brains here are just for decoration. If my mother ‘stole’ her father from her mother, then she should be older than me, shouldn’t she?”

“Sorry, but I haven’t fallen so low that I need help from an illegitimate daughter.”

“Raquel Jackson!”

Matthew finally spoke, but only to warn me for another woman’s sake.

I glanced at him. “Buy it out.”

Tiara sneered. “But Raquel, you don’t have any money left.”

I chuckled.

“How exactly do you know I’m out of money? I’m buying it out. Not just for this one. I’m buying out all 520 paintings in this hall.”

Everyone burst into laughter. They looked at me as if I were a complete idiot.

The host didn’t even acknowledge what I said and kept asking others for bids.

“Anyone offering a higher price?”

I glared at him. “I said I’m buying it out. Did you not hear me?”

The men around me grew irritated.

“Do you even have money? Stop pretending!”

“Can you stop pretending? We’re trying to bid here!”

The host sounded annoyed.

“Ms. Jackson, the asset verification shows you’re not qualified to buy it out. If you keep causing trouble, we’ll have to ask you to leave.”

I picked up a tissue and calmly wiped the cold sweat from my hand.

“Who said I’m out of money? The Jackson Group hasn’t declared bankruptcy yet.”

Hearing that, Matthew gave me a brief glance.

The host replied, “We included your Jackson Group shares during the pre-verification. Even without a formal bankruptcy announcement, the remaining assets are far from enough to buy things out.”

“I request to reverify,” I interrupted him.

People looked at each other in confusion.

I stepped up onto the stage and took the microphone. “What? Are you afraid?”

The host looked at Matthew.

Matthew gave the faintest nod.

“We’ll reverify, then.”

The big screen switched to my account information.

The people in the venue whispered.

“Look at how confident she is. Could the Jackson Group actually have been revived?”

“Impossible. In Astrid City, if the Fuller Group wants to destroy someone, they could do so at ease. With a plot of land so expensive rendered unusable, the Jackson Group is doomed.”

“She must be completely unhinged after what her husband’s done to her. Anyone would go crazy.”

The verification ended.

Everyone stared at the screen.

My balance showed only 25 cents.

The room erupted in thunderous laughter.

“She has really gone mad. We can grab a random person off the street and they would have more savings than she does!”

Tiara, sitting in Matthew’s arms, had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.

“Raquel, it’s embarrassing to pretend to be rich. It wouldn’t hurt you to beg us to help you buy it out, would it?”

The host added, “Ms. Jackson, your assets clearly aren’t enough. Please stop causing trouble.”

I looked calmly at the account screen on the phone.

“Verify it again.”

The host shoved his hand impatiently.

“Ms. Jackson, this is an auction, not your private estate. Stop being unreasonable and leave…”

But before he could finish, the numbers on the screen changed, the image that had shown only twenty-five cents began to skyrocket, digit after digit flashing so fast they blurred.

The entire hall fell silent.

Matthew and Tiara jumped to their feet.

Everyone stared at the big screen, stunned.

“H-how is this possible?”