A self-proclaimed “trophy wife” in a 29-year age gap relationship says she bagged her husband by demanding a $1,000 weekly allowance.
Alyssa Armoogam, 30, met her husband, Mark, 59, on a dating app after setting her sights on an ‘older rich man’. The pair hit it off and Mark, an entrepreneur and investor, impressed mum-of-two Alyssa by giving her $300 to pay for her babysitter.
She agreed to keep dating him if he met her terms – paying for her beauty treatments and giving her a $1,000 weekly allowance to feel “secure”. Now married for two years, Alyssa still loves being bought romantic gifts – such as getaways and designer handbags.
She hopes to encourage other women to “know their worth”. Alyssa, an influencer, from Miami, Florida, US, said: “I don’t care if someone is rich if they are an arsehole.
“There is the idea I’m only with him because of his money. It was one of my requirements but I wouldn’t have married him because of that.
“We really encourage the best out of each other. We see the potential in each other.”
Alyssa has always preferred to date older men – and her first crush was Robert Downey Jr. She said: “When I started dating people older my mum wasn’t surprised.”
Alyssa was “miserable” and “over” her last relationship when she moved to Florida in 2018. She decided to hit the dating apps but was set on what she wanted – someone rich, attentive and who had faith as an important aspect of their life.
Alyssa’s first question to potential dates was ‘how do you feel about Jesus?’ and Mark’s answer caught her by surprise. She said: “His answer was so funny. He said ‘how do I feel about Jesus? I toured the country talking about him’.
“I thought ‘wow, I wasn’t expecting that’. We hit it off from there.”
Her second demand was ‘I’m willing to meet you but you have to cover the babysitter’.
Alyssa said: “If a dude is going to argue with me about $45 for a baby sitter – he’s not worth my time.” When they met for their first date Alyssa was immediately attracted to Mark.
She said: “His eyes literally sparkled. He has a very kind soul and his eyes twinkle. I really felt like I knew him. At the end he handed me $300 to cover the babysitter.”
Mark immediately texted Alyssa asking to see her again. She said: “He was very persistent. I said ‘OK, here are my terms – I want someone paying for my nails, hair and waxing’.
“I want a $1,000 weekly allowance to feel secure and I want to be exclusive. He immediately sent me $2,000 and said I wasn’t going on another date with anyone else. I loved it because I felt he had made it 100 per cent clear how he felt about me.”
The $2,000 Mark sent Alyssa meant she was able to put a deposit down on a flat for herself and her daughter, Ziya, 11 – who Mark has now adopted.
Their relationship blossomed and after two years together Mark popped the question in 2020. The couple tied the knot in a small legal ceremony in April 2022 and a month later they welcomed their son, Keanu, two, together.
Alyssa calls herself a trophy wife but she feels her marriage is very much a “partnership”. She said: “Anything I want to pursue I can do it. Any dream I have is shared and any desire is met. I’m his biggest cheerleader.”
But Alyssa does love being spoilt by Mark. She no longer receives an allowance as they equally share their money. She said: “He’s such a Pisces. He’s very romantic.
“I told him I like getting little small gifts. He takes that and understands it. He takes me shopping and buys me a Louis Vuitton. That’s his normal behaviour. That’s him romancing me.”
Alyssa says the age gap doesn’t bother her or Mark but some people jump to conclusions. She said: “When people look at me they make assumptions on who I am and my intentions – because of my age and appearance.
“When people talk to me they see how much love I pour into my family. There’s no question of why we’re together. It’s not like he’s an ugly fat fart. He’s a handsome guy. Age – what does it matter if our souls align?”
Alyssa is working on a clothing line for breast feeding women and is considering creating a course called ‘dating like a trophy wife’. She said: “When I went into the dating scene I had this idea of what I wanted in a man. I knew what I’d be bringing into that persons life. That’s what made me feel firm on my requirements. Women are not realising their worth.”
