"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!"