After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 185: This Woman Is No Pushover Either
Claire Mercer’s words were crisp and forceful, her expression incredibly resolute.
Her do-or-die determination to defend her reputation infuriated Benny, yet it also sent a chill through him.
’A newcomer who hasn’t even broken into the design world is already this much trouble.’
’Then again...’
’She had single-handedly turned netizens against the Mercer and Sinclair families, who were relentlessly flamed online for days.’
’This woman is clearly not one to be trifled with.’
’With a personality like hers, she would never allow herself to be taken advantage of or suffer the slightest injustice.’
’Now that I’ve worked with Joel Jennings to frame her for plagiarism, she’s certainly not going to just take it lying down.’
Claire Mercer stood on the stage, her clear, bright eyes fixed coldly on Benny.
She saw him stop and turn back, glaring at her with a look of pure spite.
She met his venomous gaze without a hint of fear and began to speak.
"I’m a contestant, and in your eyes, I’m just a rookie."
"In this industry, I have no standing, no connections, and no reputation."
"You could say I’m all on my own in this field."
"But you—you’ve been in the industry for years and have built up a considerable network."
"Through your various efforts, you’ve cemented your status in this world."
"The difference between us is that one has nothing, while the other has everything."
"As the saying goes, someone with nothing to lose isn’t afraid of someone who has everything to lose. Right now, I’m the one with nothing to lose."
"After all, you’ve already framed me for plagiarism."
"If I just let you get away with it and do nothing, my career in the design industry will be dead in the water."
"So, even if you use your connections to crush me later, I will still fight for justice and to clear my name."
"And when this matter gets to court, I trust that the law will see justice is done."
Benny was once again stunned by Claire Mercer’s words.
He truly hadn’t expected to run into someone so relentlessly difficult.
’Now she’s got me in her sights and won’t let go.’
’Even the event organizers haven’t stepped in to take control of the situation.’
Now he was stuck—he couldn’t leave, but he couldn’t stay either.
He was in a complete bind, caught between a rock and a hard place.
If he left, everyone would assume they had a guilty conscience and didn’t dare to produce the evidence for a direct confrontation with Claire Mercer.
But if he didn’t leave and continued this confrontation with her...
...then the so-called evidence exposing her plagiarism would have to be made public.
And if Claire Mercer got her hands on that evidence for a close comparison, she would undoubtedly discover its many flaws.
At that point, the fact that they had fabricated evidence to frame Claire Mercer would be impossible to hide.
If that happened, his career would likely suffer an unprecedented, devastating blow.
’I can’t let my career be ruined over a single Claire Mercer.’
’I’ve worked too hard to get to where I am in the fashion design world. I can’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish now.’
With that in mind, he said to Claire Mercer,
"Am I to take this as you threatening me with a lawsuit?"
Claire Mercer didn’t answer, retorting instead, "If you didn’t frame me, how could there be a threat?"
"And even if I were threatening you, you wouldn’t be afraid if you had a clear conscience, would you?"
"So, judging by your words, are you admitting that you and Joel Jennings conspired to frame me?"
At her words, Benny was so furious he nearly had a stroke on the spot.
He immediately turned and whispered to his assistant.
"Contact Mr. Yates, the head of the organizing committee, right now. This can’t be allowed to escalate."
"This Claire Mercer is on me like a rabid dog and won’t let go. Tell the organizers to get her under control, quickly."
"I refuse to believe the organizers would sacrifice a major industry figure like me for a mere rookie like her."
Not daring to delay, the assistant immediately and discreetly went to contact the head of the organizing committee.
Benny remained on stage to continue stalling Claire Mercer, waiting for his assistant to bring him the phone.
That would give him a legitimate reason to call for his lifeline.
But deep down, he knew the situation had spiraled to a point where the organizers couldn’t just sweep it under the rug.
Not only had the audience in the venue begun to suspect there was more to the story,
but netizens online were in a heated frenzy of discussion.
Claire Mercer’s fans, in particular, had already flooded the comment section of the competition’s official website.
If they didn’t provide a reasonable explanation and reveal the truth, there would be no way to quell the public outcry.
The assistant knew the situation was developing unfavorably for them. If things went south, not only would the organizers refuse to help, but they might even remove Benny from the judges’ panel.
But since his boss had given the order, he had no choice but to comply.
He discreetly contacted Mr. Yates, the person in charge at the organizing committee who had invited them to be judges.
The line was busy, and it took him several minutes to finally get through.
The call was answered almost instantly. Before Benny’s assistant could even speak, Mr. Yates, the man in charge, cut straight to the chase.
"Did you really conspire with Joel Jennings to frame Claire Mercer?"
The question left the assistant momentarily stunned.
He hadn’t expected Mr. Yates to be so brutally direct.
For a moment, he was at a complete loss for how to respond.
Mr. Yates forcefully suppressed his anger and continued,
"You’re calling me now for no other reason than to have me clean up this thorny mess."
"This has already blown up online, and public opinion won’t be easily pacified."
"Shouldn’t you be giving me an explanation as to what exactly is going on?"
The assistant looked troubled. He wanted to tell the truth, but he was afraid Benny would kill him if he found out.
But if he didn’t tell the truth, he risked offending Mr. Yates of the organizing committee.
As a mere assistant, it wasn’t his place to speak.
One wrong move and he would lose his job.
He stammered, unable to get a single word out.
That was all the confirmation Mr. Yates needed.
’Benny was definitely involved in Joel Jennings’s scheme to frame Claire Mercer.’
’One of them puts on a show, publicly accusing Claire Mercer of plagiarism.’
’The other uses his position as a judge to make the accusation stick.’
’A judge and a designer with status and standing in the industry...’
’...conspiring with a contestant to pull such a dirty trick, and dragging me down with them to get flamed online.’
He might even lose his year-end bonus over this. The more Mr. Yates thought about it, the angrier he became, and he finally roared,
"Put Benny on the phone. I’ll ask him myself."
The assistant was at his wit’s end, not knowing how to answer the director’s questions.
Upon hearing the order, he immediately found Benny and handed him the phone.
"Why are you giving me the phone?" Benny asked, putting on an act.
The assistant flinched at his glare and said with a tremor in his voice,
"The head of the organizing committee wants you to take the call."
"Apologies, everyone. I have a very important call to take."
With that, Benny took the phone and walked offstage.
He found a secluded hallway.
Benny was seething with rage, but he didn’t dare offend Mr. Yates from the organizing committee.
Even though he prided himself on having a certain amount of status in the industry,
the organizing committee was backed by none other than the CZ Group.
The CZ Group had immense financial backing and was the undisputed industry leader in the country.
It even held considerable sway on the international stage.
To put it simply, the CZ Group was their ultimate benefactor.
They were The Grim Reaper who could decide his fate with a single word.
He couldn’t kiss up to them fast enough; he certainly didn’t dare to put on airs in front of their representative.
After taking the phone, he adopted a very humble tone.
"Hello, Mr. Yates..."
Mr. Yates impatiently cut him off, questioning him bluntly,
"What the hell is going on with you people? Did you and that Joel Jennings really fabricate evidence to frame Claire Mercer?"
"I think you owe me an explanation on this matter, don’t you?"
