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?"