After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 11: I Don’t Allow You to Divorce

Cynthia Sinclair didn’t dare to cross Claire Mercer now, so she could only purse her lips resentfully.

"It’s nothing."

Claire Mercer curled her lips in satisfaction and found a place to sit. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

When Gavin Sinclair’s mother, Rose Gable, came out of the restroom, she saw her daughter getting put in her place by Claire Mercer and found it utterly unbelievable.

She knew her own daughter’s personality better than anyone. Seeing her at a loss for words after being questioned by Claire Mercer, she sensed that something wasn’t right.

Suppressing her suspicion, she cleared her throat.

Claire Mercer looked up, saw her, and called out coolly, "Mother."

Rose Gable shot her a sideways glance, then strode forward in her high heels to look down on Claire Mercer. "What are you doing here?"

Claire Mercer found the question laughable.

"Mother, am I not allowed to be here?" she couldn’t help but retort.

’Or is the only normal thing for me to stay home every day and wait on their precious Young Master Sinclair?’

Rose Gable was momentarily speechless, staring at Claire Mercer in astonishment for a long moment.

’Is this still the same daughter-in-law who was always so meek and obedient in my presence?’

After all, Claire Mercer had once been subservient to an extreme degree.

In the past, hadn’t she always been warm, polite, and eager to please whenever she saw her mother-in-law?

She had tried just as hard to win over her sister-in-law, Cynthia, always giving in to her.

But her attitude today made her seem like a completely different person.

’What’s gotten into this little bitch?’

’Has she lost her mind?’

’If it weren’t for everyone watching, I’d march right over and slap her for that cold attitude.’

’That would teach her to recognize her place in the Sinclair family.’

But she couldn’t do that now. It would be beneath her status as Mrs. Sinclair, one of Rhonia’s top socialites.

So, Rose Gable could only pull rank as her mother-in-law and lecture her.

"Claire Mercer, you married into our Sinclair family, so you will abide by the Sinclair family’s rules."

"You and Gavin are married. You should be at home taking care of your husband, raising a family, and managing the household. Be a gentle, supportive wife."

"Not dressing up all flashy like this and parading around town."

Claire Mercer was taken aback for a moment.

’Hasn’t the Qing Dynasty been over for ages? Are the Sinclair family rules really this archaic?’

She couldn’t help but scoff, then asked Rose Gable,

"Then may I ask, Mother, why are *you* here? You’re a Sinclair wife, too."

Rose Gable’s sharp eyes narrowed as she stared at Claire Mercer.

"What are you trying to say?"

Claire Mercer spoke at a leisurely pace.

"By your logic, as a woman who married into the Sinclair family, you should be abiding by its rules. Shouldn’t you be at home making dinner for Father right now?"

"But from what I know, you’ve never cooked a single meal for him, have you?"

"Your days are quite colorful, aren’t they? If you’re not playing mahjong, you’re shopping. If you’re not at the beauty salon, you’re at the gym..."

Claire stressed the words "the gym," and the others in the room seemed to pick up on a certain innuendo.

The moment Rose Gable heard the words "the gym," her heart skipped a beat, and a flicker of anxiety flashed in her eyes.

Roxanne Peyton, catching the implication, covered her mouth to stifle a giggle and whispered,

"I never thought Mrs. Sinclair would be into muscle-bound men at her age. She’s not young, but she sure knows how to have fun."

Rose Gable didn’t hear Roxanne Peyton’s comment; her eyes remained fixed on Claire Mercer.

’Could this little bitch possibly know something?’

’No!’

’She quickly dismissed the thought. There was no way the little bitch could know.’

’She’s at home taking care of Gavin day in and day out. She never leaves the house. How could she possibly know about my private affairs?’

With that thought, Rose Gable calmed herself.

However, noticing the strange looks everyone was giving her, she was still furious.

Perhaps fearing her trysts with her personal trainer would be exposed, she flew into a humiliated rage and snapped,

"Claire Mercer, I am your mother-in-law! Is that any way to speak to me?"

"You’ve been married into the Sinclair family for two years without bearing any children, and that’s one thing. But now you’re hanging around with riff-raff and learning to talk back to me, is that it?"

Claire Mercer maintained her smile, her voice remaining soft and gentle.

"Mother, Roxanne and Stella are not ’riff-raff.’ They’re closer to me than my own relatives."

"There are some things I’d rather not say, especially since Gavin is a proud man. But there’s some blame I simply can’t accept."

"As you know, Gavin was paralyzed and in a wheelchair for two years. We were never intimate, so I suspect he might have... problems in that department."

She left the rest unsaid, but no one there was a fool. How could they fail to grasp her insinuation?

When Rose Gable heard Claire’s words, she was so furious she nearly coughed up blood.

She glared at Claire Mercer, wishing she could march over and strangle her.

With just a few soft-spoken sentences, Claire had utterly destroyed her son’s dignity.

She hadn’t explicitly said her son might have... issues, but people weren’t stupid. They could read between the lines.

She might look aggrieved and innocent, but deep down, her former respect and subservience were gone, replaced by veiled barbs and constant sarcasm.

Rose Gable was so angry she could barely breathe, but she knew she couldn’t cause a scene here and give people more reason to laugh at her son’s expense.

"Oh, by the way, I’ve already asked Gavin Sinclair for a divorce."

Claire Mercer’s words hit her like a bomb, shaking her to the core.

She stared at Claire in disbelief. "What? You want to divorce Gavin?"

Claire Mercer nodded. "Don’t worry. Gavin Sinclair has already found you a new daughter-in-law. I’m sure you’ll be very satisfied with her."

"I forbid you to divorce," Rose Gable said sharply.

Now it was Claire Mercer’s turn to be confused.

For the two years she had been married to Gavin Sinclair, Rose Gable had treated her no better than a housekeeper.

She had always been met with cold indifference, harsh criticism, and constant nitpicking.

No matter how well Claire took care of Gavin Sinclair, his mother always found some fault to needle her about.

Deep down, Rose looked down not only on Claire, but on all the other prominent families in Rhonia as well.

In her eyes, her son was a golden child who should have married the daughter of an even more prestigious and powerful family.

But she conveniently forgot that when everyone else in Rhonia was avoiding Gavin Sinclair like the plague, Claire was the only one willing to marry him and care for him without a single complaint.

Yet Rose Gable acted as if Claire had won the lottery, that marrying Gavin Sinclair was a disservice to her precious son.

So now that Claire was the one initiating the divorce, why was Rose Gable reacting this way?

Logically, now that Gavin Sinclair’s legs had healed, shouldn’t she be thrilled at the prospect of him divorcing and marrying a socialite from a better family, just as she’d always wanted?

Why was she against the divorce?

’This is too strange.’