The Bride Who Said No: Escaping the Shadows of Yesterday

Freya found herself engrossed in the exam paper before her, all thanks to Luna's remark.

And how could she not be?

The glaring block letters on the page had somehow eluded her until then! It was even more astonishing that it was her seventh consecutive day tackling exam questions.Owned by NôvelDrama.Org.

"Ph.D. Qualifying exams... No wonder they felt so daunting."

"Daunting? You haven't even been to school this year! How on earth did you write so much? Freya, what's your secret?"

But Freya wasn't bluffing her way through. Her edge came from her previous life when she had spent three years proactively managing affairs at the Sutton Group alongside Kieran.

She had gotten to know the ins and outs of the financial world so intimately that tackling these questions felt like child's play.

A sly smile crept onto Freya's lips as she glanced at her nearly completed answer sheet. She thought, "This is in the bag."

Meanwhile, at the Sutton Group headquarters, Flavia entered in a chic, ivory Chanel-inspired mini skirt that turned heads when she stepped into the building.

"Is that Ms. Miller? I heard she's Mr. Sutton's latest fiancée prospect."

"She's gorgeous, but I wonder what she's like as a person."

"She must be here to deliver lunch for Mr. Sutton, just like Ms. Dawson used to..."

Colleagues whispered to each other at their desks.

Back then, to curry favor with Kieran, Freya devised creative lunches to deliver to him every day. Yet Kieran hardly spared them a glance. t seemed unlikely that Flavia's efforts would fare any better.

Oblivious to the office gossip, Flavia went to the executive floor, where Jarrett emerged from a meeting room. Upon seeing Flavia, he approached and said, "Ms. Miller, Mr. Sutton is in a meeting and cannot see you now. You can leave the lunch with me."

"It's fine. I'll wait for Mr. Sutton to finish. We can have lunch together."

Flavia had always been a pampered heiress, rarely lifting a finger for anything menial.

She wouldn't have bothered preparing lunch and coming over if her parents hadn't insisted she win over Kieran to secure her place as his fiancée.

Realizing Kieran's lack of interest from the day before, Flavia knew she had to seize every opportunity to make her presence felt.

"You can wait over there," Jarrett pointed to a spot near the break room and added, "It'll get busier here during lunchtime. I hope you won't mind, Ms. Miller."

"What do you mean? I'm supposed to be Mr. Sutton's fiancée, and you're asking me to wait in the break room?"

"When Ms Dawson used to bring

lunch, Mr Sutton didn't even offer her a spot to wait. You're already getting better treatment." Although Jarrett spoke with a smile, his words left Flavia feeling slighted.

"What's Freya compared to me? The Dawson family is almost bankrupt. How could you even compare me to her? You better get me a private room, or I'll have Audrey handle this." Jarrett's expression remained unchanged by Flavia's threat.

Freya would never resort to dropping Audrey's name to get her way. It seemed Flavia was taking herself a tad too seriously.

"Please feel free to do as you wish, Ms. Miller. I have work to attend to." With that, Jarrett returned to his duties, leaving Flavia in a huff.