After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 12: You Were Really a Living Widow for Two Years?

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: You Were Really a Living Widow for Two Years?

"I forbid you from divorcing Gavin. If you dare to defy me, I’ll make sure you can’t survive in Rhonia."

After saying her piece, Rose Gable stormed off with Cynthia Sinclair.

Before leaving, she glared at Claire Mercer, her eyes bloodshot and her teeth grinding audibly.

"Mom, why won’t you let Claire Mercer divorce my brother? Haven’t you always looked down on her?"

"Besides, now that his legs are healed, she’s outlived her usefulness."

"With the Sinclair Family’s status in Rhonia, finding another well-matched lady from a good family for him would be a piece of cake, wouldn’t it?"

"You think I don’t want them to divorce?" Rose Gable retorted irritably.

"The Mercer Family’s status in Rhonia might not be on par with ours, and they’ve been on the decline in recent years, but they’re still a prominent family, for what it’s worth."

"On top of that, your grandmother has always called the shots in this family. Ever since your brother’s legs healed, she’s been convinced it’s all thanks to Claire Mercer."

"What credit does she deserve?" Cynthia Sinclair shot back, fuming.

"All she did was take care of my brother for two years, right? That’s just her duty as a wife."

"She was lucky to have married my brother in the first place—it’s a blessing from a past life. The Mercer Family should be grateful."

’If the Mercer Family found out about the little tricks I pulled back then, they’d be easy enough to deal with. I could just toss them a few projects as compensation.’

’The main problem is the old lady at home. She’s not so easy to fool.’

’It was the old lady’s idea to choose Claire Mercer to ’ward off ill fortune’ for the wedding in the first place.’

’If she found out I went against her wishes behind her back...’

Rose Gable got a headache just thinking about it.

’That’s why they absolutely cannot get a divorce. I can’t let them go to the Civil Affairs Bureau.’

Meanwhile, Rose Gable’s vehement opposition to the divorce also made Roxanne Peyton wonder.

"What’s with that old witch? Hasn’t she always looked down on you? Why is she so against you divorcing Gavin Sinclair now?"

Stella Thorne guessed, "Is she afraid that Gavin Sinclair is... lacking in that department, and no one will marry him after the divorce?"

"That’s possible," Roxanne Peyton said, looking gossipily at a confused Claire Mercer. "Claire, is Gavin Sinclair really... not up to the task?"

Claire Mercer replied, "I honestly wouldn’t know if he is or not."

"So you really spent two years as a wife in name only?"

Claire Mercer nodded.

"What on earth did you see in him to marry him?" Roxanne Peyton asked, her expression a mixture of frustration and disappointment.

"She was after his crippled legs, obviously," Stella Thorne added with a sarcastic jab.

Claire Mercer sighed softly. "That year, he was the one who saved me from a few thugs."

"At the time, because I fought back so hard, the thugs got furious and hit me over the head."

"Before I passed out, my vision blurred by blood, I saw a young man in a white shirt save me."

"When I woke up in the hospital, the person I saw was Gavin Sinclair, also wearing a white shirt."

"I asked him if he was the one who saved me, and he nodded."

"From that moment on, I saw him as my savior."

"So, for the sake of that ’debt of gratitude,’ you resolutely threw yourself into the fire, married a disabled man, and acted as his nursemaid for two years..."

"I took care of him to the best of my ability for two years. Now that his legs are healed, I’ve repaid the debt for him saving me back then. From now on, we don’t owe each other anything."

"You’d better stick to that. Don’t let him come running back to you when he has regrets, and you go scurrying right back to him..."

Claire Mercer shook her head. "I won’t. When your heart dies and you’ve woken up, there’s no turning back."

Hearing her say that, Roxanne Peyton let out a huge sigh of relief.

"That’s the spirit! There are plenty of good men in the world. It’s for the best that you’ve come to your senses."

"Your girl is going to start scouting for a new man for you right now, guaranteed to be a hundred times better than that scumbag Gavin Sinclair."

"But Claire, what did that handsome guy who took you to The Gilded Pavilion look like? Are you sure nothing... indescribable... happened between you two?"

Roxanne Peyton shot Stella Thorne an annoyed look.

"Why are you still hung up on that handsome guy? When are you going to do something about this boy-crazy habit of yours?"

"I’m just curious!" Stella Thorne said, shaking Claire Mercer’s arm incessantly. "Claire, you have to tell me! Quick, quick, quick!"

Shaken by her friend, Claire Mercer laughed helplessly. "Roxanne has seen him."

"Huh?"

"It was at the hospital the other day, when Gavin Sinclair was trying to force me to change rooms..."

Roxanne Peyton’s eyes darted around for a moment before realization dawned on her.

"Oh, you mean the handsome guy from the hospital... Yeah, he really was gorgeous."

Roxanne Peyton’s mood still lifted just thinking about the way he’d shut down Gavin Sinclair.

That just made Stella Thorne even more curious.

’If even Roxanne says he’s handsome, just how good-looking must he be?’

"Just how handsome is he...? You guys aren’t just saying that to mess with me, are you?"

"It’s true," Claire Mercer said. "He’s definitely better-looking than those top young heartthrobs in the entertainment industry. Leaves them in the dust."

"But how did you two get together? Don’t tell me you hit it off that day at the hospital?" Roxanne Peyton asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

Claire Mercer immediately explained, "What are you thinking? Running into him at the lounge that night was a pure coincidence."

"Say what you will, but that’s fate," Roxanne Peyton said, giving Claire Mercer a sly, knowing smile.

"What fate?" Claire Mercer shot her an exasperated look. "He’s a staff member at the lounge. Isn’t it normal to run into him there?"

Stella Thorne: "A staff member at the lounge? Girl, you didn’t sneak off and find yourself a male model behind our backs, did you?"

Roxanne Peyton: "I heard the male models at the CK Lounge are top-tier, both in terms of physique and looks."

"Based on how handsome he is, I bet he could be the star attraction at the CK Lounge."

Stella Thorne: "Working there doesn’t necessarily make him a male model. What if he’s a bartender?"

Claire Mercer said, "I don’t care if he’s a male model or a bartender."

"To me, he’s just a stranger I’ve met twice. We’re not going to have anything to do with each other in the future anyway."

"So you two can just curb your curiosity and stop guessing wildly."

The three of them chatted for a little while longer, and then it was Claire Mercer’s turn to get her hair done.

The stylist created a new hairstyle tailored to her temperament and face shape.

「Three hours later.」

Claire Mercer’s signature long, straight black hair was gone.

In its place, lazy brown waves made her look glamorous and sophisticated, with a youthful boldness and confidence mixed in with her maturity.

Roxanne Peyton and Stella Thorne were both very pleased, exclaiming in amazement.

"This really is Rhonia’s top styling studio! Our Claire just needs a little touch-up and she outshines everyone."

The lead stylist replied, "That’s because Miss Mercer has such a good foundation to work with."

"Gavin Sinclair must be blind, giving up our Claire to go chase after some mistress..."

After receiving a look from Roxanne Peyton, Stella Thorne quickly shut her mouth.

Claire Mercer said, "It’s fine. I don’t care about them at all anymore."

She really didn’t care anymore.

Now, hearing Gavin Sinclair’s name only stirred feelings of disgust and revulsion, nothing else.

’I’m a good person. I’m exceptional. I’m beautiful, and I’m talented...’

’I can’t be as foolish as I was before, entrusting my future to a man.’

’I’m going to rely on my own two hands and my own abilities to live the life I want.’

Just as she was thinking this, her phone chimed with a WeChat notification.

She took out her phone and looked. It was the male model from that night.