The Bride Who Said No: Escaping the Shadows of Yesterday

The noise around Luna was becoming unbearable. Just as her patience was running thin, Freya grabbed her hand, shaking her head in a silent plea for calm.

Luna had her family's reputation to think about. The Jennings family couldn't afford to make enemies in these circles.

Eloise stepped forward, addressing the tension. "Ms. Dawson, I get it. You're upset Kieran threw me this birthday bash, but Lloyd's innocent. You don't need to take it out on him."

Then, with a gesture meant to smooth things over, Eloise picked up a glass of wine from the table and offered it to Freya. "Look, it's my birthday. Let bygones be bygones, for my sake?" Freya accepted the wine glass, but as Eloise also picked up a glass, intending to toast, Kieran stood up and walked over to Eloise.

Everyone held their breath, unsure of his intentions.

Kieran took the wine glass from Eloise's hand and deliberately poured it onto the floor before Freya. It was a clear insult directed at her.

"Kieran, don't..." Eloise reached out, touching his arm in a rather intimate manner.

Everyone braced to witness Freya's humiliation. Any ordinary girl would've probably burst into tears under such public disgrace.

But the room fell into an eerie silence.

Surprisingly, Freya laughed. She lifted her wine glass and said, "I'll drink to that. But not for Ms. Harwood's birthday. Instead, here's to the two of you tying the knot and having kids soon."

With that, she downed her drink in one go.

Kieran's expression darkened momentarily.

A collective gasp echoed in the room. Everyone knew how much Freya had been smitten with Kieran. What was going through her mind today?ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

It was common knowledge that if Kieran could have married Eloise, he would have done it long ago. Rumor had it that Eloise was pregnant once, but the child was aborted due to Audrey's refusal to welcome her into the family. Her toast might have seemed well-wishing, but it was a jab at Kieran and Eloise's painful past. And yet...Freya dared to drink that toast!

"Luna, let's go."

Just as Freya was about to leave with Luna, Lloyd, who had been humiliated earlier, shouted, "Freya! You wait! I'll kill you!"

Freya stopped, turned, and gave Lloyd a cold look that sent shivers down his spine, almost paralyzing him. "If you've got the guts, come find me at the Dawson Mansion. I'm not afraid of your revenge. I hope you dare to show up." With that, Freya confidently led Luna out of the private room.

The silence hung in the air long after they had gone.

Finally, Kieran smashed his glass on the floor in rage, snapping everyone back to reality. They were there to see Freya humiliated! But in the end, she hadn't suffered at all! Instead, Lloyd was beaten up without a chance to fight back, and Kieran didn't get the upper hand over Freya, either.

Seeing Kieran's grim expression, everyone was too scared to breathe.

"Kieran..." Eloise hadn't seen Kieran this angry in a long while and was frightened.

"Let's...cut the cake! Time to cut the cake! Everyone, let's wish Ms. Harwood a happy birthday!"