Aristocracy101

Chapter 1

In the dimly lit restaurant, Lillian Chen sat across from Oliver Johnson, her fingers tracing the rim of her wine glass as she listened to him drone on about his latest breakup.

She sighed dramatically, leaning back in her chair. "Why don’t you just take a break from all this? My birthday’s coming up in a few days, and I was thinking we could go to the Bahamas. Get some sun, feel the breeze, and just leave all this mess behind."

Oliver stared at her, his gaze softening as he tried to comprehend why and how he ever became friends with her. Was it because of her knack for dragging him away from his emotional disasters? Or maybe it was the way she always seemed to have the answers when he was too tangled in his own thoughts. Whatever it was, it wasn’t enough to stop him from asking, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "You just don't get it, do you? I just got out of a relationship."

"For the twenty-eighth time this year," she remarked, her tone dry.

"And you want me to go out with you? It’s like you don’t even care about me! Every time I break up with someone, you whisk me away to some random place, and the next day, I’ve forgotten about her. Just like that."

"Isn’t that the point?" she thought, biting back a smirk. It wasn’t easy making this clueless i***t see that she was the one who cared. Every time she got close to telling him how she felt, some new woman—usually an irritating one—would swoop in and snag his attention. It was driving her crazy.

Taking a slow breath, she gathered her composure. "Okay, what exactly do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me how to get her back," he said, voice soft, yet determined. "Even though we broke up, I really like her, Lillian. I’m ready to spend my life with her."

Her breath hitched. Could he really be this dense? He changed girlfriends more often than he changed socks, and yet somehow, he still believed he could get the one girl back who had dropped him like yesterday’s news. Lillian had always been there, watching, waiting, quietly hoping. But hearing him now, so utterly blind to the fact that she had loved him for as long as she could remember—it stung.

Yes, she loved him.

She’d known him since they were kids, and she’d fallen for him the moment he risked his life to save her from a falling tree during their childhood. He was her prince charming.

But she didn’t have the courage to tell him. She’d always dropped hints, sure. But it wasn’t like she could just announce it. "Hey, by the way, I’ve loved you forever. No biggie." No, that would be too easy. Too simple. And besides, she was pretty sure everyone in their circle, including his parents, knew that she was in love with him—except for him.

Now he was asking her for help to win back some random girl.

"No way in hell," she thought.

I’m not helping you get back your love rival. She had to do something. She couldn’t just sit there and let him waltz away to make her feel like an afterthought.

Her thoughts spun, but she kept her voice steady. "Okay, so tell me this: what’s the real reason you two broke up? I mean, no girl worth her salt would leave the heir to the Johnson fortune unless something major happened."

Oliver groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Argh… You don’t even want to know. My mom found out she’s from an 'ordinary' family and sent people to threaten her."

Lillian raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. "You don’t say."

Mrs. Johnson was a hard nut to c***k for any of Oliver’s girlfriends. It wasn’t that she was a bad person—she just had standards. A perfectionist who believed in only the best for her family, she’d never have approved of a girl who wasn’t up to her unreasonably high expectations. Out of all the women Oliver had brought home, Bella had been Mrs. Johnson’s least favorite. There was just something about Bella that didn’t sit right with Lillian, a certain "I’m-pretending-to-care-but-I-really-don’t" vibe. It screamed 'green tea'—mildly bitter, slightly pretentious.

Lillian turned her attention back to Oliver, raising an eyebrow. "You know, girls love materialistic guys who shower them with gifts. Maybe you should start doing that. A little less heartache, a little more diamonds."

Oliver looked up at her, still clearly lost. Lillian wasn’t sure if he was just too thick-headed to get the joke or if he was too absorbed in his own emotional chaos to notice her sarcasm.

Checking her watch, she stood up, smoothing out her dress. "Anyway, don’t forget my birthday’s this Saturday, okay?"

"I won’t miss it for the world," he promised, his voice suddenly more sincere.

As she walked out of the restaurant, her mind was already working overtime, plotting how to finally confess her feelings. She wasn’t about to give up on him. Not now, not ever.

"I’m not gonna give up on you," she muttered under her breath. "I’ll figure this out. One way or another."