Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly grinned and burst out laughing, "When you live off a woman, you should act like it. Don't you think I'm right, Mr. Powell?"

Johan's words instantly sparked another wave of laughter from the crowd. Even the host on stage couldn't help but chuckle.

But I just waved my hand nonchalantly and let out a cold laugh, "From the sound of it, Johan, are you really going to fight me to the end today?"

Johan gave me a smug look, his eyes full of contempt, "Mr. Powell, no offense, but you're just a live-in son-in-law with no job. What do you have to compete with me? Miss Mason just lit the bid lamp, no limit bidding. You got that kind of money to keep up?"

I slowly lifted my head and gave him a faint smile, "Johan, you're mistaken. I'm not like you. When I buy something, I never need a woman to pay for me."

The moment I said that, another round of mockery rippled through the crowd, "Oh my god, this guy's full of it. He wouldn't even be here without Savannah!"

"Exactly! He's only here because he married into the Mason Family. What's he showing off for?"

"If it weren't for Savannah, who would even notice him? Host, hurry up and announce the result, stop wasting everyone's time."

Despite the rising jeers, they had no effect on me at all. Because everything I said was the truth.

If it weren't for wanting to save Savannah some face, I could've proudly declared that Mason Group belonged to me.

Seeing that I stayed silent, Johan got even more arrogant, "See? I told you. A man with no ability should stop pretending to be something he's not. Now you've embarrassed yourself completely."

Before he could finish, I slowly raised my paddle, "Who said I'm backing out? It's just money, I've got plenty!"

At that moment, every pair of eyes in the room locked onto me. Even the host on stage froze, unable to continue with the next step.

Even though he knew I was the Mason Family's son-in-law, as a professional auctioneer, once someone placed a new bid, he couldn't bring down the gavel.

Then came Savannah's roar, echoing through the hall, "Douglas! You really are set on going against me today, huh!"

I glanced at Johan who was standing beside her and answered firmly, "That's right."

As soon as I spoke, Savannah shouted at the top of her lungs, "Fine! Let's see how much money you actually have!" Without hesitation, she raised her paddle, "Ten million!"

Anyone who's attended an auction knew, once the lamp is lit, there's no turning back.

You either follow through to the end, or declare bankruptcy. Since Savannah was willing to gamble the whole company for a lowly assistant, then I might as well play along.

"Ten million … and one dollar." As soon as the words left my mouth, all eyes shifted toward me.

From the expressions on their faces, I could tell, they all thought I was a joke. No one knew that I was the true power behind Mason Group.

Back when the Mason Family went bankrupt, their patriarch, Richard Mason, came to me in the middle of the night, holding a marriage contract and begging me to marry his daughter.

Out of respect for the kindness their family had once shown mine, I reluctantly agreed to marry Savannah.

But who would've thought that this woman never treated me like her husband? She humiliated me day after day and now, she dared to light a bid lamp for another man right in front of me. There was no way I was swallowing that.

"Douglas, you think you've got the money to play this game? This is an auction, not some street market downstairs from your apartment!" Johan mocked.

When Johan saw that I dared to go head-to-head with his boss, his face instantly changed, "Don't say I didn't warn you, if you can't come up with the money, you'll end up in jail!"

I looked up and gave him a slight smile, "Johan, whether I have money or not is none of your business. I suggest you worry more about your boss. Lighting a bid lamp means there's no turning back."

Upon hearing that, Savannah immediately got furious and raised her paddle again, "Douglas, you dare to lecture my people in public?"

"You like competing, huh? Then I want to see just how much money you actually have! I'm raising another ten million. That's twenty million total!" With her angry shout, the entire venue exploded in chatter.

After all, this was just a charity auction. While the items weren't bad, they weren't anywhere near worth tens of millions. Besides, the painting in question was just something drawn by a child, not from a famous artist.

"Miss Mason is really generous. I thank you on behalf of the children in remote areas." I clapped while slowly rising to my feet, "But ... since this is a charity gala, the more money, the better, right?"

Saying that, I raised my index finger under everyone's shocked gaze. "Twenty million ... and one dollar!"

No one present had expected me to actually go toe-to-toe with Savannah. Their eyes looked at me in surprise.

Everyone attending this auction was either a leader in the business world or someone powerful. Even Savannah only got the invitation because of the Mason Group's recent success.

From the look in her eyes, I could tell, she actually enjoyed this drama.

