The Bride Who Said No: Escaping the Shadows of Yesterday

Kieran stepped into Taste Terrace's grand entrance, its manager eagerly moving forward to greet him, only to be intercepted by Jarrett.

It was also Flavia's first encounter with Kieran in person. Given the Miller family's standing in Echo City, crossing paths with someone of Kieran's stature was a rare occurrence for her. Realizing Kieran was more striking in person than in his photographs made Flavia's cheeks flush.

To say Kieran was handsome would be an understatement. He had the looks that could give any A-list celebrity a run for their money.

"Mr. Sutton..." Flavia stood up, ready to introduce herself to Kieran, but he just sat opposite her without a word.NôvelDrama.Org: owner of this content.

Seeing Kieran was not in a good mood, Flavia sat back down, somewhat disheartened.

"My time is precious. Let's get on with it," Kieran stated plainly.

Jarrett brought over a cup of coffee, which Kieran took a light sip of before waving the waiter over to bring out the food.

Noticing Kieran's lack of interest in her, Flavia mustered her patience and said, "Mr. Sutton, your grandmother arranged this meeting. I... I don't know anything about you."

"I'm not one for many likes, but I do have a lot of dislikes," Kieran replied, his tone neutral. "Ms. Miller, if you're okay with this being a business arrangement, we can proceed to the next point." Flavia was stunned. "What do you mean by that, Mr. Sutton?"

"First, I'm not going to fall for you."

"Second, there's someone else I'm interested in."

"Third, I hope you, Ms. Miller, are prepared to be nothing more than a trophy wife."

Kieran's blunt words hit Flavia hard. Her face turned a deeper shade of red, a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. "You have someone else? Then why are you even meeting me?" "Business marriages are just that," Kieran explained. "Given the rumors about me in Echo City, Ms. Miller, you should have known better than to think you could be the one."

Flavia bit her lip, well aware of the gossip linking Kieran to a woman named Eloise. But she hadn't taken it seriously.

After all, in her eyes, no woman could compare to her beauty, and any man would tire of the same person after so many years.

She thought men were all driven by

their desires, and Flavia was

velets

confident she could win Kieran over. However, hearing Kieran lay

everything out bluntly was a heavy

blow to her ego.

en

Kieran continued, "You can't have your cake and eat it too. Wanting status and love in this world? Ms. Miller, you should reconsider it before discussing further with me." With that, Kieran stood up to leave.

Flavia quickly stood up and declared, "No need for more talk, Mr. Sutton. I've made my choice. Even if it's just a marriage of convenience, I'm on board."

But she missed the fleeting look of scorn in Kieran's eyes. Echo City was full of women who desired the title of Mrs. Sutton, even if it meant having a loveless marriage. How ironic.

"Plenty in Echo City wish to be with me. What makes you think you can do better than them?" Kieran questioned.

Flavia frowned, confused. "What are you saying? Didn't Mrs. Sutton arrange this meeting because..."

Kieran cut her off, "You're just an

option. Haven't you heard how Freya ended up after being cast aside by me? You get dumped even more ruthlessly if you don't measure up. After that, no one in Echo City would dare marry a woman I've rejected."

Flavia, of course, knew about Freya.