From Divorce To Dominance

Chapter 11

The tweet from the "Sweet Love" production team caused a nationwide buzz. It shot to the top of the trending list in no time, with netizens swarming the comments section.

[Team's playing dirty! This stunt's got to go!]

[Natalie, where you at? Show us your game!]

[Natalie, hit the road, jerk! Get lost!]

[I dug her style at first, but now... who needs a pretty face with such a lousy attitude?]

[Nat, we got your back! Show them how it's done! Rich and fabulous-that's our queen.]

[Trash-talking her now? Really?]

[Looks like you're on the wrong side, buddy. Let's give her a proper send-off!]

The internet was ablaze, as if Natalie's fake designer goods and "fake rich girl" persona had been fully confirmed. Her Twitter feed was flooded with nasty comments, and TikTok was no different. With all this backlash, it was only a matter of time before Natalie felt the heat. Keaton, the guru behind Sweet Love, was reveling in the chaos. He tweeted, directly calling out his target: [Wanna be a star? Start by being a good egg. No class, no fame! @someone].

Netizens was hyped, and anything linked to Natalie was grabbing everyone's attention. Keaton's tweet hit the mark perfectly, usually, he'd get a few hundred replies, but this one was racking up thousands.

[Natalie's done for! If she doesn't fall now, something's wrong!]

[Keaton, you're the voice of reason in this biz.]

[Showbiz needs more people like Keaton.]

[Let's cheer on Keaton! While others fake it, he's the real MVP.]

[Come on, Capital, give Keaton his due! A decade of hustle with no drama-it's his time to shine!]

As the comments piled up at lightning speed, Keaton couldn't stop grinning. With this buzz, he was on the brink of something huge. After a decade of waiting, it looked like his moment had finally arrived. The company had promised that if the show was a hit, he'd land an A-list contract, solidifying his status as a top dog in the business.

Up on the 21st floor, in the CEO's lair at the Luther Group, Tony was filling Darren in on the online frenzy, tablet in hand. "It's all going down as planned. Mrs. Luther-"

"She is not Mrs. Luther," Darren cut in, icy cool.

Tony paused, then corrected himself. "Ms. Xavier is still laying low. No peep from GirlLove or Vacok either. It's been two days since this blew up. If she doesn't speak up today, she's toast.

Darren tapped his fingers on the desk, a smirk on his face. "I'd love to see that. She should just hit the hills and stop making a fool of herself in this biz."

He sneered inwardly, thinking, 'She's just a small-town girl who took 30 million bucks from me in the divorce-thinking she's hot stuff! No matter how deep her pockets are, does she really think she can go toe-to-toe with me? I'm not flaunting

my cash like she is. Of course, the net's ripping her apart. With things getting this crazy, who knows where she's holed up. sniffling right now?

Darren smirked as he dialed Natalie's number. He wasn't entirely heartless. If she admitted her screw-ups and promised to exit Greton, maybe he'd throw her a lifeline.

The phone rang a few times before someone picked up, voice groggy, "Hello? Who's this?"

Darren chuckled. "Weren't you waiting for my call?"

Natalie, just waking up, was caught off guard and grumbled, "Who's that? Why are you so full of hot air?"

"Full of hot air? Don't play dumb. You didn't change your number or block me, so clearly, you were expecting my call," Darren shot back. "So, got anything to say to me?"

+5

Natalie wanted to giggle but got mad instead. "You're calling to see if I've got something to say? Are you nuts? If you're bored, why don't you just go get a mind-numbing job somewhere instead of bugging me at this ridiculous hour?" "Natalie!" Darren took a breath, holding back the steam. "I'm asking again; do you need my help?"

"Nope."

"Listen. Don't be stubborn. If you came to me now and played nice, I might help you out."

"No, thanks." Natalie was wide awake now, rubbing her eyes, getting heated. "You done? If so, hang up already."

She hung up on him, cold and clear. Darren stared at his phone's dark screen, his irritation mounting. He couldn't believe she actually had the nerve to hang up on him first. He thought, 'She's still putting on a front. I'd love to see how long she can keep this up. "Tony!" Darren called, "Don't sweat it. Just wait. This afternoon, she's gonna come crawling!"

Tony thought the same but felt something was off with Natalie this time. "Sure thing, Mr. Luther. Back to work," he said respectfully.

"Right." Darren waved him off.

Tony left the office.

A minute later, Darren's phone rang again. It was Henry. Darren knew what was coming, so he hit answer without a word.

"Didn't I tell you to handle the buzz for Nat?" Henry's angry voice thundered. "What's the hold-up? You've got half an hour. If you can't fix this, maybe you're not CEO material!" He hung up without waiting, diving back into backing Natalie against her bashers. Meanwhile, Darren's face clouded over. He couldn't wrap his head around why his own grandpa was practically on her side.

On the flip side, after hanging up on Darren, Natalie blocked his number on the spot. Out of sight, out of mind. She headed downstairs and saw Lynn, eyes glued to her screen, typing like a madwoman with fierce determination. "What's the scoop?" Natalie nudged Arthur. "Did Mom get hit with some big news, or is she back on those dating sites?" Arthur adjusted his glasses, looking a bit helpless. "The Sweet Love crew posted a cut-off notice, and the net is in an uproar. Everyone's waiting for your move. Mom's been on Twitter all morning, duking it out, and her accounts keep getting the boot. You should talk to her; I'm afraid she might end up buying Twitter in a fit of rage."

Chapter 11

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Natalie nodded seriously. "She'd totally do that."

"Exactly! With all the chaos online, it's time for us to hit back." Arthur rubbed his hands together, eager.

Natalie grinned slyly. "Let's roll and show them our stuff."

Half an hour later, the cut-off notice from Sweet Love was buried. The headlines were now all about a new statement from GirlLove.