From Divorce To Dominance

70

The video had been specially edited, and the faces of the two people were crystal clear

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on the screen-Tessa and Mandy.

Tessa thought, "No! This can't be happening! She couldn't sit still anymore. She shot up from her chair, her body trembling uncontrollably. Fear gripped her-real, bone-chilling fear. She'd sensed something was wrong the moment Natalie started speaking, but seeing herself in the video nearly made her pass out. Her vision went black for a second She wondered. How did this happen? I have already paid to have this footage erased. How did Natalie get her hands on it?" Tessa bit her lip, seething with anger, her chest heaving as her mind spiraled into chaos. She had no idea what to do, but she knew one thing-she couldn't let this video get out. Snapping gout

t of her daze, Tessa stumbled and dashed toward the studio, but as soon as she stepped inside, Natalie's bodyguards blocked her path. Tessa screamed, but her mouth was quickly covered. She could only watch helplessly as the video continued to play on the big screen. She saw Mandy sneaking around and herself, grinning ear to ear as she sn**ed the music sheet. And to make matters worse, their entire conversation was broadcast loud and clear. "Where's the the sheet music? Did she finish composing it so quickly? Let me see it!" one of the voices said. Another replied. "Susan lives up to her reputation as a songwriter, I'm telling you, this piece is an instant hit."

"This is perfect! With her composition and my choreography, we might even beat Alice for the top spot. You did well this time. But no one found out about this, right?" "Don't worry, I checked. They're all gone. Tessa, I did what you asked. Now, about what you promised me..." The video

ideo lasted only three minutes, but it was enough for everyone to understand exactly what had happened.

"It's over!

Tessa

thought. She wanted to run, but at that moment, Natalie on stage caught sight of her and even shot her a flirtatious smile.

Tessa thought, 'What is she planning?' Tessa felt an instinctive sense of unease and even more fear. She turned to flee but was pushed back by the bodyguards, unable to move.

"Ms. Simpson" Natalie's voice suddenly rang out, cold and mocking, reaching Tessa from afar. "No explanation for the video? What's wrong? Brave enough to steal, but not brave enough to admit it?"

Under the stage lights, the seductive woman spread her hands with a click of her tongue, shrugging nonchalantly. Her beautiful eyes glanced towards the studio entrance. As a result, the cameras and spotlights followed her gaze, immediately illuminating Tessa's fearful face and leaving her nowhere to hide. Realizing what was happening. Tessa screamed and covered her face. "Don't film me!"

hide.

But the flashlights kept going off non-stop, rendering her cries useless. In that moment, shame, guilt, regret, and a deep hatred for Natalie flooded her heart. Tessa bit viciously into the bodyguard's hand and shoved him away before running out while crying and shouting- there was no trace of the elegant lady image left. The scene descended into chaos because of this interruption. Vigan did her best to maintain order and finally managed to finish the live broadcast smoothly. However, online discussions about Tessa stealing the song had only just begun. Natalie's evidence was too solid-leaving no room for denial. The public who had supported 'Tessa earlier in the morning Sep 21

08:34 Sat,

now treated her like a rat that everyone wanted to catch.

"OMG! Tess

is such a b**h. How dare she steal someone's music and then accuse others!"

"She always acted all pure and innocent, but she's more evil than anyone. She should just leave Sweet Love."

"Hilarious! Did people just discover what a hypocrite she is? Every time she posted on Twitter, I felt sick."

"Trash like Tessa dares to attack Natalie? Doesn't she know not to poke the sleeping tiger?"

The uproar over Tessa stealing someone else's composition snowballed online, with netizens fanning the flames. The program team of Sweet Love reacted quickly; given the undeniable evidence, they immediately invalidated Tessa's scores and expelled her from the show. Still not satisfied, the enraged netizens targeted the media company where Tessa worked, blasting her behavior. Prosperity Entertainment issued a quick statement, claiming that Tessa's actions were personal and disassociated the company from any culpability. They promised to handle the situation seriously.

In less than an hour, Tessa's reputation plummeted, leaving her uncertain future in the entertainment industry hanging by a thread

inless

Backstage, Susan put away her phone and looked over at Natalie, who was leisurely sipping coffee and munching on snacks. She remarked. "Looks like Tessa's career is over."

Natalie nodded nonchalantly, "She deserves it. Someone with such a crooked heart doesn't have a bright future

Susan understood pod that on one level but still said, "Do you think we were too harsh on her?"

Natalie glanced at her, then chuckled, "Harsh? I didn't do anything but reveal the truth to everyone."

Susan was left speechless. Natalie wasn't wrong-she'd just exposed what was already there. Feeling that her kindness to Tessa was unnecessary, Susan brushed her hair back and said, 'Alright then. We've got two days off after the competition. Time to relax. I'm heading out now. What about you?" Tm leaving too, Natalie said as she handed her half-finished coffee to a maid and smoothed out her clothes.

Just then, there was a sudden commotion outside in the hallway-the sounds of hurried footsteps and women gasping in

admiration filled the air.

"Wow! What a huge bouquet of flowers!"

"Isn't that handsome guy from the Hinton family?"

Oh my gosh... Who is he here to confess to?"

Natalie had just stepped out of the room and barely taken a few steps when she suddenly heard someone excitedly shour, "Natalie!"Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Her eyebrow twitched as she looked toward the source of the voice. She saw someone coming towards her with a big bouquet of roses, and the roses blocked the person's face.

Suddenly, the person stopped and tilted the rose to the side, revealing a handsome young face. Howard smiled brightly, his eyes t**ing as he called out again, "Natalie! Surprise! As soon as the words left his mouth, the bodyguards behind him pulled out party poppers and set them off with a series of loud bangs. Instantly, the entire hallway was showered in rose petals. Chapter 70

Natalie was completely stunped, her eyes wide and round. Howard, delighted by her reaction, felt incredibly pleased with himself. He knew it-he'd put so much effort into this that Natalie was bound to be surprised. A smug smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he called out, "Music!" Almost immediately, the sound of violins filled the air. Howard, till holding the massive bouquet, began to twirl gracefully. Within a few steps, he was in front of Natalie, where he suddenly dropped to one knee, presenting the flowers to her. Natalie was speechless. The scene was dead silent.

Howard seized the moment and loudly declared, "Natalie, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Natalie still didn't speak. The scene remained eerily quiet.

Suddenly, a soft female voice broke the silence, sounding confused. "Howard?" Everyone turned curiously to see Vivian, arm in arm with Darren, making her way through the crowd. Vivian smiled brightly as she recognized Howard, while Darren's gaze shifted to Natalie. He smirked sarcastically and commented, "Ms. Xavier, you've got quite the charm.