—
The awful blind date made Juliane quiet the whole ride. Even as they dropped her off the Grythwill City Hospital, she seemed to be of low spirits.
With Amon feeling challenged by the current situation, he started drawing out new plans in his head. First, he had to make Juliane more involved in high society. Should he enroll her in etiquette classes? Or he could also have someone teach her to play the piano… There was a lot in Amon's head that kept his mind busy until they arrived in the Golden Mansion.
And so, the next day, Amon had his driver fetch Juliane from the hospital. The meeting room across the dining hall was prepared, and desserts like cheesecakes and biscuits were served. As soon as Juliane arrived, their meeting started, and Amon handed over a bunch of papers to her.
When Juliane saw the photographs of men with the same age as her, she immediately knew it was about her finding a partner. She shook her head, "Apologies, but you do not have to fulfill the last clause. I can live on my own."
"It isn't you whom I had a contract with. It's your mother," Amon stared into her eyes intensely, "She called last night, asking why you're still staying at the hospital, when you should be in a gentleman's mansion already."
"Hah, she must be tired of my presence…" she responded in a soft tone. Of course, Holly Johara would get tired of her since all she did was blame her for the loss of the farm property.
Amon ignored her as she whispered to herself, and instead proceeded to the main agenda. "Before introducing you to the next gentleman, I'd like you to become familiarized with the world of the upper class. Etiquette lessons are the priority, and aside from that, I'll get you a private teacher and make you graduate through legal means."
"Wait, what? What do you mean?"
"Ms. Johara, I will prioritize your education in order to match you properly with a gentleman of noble status."
"Will you sponsor my education?"
"Yes."
Tears formed in her eyes; she couldn't believe what she just heard, "Thank you so much-"
"I am not doing this for you. I just do not want to repeat the embarrassment I got from Mr. Evermead," Amon crossed his arms, "Even so, I trust that you'll be able to pull this off. Do this for yourself, and your family, Ms. Johara. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Juliane wouldn't let a golden opportunity like this pass by! Although she wanted to study in the past, she couldn't as she dedicated her life taking care of the farm. Having a formal education was not even an option.
But not anymore. She now had Amon Midas.
"I'll do my best, mister…!"
"Of course, you should, I'll be spending money on you," Amon sighed, "From now on, I will manage your schedule, and you're going to accompany me as my assistant at times. To hasten your learning, you need to be exposed to what we do."
Juliane nodded enthusiastically. As her excitement consumed her, she tasted the cheesecake in front of her, until her mouth was full of the dessert.
Seeing his new assistant indulge herself in the delicious food, Amon then left Juliane in the meeting room. After closing the door, he told the head maid, "Ms. Iona, prepare a box of cheesecake for her to bring home."
The head maid nodded, and the conversation caught the attention of the maids passing by. As they prepared the cheesecake in the kitchen, they talked about how sweet Amon was towards Juliane. During the radio interview, Amon even mentioned that he and Juliane were only business partners.
Nah, everyone in the Golden Mansion claimed they knew the truth, after all, actions speak louder than words!
…
A busy week passed by, Juliane was kept occupied thanks to Amon's demanding schedule which he set up for her. She had to wake up at 7:00 in the morning to prepare for her 8:00 am etiquette class at her private teacher's house. By 1:00 in the afternoon, Amon's driver would fetch her and she would accompany Amon with his business deals. She was tasked to listen, observe, and take notes as his assistant.
Seeing Amon around Grythwill City with a woman by his side caught the attention of the press, but of course he dealt with the rumors via radio interview. And so, little by little, the citizens of Grythwill got used to their presence and odd pairing, eventually, the rumors died down into dust…
But it was different inside the Golden Mansion. Whenever Juliane visited Amon's home, she was taken care of like a royalty and had the head maid focus on her needs. She even received clothes and jewelry, but left them in the mansion because she said she had no closet to keep them. The guest room in front of Amon's room was especially reserved for her, and the maids were instructed to keep it dust-free. With all these things happening, who would believe the radio interview inside the Golden Mansion?!
Not even Schulton Midas believed it. Unfortunately, Amon hid Juliane from the old man like a precious jewel, making his curiosity grow even more.
"I have to meet the lady," Schulton told the head butler, "With all these rumors going around my own mansion, I think I have the right to see my grandson's woman in person. Don't you agree, Hylton?"
"Yes, master… but what should I tell Mr. Amon?"
"You don't have to tell him… I'll think of a strategy."