From Divorce To Dominance

Chapter 10

That evening, a Rolls-Royce glided to a stop in front of the Luther residence. Darren emerged and was greeted by the family

butler.

"Welcome home, sir," Kate Jenkins, the maid, said with a courteous smile. "Mr. Luther is upstairs in his study, expecting you. He's quite upset-he spotted some unkind remarks about your wife online."

Darren sighed and corrected her, "She's not my wife anymore, We've parted ways."

Kate wavered, on the verge of speaking, but chose to remain silent. Truth be told, she harbored affection for Natalie-she was lovely and kind, a stark contrast to Vivian.

Without waiting for Kate to add more, Darren headed upstairs. The study door was ajar, so he pushed it open and entered. "Grandpa."

Henry Luther let out a heavy sigh, spinning his computer screen to display that article. The headline detailed how Natalie's image as a wealthy socialite had crumbled. "Natalie is all over the internet, and it's not positive. You need to remedy this." Darren took a deep breath, attempting to suppress his irritation. Grandpa, we've ended our marriage. I'm no longer accountable for her issues."

"Ended? Did I give my consent?" Henry retorted with a snort. "Did you even bother to consult me?"

Feeling cornered, Darren maintained his composure. "You didn't seek my input when I got married."

"Your input matters?" Henry said in a low tone, "The fact that Nat would even glance your way is a boon. She chose to wed you, so quit grumbling and be grateful. You shouldn't even think of voicing your opinion."

Darren couldn't help but ponder if he truly belonged with the Luther family. He suspected that Natalie was Henry's genuine granddaughter. Henry defended her without question for three straight years.

Darren loosened his tie and sat opposite the desk. "Grandpa, what do you see in Natalie? Why are you so protective of her?" "She's the granddaughter-in-law I've handpicked, so whom else should I back?" Henry declared sternly. "You better treat her right, or you'll rue the day."

Darren decided to be blunt. "I mean her background and her origins. There are some... complexities."

"Why are you querying me about your own wife?" Henry interrupted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's comical how, after years of marriage, you're eager to learn more about her."

Darren rubbed his forehead, feeling exasperated. "Grandpa..."

"Don't ask me! If you're so inquisitive, discover it yourself," Henry said, his tone severe. "As long as I'm alive, Vivian will not set foot in the Luther family. I only acknowledge Nat as my granddaughter-in-law!"

Every time Vivian was mentioned, Henry's resolve was unwavering. If not for Henry's refusal, Darren and Vivian would have been united a long time ago.

Darren bit his lip, his voice softening. "Understood. If there's nothing else, you should rest, Grandpa."

Henry dismissed him, but as Darren turned to leave, he called out, "Hey! Nat posted a video. Come here!"

Natalie's video had nothing to do with him and he had no desire to watch it. Darren's expression darkened. Out of respect for his grandpa, he reluctantly approached the desk.

Henry pointed at the screen. "Hey, this video isn't free! You need to pay to watch it. Hurry up and sort it out!"

Darren realized he had to pay to view it. He complained in his heart, What kind of absurd video demands payment? Does Natalie think she is a celebrity?

The Tik Tok platform was typically free for short videos, and even though they'd introduced a paid feature, hardly anyone used it. It had almost been forgotten, yet here was Natalie, expecting people to pay to see her content despite all the negative press.

"Come on, hurry up! I need to leave a comment for Na Henry gred an

Darren's expression darkened as he quickened his pace, witty empleng the payment. The Blurry serven gradually came into focus

A slender woman appeared in profile, perfectly framed Oared the window, the night was dark, and shadows danced in the car. Her radiant skin stond run against the derknece. The wind played with her long hair, making her seem like a fairy about to take flight. Suddenly, she sensed something and turned her had.

The screen zoomed in on her face-naive and pure, like fan in the wild Just then, the blinked, and in an instant, she smiled. Her naivety vanished, replaced by a playful allure. Thers, the video abruptly ended

Darren felt a tickle in his throat, he instinctively wanted to watch it again, but he was pushed aside.

You can leave now. I need to comment on Nat's video! You can head home and get some rest!" Henry urged

Finally. Darren nodded and quietly left the study.

As he got into the car, thoughts of Natalie from the video flooded his mind. He thought, What is she trying to achieve by posting something like that? It hadn't been long since our divorce, is she really so eager to flaunt her charm?

"Mr. Luther. Tony's voice broke into his thoughts. Tve looked into Natalie, but there's very little info. All I could find is that she's from Southoak Mountain, and that's about it. It's like someone erased her history."

"Can't find anything about her family?"

"Nope

Tony was Darren's top assistant and a skilled hacker. If he couldn't find anything, it meant Natalie's past was definitely a

mystery.

