After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 51: Who Knows How Many Hands Your Precious Daughter Has Passed Through?
Cynthia Sinclair was young, after all, having just turned eighteen not long ago.
She had the temper of a spoiled princess—arrogant and domineering.
Now, stung by Claire Mercer’s words, she exploded on the spot.
"Claire Mercer, you bitch! How dare you say I have no manners?"
Watching Cynthia Sinclair lose her composure, Claire Mercer felt a surge of delight.
A faint smile graced her lips, and her voice was soft and gentle.
"I didn’t scold you. I was merely stating a fact."
"After all, would a well-mannered person call her own sister-in-law a ’bitch’ over and over?"
Seeing Claire use her status to put her down, Cynthia’s eyes turned crimson with rage, and she became hysterical.
"You’re just a dog of the Sinclair Family! What gives you the right to be my sister-in-law?"
As soon as she said this, the smile on Claire Mercer’s face slowly faded.
Noticing the gift box Claire had been holding the entire time, Cynthia Sinclair sneered with contempt.
"Don’t tell me that’s the birthday present you prepared for Mrs. Rowan."
As she spoke, Cynthia lunged forward, snatched the gift box from her, and threw it on the ground.
"You actually have the nerve to give trash like this to Mrs. Rowan? How utterly unpresentable."
Claire Mercer quickly knelt, carefully picked up the box, and meticulously wiped off the dust.
After standing up, she slowly and deliberately walked forward.
She raised her hand and gave Cynthia Sinclair a solid slap across the face.
Seeing this, Rose Gable’s face twisted in anger as she growled.
"Claire Mercer, have you lost your mind?"
She couldn’t even bear to scold her precious daughter, let alone lay a hand on her.
’That little bitch actually...’
’She hit my precious daughter right in front of me.’
’Isn’t this a blatant slap in my face?’
"You’re getting more and more insolent! Do you even see me as your mother-in-law anymore?"
Claire Mercer’s eyes shifted, and she spoke in a slow, unhurried tone.
"She insulted her elder sister-in-law first. Didn’t you hear her?"
"Besides, she threw the birthday gift I prepared for Mrs. Rowan on the ground. That’s incredibly ill-mannered."
"Since ancient times, it’s been said that an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. Tell me, for such behavior, does she not deserve to be slapped?"
Rose Gable gritted her teeth fiercely. "Even so, it’s not your place."
"You didn’t act, so I had to."
"We can’t just let her continue being so insolent, can we? Who knows what shocking thing she might do next?"
"Mom, didn’t you see how many guests are looking at her?"
Cynthia’s voice had been loud.
Naturally, she had attracted the attention of several guests arriving for the party.
Seeing her act like a common shrew, they pursed their lips and shook their heads, their faces full of disdain.
Seeing this, Rose Gable immediately pulled back Cynthia Sinclair, who was about to lunge at Claire Mercer.
"That’s enough," she hissed. "Mind your image and your status."
"Don’t let that bitch provoke you with just a few words. You’ll fall right into her trap."
’I see it now.’
’That little bitch Claire Mercer is just trying to provoke my daughter into losing her composure and making a scene.’
’She wants people from the other prominent families to see her disgraceful behavior.’
’That way, what prestigious, wealthy family would dare marry a shrew?’
’What a venomous person.’
But Cynthia Sinclair wasn’t thinking that far ahead.
Claire Mercer’s words, calling her ill-mannered, just kept replaying in her mind.
She glared at her, her eyes bloodshot.
"But that bitch just said I have no manners! Isn’t that an insult to you, too?"
"And she hit me... What gives her the right?"
"An adopted daughter from a destitute family dares to hit me? I can’t stand it!"
Rose Gable reminded her, "We can’t deal with her here."
Compared to the wife from the second branch of the family, she wasn’t particularly brilliant either.
But she was still more rational than the eighteen-year-old Cynthia Sinclair.
Seeing that her daughter was still fuming and glaring daggers at Claire Mercer, as if she wouldn’t rest until she had skinned her alive,
Rose Gable patiently tried to persuade her.
"You are the little princess of the Sinclair Family. You must always be mindful of your composure when you’re out."
