After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 164: The Sinister and Vicious Light

Seeing Scarlett Jewel strutting about like a proud peacock, Claire Mercer couldn’t help but let out a soft scoff.

She was truly amazed by Scarlett Jewel’s shamelessness.

Claire didn’t even consider her a rival, yet Scarlett insisted on making it a competition.

She always had to come up to her, desperate for validation.

She shook her head with a scornful smile, not even bothering to engage with her.

Instead, it was Stella Thorne who couldn’t resist firing back at Scarlett Jewel.

"Scarlett Jewel, you only advanced by a fluke."

"And you have the nerve to come flaunt it in our faces. I have no idea what you’re so smug about."

Scarlett Jewel wasn’t angry; she was in a great mood because she had advanced.

"So what if it was a fluke?" She tilted her chin up, a smile on her face. "I still advanced in the end."

Stella Thorne looked at her like she was an idiot.

"You say that as if our Claire didn’t advance."

She really couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes at her.

"You seem to have forgotten that Claire is the winner of the winners’ bracket."

"Unlike some people, who are still struggling for dear life in the losers’ bracket."

"It must be your lucky day. You must have stepped in some shit to run into opponents who were weaker than you."

"But out of the dozens of other contestants who advanced today, which one of them isn’t stronger than you?"

"Do you think your luck will always be this good?"

"Don’t you have any self-awareness about your own skill level?"

Scarlett Jewel was stunned speechless by Stella Thorne’s tirade. "Stella Thorne, you..."

"’You’ what?"

Confronting Scarlett Jewel, Stella Thorne was like a machine gun.

She didn’t give her any chance to speak.

"Instead of wasting time coming here to show off, you should scram and think about how you’re going to design for the next competition theme."

"But you’d better pray you don’t have to face Claire in the next round."

"Otherwise, heh..." Stella Thorne sneered. "Just wait for your fast pass to elimination." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Watching Stella Thorne tear into Scarlett Jewel, leaving her red-faced and dumbfounded, Claire Mercer couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing behind her hand.

She realized that ever since the competition started, the once-timid Stella Thorne had become more and more confident.

She was even talking a lot more, and her whole personality had become more cheerful and bright.

Compared to how listless and depressed she’d been right after her breakup, it was as if she were completely reborn.

She couldn’t help but laugh and tease, "Stella, I’m starting to think that if modeling doesn’t work out, you should consider getting a law degree."

"With a sharp tongue like yours, you could definitely make a killing in the legal world."

Stella Thorne shot her an annoyed glance.

"All you do is tease me. Someone comes looking for trouble, and you don’t even say a word."

"You just let these overconfident clowns bother you."

Claire Mercer smiled faintly. "Do you know what the biggest insult is to some people?"

"What?"

Looking at Scarlett Jewel with a scornful smile, Claire Mercer said calmly,

"It’s when she considers you her greatest rival, but you don’t even have her on your radar."

"Oh..." Stella Thorne nodded in understanding. "I get it."

"Did you hear that, Scarlett Jewel?"

"You’re trying so hard to compete with Claire, but our Claire doesn’t even see you."

"You’re not even qualified to be mentioned in the same breath as Claire, you’re not worthy of being compared to her, so stop trying to flatter yourself."

Hearing this, Scarlett Jewel was so furious she could feel the blood rushing to her head.

’That bitch Claire Mercer, this is too humiliating.’

"Scarlett Jewel, I’m warning you one more time. Don’t come looking for trouble."

After saying that, Claire Mercer let out a soft huff.

Without giving Scarlett Jewel another glance, she grabbed Stella Thorne and left.

"Let’s go. Didn’t you say you wanted to get a late-night snack to celebrate advancing?"

The moment a late-night snack was mentioned, Stella Thorne’s eyes lit up.

"Let’s go, let’s go! I know a place with amazing crayfish."

"Then shouldn’t we hurry and call Roxanne to join us?"

Stella Thorne then took out her phone and sent a location pin to their three-person group chat.

Then, she asked Claire Mercer, "Aren’t you going to invite your hubby?"

Hearing the word ’hubby,’ Claire Mercer’s cheeks couldn’t help but turn crimson.

"What ’hubby’? You know perfectly well it’s a fake marriage between us. Honestly..."

Stella Thorne teased with a grin.

"Claire, I see you’re blushing. Are you getting shy?"

Claire Mercer shot her a mock-annoyed glare.

"Shy about what? I really... I can’t be bothered talking to you."

After laughing for a moment, Stella Thorne turned serious.

"But seriously, Adrian Sutton is really good to you. It’s one thing that he’s saved you time and again."

"But he also cooks three meals a day for you without fail. You never got that kind of treatment in the Mercer or Sinclair families."

"We’re celebrating advancing today. It really wouldn’t be right not to invite him."

Claire Mercer said, "We only advanced from the first semifinal. It’s not like we won the championship in the finals."

"I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. What if I don’t make it to the finals or get a good ranking? That would be so embarrassing."

"Now you’re not confident? With your talent, getting into the finals will be no problem."

"Alright, stop overthinking it and hurry up and call your hubby. I’m starving."

’Hubby...’

Claire Mercer: "..."

She then pulled out her phone and called Adrian Sutton.

Adrian Sutton answered almost instantly. "Claire, congratulations on advancing. You were amazing."

Hearing his unreserved praise, Claire Mercer blushed, a little embarrassed.

"Thanks. Were you watching the competition too?"

"Of course," Adrian Sutton’s voice was filled with joy.

’He had been watching it live from the audience with Silas Rowan, after all.’

"It’s not just me. I heard from Silas Rowan that Mrs. Rowan was watching the live broadcast on TV too."

’The moment the two outfits Claire designed were unveiled, his aunt had called him.’

’She had excitedly praised Claire for being truly brilliant.’

’Saying the outfits she designed were even more exquisite and beautiful than those in television dramas.’

’The person being praised was his, Adrian Sutton’s, wife. At that moment, he had looked as proud as a peacock.’

"By the way, we advanced today and were thinking of going out to celebrate. Do you want to come?"

Adrian Sutton couldn’t be happier. "Of course. I’m actually right at the entrance to the stadium."

’He had originally planned to take them out to celebrate when they advanced from the semifinals, but seeing how Claire was so focused on preparing for the next round, he hadn’t wanted to distract her.’

’Now that they were celebrating their advancement and had taken the initiative to invite him, how could he not be overjoyed?’

However, Claire Mercer was a little surprised to hear that Adrian Sutton was right at the stadium entrance.

"Don’t tell me you’ve been waiting at the entrance ever since you dropped us off for the competition?"

"I didn’t have anything else to do anyway."

"Okay, wait for us at the entrance. We’ll be right out."

After hanging up, she sent a text to Silas Rowan with the location for their late-night snack.

’The few of them had been getting along very well recently.’

’If she invited the others but not Silas Rowan, it would feel wrong.’

’So she might as well invite Silas Rowan too. It had been a while since everyone got together anyway.’

After packing up their things in the dressing room, Claire Mercer and Stella Thorne left the stadium.

From the doorway of a room somewhere behind them, a pair of eyes stared in the direction they had left.

Those eyes, like a viper’s, glinted with a sinister, vicious light.