Chapter 169
“That’s just an excuse,” Xavier said quietly. “Carter doesn’t want a divorce. Even if Sharon agrees to walk away with nothing, he still won’t go through with it.”
Wendy snapped, “Did you see how the Biggs family acted just now? They didn’t even try to hide it in front of Sharon. Behind closed doors, I bet they’ve already decided Kelly’s going to be their daughter-in-law. If he’s that hung up on Kelly, then fine- divorce Sharon and marry her. But no, he wants to have it both ways. It’s disgusting.”
Xavier’s tone was calm, almost indifferent. “Carter’s logic is pretty simple. Sharon’s a good wife and a good mother. Kelly, on the other hand, doesn’t have much time left. Do you really think he’d toss Sharon aside for someone with only a few months to live?”
“So what?” Wendy snapped. “He thinks Sharon’s just some kind of backup plan he can crawl back to whenever it suits him? If he really wants to play dirty, what, are we supposed to just let him?”
Sharon’s voice cut in-cold and clear. “As long as he refuses to divorce me, I’ll make sure his world-and his family’s-gets turned upside down.”
Xavier’s gaze darkened, his eyes deep and still. “You’re not afraid he’ll go after your family?”
“I don’t have a family.” Sharon’s expression was unreadable, almost light. “If he really wants to try using them against me, I’d actually welcome it.”
No family-and yet she’d welcome that kind of attack.
Something shifted in Xavier’s eyes. A flicker of interest, maybe.
A knock came at the door.
His assistant stepped in. “Mr. Cooper, here’s Sharon’s new outfit.”
Xavier had arranged for a replacement as soon as he heard about the ruined dress. It was a white gown, similar in style to her original performance outfit.
As Sharon left to change, Xavier turned to Wendy.
“About her little bet with Kelly-should I have someone lean on the judges? Maybe tilt the scales a bit?”
Wendy blinked. “Tilt the scales?”
“Kelly might not have the best personality, but her skills are solid. I already ran a background check-she really did graduate from Bell University, and her grades were decent. It won’t be easy for Sharon to beat her.”
Wendy looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “So you looked into Kelly’s background, but you didn’t look into Sharon’s?” 1
“Hm?” Xavier looked genuinely confused.
Wendy scoffed, folding her arms. “Clearly, you didn’t dig deep enough. Sure, Kelly went to Bell, but so did Sharon-and
Sharon’s way better.”
Xavier raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t she drop out of high school?”
“Who told you that garbage?” Wendy fired back. “Sharon was a top student. She got a special admission to Bell University right after starting high school.”
Then something clicked in her head, and she let out a breath, realizing it aloud.
“Oh, now I get it. No wonder Madeline keeps harping on about Sharon’s ‘lack of education.’ She didn’t have her facts straight either-just like you.” 1
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The showcase ended up being delayed by nearly forty minutes.
Not because of Sharon, of course-but because Kelly had to shower, wash her hair, and completely redo her hair and makeup.
Even then, as the first group took the stage, Kelly still wasn’t fully ready.
Forty minutes was already pushing it. Any longer and the other participants would’ve started raising hell. It would’ve looked like the whole event was being rigged.
In the end, after a quick discussion, the organizers decided to move both Sharon and Kelly’s performances to the very end of the
program.
Sharon only had to change her outfit-her makeup was untouched-so she quickly made her way to the audience and quietly took a seat to watch.
The first group was performing a piano piece.
As the lights dimmed and came back up, the talent showcase officially began.
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