I Became the Billionaire's Fake Lover to Get My Revenge
Chapter 106: Not Enough

Chapter 106: Not Enough

I don’t think I like what I’m digging up.

Anna sighed as she stepped out of the car, offering a brief nod to the driver who held the door open for her. Her meeting with Aunt Lillian had gone even better than anticipated, but despite the success, a heavy, unsettling weight coiled deep in her stomach, refusing to budge.

When she brought down both Susanne and Marienne, Anna had felt a fleeting sense of relief—strange, almost surreal. It was as though a cold, soaked blanket had finally been lifted from her shoulders, freeing her movements and letting her breathe a little easier.

But Aunt Lillian was different. She was tightly entangled with Anna’s father—her roots deeply knotted into the very foundation of his life. And the more of that life Anna uncovered, the more suffocating it became. It felt as though every revelation came with another thick, grimy layer of guilt and revulsion, wrapping around her like a shroud.

When I was confined to that hospital room, Anna thought bitterly, I kept wondering what I’d done to deserve so much suffering. I was a devoted wife. A kind and supportive daughter. A loyal sister-in-law, too. So what was my sin? What terrible mistake did I make to warrant this?

She entered the living room in silence and made her way to the minibar tucked behind the glass panel near the terrace doors. Her fingers moved on instinct, selecting a bottle and pouring herself a generous glass of wine.

Maybe the old saying is true—no good deed goes unpunished. And maybe... maybe I really am the only one to blame.

Cradling the glass in her hand, she sank into the plush armchair on the terrace, one of the ones the maids had placed there for her to lounge in on hot days when the garden became too stifling.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but she knew it in her bones—she had no one to hold accountable for her pain but herself. She had been the one who trailed after Robert like a desperate, half-starved animal, blindly following his every step, hungry for scraps of affection.

She was the one who closed her eyes to his wrongdoings and didn’t want to accept his flaws and mistakes.

She was the one who promised her father that she would be happy with Robert.

She begged her father to invest all his money into Robert’s business because she lied about believing in him.

She believed her father when he said he would be fine when they took him away.

She believed everyone and everything. Because that was just the kind of person she used to be.

"I knew I’d find you here with a glass in your tiny hand," William’s voice rang through the terrace, instantly jolting Anna out of her thoughts.

She felt flustered and exposed as if she was caught doing something bad. And essentially, she was. She had promised William she would drink less so many times already, she was afraid that he now saw her as nothing more than a pitiful woman with a huge drinking problem.

"I just wanted to gather myself back together," Anna said awkwardly, feeling ashamed at the pathetic excuse that slipped past her lips. "It’s just one drink, I promise."

"Relax," he said calmly, sliding his big hand over Anna’s hair in a gentle, almost comforting gesture. "I am not here to scold you. You must have been through a lot today, so... it’s not important."

He then sighed and fixed his hair as if he needed some time to collect his thoughts. "Let’s talk in my office," he then added, offering Anna a hand to help her stand up. "There is something important we need to discuss."

***

"This is... your company’s new project?" Anna’s eyes widened as she couldn’t decide who deserved her undivided attention in that moment. Both William and Daniel had such nonchalant expressions, that for a moment, she thought that maybe it was another one of William’s schemes.

"Yes, I have already talked to several media representatives to spread the news, and the official presentation will be in a month, during the annual tech convention."

William was smiling, yet his words carried a heavy, serious undertone. Anna shifted her eyes to Daniel, but he only nodded slowly as if enjoying her confusion just as much.

"So this means... you are going to be Robert’s official competition now."

"That’s right," William confirmed with another smile, sliding a paper folder toward Anna across the table. "And you are going to be one of the shareholders."

"Me?!" Anna nearly shouted, her eyes turning even wider. "But... I don’t even have money to invest!"

"I am not asking you to be an investor," the man corrected her, the smile disappearing from his face almost immediately, making him look rather sharp and stern. "This is just a... well, let’s say a friendly gesture. This way, you wont feel as dependent on me anymore. I know you feel bad about that."

Anna felt her heart contract with something faint and somewhat unpleasant. Perhaps she was reading too much into it, but somehow... it almost felt as if William was trying to distance from her, to gradually push her away because her was preparing for what was to come when their revenge was over.

She felt conflicted. She knew it would come eventually, but she was still hopeful that it would be later rather than sooner.

"Then..." Anna cleared her throat and looked back at William, doing her best to stay as calm as possible. "What about Lillian? Won’t she realize it right away once she learns that I am one of the shareholders?"

"She won’t know because no one will tell her," William frowned a little as if catching onto the change in her demeanor. "By the time the shareholder list becomes public, your precious aunt will already be in jail."

It sounded reassuring, yet the loud palpitations in her chest still made it difficult to feel good about anything right now. "I see," was all she managed to squeeze out of herself.

Her words were followed by an uncomfortably long moment of silence, before she finally rose to her feet and pressed the paper folder against her chest. "Thank you, it’s very generous of you. I will make sure to be as useful as I can while working with you."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, Anna darted out of the room, leaving nothing but a faint trail of her perfume.

"She ran away as if you didn’t just give her a job, but fired her instead," Daniel noted, ungluing his eyes from the closed door. "Do you think she got offended?"

William didn’t say anything in response. He continued to silently look at the chair that had just been occupied by Anna, his mind reeling with thoughts.

Was she really offended? Or was it something else that neither of them could understand?

Daniel’s loud sigh snapped William back to reality, his dark brown eyes glaring at his assistant with unconcealed intensity.

"Still, I am surprised," Daniel continued as if that glaring look meant nothing to him. "I could understand just giving her money, but this company is not a joke anymore. I didn’t expect you to actually make her a shareholder."

"I don’t see how it can be surprising," William said grimly, leaning heavily against the back of his chair.

Daniel scoffed, nodding his head in a mock agreement. "I guess you are right. But what does that mean for you then?" He couldn’t point his finger at his boss, so he pointed at him with his words instead. "She will become an intricate part of your life... does it mean that you have finally decided?"

William frowned, shooting the other man a challenging glare once again. "Since when are you so nosy? Never mind. Just go and do something useful with your time."

"Fine, fine," Daniel replied, peeling himself off the chair and fixing his jacket. "I’ll be in the office then."

The moment Daniel left the room, William let out a long exhale as if he had been holding his breath this entire time. Truthfully, his assistant’s words got his mind spiraling hard.

Have I already made my decision?

He echoed Daniel’s words, feeling his heart contracting under their pressure.

He had. The decision had been made a long time ago, but the road he had to take to finally reach his destination was rocky and with quite a lot of hurdles.

All his life, he knew that he could have anything he wanted. Even when his father kicked him out, leaving him with nothing but a plane ticket and some pocket change, William didn’t feel as desperate and helpless as during that time when he learned that Anna Adler was Robert Hyde’s girlfriend, and all she ever wanted was to be his wife.

She could never be his. But now, she belonged to nobody but him.

So why? Why was it still not enough?

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