After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 33: Who Would Marry a Cast-off Like Her?
Seeing the gleam in Judith Caldwellβs eyes, it was clear she had an idea.
Scarlett Jewel quickly asked her. π§ππππΈπ¦π£πππ·ππ.π€π°π
"Mom, do you have a way to make the Sinclair family give in?"
Judith Caldwell said, "The child in your belly is your greatest asset right now."
"The Sinclair family line is thin. They wonβt let their own flesh and blood be abandoned."
Scarlett Jewelβs heart soured when she remembered what Gavin Sinclair had said to Claire Mercer.
"But Gavin Sinclair... he doesnβt want to divorce Claire Mercer now."
The thought that he only wanted her as his mistress made Scarlett Jewelβs chest ache with anger.
He used to cherish her, getting anxious over the smallest scratch.
But now, only two years later, her place in his heart had changed.
He wanted her to stay by his side, yet he couldnβt bear to divorce that vixen, Claire Mercer.
Hah!
βBack when I had no power, influence, or status, all I wanted was to marry into a wealthy family.β
βNow that Iβm the true heiress of the Mercer family, how could I possibly settle for being his mistress?β
βBecome the mistress of a rich heir?β
βThatβs absolutely out of the question.β
While Judith Caldwell wasnβt intimately familiar with the Sinclair family, she knew the basics.
She comforted the dejected Scarlett Jewel.
"Whether he wants to divorce Claire Mercer or not isnβt whatβs most important."
"After all, heβs not the one who calls the shots in the Sinclair family yet."
"We just need to win over the Sinclair familyβs matriarch. As long as she agrees to let you in the door, your marriage to Gavin Sinclair will be just around the corner."
"From what I know, the Sinclair matriarch is getting on in years, and her health isnβt what it used to be."
"To put it bluntly, she probably doesnβt have many years left."
"Sheβs naturally desperate to hold a great-grandchild in her lifetime."
"And youβre carrying the Sinclair familyβs first great-grandchild. For the sake of this child, itβll be hard for her to say no."
"Besides, Gavin Sinclairβs mother dislikes Claire Mercer and has wanted a grandchild for ages."
"With her putting in a good word for you with the old matriarch, wonβt everything just fall into place?"
Hearing Judith Caldwellβs words, Scarlett Jewel felt that by leveraging her child for status, her marriage to Gavin Sinclair was only a matter of time.
βBesides, heβs not completely devoid of feelings for me. I just need to throw a fit in front of him...β
βI refuse to believe Gavin Sinclair could just stand by and watch us dieβa tragedy of two lives lost.β
βBesides, Iβm not some girl from a poor, unknown family anymore.β
βI have a new identity now, and with a baby on the way, my odds of winning are much better.β
If the Sinclair family could accept Claire Mercer back then, they could certainly accept her, the *true* Mercer heiress.
Just as Judith Caldwell had said, even if Gavin Sinclair was currently unwilling to divorce Claire and marry her, as long as they won over the Sinclair matriarch, everything would be much easier.
With these thoughts, the mother and daughterβs confidence surged.
They planned to find a suitable time as soon as possible to inform Gavin Sinclairβs mother, Rose Gable, that Scarlett was carrying a Sinclair child.
The thought of her biological daughter marrying into the Sinclair family so soon made Judith Caldwell genuinely happy.
βIβll be the maternal grandmother of the Sinclair familyβs first great-grandchild. All those snobs who looked down on me will have to treat me with respect from now on!β
Although Julian Mercer also approved of marrying his biological daughter into the Sinclair family, he worried that Claire Mercer, as a divorcΓ©e, would be much harder to make use of in the future.
The thought of this problem left Julian Mercer frowning.
His original plan had been for Claire to secure her position as Young Madam Sinclair.
Then, he would marry his biological daughter, Scarlett, into an even more powerful family.
That way, it would only be a matter of time before the Mercer family ascended to a new level of prestige.
But now, his biological daughter was pregnant with his son-in-lawβs child...
His adopted daughter would be a divorcΓ©e. Forget about a powerful and influential family; which of the other prominent families in Rhonia would even give her a second look?
"Mr. Mercer, why the long face?"
Julian Mercer voiced his concerns, and Judith Caldwell fell silent for a moment.
Then, she suddenly thought of someone.
"Do you know Mr. Bower?"
Julian Mercer thought for a moment and nodded.
"Why bring him up all of a sudden?"
Judith Caldwell sat beside Julian Mercer, her face breaking into a wide, wrinkled smile.
"Back before Claire married Gavin Sinclair, Mr. Bower told me he had his eye on her."
"If the Sinclair family hadnβt chosen her for that βgood luckβ marriage to Gavin, I was planning to marry her off to Mr. Bower."
Julian Mercer asked, "You mean, once Claire and Gavin are divorced, we marry her to Mr. Bower?"
Judith Caldwell nodded. "Mr. Bowerβs last wife died, and he hasnβt remarried since."
Julian Mercer hesitated. "But that Mr. Bower is older than me, and heβs had three wives die on him..."
"So what?" Judith Caldwell said dismissively.
"Mr. Bowerβs wealth and influence in Rhonia are considerable."
"Besides, Claire is a divorcΓ©e. Do you really expect her to marry into another prominent family?"
"Those other prominent families can have any girl they want. Why would they marry βused goodsβ like her?"
After hearing Judithβs reasoning, Julian Mercer started to think that marrying Claire off to Mr. Bower wasnβt such a bad idea after all.
And so, before Claire Mercer had even divorced Gavin Sinclair, Julian Mercer and his wife had already picked out her second husband.
When Scarlett Jewel heard her parents planning to marry Claire off to an old man in his fifties, she was inwardly ecstatic.
βIf she had just left Gavin Sinclair quietly, I might have even helped her out.β
βAt least she wouldnβt have ended up with an old man whose three wives had already died.β
βBut no, she had to be clueless and insist on fighting me for the title of Young Madam Sinclair.β
βWell, look at her now. Sheβs going to marry an old man whose three previous wives are dead...β
Just imagining the look of despair on Claireβs face when she heard the news filled Scarlett Jewel with excitement.
"Dad, Mom, we shouldnβt let my sister know about this just yet."
"If she finds out, sheβll probably be even more determined not to divorce Gavin Sinclair."
Judith Caldwell patted the back of her hand reassuringly. "Donβt you worry. Weβll keep this a secret for now and give her a little βsurpriseβ later."
With that, the mother and daughter shared a knowing smile.
*
γMeanwhile.γ
Claire Mercer had no idea that Julian Mercer and Judith Caldwell were already plotting to marry her off to an old man in his fiftiesβone whose three previous wives had already diedβas soon as she was divorced.
She took the initiative to call Gavin Sinclairβs mother, Rose Gable.
The call was answered after a long while, the voice on the other end sharp and unfriendly.
"What do you want?"
Claire wasnβt fazed. "I have some wonderful news to tell you."
"What βwonderful newsβ?"
"Youβre about to have a grandchild. Wouldnβt you call that good news?"
Hearing this, Rose Gable, who had been in the middle of a skincare treatment, shot bolt upright.
"Are you serious? Youβre pregnant?"
"Letβs discuss it in person." After naming a meeting place, Claire hung up the phone.