"Besides, today is Mrs. Rowan’s birthday party."
"The guests attending this party are all from an even higher echelon of high society."
"Don’t ruin your own image just because of a few words from Claire Mercer."
"We must cherish this party and seize this rare opportunity."
"But I just can’t stand it..." Cynthia glared at Claire Mercer again. "My face is still burning."
"Even if it hurts, you have to endure it," Rose Gable said.
"Do you still want to marry into a powerful family and become the wife of an influential man, someone everyone fawns over and vies to please?"
"Of course I do," Cynthia said.
She was the little princess of the wealthiest family in Rhonia. Who in Rhonia was richer than her family?
Since she didn’t lack money, she naturally had to marry for power.
In the future, she would be a noble lady with both power and money, occupying a position that all other women would look up to.
"Then control your temper," Rose Gable said.
"There will be plenty of opportunities to deal with Claire Mercer in the future."
Although Cynthia Sinclair was still resentful, she could only give up for now.
"I know."
"But for her to think she can just show her face at Mrs. Rowan’s birthday party... She must be trying to attract other men behind my brother’s back."
"Don’t you worry," Rose Gable said with great confidence.
"Without us to get her in, she won’t even be able to enter the banquet hall today."
Hearing this, Cynthia Sinclair finally felt a little better.
"Hmph. She can dress up as gaudily as she wants, but in the end, she won’t even have the right to enter."
"She’ll just end up being a watchdog at the entrance to the banquet hall. How humiliating."
Claire Mercer vaguely overheard the mother and daughter’s conversation.
She couldn’t help but let out a derisive snort.
She started to walk toward the banquet hall.
But Rose Gable called out to stop her.
"Claire Mercer, I advise you not to go and humiliate yourself."
"Not just anyone can attend Mrs. Rowan’s birthday party."
"You don’t have an invitation, and we’re not taking you. Do you really think you can get through that door?"
Claire Mercer looked at Rose Gable with a half-smile.
Her gaze toward the mother-daughter duo was dripping with sarcasm.
"What are you trying to say?"
Cynthia Sinclair cut in, looking smug. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"We’re not taking you in. You can give up on that idea."
Claire Mercer let out a soft laugh.
"Did I ever say I wanted you to take me inside?"
Cynthia Sinclair scoffed dismissively.
"You deliberately timed this to run into us here. Weren’t you just hoping to beg us to take you in with us?"
Before Claire Mercer could speak, Rose Gable piggybacked on Cynthia’s words.
"Claire Mercer, how did I never realize before that you were so scheming?"
"Gavin is injured, and instead of staying home to take care of him, you’re dreaming of showing your face at Mrs. Rowan’s party."
"What, you’re already looking for your next meal ticket before you’ve even divorced Gavin?"
"Let me tell you, after you divorce Gavin, you’ll just be cheap, secondhand goods."
"So don’t you go daydreaming about marrying into another wealthy and powerful family."
Hearing this, Claire Mercer sneered.
"Mrs. Sinclair, you don’t need to worry about that."
"Some women’s value is defined by the kind of man they marry."
"But my value—Claire Mercer’s value—is created by me."
"Besides, I’m not like your daughter, who is just a piece of merchandise waiting for the highest bidder."
"If we’re really getting into it, who knows how many ’hands’ your precious daughter has already passed through?"
With that said, she ignored Rose Gable and Cynthia Sinclair and turned to walk toward the entrance of the banquet hall.
Stung by Claire Mercer’s words, Cynthia Sinclair felt the blood rush to her head and nearly lost her composure again.
Rose Gable quickly pulled her along and chased after her.
Getting in front of Claire Mercer, she spoke to the doorman at the banquet hall.
"That woman doesn’t have an invitation. Don’t you dare let her in."
"Yes! Today is Mrs. Rowan’s birthday party. It’s not a place for any random riffraff."
"You’d better watch her closely. Don’t let her sneak in by piggybacking on someone else’s invitation."
After saying this, Rose Gable and Cynthia Sinclair presented their invitations and gave her a triumphant smile.
But little did they know, a swift comeuppance was at hand.
