I Became the Billionaire's Fake Lover to Get My Revenge
Chapter 23: Maybe

Chapter 23: Maybe

"God, what happened to this place? Wasn’t it supposed to be the heart of the city’s art scene? Now it just looks... pathetic."

Susanne Hyde wrinkled her nose in disdain, her sharp gaze sweeping over the vibrant street. She turned her head from side to side, lips pursed as if she could smell the decay of what she considered true art.

"Ugh, just look at this mess... Do you think I’ll even find anything worth my time?"

"Why are you even bothering?" a second voice chimed in, flat with disinterest.

Anna recognized it immediately—Rachel Walsh. Susanne’s only so-called real friend, though that word was generous. Rachel was one of the most bitter young women Anna had ever encountered, and that was saying something, considering she had Aunt Lilian in her life.

Rachel was neither intelligent nor talented, nor did she care to be. Her days revolved around spending her family’s wealth on overpriced cocktails, luxury vacations, and clinging to Susanne like an obedient lapdog.

"What do you mean, why?" Susanne scoffed, throwing her arms up in exaggerated exasperation. "This is how people make serious money these days. You buy art from some unknown wannabe, talk it up to the right people, make sure a few rich idiots take notice, and—bam! The artist skyrockets to fame, their work starts selling for millions, and suddenly, you’re sitting on a goldmine."

Rachel let out a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn’t get stuck.

"But these people aren’t selling their work for dirt-cheap prices," she huffed, placing her hands on her hips as she scanned the street with evident boredom. "Even this kind of art will cost you a few thousand apiece. Where exactly are you planning to get the money?"

Susanne smirked, flicking her hair back with an air of arrogance, her gaze dripping with condescension.

"My new lover, Freddy, promised to give me a few thousand. He’s quite the generous businessman, you know." She let out a self-satisfied hum before adding, "Plus, I made a decent sum selling Anna’s stuff, too."

Anna’s breath hitched. Her mouth grew dry as the words sank in, an uncomfortable tightness forming in her chest.

Rachel let out a sharp laugh, playfully smacking Susanne’s shoulder. "Seriously? How much could you even get from selling her junk? I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear anything expensive. Then again, she barely left the house to begin with."

Susanne scoffed, though her tone turned more serious, her amusement giving way to something colder. "You’d be surprised. That bitch had quite a collection of limited-edition designer outfits. The price they went for was ridiculous." She clicked her tongue in irritation before adding, "Just her custom-fitted Chanel suits alone got me a few thousand."

Her expression darkened, a flicker of bitterness flashing across her face. "I always wanted those suits for myself, but of course, that moron was too damn short for them to fit me properly. Such a waste. I still can’t believe her good-for-nothing father spoiled her like that. If only my dad had been that generous."

Good-for-nothing father? Anna repeated silently, her entire body stiffening. A fresh wave of anger curled in her stomach.

It was because of her father that their family had stayed afloat at all—that Robert had managed to salvage his business and avoid prison. And yet, they still refuse to acknowledge that?

"She was completely useless," Susanne sneered, her words slicing through the air like a dagger, sinking deep into Anna’s heart. "But at least I managed to make some money off her miserable end."

She sighed, as if pitying a tragic waste, before adding with a smirk, "Oh, and you know, Marienne Rochester promised me a little something too. She owes me a favor, after all. So, I told her that if she wants to marry my brother, she’ll have to play by our rules. That’s the only way she’ll ever be accepted into our family."

Anna clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. The heat of suppressed rage simmered in her chest as she turned her face slightly toward them and muttered under her breath, "Your family only has one rule—to steal."

The moment the words left her lips, she regretted them. The street was noisy, but not enough to drown out her voice.

Susanne and Rachel instantly snapped their heads in her direction, their thin eyebrows arching in perfect sync.

"Excuse me?" Susanne’s voice dripped with icy condescension as she took a step closer, the sharp click of her heels against the cobblestone making Anna’s pulse spike. "Were you talking to us?"

Anna froze. A sudden wave of fear crashed over her, rendering her completely immobile. She was grateful for the sunglasses shielding her eyes, but even with them, she couldn’t look away, couldn’t feign ignorance.

Susanne was staring right at her, scrutinizing her face with predatory intensity, as if trying to peel away the layers of her disguise.

The longer Anna stayed silent, the heavier Susanne’s gaze became. Impatience flickered across her perfectly painted features, her foot tapping against the ground in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

Anna tried to swallow, but her throat felt as dry as sandpaper. Her tongue, suddenly too large for her mouth, refused to cooperate. A cough built up in her chest, tightening like a vice, but she forced it down.

And then, just as Susanne shifted, as if about to close the remaining distance between them, Violet stepped forward.

Without hesitation, she wedged herself between Anna and Susanne. "I’m sorry," she said, offering Susanne a practiced, apologetic smile. "My friend here is blind. She can’t always control where she looks. We were just having a private conversation—perhaps it only seemed like she said something to you."

Susanne blinked, momentarily thrown off. Her sharp eyes flickered between Violet’s composed expression and Anna’s rigid posture, suspicion still lingering in her gaze.

"Oh," she murmured, recoiling just slightly, though her scrutiny of Anna didn’t waver. "I couldn’t tell. That’s... alright."

Violet gave her a small, grateful nod before gently guiding Anna away. As they turned, she threw one last polite apology over her shoulder. "Again, I’m really sorry for the misunderstanding."

Susanne remained still, watching them disappear around the corner, her brows knitting together in thought. The moment they were out of sight, she turned sharply to Rachel, her expression darkening.

"Did you see what she was wearing?" she hissed, her voice dropping to a whisper laced with disbelief. "That skirt suit—it’s from the exclusive collection that wasn’t even released for public sale!"

Rachel, who had been absently examining her nails, nodded lazily. "Mmhmm."

Susanne’s lips twisted in a frown, her mind racing. "I thought I knew every single rich bitch in this city, but I’ve never seen her before. And she was... quite pretty, too."

Rachel shrugged, unimpressed. "Well, she’s blind," she said, her tone careless. "Maybe she’s some hidden heiress or something. If she’s about to enter the scene, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of her soon enough."

Susanne didn’t respond right away. Instead, she cast one last glance toward the corner where the two women had vanished, something dark and calculating flickering behind her eyes.

Yeah, maybe.