The next day, Amanita was discharged from the hospital. Marcus drove over to take her home. However, she did not even peek at Marcus once. She went straight to Dennis’s car.

Dannis had quite a sense of humor. During the trip, he kept joking with Amanita, but she was unable to smile.

“Are you not happy today, Nita?” Dennis asked gently. “There’s an auction today. I’ll take you. When a woman’s in a bad mood, she should shop. Shopping will turn that frown upside down. Just bid however you like at the auction. I’ll pay for it.”

Amanita glared at Dennis. Sounding unhappy, she said, “That’s very generous of you. But aren’t you spending the Wallace family’s money?”

In the past, she would not have cared. Yet, after she found out her prospective husbands’ secret, it was impossible for her to ignore.

“Don’t underestimate me, alright?” Dennis said with a chuckle. “Marcus isn’t the only genius in the Wallace family. I’ve been making some investments abroad, too. I’ve made quite a bit of money. Just spend whatever you like. I can afford it!”

Amanita finally smiled. “Then, I’ll have to make a dent in your wallet. Drive on! Let’s go to the auction!”

The auction was very well-attended. Many society ladies were there.

It seemed that the biggest ticket for the night’s auction was a piece of jewelry called “The Ocean’s Tears.” It featured the world’s largest blue diamond that was newly mined in South Prisca.

Amanita loved the ocean, so she was determined to win the bid for the piece.

Yet, she had just taken a seat when she saw Marcus lead Risa into the auction hall.

Amanita’s smile froze on her face. She had the feeling that Risa would want “The Ocean’s Tears” as well.

Indeed, when the piece was brought up, Risa raised her paddle.

Soon, Risa noticed that Amanita was also bidding for the piece. She hesitated for a few minutes before lowering her paddle. Her eyes turned red.

“It seems that Nita wants ‘The Ocean’s Tears’ too.” Risa forced a smile. “I don’t want it anymore, then. I can’t steal away something Nita wants.”

After saying this, Risa looked down. Tears welled in her eyes, and she looked immensely pitiful.

Marcus’s expression immediately turned chilly. When he looked at Amanita, his gaze was hateful.

“Risa, I’m here. You don’t have to give in just for the sake of peace. You don’t need to feel wronged.” Marcus also added, “Just bid for whatever you want. I’ll handle it.”

Before Risa could answer, Marcus raised his paddle. “100 million dollars.”

The whole auction hall went quiet. Many of the society ladies gasped, stunned by the astronomical sum.

Everyone started gossiping.

“What’s going on? Isn’t Marcus Amanita’s prospective husband? Why is he buying another woman jewelry?”

“And he’s bidding for a piece of jewelry Amanita wants. Isn’t this a clear insult?”

“Poor Amanita! She’s an heiress, but her own prospective husband is undermining her!”

Amanita wordlessly clenched her fists. She had been spoiled by her father growing up, yet Marcus had turned her into a joke.

Humiliation crept up within Amanita. In a fit of pique, she made a little hammering gesture, indicating that she would outbid everyone no matter how high the bid went.

No one would ever undermine her this way!

“Did you see that? Ms. Wallace will outbid everyone!” the auctioneer said enthusiastically. “Congratulations on winning the bid for ‘The Ocean’s Tears,’ Ms. Wallace!”

Right then, Amanita felt the anger in her chest dissipate. She finally felt better.

However, when she was going to pay, the auction house staff told her that her card had been frozen.

“That’s impossible.” Amanita frowned. “My card is limitless. It won’t get frozen no matter how much I spend.”

She had the auction house staff try the card again. Still, the transaction would not go through.

Dennis gallantly strode over. “Didn’t I say I would pay today? Use mine.”

He smiled and handed over his card. Yet, the transaction did not go through either.

“How can this be?” Dennis frowned, and his expression turned disbelieving.

There was a commotion in the crowd, and someone laughed openly. “Has the Wallace family gone bankrupt? Can’t you even pay for a set of jewelry?”

“If you don’t have the money, don’t say that you want to outbid everyone. How embarrassing!”

The wave of jeers made Amanita’s face go red.

After enjoying watching this play out, Marcus finally stood up languidly.

He took out a black bank card and gave it to the auction house staff. “Use mine.”

