From Divorce To Dominance

Five minutes later, Natalie was leaning against the wall, her voice soft and sweet. "Christian, it's not that I don't want to, but I've already got my act ready, Changing everything at the last minute just feels weird. Plus, I don't even have a costume. Switching things up at the last second is such a pain."

"Pain my foot!" Christian on the other end shouted. "You little scamp, you just want to keep my costume for yourself."

"Oh, Christian, you're so clever!" Natalie giggled. "A good outfit deserves a beautiful girl. When are you bringing the clothes over?"Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"Meet me at the back door of the base. You little rascal! Always trying to take advantage of me! Why do I have to deal with you, my troublesome, ungrateful protégé?" The call ended abruptly with a few choice words.

By now, Sweet Love had started the live broadcast, and the hall was buzzing with people, making the back door nice and quiet. As Natalie walked toward it, she spotted Christian getting out of a car. She called out sweetly, "Christian, I missed you so much!" "Go away!" Christian Graham tossed a bundled item her way casually. "Just seeing you annoys me."

"I'm so happy to see you, Christian." Natalie quickly changed the subject. "Isn't this priceless golden silk outfit? And you're just carrying it'in a plastic bag?"

"That's how it's packed. Take it or leave it; if you don't want it, give it back!" Christian reached out to grab it back.

Natalie hugged the bundle tightly and warned, "You think you can backtrack on a gift?"

Christian muttered and poked her forehead with his finger. "Look at you, what a character!"

Meanwhile, not far away, someone was watching their interaction. Tessa Simpson pulled out her phone, aimed it at Natalie and Christian, and snapped a picture. Seeing the playful exchange in the photo, Tessa felt a wave of unease as she saved the image. She had never liked Natalie. With Natalie's flashy style and spending 30 million dollars on Twitter, she seemed more like a country bumpkin who suddenly got money and didn't know what to do with it.

Little did Tessa expect that a simple outing would reveal the truth. All the talk about rich lady and wealthy heiress was just a façade; Natalie's real identity was that of a plaything for a rich old man. If she posted these photos online, the group of fans who worshipped Natalie would definitely freak out. Tessa put her phone away, deciding not to look back at the two, and turned with a sway of her hips.

Inside the live-streaming hall, Chloe Zavala was looking for Tessa. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"What's up?" Tessa shot back.

"It's your turn next. Hurry up and get ready," Chloe whispered as she leaned closer. "After you, it's Natalie, but I haven't seen her yet."

Tessa smirked. "She's busy with her sugar daddy."

Chloe perked up at that. "Is that for real? You saw her? She really has a sugar daddy? Isn't she supposed to be a rich princess?"

"You fell for that fake act? The more someone lacks, the more they try to show off," Tessa explained. Then she filled Chloe in with what she had seen before.

Chloe's face twisted in disgust. "That's gross! She's really going for an old man?"

"For money, anything's possible. I've seen plenty of women like that. They come from nothing but always want the

limelight. They hang out with old men, sometimes more than one, and it's just sickening." Tessa wrinkled her nose, then stopped short when she noticed Natalie walking in. Her tone dripped with disdain. "Forget it; it's too filthy to talk about. I'm going to change and get ready for the stage." As she stood up and headed backstage, she rolled her eyes at Natalie. Chloe, feeling just as disgusted, followed her lead with an exaggerated eye roll. Natalie raised an eyebrow in confusion.

It didn't take long for Arthur to arrive and get Natalie's attention. He signaled for her to head backstage to get ready. As she entered the backstage area, she noticed a large screen showing the auditions live. To her surprise, the performer on screen was Tessa who had rolled her eyes at her earlier.

Narrowing her eyes, Natalie asked, "What's her name?"

"Her name's Tessa. She made a name for herself about a year ago with those Tea Dress photoshoots and is known as the 'ultimate beauty in Tea Dress' online. After that, she got signed by Prosperity Entertainment and has been in a few period music videos, gaining some popularity. Her family's been into making Tea Dress for a long time, and her dad runs a clothing company focused on them. I even heard her grandma made clothes for some princesses..." Arthur had done his homework long before Natalie joined Sweet Love. "Stop. Who cares about all that?" Natalie said, rolling her eyes. "Does she have some kind of eye issue?"

"Uh?" Arthur shook his head. "Nothing in the report mentioned that. She should be fine."

"Then why did she just roll her eyes at me?"

Arthur quickly picked up on the fact that Natalie didn't take disrespect lightly. He chose his words carefully. "Her eyes... I guess they could look a bit off."

"Make sure to give her an eye doctor's business card later. If she's got a problem, she should get it checked out."

The performance continued on the big screen, showing Tessa in a Tea Dress that fit her perfectly, highlighting her graceful figure. She launched into a fiery dance that blended modern and classical styles, combining sexiness and elegance. The audience was instantly captivated as she showcased her smooth moves, demonstrating solid dance training. All four judges quickly gave her an "A," ranking her as elite.

Getting an "A" right off the bat was a huge sign of talent, and Tessa definitely earned it. Her dance was set to the popular track "Come," one of the most challenging dances in the pop world-beauty and talent in one package.

Tessa thanked the judges graciously and tossed out some polite compliments before stepping off the stage.

The chat was buzzing as viewers discussed the amazing performance they had just seen.

[There's no doubt she's the queen of contemporary dance! That figure, that tiny waist! Tessa is incredible!]

[The ultimate Tea Dress beauty! Ahhh! She looks like she stepped right out of a time travel movie! Tessa rocks this look!]

[Holy cow! Is the next performer Natalie? What's she going to show us?]

[My Nat can crush it no matter what she does!]

[Qh boy, the Natalie fans are at it again. I don't want to stir the pot, but can we not fill the chat with comments about Natalie under Tessa's post?]

[Go ahead and spam! It's not like this chat belongs to you.]

The livestream chat was always the most entertaining part, and it was getting wild. Even the judges were paying attention.

Vivian, wearing her usual warm smile, said, "Next up is our own Ms. Xavier! As you all know, I really admire Natalie, so like everyone else, I can't wait to see her perform. I believe the other judges are just as curious and excited as I am." Oliver, the captain of Team T.A.R, added, "Absolutely! Ms. Xavier fits right into the entertainment industry, but I'm a bit worried. Her profile doesn't mention any special skills. Maybe she's planning to surprise us?"

Vivian replied, "Not listing anything might mean she can do everything and just didn't know where to start. I believe she's super yersatile."

"Versatile? What are you talking about?" Keaton suddenly interrupted, "Not mentioning skills could mean she doesn't have any."

Everyone knew about the tension between Keaton and Natalie, so his comment was quickly ignored.

At that moment, the spotlight shifted to Natalie as she stepped onto the stage. The crowd gasped at what she was wearing and wondered what kind of performance she was about to give.