After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 190: Drama of the Year
The scene had devolved into utter chaos.
The crowd’s attention shifted from Claire Mercer to Scarlett Jewel and Joel Jennings.
What was supposed to be a grand finale for a fashion design and modeling competition had been thrown into a messy, toxic spectacle by a false plagiarism scandal.
Everyone had come expecting a fashion gala, but instead, they were treated to an unprecedented, back-to-back drama.
The competition itself might not have been satisfying, but most people love to watch a good train wreck.
The live audience was engrossed, eagerly anticipating whether there would be another twist in the events to come.
Although the competition was plagued by constant drama and had completely strayed from being about fashion, the viewership ratings for both the television broadcast and online streams were hitting all-time highs.
Online, discussion about the events of the finale skyrocketed.
The trending topics shifted from the initial
#ClaireMercerSuspectedOfPlagiarizingInstructorCC#
to
#JoelJenningsFalselyAccusesClaireMercer#
#ScarlettJewelBehindFalseAccusation#
#BennyAidsJoelInFalseAccusation#
These three topics instantly shot to the top of the trending list, and their popularity showed no signs of waning.
Topics related to the finale had already taken over the top five trending spots.
The internet was ablaze with discussion as everyone eagerly consumed the drama.
"This is the most exciting competition I’ve ever seen. o(╯□╰)o"
"Who would even know this was a fashion design and modeling contest? Anyone tuning in would think it’s a reality TV catfight show. o(╥﹏╥)o"
"I don’t even know who to roast right now, Joel Jennings or Scarlett Jewel. (ー`´ー)"
"Scarlett Jewel says Joel Jennings approached her to plot against Claire Mercer. But Joel Jennings says Scarlett came to him... They’re at each other’s throats now. Honestly, it’s pretty entertaining."
"Doesn’t matter who approached who. Neither of them is a good person."
"This Scarlett Jewel just won’t go away. She shamelessly became a homewrecker and destroyed someone’s marriage. And now she’s relentlessly hounding the original wife. What kind of sick mentality is that? I don’t get it!"
"I really thought Claire Mercer had plagiarized, but it turns out she was framed by Joel Jennings."
"I was wondering why Joel Jennings would suddenly frame Claire Mercer for no reason. Turns out he was put up to it by Scarlett Jewel."
"I knew Scarlett Jewel would cause trouble sooner or later. I just didn’t expect her to save it for the finale."
"Can Scarlett Jewel just get out of the public eye? How can a shameless homewrecker like her even be allowed in this competition?"
"Seriously, I’m also wondering how much money she bribed the organizers with. How did someone with her design skills even make it to the finale?"
"Has anyone else noticed that Scarlett Jewel’s design today is a huge leap from all her previous work? Feels a bit fishy."
"Could it be that she’s the real plagiarist? Is that a possibility?"
"Now that you mention it, I also feel like her design level jumped several tiers today."
"I’ll make a bold guess: what if Scarlett Jewel is the real plagiarist and just had Joel Jennings accuse Claire Mercer?"
"If that’s really what happened, then she’s truly shameless."
"Waiting for the follow-up. Today’s drama has been very satisfying."
"Let’s keep watching the drama, maybe there’ll be a real surprise."
"..."
While everyone was engrossed in the spectacle, Scarlett Jewel and Joel Jennings were still arguing heatedly, red-faced and unable to stop.
Both of them were throwing out evidence, each trying to prove that the other had initiated the partnership.
But regardless of who approached whom to frame Claire Mercer, in the eyes of everyone else, it was just a dog-eat-dog fight.
The television station could have stopped this farce from continuing.
But they couldn’t. The hype was too immense, and the viewership ratings were still climbing.
It had already hit the highest peak in viewership for the entire year.
Meanwhile, the streaming platform was flooded with hundreds of thousands, nearing a million, viewers.
Who would want to turn down this deluge of traffic?
Some brands immediately contacted the event organizers, wanting to insert their own advertisements while the hype was at an all-time high.
On the streaming platform, some official brand accounts with a more down-to-earth style were even extravagantly spamming rockets to fill the screen.
The organizers were absolutely raking it in. In just half an hour, their revenue had easily surpassed ten million.
Just as Scarlett Jewel and Joel Jennings were locked in their inseparable argument...
Claire Mercer took the microphone, her gaze fixed on Scarlett Jewel.
"Today, I am officially accusing Scarlett Jewel of plagiarizing my work."
As soon as she said this, everyone turned to look at Claire Mercer in disbelief.
"For real? Scarlett Jewel plagiarized Claire Mercer?"
"I knew it! I was wondering how her design skills improved so much today. Turns out she’s the real plagiarist."
"What kind of monster is this Scarlett Jewel? Where did she even come from?"
"If what Claire Mercer is saying is true, then how could she, the real plagiarist, have the nerve to frame Claire?"
"There’s no stopping a shameless person. She was so brazen about being a homewrecker; plagiarism is probably nothing to her."
"Did Claire Mercer dig up Scarlett Jewel’s ancestral graves in a past life or something? Scarlett stole her man, and now she’s stealing her designs too."
"More drama to watch! The twists today just keep on coming. It’s like the drama of the year."
"And the key thing is, this is the drama of the year broadcast live nationwide. If Scarlett Jewel really did plagiarize, and then played the victim, she’ll be a disgrace on an international scale."
"Let’s watch, let’s watch, keep watching the show."
"..."
Meanwhile, Scarlett Jewel had been confronting Joel Jennings.
Claire Mercer’s sudden accusation of plagiarism caught her completely off guard.
She turned toward Claire Mercer in astonishment, glaring and gritting her teeth.
"Claire Mercer, you know the consequences of slandering someone in public."
"If you’re going to accuse me of plagiarism, then show me the proof."
"If you accuse me without any evidence, I can sue you too."
Claire Mercer scoffed lightly. "Scarlett Jewel, if I dare to expose your plagiarism in public, it’s because I naturally have proof."
"And my proof is real, not like the so-called evidence you fabricated to frame me."
"You..." Scarlett Jewel choked on her words, her face ashen as she clenched her jaw.
"Fine. Since you say I plagiarized, then bring out your evidence right now."
"Don’t worry. I’ll give you the proof you want very soon."
After a pause, Claire Mercer turned to the audience and said,
"As you all probably know, before Scarlett Jewel returned to the Mercer family, I was considered their daughter."
"After she returned to the Mercer family, she moved into the Mercer villa and took over the room I used to live in."
"Of course, she’s the Mercer family’s true daughter, so she can live in any room she wants. I don’t care about that."
"But everything in my room disappeared, including a sketchbook full of designs I had drawn in my spare time over the past two years."
"I once asked the Mercer family where my sketchbook went, and the Mercers said they’d thrown it in the trash."
"Back then, I actually believed them—that my sketchbook had been thrown away."
"But what I never expected was that today, here at the finale, I would see a design from that very sketchbook."
The moment she said this, everyone instantly understood what had happened.
Claire Mercer shifted her gaze to Scarlett Jewel, the corners of her eyes and lips tinged with a sarcastic smile.
"Scarlett Jewel, your design for the finale today was plagiarized from a piece in my sketchbook."
"No, it’s not plagiarism. To be precise, you stole my design."
"You..." Scarlett Jewel’s heart pounded like a drum, and she guiltily averted her gaze.
"I don’t know what sketchbook you’re talking about. I’ve never seen it."
Claire Mercer chuckled lightly. "It’s fine if you don’t admit it. I have proof."