This time, the transaction went through. The auctioneer gave “The Ocean’s Tears” to Marcus.

Then, in view of everyone, Marcus took the necklace and put it around Risa’s neck.

In that instant, Amanita became the laughingstock of the auction house.

Her eyes stung and became red-rimmed. However, Amanita tried her hardest not to cry a single tear.

“That cad!” Dennis called lowly. “Marcus must have done something so our cards couldn’t be used. He’s a top hacker. I saw him use his laptop earlier. He must have blacklisted our accounts, so our cards would be frozen!”

Amanita let out a laugh. At that moment, she could no longer hold back. Her tears started flowing.

So that had been Marcus’s doing. He had intentionally humiliated her.

Marcus was so powerful. With a wave of a hand, he could manipulate so much. With a push, he could send her to the depths of despair…

After putting the necklace on Risa, Marcus turned his cold eyes to Dennis. “If you’re incapable, don’t go playing the white knight.”

Then, he looked at Amanita. His tone was icy as he said, “You should have taken my car.”

Amanita let out an abrupt laugh. “You already had someone else in your car.”

After saying that, she turned to leave without a single glance back at Marcus.

After embarrassing herself at the auction, Amanita spent the next few days locked up in her room. She did not want to go outside at all.

Dennis had been by a few times. He had brought her favorite desserts.

But Amanita never responded to him, because she knew that he did not really like her.

He had said it himself that night. To get her to keep her distance from him, he had even been willing to throw himself off a building.

“Amanita has shut herself in her room for days. We have to think of a way to coax her out. If Mr. Wallace finds out about this, we’ll be in trouble.”

“How annoying. I don’t want to go. I want to spend time with Risa.”

“You think I don’t want to spend time with Risa? Let’s do this how we usually do it. You have to spend time with Amanita before you can go see Risa.”

Amanita’s prospective husbands were gathered in the living room. Each suggested that the other person should do the dirty work. No one wanted to go upstairs and tease Amanita out.

What they did not know was that Amanita could hear everything they were saying.

Ever since the last time, when she had accidentally found out their secret, Amanita had hidden mini cameras and listening devices in all corners of the house.

She did not want to be an ignorant fool. She wanted to hear everything they said about her behind her back.

“Well, I’m not going.” Dennis looked furious. “Every time Marcus upsets Amanita, we're the ones forced to talk to Amanita. How’s that fair?”

“Whoever made her upset should go talk to her!”

Just then, Marcus’s tall figure showed up in the surveillance feed.

“You don’t have to go,” Marcus said coldly. “I’ll deal with my woman. You don’t need to worry.”

After saying this, he turned to head upstairs. He was holding a gift box.

Amanita hurriedly shut off the feed, so she did not see that all her prospective husbands looked enraged.

“He’s much too arrogant.” Felix’s fists were clenched. “Amanita hasn’t even picked him. How can he say that she’s his?”

When he heard this, Dennis let out a dejected laugh. “Does it make a difference that Nita hasn’t said anything? She will definitely choose him. We’re all just… here to round out the numbers.”

Although Amanita had locked the door from her side, Marcus was somehow able to open it easily.

“Get out. I don’t want to see you,” Amanita said. Her eyes were red-rimmed. “Also, a locked door is an indication that you’re not welcome. You’re not supposed to come in. You shouldn’t be picking a lock so openly!”

Marcus laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s a bad habit from when I was on the streets.”

As he spoke, he came to sit at Amanita’s side.

“I was very poor then and couldn’t afford food. To fill my stomach, I would occasionally have to resort to crime.” Marcus’s voice was sad.

“Back in those dark days, I only had Risa by my side. She’s the most important person to me.”

At this, Marcus paused and turned to Amanita. His eyes seemed as deep as a bottomless abyss.

No one could ever truly see through him.

“Nita, I’m really very thankful that your father took me and Risa in,” Marcus said. “And I’m willing to do anything for you.

“However, the prerequisite is that you have to let Risa stay. Risa is my little sister and the only relative I have in this world. I won’t allow anyone to hurt her, not even you.”

For an instant, Amanita nearly believed him.

He had her until he mentioned that Risa was his little sister.

If Risa were his little sister, would they be talking about love and desire?

Marcus was nothing but a liar!

