From Divorce To Dominance

Darren finished speaking and locked eyes with Howard, who simply responded, "Oh."

"That's it? Natalie is the one he had criticized countless times! Is he too shocked to say anything else? Darren thought. Darren felt a bit sorry for Howard but pressed on. "You two arent right for each other, so why don't you cancel this date?" "Darren," Howard suddenly turned to him with an understanding look. "I didn't realize you liked Nat so much."

"What? I don't" Darren frowned in protest. "She's just good-looking, but apart from that, she's a total mess. I'm not into her." "You're not into her, yet you're pretending to be her ex-husband! Howard shot back, cutting through the nonsense. "Why would I pretend?" Darren was getting frustrated. "Who would want to be her ex-husband?"

"Right, I wonder who would want that." Howard lowered his voice and continued seriously, "Vivian has always treated you so well. She's a talented doctor, and she even saved your life. You two are about to get married, so don't go having feelings for Nat"

Nat

Darren was so mad that he gritted his teeth. "What I said is truet She really is my ex-wife!"

"I'm sure she is," Howard said.

"Why don't you believe me?" Darren was on the verge of going home to grab the certificate..

Howard twitched a comer of his mouth. "Darren, it's not that I don't believe you. From what I know, you're Nat's eighth ex-husband."

"What? That's impossible! I'm her one and only ex-husband!" said Darren.

Howard maintained his indifferent tone. "Every guy who claims to be Nat's ex insists he's the only one."

Darren caught something important. "So there are others claiming to be her ex-husband?"

"Yeah. I just said, including you, there are a total of eight," Howard replied, pulling out his phone.

He began showing Darren his screen while scrolling through the chat. "Look, this guy with ID 274 says he was married to Nat for three years and has three kids with her. They had a huge fight and both refused to back down, so they divorced. Now he regrets it and wants Nat's forgiveness." Howard raised his eyebrows, making a gesture with his hands that indicated eight. "He offered 25 million dollars to buy my date night just for a chance to reunite with her." Darren was speechless.

fining

to have seven. Nat

Howard scrolled down further. "And this guy, ID 59, claims he has six kids with Nat. They we left because she hated how pregnancy ruined her figure, and now he wants to see Nat withrall six kids"

Darren couldn't help but laugh angrily. "Natalie just turned 21 this year. How could she have found time to have six kids? How are you believing this guy but not me?"

"I didn't believe it, Howard scoffed. I'm not dumb. I'm just telling you that you should step up your game. Look at them They're starting at three kids. You need to be more creative. Exaggeration, you get that?"

Darren reached over and slapped Howard on the head. Tve had enough! Get out of here!" Howard guarded his head and teased, "Ouch! Why are you getting so worked up"

Ethan was laughing so hard that he almost passed out. He pushed Howard away and said, "Go plan your date, let Darren be by himself for a bit."

Mention of the date got Howard all fired up again as he immediately began discussing it excitedly with friends nearby.

Ethan, still chuckling, leaned over and teased, "Honestly, it wouldn't be so bad if Howard and Natalie got together?

Darren snapped back, "Can you just not bother me?"

Ethan shook his head, the playful glimmer in his eyes deepening. "At most, just change the title from 'Mrs. Luther to 'Mrs Hinton."

That made Darren feel even worse. His thoughts were all over the place as he lit up a cigarette. "I need to get some fresh air outside.

The summer night was gentle, with a warm breeze. He smoked several cigarettes before calming down. It was just a date,

all.

after all

He knew Natalie well enough; she had the looks but lacked depth. The moment Howard got to know her, he'd lose interest. If Howard didn't want to listen to his advice, then he might as well let Howard figure it out on his own. Eventually, Howard would get tired of her, and Darren wouldn't even need to intervene.

The next day was Monday, and it was time to film Sweet Love. This was the third episode since the show premiered, and it had once again broken historical viewership records. The live stream was set to start at nine, but by eight-thirty, the doline viewer count had already hit ten million. Saying that Sweet Love was the hottest reality show in the scene was an understatement.

The chat room was buzzing with chatter, occasionally sparking mini-fights, but overall it was lively and cheerful.

At nine sharp, Sweet Love kicke kicked off f right on time, with the camera focused on the entrance of the Sweet Love Apartment.

Wendy, the

energetic host, excitedly introduced the show, "We're about to live-stream the move-in of our lovely ladies into the apartment. You'll get a full view of their private lives. I'm sure you can feel the excitement just like I do." Suddenly, a

a signal came through Wendy's earpiece. She quickly guided the audience, "Alright, it's time to welcome our first guest. Let's see who it is." The chat exploded with fans frantically typing the names of their favorite contestants..

The camera shifted to reveal a stunning beauty in a lovely dress, adorned with a pendant headdress. She strutted confidently, one hand holding a bag and the other dragging a suitcase. Her graceful figure wiggled, and her ink-colored dress billowed with her movements. It was like she had stepped out of a painting. [It's Tessa! She's so beautiful!]

Oh my gosh! I'm calling her the queen of classic beauty-there's no argument here!]

Honestly, I'd believe she walked straight out of a historical drama; she's just that startning!]

Tessa looks so amazing in this outfit. Can we please have directors approach her for historical dramas?]

I totally agree! She could just sit and look pretty, and I'd watch all day!]

Amidst the whirlwind of praise from her fans, Tessa reached the lobby. Guided by Wendy, she successfully drew room 8 for

her sty

As per the show's rules, each contestant gets to go live using their verified accounts to interact with their fans. So when the Chapter 31

camera returned to the lobby, a portion of the viewers had left the chat room to watch Tessa.

Being the first to move in and look absolutely magnificent, the topic of the Queen of Classic Beauty quickly trended. The contestants who followed her couldn't spark much excitement, making Tessa's entrance stand out even more. In less than two hours, the viewer count plummeted from ten million to just over four million.

Oscar, the Director, was anxious, urging, "Where's Ms. Xavier? Is she here? Have we made contact with her?"

"She's coming!" Bobby, the assistant director, rushed in, panting and beaming with excitement. "Next up is Ms. Xavier! This is going to be huge! She always knows how to surprise ust"

Oscar knew very well that Natalie was famous, but hearing the assistant speak only made his anticipation grow. "What did you see? Tell me everything!"

Just then. Wendy's voice rang out. "Walking towards us now is Ms. Xavier! Let's... Oh my gosh!" The camera fixed on the entrance as Wendy covered her mouth in disbelief while staring at the door.