After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 214: A Fight to the Death

Suppressing the hatred in her heart, Judith Caldwell answered Scarlett Jewel’s call.

"Scarlett, you finally called us."

"How have you been?"

"I’m fine." Scarlett Jewel couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries.

She went straight to instigating conflict between the Mercer family and Claire Mercer.

"I’ve recently discovered something about Claire Mercer and the Mercer family."

Judith Caldwell asked, "What is it?"

On the other end of the line, Scarlett Jewel casually ate a piece of fruit as she spoke.

"Remember how Oscar told Dad that the CZ Group was planning to build a luxury tourist resort in Southedge?"

Before Judith Caldwell had a chance to ask her about it,

Julian Mercer, who was beside her, quickly interjected, "What does this have to do with Claire Mercer?"

"Everything," Scarlett Jewel said.

"If Claire Mercer hadn’t arranged for someone to leak that fake news to Oscar, Dad wouldn’t have made such a disastrous miscalculation."

"If Oscar and Dad hadn’t been misled by Claire’s fake news, our family wouldn’t be bankrupt right now, saddled with tens of millions in debt."

At these words, Julian Mercer instantly sat bolt upright.

"Are you saying Claire Mercer was behind this, pulling the strings?"

"That’s right." Scarlett Jewel continued to pin all the blame on Claire Mercer.

"Claire Mercer has always resented you, so she used her connections with the Rowan Family to fabricate that news specifically for Oscar."

"No wonder... No wonder every inquiry I made suggested it was a sure thing."

"So the Rowan Family was also involved, helping Claire Mercer..."

"I’ve been secretly investigating this, and it’s just as I thought. She’s the one who orchestrated it all."

Hearing this, Judith Caldwell’s nails dug deep into her palms, her eyes flashing with a venomous, crimson rage.

"That ungrateful wolf, Claire Mercer! That heartless bitch!"

"We, the Mercer family, gave her a good life, raised her with the best of everything! How did we ever wrong her?"

"When she was a child, she had a high fever. I stayed by her side for three days and three nights without sleeping a wink, and that’s the only reason she’s still alive."

"And now, she dares to harm us like this!"

"It’s more than just ’harming’," Scarlett Jewel said, unhurriedly spitting out a fruit pit.

Her tone was light, yet each word was like an ice-coated needle.

"I found out that the CZ Group’s resort project in Southedge was completely fabricated."

"It was a trap set for our family by Claire Mercer from the very beginning."

"She knew you’d be greedy for a quick profit and jump right in. Even the ’insider information’ from the Rowan Family was just bait she had someone put out."

Julian Mercer slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup on it clatter loudly.

His chest heaved violently, his whole body trembling with rage. "Fine. Just fine!"

"I never should have brought her into the Mercer family. She’s a menace we never could tame!"

Oscar Mercer was also at his side, grinding his teeth in fury.

"Dad, now you see this wasn’t my fault at all, right?"

"It was a setup by Claire Mercer and the Rowan Family against us. No wonder every time I looked into it, it was presented as a done deal."

"I can’t believe that after latching onto a powerful family like the Rowans, the first people she’d target would be us."

"That bitch! Her conscience must have been eaten by a dog."

Scarlett Jewel sneered, her voice laced with deliberate provocation.

"Dad, do you really think she ever considered herself part of the Mercer family?"

"All she cares about now is the wealth and luxury the Rowan Family can give her."

"Her, and that pauper who worships the ground she walks on. In her eyes, the Mercer family is nothing but a stepping stone to be trampled on at will."

Judith Caldwell took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Her voice was sinister.

"Scarlett, since you found all this out, you must have a way to deal with her, right?"

"Help us. We’ll do anything, as long as we can ruin Claire Mercer’s reputation completely!"

"She has the Rowan Family backing her now. What could I possibly do?"

Scarlett Jewel put down her fruit fork, her fingertips tapping a steady, soft rhythm on the tabletop.

"Between her and our family, it’s a fight to the death."

Julian Mercer’s eyes narrowed. "A fight to the death?"

"What other choice is there?" Scarlett Jewel said. "As you know, my position in the Sinclair Family isn’t secure yet."

"I spent a great deal of effort and money just to investigate this."

"Otherwise, we’d still have no idea who stabbed us in the back and ruined us so completely."

"I called you today to tell you who the real culprit behind our family’s ruin is."

"Our Mercer family may not have been top-tier in Rhonia, but we lived comfortably, in a large villa, eating the finest foods..."

"But what about now? The Mercer family is not only burdened with tens of millions in debt, but you’re also homeless, hiding from creditors."

"And all of this is Claire Mercer’s fault."

Hearing Scarlett Jewel’s words, the three members of the Mercer family couldn’t help but think back to their once-comfortable past.

It was just as Scarlett Jewel said. They used to live in a villa of several thousand square feet, eating delicacies those peasants could never afford in a lifetime...

Their clothes, shoes, bags... wasn’t every single item a designer brand worth over ten thousand?

But look at them now... living in a stinking, shabby rental unit.

They couldn’t even afford a decent meal anymore...

That was bad enough, but the thought of the tens of millions in debt plunged them into despair.

’This was all Claire Mercer’s fault.’

Over the phone, Scarlett Jewel’s voice sounded again.

"Mom, Dad, do you have any idea how well Claire Mercer is doing right now?"

"I don’t know what’s gotten into the Rowan Family, but they’re doting on her as if she were their own flesh and blood."

"She’s also making a huge splash in the design competition and might even end up collaborating with the CZ Group."

"You could say that her current success is directly proportional to your current misery."

"Once she wins the championship and starts working with the CZ Group, her future will be paved with gold."

At these words, the veins on the back of the hand Judith Caldwell used to grip her phone bulged.

Her knuckles turned white as she clutched the device, a strangled, hateful sound escaping her throat.

"Why?! Why does a bastard we picked up off the street get to enjoy a life of luxury by walking over the corpses of the Mercer family?"

"We never should have brought that bad seed back to the Mercer home. We should have just let her die a miserable death outside."

"Mom, it’s too late for all that now,"

Scarlett Jewel’s voice held the perfect amount of regret, but in reality, she was only adding fuel to the fire.

"She’s already found her powerful backer in the Rowan Family. All we can do is watch her live her carefree life."

Judith Caldwell grit her teeth, her tone filled with resentment and bitterness.

"So we’re just supposed to stand by and watch her enjoy boundless success while we suffer here?"

"She saddled us with tens of millions in debt! We’ll never be able to pay it off in our lifetime!"

"But her? Why does she get to live so well? I can’t stomach this injustice!"

Hearing this, Scarlett Jewel let out a long sigh. "I’d love to go and settle the score with her myself. After all, I’m a Mercer too."

"But I’m pregnant, and the Sinclairs are terrified something might happen to the baby, so they’re watching me like a hawk."

"If I act rashly and try to get revenge on her, not only will I probably fail to help you, but I’ll likely drag myself down with you."

"After all, if I make a move against her and get exposed, the Sinclair Family won’t let me—or the baby in my belly—off easily."

"They’d be especially unforgiving about something that could damage the Sinclair Family’s reputation."

Upon hearing this, Judith Caldwell’s tone softened.

"Scarlett, you only just returned to the Mercer family. You haven’t had a single good day with us."

"You don’t need to get involved in the family’s affairs now. We don’t want you getting dragged into this."

"You’re our family’s only hope. All you need to do is focus on your pregnancy and secure your position as Mrs. Sterling of the Sinclair Family."

"As for that bitch Claire Mercer, I’ll find a way to deal with her myself."