After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 157: The Phoenix Man with Ulterior Motives

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: The Phoenix Man with Ulterior Motives

The opening ceremony was a great success.

The live audience was ecstatic, and the TV ratings soared, topping the time slot.

This was partly because many popular celebrities were there to show their support.

Fans of each celebrity flocked online to discuss their favorite stars.

Photos and videos from the event were posted online.

This brought the competition itself into the spotlight, sparking heated discussions across the internet.

The opening ceremony didn’t just kick off the competition with a bang.

It also turned the event into a hot topic, generating a nationwide buzz.

After all, a competition format that paired fashion designers with models was a first.

Viewers could not only admire the variety of beautiful clothes meticulously designed by the contestants.

They could also watch dozens of models, all possessing both stunning figures and beautiful faces, compete fiercely on stage.

The novelty of the competition made it full of highlights.

Some contestants had already amassed their own fan bases.

People flocked to the competition’s official social media account, leaving comments to cheer on their favorite contestants.

Among them, Claire Mercer and Stella Thorne’s team, "Jupiter," was the most popular.

After all, their looks stood out strikingly among the contestants.

Although they only made a brief appearance on stage, they dazzled many people.

People can’t help but pay a little more attention to beautiful things.

That attention, driven by curiosity, leads to a deeper look, and eventually, they become fans.

This was exactly what happened with Claire Mercer and Stella Thorne.

First, their stunning looks attracted a wave of fans drawn in by their beauty.

Then, videos of their performances from earlier rounds of the competition were dug up.

Claire Mercer was not only beautiful but also talented, and her designs perfectly matched the aesthetic of today’s youth.

Meanwhile, Stella Thorne’s stage presence grew more and more solid. She could be chic or sweet, gentle or fierce, which also attracted a large number of fans.

In addition, Claire Mercer’s previous dispute with the Sinclair Family had already garnered sympathy from a large number of onlookers.

These people had been following her story ever since.

After all, the whole affair with the Sinclair Family was so melodramatic.

They were curious, like watching a story unfold, and wanted to know what would happen to her next.

By a strange twist of fate, this also gained her a wave of fans drawn in by her looks.

Although her face was intentionally blurred in the video of her interview...

...it couldn’t stop some incredibly resourceful netizens.

Following the trail from her current account, they dug up her very first account, one she had registered back in high school.

They even found the single selfie she had posted on that account.

It was precisely because of that selfie that she gained a huge wave of casual fans drawn to her beauty.

Later, when she generously shared her wedding photos with Adrian Sutton online...

...she attracted an even larger group of "couple fans" and fans of their good looks.

Now, with the release of her competition videos, her popularity skyrocketed.

It was only natural for such a talented and beautiful designer to attract so many fans.

Since Roxanne Peyton wasn’t in the competition and wasn’t looking for a job, she had a lot of free time.

Back when the two first started competing, she had volunteered to be the president of the "Jupiter" fan club.

Seeing her two best friends’ popularity soar and gain tens of thousands of new followers overnight, she was more excited than the stars themselves.

And so, on the afternoon of the day after the opening ceremony...

...after coming over to Claire Mercer’s place to freeload lunch...

...she was holding her phone and munching on an apple.

She was lying on the rocking chair Claire had bought for the balcony.

She was leisurely scrolling through their previous competition videos online.

She slowly read through the comments below.

"As a qualified fan club president, I must keep a constant eye on all online developments."

Claire Mercer: "Thank you for your love and support, Captain Peyton."

Stella Thorne: "Our dear Captain Peyton is working so hard."

Roxanne Peyton waved her hand at the two of them.

"Don’t mention it, don’t mention it..."

"Managing the comments for you is my duty as president."

The two of them exchanged a smile in the living room.

Claire Mercer went back to sketching her design for the first round of the finals.

Stella Thorne also chimed in with her own ideas from time to time.

Adrian Sutton came out with a plate of fruit he had washed for the three of them.

"Have some fruit. Relax and clear your minds for a bit."

"The competition is important, but don’t put too much pressure on yourselves."

Roxanne Peyton said with a teasing laugh, "Tsk... Claire, I’m starting to get a little jealous of you."

"Jealous of what?" Claire Mercer asked without looking up.

"You just focus on the competition, and you have someone to take care of everything at home for you."

"You don’t have to cook or clean the house every day. How could anyone not be jealous?"

Claire Mercer smiled gently. "Aren’t you the same way at home? The little princess of the Peyton Family."

"That’s different," Roxanne Peyton said. "At home, it’s the maids who do all that."

"When I get married someday, who knows what kind of husband I’ll have."

"What if he doesn’t cook, doesn’t do chores, and isn’t gentle or thoughtful... I’ll just kick him to the curb."

Hearing this, Claire Mercer and Stella Thorne burst out laughing.

"Looks to me like our great Miss Peyton is thinking about romance."

"She doesn’t even have a boyfriend, but she’s already daydreaming about married life."

"Well, she has been single for two years. It’s understandable that her heart’s starting to get restless."

Hearing the two of them whispering and gossiping about her in the living room...

...Roxanne Peyton marched in huffily and stuffed grapes into both of their mouths.

"What nonsense are you two spouting? I was just thinking out loud."

Claire Mercer continued to tease her. "If you’re not thinking about romance, why would you be ’thinking out loud’ about it?"

"Exactly," Stella Thorne chimed in cooperatively.

"Do you see me thinking about getting married or not?"

"I’m so busy with the competition with Claire every day, I have no time to think about anything else."

Claire Mercer said, "I think you’re just too idle, Roxanne. You should find something to do."

Speaking of finding a job, Roxanne Peyton sighed. "Sigh, I want to find a job too."

"But my parents and my brothers won’t let me."

"They say the Peyton Family will support me, and even after my parents are gone, my brothers will take care of me..."

"So I’ll never need to get a job in my life. They’re afraid I’ll suffer, get tired, or be bullied if I go out to work."

"But I personally feel a woman should still have her own job."

"Our parents can’t be with us forever, and my brothers will get married and have their own families someday..."

Claire Mercer said, "You’re right to think that way."

"You’ll get married someday. If you marry someone who completely dotes on you, loves you, and spoils you, that’s one thing."

"But what if you’re blind like I was and end up with a scumbag..."

"If he’s a scumbag from a family of similar social standing, he might look down on you for staying at home all day and not having a proper occupation."

"And if you’re unlucky enough to marry a scheming social climber from a humble background, that’s even worse."

"You’ve probably seen the news about those wealthy heiresses who were completely drained of their family’s resources by men like that. How tragic was that?"

"As they say, you can’t read a person’s heart. You never know if the person sitting across from you is a man or a monster."

"When a woman has her own career, she has the confidence and security to face any unexpected changes."

Stella Thorne nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Claire is right."

"We women should live out our own worth, so we won’t be looked down on by anyone."

’She was working so hard now not only to prove her own worth. She also wanted to prove to that scumbag ex-boyfriend of hers that she, Stella Thorne, was not just a useless pretty face.’

As the three of them were chatting idly, Roxanne Peyton suddenly cried out in alarm.

"Claire... this is bad."

Claire Mercer and Stella Thorne jumped, startled. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

They both turned to look at her at the same time.

"What’s wrong? What happened?"

Roxanne Peyton just stared at her phone, her face filled with indignation. "Look..."