I Became the Billionaire's Fake Lover to Get My Revenge
Chapter 103: He Recognized Her

Chapter 103: He Recognized Her

Anna felt shivers run down her spine as her eyes scanned the young man’s appearance. There was no denying it––if that man was standing right beside him right now, she would have taken Illai for his younger version.

But why? How was it possible?

The questions continued to multiply, and she hoped that today, she would have at least some of them answered.

"The male nurse will stay with you during the meeting as a safety precaution," the nurse informed her, pointing at a tall, sturdy man entering the room from the second door that, Anna figured, led to another patient’s room.

"That’s alright," Anna nodded, and once the nurse left, she pulled up a wooden chair next to the young man’s bed and took a seat.

I can see Lilian in him now, too. She thought as her eyes narrowed slightly, studying his face more intently now. But everything else, down to the shape of his eyebrows... It’s definitely him. If only I could somehow perform a DNA test on him...

"Who are you?" Illai jolted her out of her thoughts as he tilted his head to the side, studying her appearance with equal curiosity. "You look very pretty."

Anna forced an awkward smile, still not completely sure how to act or respond to his words.

"I am a friend of your mother’s," she lied again, trying to look calm and friendly. "My name is Anette." This was another lie, but she couldn’t use her new name here either, in case the Hydes or her aunt would get suspicious.

Illai let out a soft chuckle, clearly amused by her reply. "My mother doesn’t have such beautiful friends. And she doesn’t have a friend named Anette either."

Anna cocked a curious brow. "And how do you know that?"

The man scoffed now, getting somewhat annoyed. Then, he shifted slightly in his bed, moving closer to its edge to readjust the distance between them. He looked Anna in the eyes as if to challenge her with his glare before he finally sighed, his expression suddenly getting incredibly serious.

"I am not crazy, Miss Anette. Do you believe me?"

Anna got stiff for a moment, her eyes wandering off to meet the gaze of the male nurse standing in the corner of the room. He didn’t seem to hear what Illai said, or perhaps simply didn’t care for his words.

What could she even say to that? Only one thing. "Yes, I believe you."

"Then," Illai’s next question emerged almost instantly. "Why do you think I’m here?"

"That’s why I am here. I wanted to ask you the same thing."

Illai’s lips stretched into a wide grin, his big brown eyes glistening with something almost alluringly dangerous. He looked so eager to tell her something, but as soon as he glanced over to the male nurse and met his gaze, that eagerness suddenly disappeared, and his expression turned serious again.

"If you were my mother’s friend, then you’d know it," was the only thing he said, his voice cold and low.

Anna let out a light sigh, silently scolding herself for being impatient. She took some time to think about something else she could say that would lead the young man to give her at least some kind of a response, but Illai beat her to it.

"Anette is a pretty name," he said suddenly, eyes narrowing as he scanned Anna’s face again as if recognizing something in her features. "My mother used to have a friend named Anna."

Now, Anna’s body froze, her lips parting at a suppressed gasp. She had never expected him to even know her name, and there was no way in hell Anna had ever been Lilian’s friend.

"Is that so?" She cleared her throat in order to regain her composure. "Have you ever met her?"

Illai shook his head. "No. She is dead now."

"How... sad."

"I wonder if she died the same way."

"What..?" Honestly, right now, Anna could no longer tell whether Illai was really ill or not. He was talking in riddles, only igniting her curiosity even further. "What does it mean?"

Illai smirked, shifting even closer to the edge of the bed. "Her father’s death is the reason I’m here."

Anna found herself in a state of complete shock. Illai was not ill. He knew exactly who he was talking about. And, perhaps, he knew everything.

"Do you... do you know how her father died?" It was hard not to stammer, but Anna did her best. The young man didn’t seem to notice either.

"I do," Illai grinned, suddenly realizing her intense attention and curiosity. Now that he had her in his palm, he wanted to make her work for it a little. "He died in prison."

Anna frowned slightly, tension bubbling inside her chest. She had already noticed it too––perhaps it was the loneliness that turned him like that, but he was indeed starved for attention, and the moment she showed him some, he latched onto it like there was no tomorrow.

"Anna was my friend too," she treaded carefully, fishing for more. "I knew her late father. He died in prison, this much is true... but nobody told her why and how."

A soft, strange giggle escaped Illai’s lips, making Anna recoil slightly in her chair. It was a weird emotional response to what she had just said, but she could clearly see that the man before her was getting amused by the way the conversation was flowing.

"He was poisoned," he then said suddenly, snatching air from Anna’s lungs. "And I was the one who poisoned him."

"What?!" Anna nearly jumped to her feet, heaving loudly from the surge of emotions crushing over her. Why would he poison him? And how?

Illai flinched on the bed too, glancing waryly at the male nurse still standing in the corner. The tall man finally uncrossed his arms, offering Anna a questioning look, but she simply shook her head, gesturing for him to stay put.

Once she sat back on the chair again, she fixed her hair nervously and cleared her throat.

"You got scared," Illai said in a quiet and somewhat sad voice. "I get it. But I was not the one who actually did it. I would never do it. Not anymore."

"Not... anymore?"

That’s right, Anna then thought, Constantine had told me the boy was in a juvie once. Did he poison someone back then too?

The young man nodded. "I simply let my mother know what she could do. You know..." he then smiled strangely, almost wickedly even, "They didn’t show his corpse to anyone because it would show! It can be proven that he was poisoned!"

Illai suddenly burst into laughter, causing Anna to wince again, the blood in her veins turning cold.

It made sense now. All of it. The fact that her father died so suddenly, and they didn’t even let her see his body before it was cremated.

It can be proven... My father’s ashes are still with Aunt Lillian. At least, I hope they still are. Can I get them? Can anything be found in ashes?

"What was the poison?" She finally asked aloud, her heartbeat quickening as a sudden glimmer of hope flickered inside her chest.

At that moment, however, another nurse walked into the room, her right index finger pointing at the watch on her left wrist. "I’m sorry but the visiting hours are over. I must ask you to leave."

"Can I..." Anna’s voice was pleading now, her eyes searching the nurse’s face for a sign of understanding. "I just need to hear this one last thing!"

"No, I’m sorry," the nurse shook her head, glancing over to the male nurse who was now walking toward them. "The rules are the same for everyone. And the patient needs his rest, too. You can visit him next week."

"Illai," Anna turned to the young man smiling back at her, "what did she poison him with? Just tell me what it’s called!"

"Miss," the male nurse was now holding Anna by the arm, "let’s not misbehave."

Anna frowned––she hated to be treated as if she, too, was mentally unstable. But what irritated her the most was the fact that Illai could see her desperation, but he obviously didn’t care. If anything, it entertained him.

"Illai?" She pleaded again as the man continued to drag her out of the room. How could it end like that? She was so close, yet he was cruelly denying her the answer.

But then, just before she was pushed out of the room, the young man chuckled again, and yelled, "Arsenic! It was arsenic poison, Anna!"

"What?" Anna froze, her eyes wide in shock. "What did you call me?"

She was now too far, and her voice was way too quiet for him to hear her, but the truth remained hanging over her like an ominous cloud.

He recognized her. Somehow, he recognized her. Or... was it just an honest mistake?