Darren lowered his gaze, absentmindedly tapping on his phone screen. "Got it. What about the posts?"

Tony cleared his throat. "People are all bashing her, but then she posted a video. Mr. Luther, have you seen it?"

"No, Darren replied, coughing a bit nervously.

"It's on TikTok Just check the comments section, and you'll see all the buzz

Darren opened TikTok, and right on the homepage was Natalie's video. He quickly paid for access, hit play, downloaded it. and then scrolled through the comments. In just half an hour, there were already over 100,000 comments. (Oh my gosh! She is so pretty!]

OMG she's so gorgeous, my gem!)

[No joke, I could stare at her face all day. I need to download this and watch it every day!

[What a goddess!)

"What are these absurd comments?" Darren frowned.

Darren realized he had to pay to view it. He complained in his heart, "What kind of absurd video demands payment? Does Natalie think she is a celebrity?'

The TikTok platform was typically free for short videos, and even though they'd introduced a paid feature, hardly anyone used it. It had almost been forgotten, yet here was Natalie, expecting people to pay to see her content despite all the negative press.

"Come on, hurry up! I need to leave a comment for Nat!" Henry urged him.

Darren's expression darkened as he quickened his pace, swiftly completing the payment. The blurry screen gradually came into focus.

A slender woman appeared in profile, perfectly framed. Outside the window, the night was dark, and shadows danced in the car. Her radiant skin stood out against the darkness. The wind played with her long hair, making her seem like a fairy about to take flight. Suddenly, she sensed something and turned her head.

The screen zoomed in on her face-naive and pure, like a fawn in the wild. Just then, she blinked, and in an instant, she smiled. Her naivety vanished, replaced by a playful allure. Then, the video abruptly ended.

Darren felt a tickle in his throat; he instinctively wanted to watch it again, but he was pushed aside.

"You can leave now. I need to comment on Nat's video! You can head home and get some rest!" Henry urged.

Finally, Darren nodded and quietly left the study.

As he got into the car, thoughts of Natalie from the video flooded his mind. He thought, 'What is she trying to achieve by posting something like that? It hadn't been long since our divorce; is she really so eager to flaunt her charm?'

"Mr. Luther." Tony's voice broke into his thoughts. "I've looked into Natalie, but there's very little info. All I could find is that she's from Southoak Mountain, and that's about it. It's like someone erased her history."

"Can't find anything about her family?"

"Nope."

Tony was Darren's top assistant and a skilled hacker. If he couldn't find anything, it meant Natalie's past was definitely a mystery.

Darren lowered his gaze, absentmindedly tapping on his phone screen. "Got it. What about the posts?"

Tony cleared his throat. "People are all bashing her, but then she posted a video. Mr. Luther, have you seen it?"

"No," Darren replied, coughing a bit nervously.

"It's on TikTok. Just check the comments section, and you'll see all the buzz."

Darren opened TikTok, and right on the homepage was Natalie's video. He quickly paid for access, hit play, downloaded it, and then scrolled through the comments. In just half an hour, there were already over 100,000 comments. [Oh my gosh! She is so pretty!]

OMG she's so gorgeous, my gem!]

[No joke, I could stare at her face all day. I need to download this and watch it every day.]

What a goddess!]

"What are these absurd comments?" Darren frowned.

Tony replied carefully, "Yeah, everyone is gushing over her looks. But it seems like the buzz around that post is fading...

"Take her video down," Darren ordered. "Get that post back on top." Henry had asked him to handle that post, and while Darren hadn't refused, he just planned to stall for a bit. If Natalie couldn't handle the heat, she might as well return to her little mountain and live a simple life.

After Natalie uploaded that video, she vanished from the public eye. Meanwhile, the online drama about her raged for two whole days.

On one side were Natalie's fans, ceaselessly praising her beauty. GIFs and clips of her video were trending everywhere.

On the other side, her detractors had a field day, mocking her for pretending to be wealthy while wearing fakes. They swarmed GirlLove and Vacok's official pages, calling for brands to sue Natalie for damages and rallying at the TV station to petition for Natalie's dismissal from the "Sweet Love" show.

The anti-fan brigade was relentless, almost as if someone was orchestrating the chaos behind the scenes. When GirlLove and Vacok remained silent, they launched a boycott against both brands.

Seeing the "Sweet Love" production team keep quiet, Natalie's detractors ended up reporting the turmoil to the management, insisting the show be taken off the air.

At first, the director didn't want to let go of Natalie; she was a hot topic after all. But if he ignored the chaos, his hard work could go up in flames. Worried that Natalie might drag him down too, he had no choice but to issue a statement.

Sweet Love Show Team: Due to Ms. Natalie Xavier's personal conduct issues, we have decided to terminate all collaborations with her effective immediately.]