I'm at an auction with my mother-in-law, Agnes Bachert. She spots a breathtaking emerald necklace, and we end up winning it for 30 million dollars.

The auctioneer signals for payment. To make things easier, Agnes suggests charging it to my father-in-law Otto Garrett's account.

But just as she says this, a flashy middle-aged woman and a young woman storm over. The younger woman, Janette Saccone, grabs Agnes' arm while the middle-aged woman, Ruth Coleman, slaps her hard.

"I knew something was off!" Ruth snarls. "You're a nasty old bitch for destroying my family and trying to seduce my husband! I hope you suffer!"

I rush to shield Agnes. "Are you okay?"

Ruth's sharp gaze snaps onto me when she hears me speak. "Your mother-in-law has no shame, throwing herself at rich men. And you're not even embarrassed for her?"

I step in front of Agnes and tell Ruth that I'm married into the Garrett family, then demand to know who she is.

Ruth gives me a cold, arrogant look. "Who am I? I'm Otto Garrett's legal wife—the one he married officially!"

She gives me a look of pure contempt. "And who are you to question me?"

Before I can say a single word, she pulls out her phone and dials a number. "Clement, my dear son, get to the auction house right now! Help me catch this homewrecker!"

Clement Garrett? That's my husband. Since when does he have another mother?

After hanging up, the woman who called herself Ruth Coleman shot us a taunting smirk. Then she shoved my mother-in-law, Agnes Bachert, straight onto the auction stage.

I tried to run after them, but a young woman, Janette Saccone, stepped in and cut me off. She clenched her teeth and demanded, "Who do you think you are?"

I could tell that she was spoiling for a fight, and I instinctively stepped back. But that only gave her the chance she needed. She darted forward and grabbed my arm. "Listen! I'm engaged to Clemmie. He's mine."

Meanwhile, on stage, Ruth grabbed the auctioneer's microphone. Her shrill voice cut through the hall. "Everyone, remember this face. It's the face of a damn slut!"

As she spoke, she kept smacking Agnes' cheek with the back of her hand. "Tell me, how does it feel to cheat with my husband?

"You've got some nerve, dropping his name in public like that! Did you really think that you could get away with it?"

Agnes' face was ghostly pale. Desperate, I wrenched free from Janette and got onto the stage, shielding Agnes behind me.

"Agnes, are you okay?" I asked.

She shook her head faintly. "Ronnie… how could this happen? How… How could I be the other woman?"

Her breathing quickened, and her hands trembled. I couldn't waste a single second. I grabbed her heart medication from my bag and slipped it into her mouth.

"Agnes, there has to be some kind of misunderstanding!"

Otto Garrett, my father-in-law, and Agnes had been childhood sweethearts. Their marriage was strong, their love steady. They treated each other with the utmost respect and had never once raised their voices.

"A misunderstanding?"

Ruth had heard every single word. Her face twisted with rage. "You're still playing dumb after I caught you red-handed!"

I tried to calm Agnes while forcing myself to stay composed. "You say you're Mr. Garrett's wife. Do you have any proof?"

I lifted Agnes' right hand. A massive pink diamond sparkled brilliantly under the light. "Everyone here knows this ring, don't they?

"Mr. Garrett handcrafted it for his wife. It's the only one in the world! That should be enough to prove who we are."

Agnes, the youngest in her family and a premature baby, had been pampered her whole life. Because of her heart condition, she couldn't handle a big wedding, and she didn't like being around strangers. So when she and Otto married, only a few close friends were invited to the ceremony.

Everyone knew that Otto had a beloved wife, but no one had ever seen her face.

Just when I thought that the situation was over, Ruth suddenly went wild and yanked the ring off Agnes' finger.

She snapped, "This is a token between Otto and me. Where did you get it?"

Her face twisted with anger. After a moment, a smug realization flickered across her expression. "So it turns out you're not just the other woman. You're a thief too!"

She slipped the ring onto her own ring finger and held her hand up so everyone could see it. "I lost this ring a while ago. I thought I'd never find it again.

"Who would have thought…"

She trailed off, letting the sentence hang in the air. Everyone in the room immediately turned on us, pointing and sneering.

"The real wife's here, and you're still pretending!"

"Look at her trembling. Anyone can see that she's faking it."

I frowned and reached for my phone to call the police. However, Janette snatched it from my hand, a smirk spreading across her face. "What, calling for backup now?"

Ruth shoved me to the ground, sending Agnes tumbling down beside me. She looked down at us. "Do you have any more proof to back up your story?"

When we stayed quiet, her grin grew wider. "No? I thought so. Because I do."

Then, under everyone's puzzled stares, she unhurriedly pulled out a sleek black-and-gold card.

"This is my husband Otto's exclusive credit card. I think this proves who I am."

"No way! That card has to be fake!"

Almost without thinking, I shot back. "Otto's card has always been in the safe. There's no way it could have been taken out like this!

"That card of yours has to be fake!"

My confident tone didn't faze Ruth at all. If anything, it only made her more arrogant. She ignored me and handed the bank card to a credit verification officer. "We'll know soon enough if it's real or fake."

Behind me, Agnes was practically curling up, clutching her chest. "Ronnie… my… my chest hurts."

I quickly patted her back and helped her to her feet. "Agnes, let's get you to the hospital."

"Wait! Who said you could leave?" Janette dug her sharp nails into my shoulder, making me wince. "Two impostors trying to run? Not so fast."

The officer spoke up, returning the bank card with a respectful gesture. "Mrs. Garrett, this card is genuine."

Agnes' eyes went wide, and her face drained of color. "How… How can this be? This card… Otto said it was just for me."

Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it.

Ruth, more than anyone, snapped. She lunged forward with her fists raised. "You think you can spend my family's money like it's yours? I'll beat the crap out of you!"

I shot out an arm to stop her, keeping my own anger in check. "I don't care how you got that bank card. I'm warning you—back off. Right now."

Ruth looked almost amused. "Are you talking to me?"

She grinned viciously and yanked me by the hair, dragging me closer. "I was just dealing with that mistress. I almost forgot that I had to take care of you, too!"

Janette jumped in eagerly and slapped me twice. "Your mother-in-law is seducing my future father-in-law, and you're after my future husband. You two really make a hell of a team, huh?"

Seeing me get hit, Agnes panicked and frantically dialed Otto's number, but no one answered. Ruth noticed this and smashed her phone.

"Still thinking you can tip someone off? Let me make this clear—my husband already blocked your number.

"And me showing up to catch you today? That was his idea!"

Agnes went pale when she heard that. Her face went ashen, and her tears wouldn't stop falling.

Janette took advantage of the moment, driving blow after blow into my stomach.

I had no choice but to play the Marshall family card. Gasping for air, I choked out, "Janette, let go of me! Not unless you want the Saccone family dragged into this."

Janette froze, her eyes darting nervously toward Ruth.

"First, you tried to leech off the Garretts, and now you're trying to pass yourself off as a Marshall?"

Ruth crossed her arms, smirking. "You really know the rich, don't you? You heard Ms. Marshall grew up overseas, so you thought you could get away with impersonating her, right?"

Emboldened, Janette straightened up. "Even if you were really a Marshall, so what? I've got more than just the Saccones behind me. The Garretts have my back, too."

She glared at me, daring me to challenge her, and I felt a wave of helplessness. "Give me my phone, and I'll prove it!" I snapped.

Ruth didn't hesitate. She pressed her heel down on my phone. "Trying to call for backup? I'm telling you, not a chance."

"What's going on? Why has the auction stopped?"

In the distance, a familiar figure slowly came into view. I shouted desperately, "Mr. Lambert! It's me—Veronica Marshall!"

Silas Lambert, the manager of the auction house, cautiously pushed his way through the crowd. The moment he saw me, his expression shifted abruptly.

Then his gaze fell on Ruth, and his face immediately twisted into a sickly sweet smile. "Mrs. Garrett, what an honor to have you here! Why didn't you let me know ahead of time?"

He snapped his fingers and continued, "I'll have a private room ready for you with tea right away."

Ruth soaked it all in, clearly enjoying herself. She waved him off with a careless flick of her wrist. "No need to make a big deal. I'm not here for the auction today.

"I'm here to catch the tramp!"

The atmosphere immediately tensed, and guests began speaking up for Ruth.

"Mistresses today have no shame at all. She shows up in front of the real wife and doesn't even feel guilty!"

"Mr. Lambert, how could you let trash like this into your auction house?"

Feeling the pressure, he shot a quick, uneasy glance at me.

I took my chance and said, "Mr. Lambert, it's me! Don't you recognize me?" I motioned to Agnes beside me. "This is my mother-in-law. They're the impostors here!"

My voice shook with desperation. "Call the police—now!"

But under my expectant gaze, he put some distance between us. "Ms. Marshall, we're not acquainted."

He sneered. "Why would I call the police for you? Unless you're hoping to end up in jail."

As he spoke, he leaned close to my ear. "Ms. Marshall, don't say that I didn't warn you. The woman across from you? She's the wife of the richest man in this city. I advise you to be smart. Apologize, let her vent a little, and maybe this whole thing will blow over."

I clenched my jaw. "Have you lost your mind, Mr. Lambert? You of all people should know who I really am!"

When I married Clement, Silas had attended the wedding and even gifted me a pair of emerald earrings.

That was why, moments ago, I had pinned my hopes on him. However, I never expected things to turn out like this.

Silas shrugged casually and leaned in, speaking at a volume that only I could hear. "The head of the Garrett family is still Mr. Otto. Indeed, you're Clement's wife. That part's true.

"But here's the thing—in a wealthy family, if the mother-in-law isn't on your side, divorce is almost inevitable."

My stomach sank. So this was what he had been thinking.

With no other choice, I swallowed my pride. Agnes was struggling to breathe. My voice softened with desperation as I said, "Alright, Mr. Lambert. I'm begging you. Since we know each other, please call an ambulance.

"My mother-in-law… She has a heart condition."

My voice caught when I mentioned Agnes. Over the years, I had come to see her as my own mother. I could endure being wronged, but I couldn't bear to watch her being treated this way.

Ruth scoffed, impatient. "Heart condition? So having an illness gives you the right to steal someone else's man?"

Her temper flared, and she swung her arm—only to be stopped mid-motion.

"Mrs. Garrett, Mr. Clement sent me ahead to back you up!"

Everyone turned toward the voice. I recognized the man at once—it was Clement's personal secretary, Bruce Wagner. A flicker of hope stirred inside me.

But before I could say a single word, Ruth cut him off, clearly annoyed. "Where the hell is Clement? The audacity!

"I called him myself, and he still didn't show up."

Her overbearing glare scared Bruce so much that he looked like a scared rabbit. "Please, Mrs. Garrett, don't be upset.

"He is on his way. He should be here any minute now."

No matter what he said, Ruth wasn't satisfied. She pulled out her phone and made a video call to Clement. "Clement, what's wrong with you? I'm about to be driven crazy by this homewrecker, and you're nowhere to be found.

"I asked you to return and have my back. Where are you?"