Chapter 5
When Freya stepped out of the car, Johanna’s vehicle screeched to a halt right behind her. Johanna burst out of the car, yelling, “Freya! Have you lost your mind? Announcing a break-off at a time like this? Are you out of your wits?”
Freya ignored her, calmly removing every piece of jewelry as she walked. Seeing Freya return early, Nancy asked in confusion, “Ms. Dawson? Isn’t your engagement party with Mr. Sutton tonight? Why are you back already?”
Without a word, Freya headed straight to her walk-in closet. She yanked off her pearl necklace and stepped out of her evening gown, tossing every piece of clothing that screamed “Eloise-style” into a cardboard box. “Ms. Dawson! What are you doing?” Nancy was dumbstruck.
Freya glanced at the row of perfumes on the shelf, all once favorites of Eloise. She smashed every bottle on the floor with a crash, startling Nancy. “Nancy, step aside.” Freya’s voice was icy, leaving no room for argument. She picked up the cardboard box and went downstairs. Freya dumped the contents into a large drum in the Dawson family’s backyard. With a toss of gasoline and a lighter, it instantly blazed.
Watching the fire blaze, a chill ran through Freya’s gaze. Life had given her a second chance. This time, she wouldn’t be Eloise’s understudy. Thinking this, Freya dialed her best friend, Luna Jennings.
“Luna, I need a favor. Can your family’s newspaper run a story for me? It’s something that’ll go viral in an hour. I’ll cover the costs.” “Huh? Isn’t tonight your engagement with Kieran? You don’t need to announce it to the whole country to celebrate!”
“I’ve changed my mind.” “Changed your mind about what? Wishing you’d let the whole country know sooner?” “I mean, I’m breaking it off.”
“Breaking it off? Stop joking! You wouldn’t break off your engagement with Kieran. You’ve been head over heels for three months!” Silence on the other end of the phone finally made Luna realize the gravity of the situation. “You… you’re serious?”
The next day, the news that Freya had called off her engagement with Kieran, the CEO of the Sutton Group, lit up the internet. The whole of Echo City was buzzing. Everyone knew how deeply Freya of the Dawson family had been into Kieran, CEO of the Sutton Group. Yet, on the day of their engagement, she had abruptly called it off, turning the prestigious event into a farce and dragging the Sutton family’s name through the mud.
“The Heiress of The Dawson Group, Freya, calls off her engagement with the Sutton Group’s CEO, Kieran, to avoid future marital discord, expressing regret and hoping for understanding.”
In a private club room, Silas was holding his phone, grinning. “Kieran, is this for real?” As Silas reached out, Kieran slapped his hand away, his face darkening. “Which newspaper?”
“Which? The Jennings family, of course. You have no idea how much they’ve pushed this story. They even printed a hundred thousand copies of the paper with this as the front-page headline. Now, the whole net knows the CEO of the Sutton Group can’t get it up, topping the trending charts. Want to see for yourself?”
Silas teasingly placed the phone before Kieran, whose face turned even darker. Clenching the glass in his hand, his eyes flashed with anger, “Freya’s doing?”
“Obviously. Ms. Dawson and the Jennings family’s heiress have been thick as thieves since they were young. What did you do to her, man? With how smitten Freya was, why else would she blast you online?”
Just then, Secretary Jarrett entered the room, unable to keep quiet. “Mr. Sutton…” With a grim face, Kieran demanded, “Have you found out where Freya is?” Jarrett hesitated, “It seems… she’s next door.”