Chapter 1

My husband’s mistress stole our love token to auction it off, claiming such "street trash" was only worth fifty bucks.

I stepped onto the stage with evidence, reclaimed my token, and exposed her "haute couture" gown as a cheap knockoff on the spot.

Not only was she utterly humiliated, but she also became the laughingstock of the elite circle for an entire day and night.

To my surprise, when my husband found out, he wasn't angry. He even did something unprecedented—he cooked a full table of my favorite dishes.

That night, he brought me a glass of warm milk to help me sleep.

I drank it and fell into a deep, heavy unconsciousness.

When I woke up, I found myself bound tightly in the banquet hall of a cruise ship.

Through a mirror, I saw several bold words stamped across my face:

[DISCOUNT PORK: FOR SALE]

I snapped my head up, only to see Waylon Gutierrez leaning against the wall with a chillingly casual air.

His mistress, Astraea Barnes, was brandishing a meat inspection stamp, smirking at me provocatively.

Below the stage, the elite of Haicheng City watched with eyes full of disdain and schadenfreude.

The MC stepped up:

"By President Gutierrez’s request, we have a surprise addition to tonight’s auction—"

"The branded Mrs. Gutierrez!"

"Starting bid: One dollar!"

…..

My thoughts went empty, with only the coldness spreading through my blood.

I could not believe that just because I got upset over the engagement ring being auctioned, Waylon, to release anger for Astraea, made me suffer such humiliation in public!

Waylon looked at my pale face, seeming quite pleased. “Astraea only joked with you, but you caused her to lose face in public, taking away all her dignity.”

“Since you enjoy showing off at auctions, I’ll give you an opportunity, enjoy it.”

My body felt cold all over, and just when I was about to say something, a light laugh broke out.

Astraea had switched into a new, elegant dress, her face as flawless as before, without any red marks showing.

She wrapped her arm around Waylon, kissed him on purpose in front of everyone, then looked at me boldly.

The crowd below became more excited because of this.

“Astraea is embarrassing Audrey Cooper in public this time! Look at her face, so ugly……”

“I heard Mrs. Gutierrez was an orphan who lived with President Gutierrez in a basement for five years before clinging to him and getting him to marry her.”

“A freeloader, fully depending on President Gutierrez for support, still dared to take out her anger on his new lover; being shamed in public now is what she deserves!”

The burning pain on my face and the heavy shame came together, striking me at once. I shook with anger, my hands tightly clenched.

Waylon mockingly patted my other untouched cheek, his tone harsh and sarcastic.

“Don’t lose your temper, wife.”

“Everyone knows you have relied on me all these years to survive; without me, you have nowhere to go.”

He held Astraea beside him, his eyes soft.

“Astraea, don’t be afraid.”

“No matter what you do, I’ll protect you.”

Astraea’s eyes brightened for a moment as she stepped forward eagerly.

“Mrs. Gutierrez, I was only teasing you, sorry.”

She smiled insincerely, reaching out to wipe the words on my face.

I instinctively moved away, but the next moment, I was tightly restrained by the bodyguards.

“Mrs. Gutierrez, you are no longer favored. Just obey and endure, don’t think of going against Miss Barnes again!”

I gritted my teeth, never expecting that one day, when I fell, the bodyguards who once received so many benefits from me would treat me like this.

The bodyguards were too strong for me to break free, and I could only kneel there while Astraea wiped my face with her hand.

The dark ink spread further, turning into a wide patch across my face.

Astraea covered her lips and laughed out loud.

“Oh, Waylon, look at her. Doesn’t she look like a clown? So ridiculous.”

Astraea’s eyes moved. “But Mrs. Gutierrez made me lose face in front of everyone, and I’m still angry. Waylon, let me stamp a few more marks. What do you think? Her face is already like this anyway.”

Waylon looked at her with affection. “I’ll listen to you, but…”

“The main issue tonight has not been handled yet.”

Waylon stepped onto the stage, picked up the microphone, and his voice echoed through the hall.

“Thank you, everyone, for attending Cooper Group’s route signing pre-event banquet. Before the auction officially starts, let’s first settle some family issues.”

“As you all know, my wife, out of jealousy, intentionally caused Astraea to lose face at the auction, and the owner of this golden route, the ship king, Cooper family, values most the family behavior of partners.”

“So tonight, I will set a rule to punish her shameful actions!”

Golden route?

I was shocked.

Of course, I was familiar with this route.

It was the key to completing Waylon’s maritime project.

No wonder he made an example out of me to warn others, to curry favor with the Cooper family.

However, he still did not know that the leaders of the so-called ship king Cooper family were none other than my father and older brother.

I looked at Waylon, trying to keep my sickness and hate down.

For the sake of our marriage, I still reluctantly asked, “Waylon, are you truly going to end things with me because of that woman? Do you know I am……”

Waylon lost his patience, his brows tightening as he cut me off. “I already said this is your punishment for hurting Astraea, and the ship king Cooper family values discipline. If I don’t punish you, how can I secure this route?”

“How did you become so unreasonable now?”

Unreasonable?

I observed his annoyed look, my heart sinking little by little.

At that time, I concealed my status as the shipping king’s daughter, cut ties with my family, ran away with him, and stayed with him in a basement for five years.

Even Waylon’s rise to his current position within just five years was entirely due to me building networks for him behind the scenes.

I originally intended to tell him my true identity on the anniversary in seven days and persuade my father and elder brother to pass the position of ship king heir to him.

But now…

I laughed coldly, shut my eyes, and stopped looking at him.

Waylon thought I had given in, so his voice softened, with a bit of pride.

“As husband and wife, I’m not refusing to help you.”

“As long as the price you offer is higher than the prices of the few people below, you can auction yourself successfully.”