From Divorce To Dominance novel Chapter 72

Chapter 72
Howard nodded. “Yeah, exactly five years ago. At that time, Mr. Henry Luther was critically ill, and chaos ran rampant within the Luther family. Darren was set up and fell into a trap-” He stopped abruptly, realizing he was saying too much.
Back then, the internal strife within the Luther family was fierce and brutal. Many people either died, were left disabled, or went missing. Even Darren’s parents-one ended up dead and the other went insane. This information had long been suppressed and kept out of the media. Outsiders only knew that within two years, four heads of the family had changed. It wasn’t until Darren took over that things stabilized, remaining so to this day. Howard regretted letting his excitement make him slip.
Feeling awkward. Howard hastily shifted the topic. Do you know how terrible it was for Darren? When I saw him back then. I was scared out of my mind. His eyes were bandaged up, he had lost a lot of weight, and that’s not even mentioning the injuries on his arms, back, and legs. He wasn’t in a good me**l state either.
“Doctors said he must have gone through hell and trusted no one. But because Vivian saved him, she was the only one he relied on-all he allowed near him. Vivian took care of him for almost two months before they found him. During his emotional breakdowns, it was her who calmed him down. That’s why Darren treats her so well now.
Natalie’s eyes flickered with understanding. “A life-saving debt,” she murmured. No wonder she couldn’t compare to Vivian. If she had known about this before marrying Darren, she definitely wouldn’t have gone through with it-or foolishly thought that genuine affection could warm his heart.
Sighing inwardly. Natalie thought to herself how differently things might have turned out if she had been the one to save Darren five years ago. But back then, she was busy training with Christian.
“Exactly!” Howard seemed more at case now that she was responding to him. “Vivian truly loves Darren. At first, Darren was grateful to her for saving his life, but eventually, he genuinely fell for her too. They were supposed to get married three years ago until an unexpected obstacle appeared.”
Natalie connected the dots immediately. It wasn’t hard to guess that this unexpected obstacle was her. She casually ran a hand through her long hair and asked nonchalantly, “Oh? What happened?”
“Listen, don’t go telling anyone what I’m about to say, Howard cautioned her. Without waiting for her response, he continued with a look of disdain. “Darren was once engaged to this woman from the mountains-ugly and plain. She saw how good-looking Darren was and insisted on marrying him no matter what.”
Natalie was angry. She thought, “Sure, I had found Darren attractive back then, but who said I was ugly and plain? Was it Darren? That jerk has such a loose tongue.
Howard continued, “Darren didn’t want to marry her so that bumpkin went crying to Mr. Henry Luther. She made a huge scene. In the end, Mr. Henry Luther used the company as leverage to force Darren into marrying her.”
Natalie crossed her arms and laughed sarcastically. “Really? Poor Mr. Luther.”
“Exactly! If I had to marry someone like that, I’d probably want to die too!” Howard sighed sympathetically. “Darren hated the marriage so much that he barely came home. But that woman was cu**ng; she kept finding ways to get him back and even drugged him to get pregnant.”
“Who’s deceiving whom here?’ she thought. The more Natalie listened, the angrier she became. The night Darren was drugged a year ago, she had no idea what was going on. She had gone to bed as usual only for Darren to come home in the muddle of the night and have sex with her.
She had been thrilled, thinking he was finally accepting her. But the next day, he accused her harshly of drugging him.
Natalie wanted to laugh at the absurdity-if she wanted to drug him, she would have done it ages ago. Still, no amount of explaining worked; Darren wouldn’t listen and even badmouthed her behind her back to his friends. It was infuriating.
Natalie let out a cold laugh, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Well, Darren doesn’t sound so great either. If I were him, and I
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Chapter 72
Sep 22
truly loved someone, I’d rather lose everything than betray her. Why couldn’t he just stay loyal?”
“Blame that woman for being so devious,” Howard replied indignantly. “I saw her once at the hospital, and her belly was already huge. She was just as ugly as ever. If he wasn’t drugged, Darren wouldn’t have touched her no matter how desperate
he vis
Natalie thought to herself, ‘Even if Darren was drugged that night, he sure seemed eager to repeat the act the next morning. What kind of drug has such a prolonged effect?
“Can’t control himself, then blames the woman,” Natalie muttered, knocking on the car window. “Stop the car up ahead. I’m almost there.” If she listened to Howard talk any longer, she might just hire someone to take Darren out tonight.
“Oh, we’re here already. Howard quickly parked the car, eagerly hopping out to open the door for her. “My dear Natalie, please step out. It’s still early-I was thinking we could have dinner together. What do you say?”
“No thanks, I’m full” Natalie replied, stepping out of the car with her small purse in hand, not bothering to look back as she headed toward the villa. “You can go now.”
Howard called after her, “So, Natalie. I’ll pick you up for our date tomorrow then?”
Natalie waved a hand in acknowledgment without turning around.
As Howard watched her walk into the villa, his gaze grew intense and almost obsessive. Just look at Natalie-slim waist, long
two from. legs, every step she took was mesmerizing. Then he thought about Darren’s ex-wife, the ugly bumpkin. The
similar backgrounds were so different. He thought, ‘Lucky me for finding such a treasure.
Howard hummed a tune as he drove, excitedly thinking about his date tomorrow. He was in high spirits, planning to get home early, get a good night’s sleep, and be fully energized for the big day. But as he reached his front door, he was surprised to see Darren standing there.
“Darren” He locked his car and walked over, delighted. “What are you doing here?”
Darren looked him over, noticing the spring in his step, and his eyes darkened slightly. “Did you just drop off Ms. Xavier?”
“Yeah!” Howard’s face lit up. “It was my first time spending time alone with Natalie. We had a great time, and I’m realizing more and more how perfect we are for each other.”
Darren casually adjusted his cuff, his expression unreadable. “So, you’re planning to take her out again tomorrow?
“I’ve been looking forward to it for ages.” Howard had a feeling he knew what Darren was getting at. “Darren, I swear, Natalie. doesn’t have a sugar daddy or anything. Don’t try to stop me. Once I win her over and bring her back, you’ll see for yourself how amazing she is. She’s perfect for me.”
“Alright.” Darren nodded. “I get it. Have fun on your date tomorrow.”,
Howard’s heart warmed at Darren’s concern, thinking Darren had come all this way just to support him in finding true love. He was touched. “Don’t worry, Darren. I’m serious about Natalie this time. I’m going to marry her.
Darren didn’t respond, just got into his car. Before he could start the engine, a black SUV pulled up in front of Howard.
Darren took out a cigarette, placing it loosely between his lips. As he lit it, he glanced up at Howard, his gaze sharp.
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