She said loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, let me clarify something first. This man may be my husband in name, but we have no real relationship. If he can't come up with the money later, the Mason Group is not responsible."

After hearing her words, I almost couldn't help but laugh, "Miss Mason, I suggest you hold off on disowning me just yet."

"After all, you're the only person bold enough to light a bid lamp at a charity auction. If you can't pay up later, you might have to beg me to bail you out," I said.

As soon as I said that, Johan couldn't hold back and stood up, "Douglas, are you dreaming or what? You're just a freeloader living off a woman and you dare to compare yourself to the entire Mason Group? You're way out of your league!"

I shook my head, looking at him calmly, "I know it's hard to believe right now, but it's the truth. If you don't believe me, you can ask your boss to try."

Johan raised an eyebrow and let out a sneer, "Fine, let's see then. A guy who doesn't even know his own worth, how dare you act tough in front of me?"

His words didn't make me angry. On the contrary, I stayed perfectly calm, "Sorry, but I'm not like you. When I buy something, I never spend a woman's money."

As soon as I said that, some of the guests who knew me couldn't help whispering again, "Tck, anyone can talk big. If he's so capable, why did he become a live-in son-in-law in the first place?"

"Seriously, Savannah is at least worth over a billion. And what is he? A nobody!"

"Exactly. He's just a clown trying to get attention. Let's not waste our time on him."

I slowly stood up and swept my gaze across the room, "Everyone, hear me out. It's not just that I look down on the Mason Family anymore, I look down on every single one of you sitting here today."

Although I didn't do business directly, at the very least, I knew how to be a decent person.

From the moment I entered the venue until now, these so-called business elites hadn't been discussing charity at all, they were all busy flattering Savannah.

As soon as I said that, I instantly became the target of everyone's attacks. Even the host couldn't stay silent any longer, "Sir, people like you are not welcome at our auction."

I slowly looked up toward the stage, "Oh? What kind of person am I, exactly? Why don't you tell me?"

Before the host could respond, Johan rushed on stage and snatched the microphone, "Douglas, you're just a worthless loser!"

Johan's voice echoed throughout the venue via the speakers. Now, all the business leaders stood up and clapped, expressing their agreement.

Even Savannah, who hadn't spoken for a while, looked at me gleefully, as if enjoying the show.

Seeing all this, I suddenly realized how foolish I had been to agree to help the Mason Family back then.

Seeing that I had remained silent for a long time, Johan assumed I was scared and raised the mic again, "Hey, Douglas, now you finally understand why Miss Mason doesn't want to sit next to you, right?"

He suddenly raised his voice, "Because... you're not worthy."

Suppressing the anger in my heart, I spoke coldly, "From the sound of it, you're suggesting I should divorce my wife, right?"

Johan curled his lips into a grin, "Since you're being so self-aware, I might as well stop pretending. That's right, I think I'm more qualified to be her husband."

I looked at him blankly and said each word slowly, "Go on and then?"

Johan cast me a disdainful glance, "Savannah wants to divorce you!"

I paused for a few seconds, then turned to look at Savannah beside him, "Is what he said true? You really want to divorce me?"

Savannah raised her eyebrows arrogantly and looked at me with disgust, "Johan is right. I've wanted to divorce you for a long time, only delayed by my father's pressure."

"Now that all these business leaders are here, they can serve as witnesses. I, Savannah, want to divorce you!" she said.

I stared at her coldly, my tone devoid of emotion, "Are you serious? Savannah, have you really thought this through?"

Right after I spoke, she pulled out a divorce agreement from her pocket, "Douglas, don't bother trying to talk me out of it. I've never liked you, not even a little."

I studied her carefully and let out a long sigh, "Savannah, it seems like you've been prepared for this all along, haven't you?"

Savannah nodded without hesitation, "Yes! You're right. I've wanted to divorce you every single moment! In the past, now and in the future!"

As soon as she said that, Johan immediately led the applause on stage and the other guests joined in with laughter and cheers.

I swept my eyes across the room, a subtle smirk forming at the corner of my mouth, "With the atmosphere built up like this, it would seem rude not to agree. In that case, I'll do as you say, I agree to divorce. However..."

Hearing me agree to the divorce, Savannah became visibly excited. Before I could even finish speaking, she interrupted, "Douglas, since you agree to divorce, that makes things easier. Tell me, how much do you want? I'll try my best to meet your demand."

I waved my hand, looking at her with a meaningful smile.