“So, what you mean is that, even if we get married, you’ll always put Risa first?” Amanita asked with a smile.

“That’s right,” Marcus admitted without hesitation. “Risa will always be my first priority.

“But after we get married, I will be like Mr. Wallace. I will always dote on you and protect you. I won’t ever let you feel unhappy.”

Amanita was still smiling. She was smiling so hard that her cheeks ached.

Marcus said that he would not let her feel unhappy, but did he realize that she was currently unhappy because of him?

Amanita was born with a silver spoon. She used to tolerate all of the injustices she suffered because of love. Yet, as she witnessed Marcus’s insincerity before her, she wanted to stop holding back.

“Your darling little sister is nothing but a faker who’s seducing her older brother. She is not on the same level as I am.”

After he heard Amanita say this, Marcus’s expression turned stormy. He had barely been in Amanita’s room for five minutes before a phone call from Risa called him away.

Before leaving, he left behind a gift box.

Inside the box was a set of jewelry with blue diamonds. Although it was expensive, it was by no means on the same level as “The Ocean’s Tears.”

It was as Marcus promised earlier. He would dote on Amanita, but not a lot. Risa would always be his first priority, and Amanita would come second.

Amanita glanced at the gift box before throwing it in the trash without hesitation.

Her man should always put her first in all things.

If she could only be second, then she would not want that man.

Soon, it was Amanita’s birthday.

She turned twenty years old that day. She was now, by all accounts, of a marrying age.

George had said before that Amanita would choose her husband on her twentieth birthday.

As Amanita’s birthday banquet was a huge event, all of the big shots of Norchester were in attendance.

Amanita had put on a one-of-a-kind, custom-made gown.

Very unfortunately, “The Ocean’s Tears” had been stolen by Risa, so she did not have something to perfectly complement the gown.

Right then, an attendant knocked and entered. He was carrying a gorgeous gift box.

“Ms. Wallace, Mr. Bering sent me,” the attendant said politely. “Mr. Bering knows that the necklace you wanted was stolen from you at an auction and that you’re very upset about it. He personally went to South Prisca to find you an even more exclusive piece of jewelry.”

As he spoke, the attendant opened the box.

The pigeon blood ruby in the box was so shiny that the world around Amanita lost a bit of its color.

When it came to jewels, the pigeon blood ruby was the rarest and most expensive.

The attendant said, “This piece is called ‘The Heart of the Desert.’ Mr. Bering said that blue diamonds are cheap, and rubies are the best.”

Some joy finally showed up on Amanita’s face. She put “The Heart of the Desert” around her neck. Instantly, her whole look was elevated, and she radiated noble elegance.

When it came to marriage, it mattered very much who she chose.

Right then, Amanita felt very thankful that she had chosen Samuel Bering.

After finishing her makeup, Amanita opened her bedroom door and was ready to leave. However, she looked up to see Risa standing there.

“Nita.” Risa approached and held onto Amanita, seemingly ready to say something more. However, when she saw the pigeon blood ruby resting on Amanita’s throat, her smile froze on her face.

“Where did you get this necklace?” Risa asked instead. “Did Marcus give it to you?”

Amanita flung Risa’s hand away. “That’s none of your business.”

Risa’s eyes were filled with jealousy. “Amanita Wallace, you don’t really think that Marcus likes you, do you?

“In reality, he likes me. He doesn’t like you at all. He only pushes down his distaste for you to repay Mr. Wallace’s kindness.”

As she spoke, Risa took out her phone. She clicked on a video to show Amanita.

The video must have been taken when Risa was very upset about Marcus marrying Amanita. Marcus had gone nuts and locked Risa up.

During that time, he personally fed and clothed her. He kept repeating to her that he loved her. He also promised that he would not touch Amanita at all, even after he married her, and that he would not betray Risa. He swore that his heart and body belonged to Risa.

“See? Even if he marries you, Marcus won’t ever touch you. He only loves me. Has he ever been so crazy about you?

“If you know what’s good for you, don’t choose Marcus tonight. You can choose any one of my six other lap dogs. There are six of them anyway, and I’ve slept with them all. Dennis is the best in skill, and Felix has the best stamina…

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter who you choose. They’re all very skilled. Meanwhile, Marcus will never even touch you. Haha. Take care of yourself now.”