Aristocracy 101

Chapter 16

Two Weeks Later

Lilian had quickly settled into her role as the mistress of the Johnson family. Within just two weeks, she had already memorized the names of everyone in the household, from the servants who managed the estate to the guards responsible for security. She understood their routines, their responsibilities, and how the entire household functioned.

In many ways, married life was not that different from the life she had lived before. Managing household expenses, shopping for accessories, arranging different matters around the house, and preparing meals for her beloved husband, Oliver, had slowly become part of her daily routine.

Although, unfortunately, most of the meals she prepared remained untouched.

Still, she had something she had always wanted.

Freedom.

And her father was finally proud of her.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

The Johnson family had kept their promise, and the Chen family business had grown tremendously. A company that had once ranked as the 60th most successful company in the country had climbed all the way to the 20th position. Her father, who used to criticize almost everything she did, had finally stopped scolding her.

For the first time in a long while, things seemed perfect.

...

Arrrggggghhhhh! 😫

No.

It wasn't perfect.

Not even close.

Oliver barely spoke to her, and he was hardly ever home. After discovering that Mr. Johnson had arranged for him to work closely with his personal secretary as part of his training to become the future heir, Lilian had tried visiting him at the company several times.

But every single time, she was stopped at the entrance.

"Mr. Oliver is too busy to receive visitors."

That was always the excuse.

She could see the sympathetic expressions on the employees' faces whenever they turned her away, and although she tried not to let it bother her, it would be a lie to say that it didn't hurt.

After all, she was his wife.

But she refused to give up.

As she always said, the road to winning Oliver's heart would be long, but she would eventually conquer it.

She could do this.

She had to.

Currently, Lilian sat at her desk, completely focused on the jewelry design sketches spread before her. Her fingers moved carefully across the paper as she adjusted the details of her latest creation.

Oh, wait.

Did she forget to mention something?

Her bad.

Hehe.

Lilian wasn't just the wife of Oliver Johnson.

She was also an internationally renowned jewelry designer.

Under the alias Annie, Lilian designed exclusive jewelry pieces that were highly sought after by wealthy heiresses, celebrities, and even members of royal families. Every new design she released caused a frenzy within the fashion world, and because each piece was produced in limited quantities, owning one was considered a symbol of status.

She never revealed her true identity.

During public events, she always wore a mask and used a voice changer to hide her appearance and voice.

No one knew who Annie really was.

Not Oliver.

Not even Zoey and Ivy.

She preferred it that way.

She didn't want people looking at her differently because of her achievements. She didn't want special treatment or admiration. She simply wanted to be Lilian — the normal girl who could laugh with her friends and exist in their world without feeling like she had to prove herself.

The irony was that Lilian had never actually studied jewelry design.

Her official course was Business Administration.

She had chosen it because her older sister had run away, leaving the responsibility of the family business behind. Lilian couldn't bear the thought of watching her father's empire collapse, so she buried her own dreams and chose the path that would secure her family's future.

While everyone else was busy preparing for exams, Lilian secretly studied jewelry design.

She practiced whenever she had free time, researched different materials, and attended art exhibitions whenever she could. She never told Zoey or Ivy about it because she didn't want to burden them with her problems.

Their lives already seemed so perfect.

Zoey was studying Cyber Security, while Ivy was a year ahead of her in Business Administration. Whenever Lilian disappeared for art exhibitions or design-related events, she always found an excuse to explain her absence.

Thankfully, Oliver and the other guys attended different universities, so she never had to explain herself to them.

Everything changed when Elvis discovered her work.

He was the first person who recognized her talent and believed that her designs deserved to be seen by the world. With his help as her agent, Annie's jewelry quickly became a sensation.

Lilian continued her Business Administration studies online while managing her secret career, using every connection she had to balance both worlds. Since her father rarely showed interest in her education, it was easy for her to move between university life and her hidden identity without raising suspicion.

She never told him about Annie.

She already knew what would happen if he found out.

Her father was a man driven by profit and ambition. He wouldn't see her talent as something she loved. He would see it as another opportunity — another way to expand the family business, gain influence, and use her abilities for his own goals.

A shiver ran through her.

Her life would never truly belong to her if her father discovered the truth.

Besides, the Chen family's main business was not jewelry.

It was real estate.

The jewelry world belonged to her.

It was the one thing she had created for herself.

However, despite everything she had achieved, there was still one person she feared.

Her father.

A man who would do anything for money and status. A man who had no limits when it came to business, control, and power.

Lost in her thoughts, Lilian didn't notice how much time had passed.

Until—

Knock. Knock.

The sound of someone knocking on her bedroom door immediately pulled her back to reality.

She looked toward the door, her brows slightly furrowing.

"Come in.