From Divorce To Dominance

[Queen Natalie: Is that all you got? Who are you really apologizing to?]

Her tweet landed like a punch. Keaton read it, and anger surged through him. He had his reasons for not tagging Natalie in his apology; he was a big deal, and big deals didn't bow down to newbies. Plus, he thought Natalie was nobody; she might not even make it past the first round.

He checked out her profile-nothing fancy about her hometown, and she clearly lacked the skills for singing or dancing; no stage experience either. The only edge she had was her looks, but this was a talent show, not a beauty pageant. Without real talent, she was as good as gone.

He found there was no need for him to worry about someone with no shot in the entertainment world. He said sorry already. If Natalie didn't want to forgive him, that just showed how small-minded she was.

Keaton scrolled through the harsh comments. Just this morning, everyone was cheering him on, and now they were all ganging up on him.

As he sifted through the endless comments, he finally found someone sticking up for him, saying Natalie was being harsh. A smile broke across his face.

Keaton felt his'reputation as a seasoned artist was unmatched by these wannabe influencers. Time would tell his character and talent would shine through. He smirked in his heart, "Tomorrow at the prelims, she'd be out in a flash, and the netizens would have a good laugh.' Feeling satisfied, he closed his laptop and decided to take it easy.

In the Xavier family's new pad, Natalie had just wrapped up her tiff with Keaton. With him ignoring her, she crossed her arms and let out a cold laugh.

Arthur noticed she was steamed and waved over a couple of maids.

The maids rushed in-one started massaging Natalie's shoulders, another worked on her legs, one poured her coffee, and another peeled an orange, feeding her piece by piece. Natalie leaned back in her chair, enjoying the pampering, and bit by bit, her anger melted away.

Seeing her mood lift, a hint of warmth appeared on Arthur's usually stern face. He teased her, "Why let a nobody like Keaton get to you? If you want him out of the picture, it's a piece of cake but don't let him stress you out; otherwise, I might have to take some serious action."

Natalie laughed, giving him a playful eye-roll, "Arthur, come on, we're law-abiding folks here."

"So, are we just going to let this slide?" Arthur asked; his voice was unsure. He knew Natalie had a fiery spirit-she never let go of a grudge and was always ready to fight. Those three years she spent playing nice while married to Darren didn't count; otherwise, she didn't know how to back down.

"Who's letting him off easy? He hasn't said sorry, so it's not over, Natalie said with a smirk, her eyes narrowing at the thought.

Arthur rolled up his sleeves. "I'll go find someone to drag him over here to apologize."

Wait! Just wait. Someone will definitely call me soon," Natalie replied casually, yawning as she stretched. She snapped her fingers, and a maid, who had been waiting in the lobby, hurried over. "Miss, what can I do for you?" "Could you have a beautician from Beautyou come over and give me a full-body spa?" Natalie ordered.

Beautyou was a top-notch beauty salon with a century of history Their ancestors pampered queens and princess with special skincare techniques, and their products had secret formulas. With a team of top grads from fancy universities and patents, many high-end skincare brands owed them for their formulas.

They were the cream of the crop. Their beauticians made at least 100 thousand dollars a month, providing top-notch service, but getting an appointment was a nightmare.

But for Natalie, that was no sweat.

Ten minutes later, Natalie was blissfully soaking in the tub. The room had Bluetooth speakers linked to her phone, and soft tunes filled the air.

The maid put a fruit platter on a small table by the tub, making it easy for Natalie to reach. She clicked her tongue in delight, wrapped in her little bubble of bliss.

Just then, the music stopped, replaced by a phone call. Humming a little tune, she wiped her delicate hands and answered, "Who is it?"

Oscar felt a bit awkward hearing her sweet voice. He chuckled nervously and spoke politely. "Is this Ms. Xavier? I hope I'm not interrupting. Oh, I'm Oscar, the director of the show."

"Oh, it's Osear," Natalie said, pretending to be polite. "What's up?"Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

"Uh, heh, remember that mix-up we had before? I wanted to see if you're feeling better about it," Oscar said carefully, framing it as just a mix-up.

Seeing his good attitude, Natalie decided to let it go. "The team has said sorry, so I guess we can just move on."

"Thanks, Ms. Xavier, for being so cool. So, will you be at tomorrow's live show?"

Natalie raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. Haven't decided yet."

As soon as Oscar heard this, his heart sank. He had an idea what might be bugging her, but he couldn't ask straight out. "Did our team mess up? If the written apology didn't show how sorry we are, we can say it to your face during tomorrow's show. How's that?" Natalie thought for a second. This guy knew how to play it. "Well, there's this mentor who's been acting up. I don't back down easy. If he doesn't say sorry, I can't join the show. Why don't you just count me out?"

Oscar felt desperate. Losing her would mean the show losing half its viewers. She might not need the show, but it needed her. He knew it was all Keaton's fault. If it weren't for him, she would not be this ticked.

If Keaton had just said sorry online, Natalie might have let the team off the hook, as long as he showed some humility. But no, he had to act high and mighty and play games. It was maddening.

"Come on, Ms. Xavier, you're just pulling my leg. We could never let you go." Oscar forced a laugh. "As for Keaton, don't worry. As long as you show up tomorrow, I'll make sure it's all good, You'll see how genuine we are." Natalie tapped her fingers on the tub's edge. "Alright, hope you don't let me down."

"So, Ms. Xavier, tomorrow you-"

"I'll be there." Natalie confirmed.

Oscar felt relief as he heaped more praise on her before hanging up. He quickly decided to pay Keaton a visit at his place.

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