After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 161: One Must Always Be on Guard

When it was time to draw the cards, Claire Mercer was calm and composed.

She had already researched the skills of the dozens of opponents in the finals during her free time.

She wouldn’t underestimate any of her competitors.

But she was also very confident in her own design abilities.

So she wasn’t nervous or anxious at all. With a steady and unhurried air, she drew a purple card.

Scarlett Jewel, on the other hand, had hands that were trembling as she drew her card.

She was praying inwardly, ’Please, don’t let me draw Claire Mercer.’

She was well aware of Claire Mercer’s skill.

Even she had to praise the book of Claire Mercer’s design sketches she had at home.

On top of that, Claire Mercer had consistently held the number one spot in the Rhonia division throughout the recent competition.

She hated Claire Mercer, yet she was terrified of facing her in the arena.

To stay on this stage longer and achieve a higher rank...

She didn’t want to run into Claire Mercer in the very first round.

If she faced Claire Mercer, her fate was sealed: she would lose.

Originally, she had wanted to spend some money to bribe the judging panel.

But the judges gave her no opportunity whatsoever.

Even when she brought up her status as Mrs. Sterling of the Sinclair Family, those people paid her no mind and wouldn’t even meet her privately.

This made her furious and humiliated, but she couldn’t afford to offend them.

If she offended these judges, they might deliberately give her low scores later, which would only hasten her elimination.

So, under the circumstances, she could only pray that the opponent she drew wasn’t too strong.

That way, she would at least have a fighting chance.

As for Claire Mercer, she would have to find another way to deal with her.

Fortunately, it seemed the heavens had heard her prayer; she didn’t draw Claire Mercer.

Although the head-to-head matchups hadn’t been officially announced yet...

She had been secretly watching Claire Mercer and had naturally seen the color of her card.

Claire Mercer’s was purple, while hers was gray. The different colors meant they wouldn’t be facing each other for now.

Of course, drawing another contestant didn’t guarantee she would advance directly.

But it was still better than drawing a formidable opponent like Claire Mercer.

It was possible the contestant she drew was on her level, or perhaps even weaker.

’As long as it’s not Claire Mercer, I’m fine.’

This made Scarlett Jewel breathe a secret sigh of relief.

After all the contestants had drawn their cards, the results were announced together. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Joel Jennings, the top designer from the Kenton division, had drawn a purple card.

This meant he was Claire Mercer’s first direct opponent.

The two of them would face off in the first round to determine a winner.

Joel Jennings was a male designer with unremarkable looks and an average height.

Because he was one of the few male designers, and also the winner of the Kenton division, Claire Mercer had paid attention to him before.

His ideas were quite bold and avant-garde.

His designs leaned toward trendy and high-fashion, with a rather unique style.

His overall design skills were quite decent.

When the opponents were announced, the contestants who drew the same color all rose to greet each other.

Claire Mercer also stood up and gave Joel Jennings a polite, smiling nod.

But he took his time, rising lazily to his feet with a hint of impatience on his face.

He just gave Claire Mercer a brief glance, and even his nod seemed extremely perfunctory.

Seeing this, Stella Thorne, who was sitting next to Claire Mercer, pouted and couldn’t help but complain.

"What’s with his attitude? Why is he so arrogant? He has no manners at all."

"It’s fine." Claire Mercer just smiled, unconcerned.

"We’re opponents, so it’s normal for him to be hostile toward me."

"But he won’t even put on a polite facade. He’s so condescendingly arrogant. It seems his emotional intelligence isn’t that great either."

Stella Thorne nodded in strong agreement, then leaned closer to Claire Mercer and said.

"I saw some people digging up dirt on him online. They said he’s conceited and looks down on female designers."

At these words, Claire Mercer’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Is he sexist?"

She felt an instant dislike for that Joel Jennings.

Stella Thorne nodded. "Men who discriminate against women are so disgusting. I can’t believe someone like him could win first place in the Kenton division."

Claire Mercer said, "The competition is about fashion design. Personal character isn’t part of the judging criteria."

Stella Thorne studied Joel Jennings’s face carefully, then leaned in to whisper in Claire Mercer’s ear again.

"Claire, I’ve observed his features closely. A face like that belongs to someone who is narrow-minded and petty. He’s not a good person."

"We should be extra careful when dealing with an opponent like him."

Seeing how serious she was, Claire Mercer couldn’t help but chuckle. "I know, my little fortune-teller, Stella."

"I’m just facing him in the first round. We probably won’t have much interaction after this."

Still, her impression of this Joel Jennings was indeed not very good.

He was expressionless the whole time, with an air of superiority, looking down on everyone.

’I don’t know what he has to be so arrogant about.’

"Claire, when it comes to the competition, sometimes you still need to be on your guard."

Claire Mercer completely agreed with Stella Thorne’s cautiousness.

"Stella, you’re right. We may be playing fair, but who knows if someone might try to pull some tricks behind the scenes?"

"Besides, this is the first Design & Model Competition hosted by CZ Group, and it’s getting a lot of attention online."

"The live broadcast ratings are also very high, so everyone is giving it their all."

"If you can win the championship and become an overnight sensation, not only is the prize money substantial, but your status in the industry will also rise significantly."

"Under these circumstances, we have to be careful and absolutely cannot give anyone a chance to sabotage us from behind."

Stella Thorne nodded grimly. "I know. We have to be wary of everyone, especially that Scarlett Jewel."

"The way she looks at you is always full of hostility. It’s like she hates you to the bone."

"But I don’t get it. She was the one who was the other woman and came between you and Gavin Sinclair. What right does she have to hate you?"

Claire Mercer said, "It’s probably because I ’usurped’ her identity as the Mercer Family’s daughter, and on top of that, she and Gavin Sinclair used to be a couple, but I was the one who married him..."

Stella Thorne retorted, "It’s not your fault she was lost and living elsewhere back then."

"Besides, didn’t she come between you and Gavin Sinclair after she came back from abroad?"

"And now she’s successfully gotten what she wanted and become Mrs. Sterling. What right does she still have to be so hostile toward you?"

Claire Mercer was also a bit baffled. "I don’t understand how people like her think, and I can’t be bothered to dwell on it."

Stella Thorne recalled Scarlett Jewel’s state just now and suppressed a laugh.

"But she looked so nervous the whole time. Her hands were even shaking when she drew her card. She must have been terrified."

Hearing this, Claire Mercer let out a soft laugh.

She couldn’t help but glance over in Scarlett Jewel’s direction.

Meanwhile, Scarlett Jewel, sitting a few rows away, saw that Claire Mercer looked completely relaxed the entire time.

It was as if she wasn’t here to compete, but just to have fun.

This made her extremely unhappy.

For the past few days, she had been racking her brain to come up with her designs.

On top of that, she had pulled all-nighters to rush the work, only finishing the three final garments this morning.

Her head was still a little dizzy, and her nerves were completely shot.

She was terrified of being eliminated in the first round of the semifinals, and the psychological pressure was immense.

’How can Claire Mercer look so relaxed?’

’Hasn’t she seen all those negative comments about her online?’

’How can she still be smiling cheerfully like nothing’s wrong...?’

’She’s so thick-skinned.’

’I wonder how her designs for this round turned out.’

’It would be best if that Joel Jennings guy beats her, so I don’t have to face her.’