I Became the Billionaire's Fake Lover to Get My Revenge
Chapter 39: Haven’t Changed

Chapter 39: Haven’t Changed

Just hearing Susanne’s name made Anna’s blood run cold. So much time had passed, yet the wounds of humiliation still festered beneath the surface, bleeding anew at the mere thought of her. And now, faced with the prospect of seeing her again, the old ache threatened to burst open, raw and unforgiving.

But she had to brace herself. She was no longer the weak-hearted Anna Hyde.

"I’m sorry," William’s voice cut through her spiraling thoughts, pulling her back to the present. "My assistant is calling me. I’m afraid it’s urgent—I have to take this."

"Of course, go ahead," Mrs. Bastien said with a dismissive wave, as if giving him permission to slip away.

Anna turned to him, her gaze betraying a flicker of unease. Sensing her rising panic, William gave her arm a reassuring squeeze, his silent message clear: You’ve got this.

She nodded, barely mouthing a quiet thank you before watching him disappear into the crowd.

Anna knew the call was fake. It was a test—a deliberate push to see how well she could stand on her own. Like a child learning to swim by being tossed into deep water, or a patient urged to confront their worst fear in exposure therapy.

And now, standing there, her pulse hammering against her ribs, she heard it. The sharp, deliberate click of Susanne’s designer heels against the marble floor. Each step rang out like a warning, a countdown to an encounter she had long dreaded.

Then, finally, Susanne stood before her.

Something inside Anna’s chest snapped.

She hadn’t changed at all. The same overly confident posture, the same smug, knowing smirk, the same piercing gaze that dissected everything in sight. And the aura—the suffocating presence that seemed to draw in the very air around her, thick with venom, like a snake coiled and ready to strike.

"Ladies, I’d like you to meet Susanne Hyde," Sophie said with a smile, pulling Susanne closer. "Susanne, this is my mother, Giselle, and this is Chloe Dumas."

"Nice to meet you," Susanne greeted, extending her hand first to Giselle before turning to Anna. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Dumas."

Her gaze lingered on Anna’s face just a moment too long, and a chill ran down Anna’s spine. She was certain Susanne didn’t recognize her, but those sharp, predatory eyes felt like daggers, piercing through her with unnerving intensity.

"Do you ladies mind switching to English?" Sophie interjected, sensing the silent tension only Anna could feel. "Susanne’s French is a bit lacking."

"I’m really sorry, I feel so embarrassed," Susanne giggled, her tone syrupy and insincere. Anna couldn’t help the scoff that slipped past her lips, though thankfully, no one noticed.

Of course, she thought bitterly, watching Susanne blush with exaggerated modesty. She couldn’t even be bothered to learn a second language. Anna almost wondered how she had managed to learn any at all.

Before Anna’s expression could betray her true thoughts, a hand appeared from her right, offering a glass of wine.

"Gabriel?" Anna’s eyes widened in surprise, but she accepted the glass with a smile as the man leaned down, his grin playful.

"I noticed you were here alone," he whispered, gently taking her empty champagne flute from her hand. "Came to offer some moral support."

Anna turned back to the women before her, now grateful for the interruption.

"Mrs. Bastien, Ms. Bastien, I’m sure you know Gabriel Garrel," she said smoothly. She then turned to Susanne, her voice slipping into a practiced politeness, "And this is Miss Susanne Hyde. She doesn’t speak French, so we’re speaking in English to make it easier for her."

It was a subtle sting that Susanne didn’t seem to catch, but Gabriel was far more perceptive. "Nice to meet you, Miss Hyde," he grinned, deliberately speaking near-perfect English. "Shame about your French, though. My grandmother always says that being bilingual in this day and age can only benefit a woman."

Susanne’s face twitched, a faint hint of embarrassment creeping up again. "Well," she began, her voice faltering slightly, "as a woman of my status, I––"

"Your status?" Gabriel interrupted, scratching his chin as if contemplating the significance of the word "status" in relation to her name. "Oh, did you say Susanne Hyde? That must make Robert Hyde your brother then!"

"Yes, that’s right!" Susanne’s face brightened instantly, her previous discomfort forgotten. "My brother owns a very successful software development company!"

"Ah, yes, security software," Gabriel nodded knowingly. "I’ve heard of it. Very innovative work. I’m no expert in computer science, but I know your brother’s ideas have left a lot of tech security companies scrambling."

Mrs. Bastien and her daughter exchanged looks, both impressed and intrigued by Robert’s achievements. Gabriel gave Anna a light pat on the back before continuing with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Say, wasn’t your brother involved in some kind of scandal early on? Something about tax fraud or stock manipulation?"

Susanne visibly stiffened, the smile she had worn so confidently vanishing in an instant. Anna braced herself, knowing how this would play out.

As expected, Susanne’s expression shifted like the flip of a switch. She was quick to recover and redirect, a master at changing the subject when the pressure was on.

"Yes, those were truly dreadful times!" Susanne whined, her tone almost theatrical. "But my late father-in-law was to blame. He was the one causing all that damage behind my family’s back, sabotaging my brother’s business. I understand he thought he was helping, but we spent years trying to undo the harm he caused. That man deserved everything he got!"

Anna’s grip tightened around the stem of her glass, her jaw clenching with simmering anger. Gabriel gave her a nearly imperceptible nudge, silently urging her to snap out of it.

"Oh my, Ms. Hyde, how can you speak so ill of a dead man?" he cooed, his tone a mixture of mockery and reprimand. "That’s rather rude, don’t you think?" His eyes then flicked to Mrs. Bastien and Sophie, shifting the uncomfortable spotlight onto them.

Giselle, sensing the rising tension, swiftly redirected the conversation. "Oh, Miss Hyde, have you decided which piece you’ll be bidding on tonight?"

Susanne answered, but Anna barely heard her. Every sound around her blended into a distant, jarring cacophony, while her gaze remained fixed on Susanne’s sickeningly sweet, yet hollow, expression.

Ten months. I’ve rebuilt myself, become someone entirely different. But you... No, I’m almost glad you haven’t changed at all. This will make your eventual humiliation so much sweeter.

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