After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 158: So Scheming

Claire Mercer and Stella Thorne quickly leaned in to look at Roxanne Peyton’s phone.

An anonymous blogger had made a post publicly questioning Claire Mercer.

"So, Ms. Mercer started generating hype for this competition two months ago."

"It’s reasonable to suspect that the whole huge scandal with the Sinclair Family was just to gain public sympathy in preparation for this competition."

Following the publication of this anonymous post,

a wave of unfriendly comments popped up all over the internet.

Netizen A: "Finally, someone who thinks the same way I do."

"I never understood why a private family matter had to cause such a public uproar. Now I finally get the reason."

"But using her own family’s ugly scandals for hype? Ms. Mercer is bound to crash and burn sooner or later."

Netizen B: "As the saying goes, ’don’t air your dirty laundry in public,’ but for the sake of the competition, this Ms. Mercer wasn’t afraid to expose her own scars. I guess you could call that brave."

Netizen C: "If I were in her shoes, I’d want to just hide so people wouldn’t laugh at me."

"But Ms. Mercer didn’t, oh no. She chose to broadcast it to the world, making all the trashy things that happened to her the talk of the town."

"It’s like she couldn’t wait to proclaim to the world how miserable she was. Looking back now, it’s clear all her actions had an ulterior motive."

Netizen D: "Honestly, I always thought there was more to her than meets the eye. I just didn’t realize she was this calculating."

Netizen E: "I don’t even get why this Claire Mercer is so popular."

"Her designs are just so-so. She’s just pandering to the masses and has no distinctive style of her own."

Another netizen chimed in. "Seeing so many people praise her for being beautiful and talented, I didn’t dare to say a word against it."

"Now I know I wasn’t the only one who felt that way."

"Her looks are undeniable, but when it comes to design talent, I feel like she’s a bit lacking."

"..."

Seeing these hostile comments, Roxanne Peyton was so mad she felt like she was going to explode.

"Are these people sick? You’re clearly the victim, and now they’re questioning you?"

"Saying you exposed your own scars just to create hype and play the victim for the competition..."

Although Claire Mercer felt a little upset, she had a good handle on her emotions.

After everything she had been through, she had seen how things truly were.

She smiled lightly and comforted Roxanne Peyton.

"I thought it was something serious. Is this all it is?"

"Roxanne, it’s not worth getting angry over people who don’t like you."

"If there are people who approve of us, there will naturally be people who question us."

"You can’t please everyone."

Roxanne Peyton was still indignant, her cheeks puffed out in anger.

"But they can’t just question you like this, can they?"

"Was what you went through made up? Were the things the Sinclair Family and the Mercer Family did fake?"

"Since they had the gall to do such shameless things, why on earth can’t we announce it to the world?"

"Why shouldn’t we be able to rip off their ugly masks and show their true faces?"

Claire Mercer took Roxanne Peyton’s arm, soothing her anger.

"Roxanne, people will say what they want. You can’t stop them from judging you negatively."

"Even if you explain everything clearly, those who don’t believe you still won’t." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"All we can do is have a clear conscience and let time prove everything."

"Making yourself sick with anger over something so trivial, how is that worth it?"

Roxanne Peyton was still pouting. "But I just can’t stand seeing them slander you like this..."

"Alright, alright, I don’t even care, so you shouldn’t let it get to you."

"Come and help me see if this part needs a few more embellishments."

"I was thinking of adding a few clusters of jasmine flowers as decoration. What do you think?"

"It’s not like I know anything about it..."

Despite saying that, Roxanne Peyton still leaned over to look at the design sketch seriously.

"I think adding the jasmine flowers would be better."

"I think so too. Our Roxanne has a great sense of style after all," Claire Mercer said, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

’Finally, I’ve managed to distract her.’

She was already swamped with designing the outfits.

She really didn’t have the spare time to soothe this little princess’s emotions.

After all, there was now one less day until the competition.

And the theme for the first round of the finals was "Ancient Style."

Each designer had to design and personally create three "Ancient Style" outfits within one week.

To design and create three outfits in one week was an extremely difficult task for many contestants, and the timeline was incredibly tight.

Because if a person lacked inspiration,

they might not be able to design a single decent piece of clothing in ten days or even half a month.

She, however, was fine. Her inspiration was bursting at the seams right now.

When the theme for the first round of the competition was announced,

her mind had already begun to sketch out her ideal "Ancient Style" outfits.

It only took one day for Claire Mercer to finish designing all three outfits.

The next step was to go to the market to buy all the fabrics and accessories needed to make the clothes.

While Claire Mercer had already finalized her designs and moved on to the next step on her end,

Scarlett Jewel, on the other hand, was still gloating over the online posts.

Below the anonymous post she had published, a portion of the comments were from paid trolls she had hired.

The goal was to belittle, question, and vilify Claire Mercer...

To control the narrative, muddy the waters, and ruin Claire Mercer’s image...

Her ultimate goal was to make sure Claire Mercer was affected by these negative comments.

’Once a person’s mind is influenced by outside noise, how can they possibly calm down and focus on designing?’

’Even if she manages to force out a design, it’ll just be a defective product.’

’I’m sure when Claire Mercer sees these comments, she’ll be too angry to eat or sleep.’

Scarlett Jewel was in a very good mood today.

Just thinking about Claire fuming over these comments...

...made her so happy she ate two extra bowls of rice.

After dinner, she finally started working on her own designs.

But her mind was completely blank; she had no inspiration at all.

She racked her brains for ages but still couldn’t come up with a design she was satisfied with.

Just then, Lily Dalton gave her a call.

Scarlett Jewel wasn’t very talented to begin with.

Now, worried about her designs, her tone was naturally unpleasant when she answered the phone.

"What is it?"

"Miss Jewel..."

Before Lily Dalton could finish, Scarlett Jewel cut her off with a low growl.

"Call me Mrs. Sterling. How many times do I have to tell you before you remember?"

Lily Dalton quickly and subserviently apologized. "I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It was a slip of the tongue."

Scarlett Jewel warned in a cold voice, "This is the last time. If you call me by the wrong name again, I’ll find other ways to teach you a lesson."

"Yes, yes, I’ll be sure to remember next time."

"Fine. Why are you calling me?"

"Mrs. Sterling, I have some books and reference images related to ’Ancient Style’ clothing. I thought they might be helpful for the first round of the finals."

"I didn’t realize you were so thoughtful."

"After all, we’re a team. We rise and fall together. Besides, it’s my honor to be able to help you."

"Alright, bring them to the Sinclair estate. I’m pregnant now, so it’s not convenient for me to move around."

Hearing this, Lily Dalton was overjoyed.

Because she had achieved her goal.