After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 65: Rotten From the Inside Out

Claire Mercer was furious that her design sketchbook had been ruined.

And to make matters worse, Scarlett Jewel was right there, making a scene and getting on her nerves.

When Judith Caldwell saw Claire Mercer yell at her precious daughter, she had the urge to walk right up and slap Claire across the face.

That would teach her to recognize her place in the Mercer Family.

’She’s just an outsider, yet she dares to yell at my precious daughter right in front of me...’

’She’s so audacious, showing absolutely no respect for me, the mistress of this house.’

But she couldn’t afford to provoke the little bitch right now.

Otherwise, her plan would likely fall through.

So, for now, she could only endure it.

Not only did she have to endure it, but she also had to placate her.

Suppressing her rage, she stepped forward to soothe Claire Mercer.

"Claire, don’t be angry. Please, don’t be angry."

"It was wrong of us to move your things without asking. We were being thoughtless."

"But if you’re missing anything, we can just buy you new ones."

Claire Mercer said coldly, "Some things can’t be bought with money."

All that time and effort she had poured into those painstakingly drawn design sketches...

Gone, just like that. They’d thrown them out like trash.

Claire Mercer couldn’t stand to stay another second. She turned and stormed downstairs.

Judith Caldwell glared viciously at her retreating back and gritted her teeth.

"You little bitch, you’ve really grown a temper."

"Look at her attitude just now. Have I been too easy on her?"

After offering a few placating words to Judith Caldwell, Scarlett Jewel said in a snide tone,

"Well, she’s Mrs. Rowan’s goddaughter now. She’s feeling pretty pleased with herself."

Judith Caldwell snorted through her nose and curled her lip.

"I doubt Mrs. Rowan even genuinely likes her."

"Otherwise, why hasn’t there been a formal recognition ceremony?"

"Mrs. Rowan was probably just acting on a whim."

"Once she calms down, who’s to say she’ll even remember who Claire Mercer is?"

Scarlett Jewel chimed in, "Mom, I think you have a point."

"In any case, let’s just keep her calm for today."

"After we get her into Mr. Bower’s bed tomorrow, we’ll see how arrogant she can be."

With that, Judith Caldwell let out a venomous snort.

Then she took Scarlett Jewel’s hand, her expression turning warm and affectionate. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Once her matter is dealt with, we’ll put your situation with Sinclair back on the agenda."

"We have to hold the wedding before your belly starts showing. It won’t look good to walk down the aisle with a big baby bump."

"You need to put more pressure on Gavin Sinclair, you hear?"

Scarlett Jewel sighed. "But Mom, just winning over Gavin Sinclair isn’t enough."

"Didn’t you say it yourself? He doesn’t call the shots in the Sinclair Family."

"Even if he’s willing to marry me, it’s useless if the Sinclair matriarch doesn’t approve."

"He has feelings for you," Judith Caldwell said.

"And now that you have a child on the way, the matriarch will probably relent for the sake of the Sinclair family’s first great-grandchild."

Scarlett Jewel wasn’t sure if the Sinclair Family would give in.

But she was dead set on marrying Gavin Sinclair.

If she was pregnant and the Sinclair matriarch still wouldn’t approve,

then she would just have to find another way.

No one was going to stop her from becoming the Young Madam of the Sinclair Family.

Not even the Sinclair matriarch.

Meanwhile, after going downstairs, Claire Mercer left the Mercer Family home directly.

She was surprised to see Adrian Sutton’s car still parked outside the villa gates, with him leaning against it, watching her.

"Why haven’t you left yet?"

Adrian Sutton said, "I was worried the Mercers would give you a hard time, so..."

"It’s fine." Claire Mercer gave a bitter smile. "I’m used to it, anyway."

Adrian Sutton glanced at the Mercer family’s villa, his eyes darkening instantly.

"By the way, didn’t you say you were getting your design sketchbook?"

The moment she thought of how they had carelessly trampled on her hard work, Claire Mercer’s expression turned cold.

"They already threw it out like trash."

Hearing this, Adrian Sutton’s hands at his sides clenched into fists so tight the veins bulged.

’The Mercer Family is just as despicable as the Sinclair Family.’

’They’ve clearly had it too good for too long, and it’s made every last one of them lose their humanity.’

He had originally planned to give the Mercer Family a chance, out of consideration for them having raised her.

But since they were so inhumane, there was no need to let them keep running wild.

Claire Mercer saw his grim expression and how angry he seemed.

She put on a nonchalant smile and said,

"But it doesn’t matter. Those were just from my college days."

"The designs are probably outdated by now anyway."

Adrian Sutton saw right through her forced smile, and his heart ached.

He wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how.

All he could do was quickly change the subject to keep her from dwelling on it.

"So, do you still need to use my computer?"

Claire Mercer glanced at the time and shook her head. "Some other day."

"It’s getting a little late now, so it’s not very convenient to go to your place."

Although Adrian Sutton wanted to spend every moment with his Claire,

a man and a woman alone together in one room...

If word got out, it would be bad for her reputation.

So he nodded and said, "Alright. Where are you staying tonight?"

"I’ve already booked a room at a nearby hotel."

"I’ll probably be staying in hotels until I find a place to rent."

She remembered Adrian Sutton had been in the same situation.

He had lived in a hotel before he found a place to rent.

Now she was just like him back then—homeless in Rhonia, forced to stay in a cold, impersonal hotel.

"Which hotel? Let me drive you."

Claire Mercer told him the name of the hotel.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

"It’s no trouble." Adrian Sutton opened the passenger-side door for her.

After she got in the car, he hesitated, wondering if he should bring up the idea of being roommates.

He wrestled with the thought for the entire drive before he finally couldn’t help but ask,

"Miss Mercer, I have a proposal, but I’m not sure if you’d be open to it."

Claire Mercer asked, "What kind of proposal?"

"Well... the place I’m living in now is a bit big, a three-bedroom apartment."

"If you’re having trouble finding a place to rent, you could consider being my roommate."

"We can split the rent, utilities, and all other expenses."

"If we split the costs, we could both save quite a bit of money each month."

"It seems like we’re both under some financial pressure right now, so being roommates would be a win-win."

Claire Mercer thought about it and felt it wasn’t a bad idea.

"But wouldn’t it be a little inconvenient? A man and a woman living alone in the same apartment?"

Adrian Sutton said, "A lot of young men and women fresh out of college choose to be roommates these days."

"Of course, if you think it would be inconvenient, that’s fine too."

"I just wanted to help ease some of your pressure."

"Let me think about it."

In truth, Claire Mercer thought Adrian Sutton’s proposal was actually quite good.

It would save her money on rent and save her the time of house-hunting.

Besides, Adrian Sutton himself...

After spending time with him these past few days, she thought he was a pretty decent person.

She could see that he acted somewhat deferential around her.

In other words, he knew how to respect her and was considerate of her emotions and feelings.

Being around him felt nice, actually. He seemed like a friend worth having.

What she never expected, however, was that this living arrangement... would last a lifetime.

On the way to the hotel, while Adrian Sutton was driving Claire Mercer, a call came in from Gavin Sinclair again.

Claire Mercer rejected the call and immediately blocked his number.

Then, she opened WeChat to block him there too, but a voice message from him popped up.

Claire Mercer didn’t know if Gavin Sinclair was aware of the fake marriage certificate, but it didn’t matter anymore.

She wanted nothing more to do with the Sinclair Family, so what difference did it make if he knew or not?

That man was just like the rest of the Sinclairs—rotten to the core.