I Became the Billionaire's Fake Lover to Get My Revenge
Chapter 76: Is That Really What You Want?

Chapter 76: Is That Really What You Want?

Gabriel frowned as William approached them, once again appearing as if out of nowhere. Anna felt a subtle wave of relief wash over her—the conversation with Gabriel had started to drift into dangerous territory, and she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to handle it.

"It’s not very polite to interrupt an ongoing conversation," Gabriel snapped, narrowing his eyes as William casually took a seat on the blanket beside Anna and wrapped an arm possessively around her waist.

"This conversation needed to end," William replied curtly, his voice sharp as his jaw tensed. "Anna clearly wasn’t comfortable listening to your mindless rambling."

"And how would you know that?" Gabriel shot back, his tone rising. "Do you even bother asking her how she feels? No, of course not." He scoffed, his frown deepening. "I’m just trying to spend time with the woman I care about."

"What...?" Anna’s eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat. Was that a confession? Or was it something he said in the heat of the moment, pushed out by the tension?

Neither of them offered her an explanation.

"I see that nasty little habit of yours—coveting what doesn’t belong to you—still hasn’t been broken," William said coldly, removing his arm from around Anna and leaning back on his palms. His eyes locked onto Gabriel’s with a look of thinly veiled challenge.

"We’re not talking about an object," Gabriel growled, his voice tight with fury. "We’re talking about a person."

"This childish greed of yours is no longer endearing, Gabriel. You always want what you don’t have—and the moment you do, you lose interest. That’s how it’s always been." William’s voice was sharp, every word deliberate. "Still convinced I’m the one treating people like objects here?"

"What?" Gabriel was nearly trembling with anger now, his patience hanging by a thread. "You’re talking complete nonsense! Maybe someone like you is incapable of understanding what it actually means to care about someone—truly care—"

He didn’t get to finish. William let out a low, humorless scoff, his chest rising slightly with restrained mockery. "You have a rather warped definition of care, Gabriel." He straightened, folding his arms tightly across his chest like a man preparing for battle.

"You followed a woman to a foreign country under the pretense of helping her. You claimed you understood what she was going through. Claimed you owed me a debt."

His voice sharpened, every sentence slicing deeper.

"Then you wormed your way into her plans, made her believe she had a new ally in you. And when she was at her lowest—when she was vulnerable, exhausted—you chose that moment to burden her with your feelings and try to derail everything she’s been fighting for, just because you couldn’t stand being sidelined."

A tense silence followed, thick with unspoken fury. Then William reached out and gently took Anna’s chin between his fingers, tilting her face toward his, but his cold gaze remained fixed on Gabriel.

"You have feelings for a woman named Anna Adler. But the person here before you is Chloe Dumas—her sole purpose in life is revenge, no matter the cost. I created her. She belongs to me. And she will remain mine until the day Chloe Dumas ceases to exist. Only then will that ownership end. Do you understand?"

"You..." Gabriel’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening as a storm of emotions surged beneath the surface. A shadow seemed to fall over his face, as though something deep and dangerous were threatening to consume him. "Stop talking like that—"

"I’ll stop," William cut in with a smirk, sharp and bitter, "when you finally stop inserting yourself into other people’s lives like you have the right."

He let go of Anna’s chin and placed his left hand on her shoulder instead, his fingers firm, grounding. Then he turned to her, his eyes locking with hers—intense, unrelenting.

"So tell me, Anna. What is it that you want? Do you really want to just let everything go? Forget the pain they caused you, and chase after some fantasy of happiness? Do you want to break off our agreement and walk away?"

A chill ran down Anna’s spine, her breath catching in her throat. For a split second, the way he asked the question sounded more like a threat than a choice—like he would cast her out the moment she said yes.

And she didn’t want that. She couldn’t afford to lose his support, his guidance, or even just his presence. Most of all, she didn’t want to abandon her mission. She had come too far, crossed too many lines. There was no turning back.

"No," Anna finally said, her voice steady but laced with steel. Her eyes were unwavering. "I would never do that. I made a promise... and I intend to see it through to the end."

"How reassuring," William remarked with a smug smirk, casting a sideways glance at the visibly conflicted Gabriel. "So it seems I didn’t interrupt anything important after all. This conversation shouldn’t have happened in the first place."

"Anna," Gabriel said tightly, his fists clenching as he ignored William completely and focused solely on her. "Is this really what you want? Do you truly... want to become like him?"

"I’m not sure what you mean by that," Anna replied cautiously, her gaze shifting between him and William. "But yes, I want to finish what I started. Too many people like me have walked away from injustice, and because of that, people like them continue to treat others like they’re disposable. Gabriel..."

She leaned forward then, her fingers gently cupping his cheek, her touch soft but resolute. A faint, almost wistful smile curved her lips. "They tried to kill me. I can’t let them get away with it. And I can’t do this alone—I need help. It’s the only thing that keeps me moving forward."

Gabriel didn’t speak for what felt like a small eternity. His eyes searched hers, desperate to find a flicker of hesitation, a sign that this wasn’t truly what she wanted. But there was nothing. Only resolve.

With a quiet, defeated sigh, he gently pulled her hand away from his face and stood. He gave a sharp whistle for the dalmatian puppy to follow, then turned to her one last time and said, "I hope one day I’ll be able to say you were right. But right now... I just can’t."