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{Chapter: 337 You Are Definitely Not A Mistress}
Jane clutched her head with one hand, her legs buckling beneath her as if the world had just tilted. A wave of dizziness struck her, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
"W–William… are you okay?" she asked weakly, her voice trembling as she stumbled toward him.
William had been thrown back by the force of the blast, but he slowly rose from the ground and patted the dust off his jacket. "I'm fine," he said calmly, brushing off the dust like it was nothing.
Jane, however, wasn't so calm.
"You absolute idiot!" she snapped, her eyes flaring with rage. "Why would you do something so reckless? What if something had happened to you?"
"If I died from that, you'd be a widow," William said with a crooked smile, teasing as he walked toward her. "But don't worry, Jane. I won't let that happen. I won't let you be a widow."
Jane's face twisted with fury. "A dog can't spit out ivory!" she huffed.
"I'm not a dog," William said with a shrug, amused. "But if a dog can't spit out ivory… is it still a dog? Or is it something better?"
Jane groaned and crossed her arms. "You're insufferable."
William just smiled like he enjoyed her irritation. "But you still came running over when I fell. That means you care."
Jane looked away. "I just didn't want your corpse haunting me," she muttered under her breath.
Still smiling, William asked, "So what now, Dr. Foster? The Aether's inside you, and I know how scared you are."
Her lips trembled slightly before she said in a quieter voice, "I don't want to die, William. Not like this. Not when there's so much left to do. It's not fair."
William stepped closer, gently resting his hand on her shoulder. "You're not going to die. I won't let that happen. No matter what it takes, I'll keep you safe."
She looked up at him, eyes glassy but defiant. "And what if you can't? What if you're not strong enough? What then? Are you going to die with me?"
"I swear," William said, raising a hand solemnly. "If you die, Jane, I'll follow you—"
Before he could finish, she clapped a hand over his mouth, cutting him off.
"Don't you dare say that," Jane said quickly, her voice cracking. "We're not dying. Not today. Not ever. You hear me? I'm not letting either of us go out like that."
William gave her a mischievous glance, then suddenly licked her palm.
"Ugh!" Jane yanked her hand back, glaring at him in shock. "You're such a perv!"
"It's part of my charm," he said, flashing a grin. "Being a hooligan for you… it's worth it."
"You and your stupid sweet-talk," Jane snapped, her cheeks flushed red. "No wonder girls fall for you. It's all lies and flattery."
William leaned in, his voice gentler. "Maybe. But I don't look at every woman the way I look at you."
Jane's expression softened just a little. "You keep saying things like that and I might actually start to believe them."
"Then believe them," William said. "Because I mean every word."
Jane hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Tell me the truth—are you still with Pepper?"
Speaking of impossible—what's the deal with you and that Pepper?"
William blinked. "That came out of nowhere."
Jane smirked. "No, it didn't. You mentioned something earlier. I remember."
William sighed dramatically. "Yes, I was… not the best man to her. I made mistakes. I hurt her. So, I'm trying to fix things. I want her to be happy."
Jane made a face like she'd bitten into something sour. "Ugh. That sounded so fake. Are you rehearsing for a drama award or something?"
He raised a brow. "Okay, fine. I'll be honest. I'm building a harem. There. I said it."
"Harem?" Jane's voice rose. "Harem?! Are you asking me to be a mistress now?"
"Absolutely not," William said, holding up his hands. "You'd never be a mistress."
She blinked. "Really?"
"Of course. Mistress number one to ten have already been taken. You'd be… mistress eleven."
Jane gasped and pinched his waist hard. "You jerk!"
"Ow! Okay, okay, it was a joke!" William yelped, laughing as he pried her fingers away. "Come on, can't a guy make a harem joke in peace?"
"Not if the guy is you."
Jane glared at him, seething. "You think this is funny? You think being some kind of womanizing freak is cute?!"
But despite the anger in her tone, her voice cracked at the end, betraying how much she actually cared. It wasn't just fury—it was fear, frustration, and heartbreak, all tangled together.
William stepped closer again, this time dropping the playful tone. "Listen to me, Jane. I know I'm a mess. I've got flaws, a past full of mistakes… but when I look at you, it's different. You're not just another woman to me just like them."
She stayed quiet, eyes locked on his.
"In my eyes, you're all my women," William said slowly. "There's no 'mistress this' or 'mistress that.' You're mine. That's all. I don't want to lose any of you."
He took a deep breath and spoke more gently, "Jane, look. I'm not trying to label you. In my eyes, you're not just one of many. You're my woman. And whether there's one or a thousand, no one gets to leave me. You're stuck with me."
Jane opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. Her fists trembled at her sides, and her chest rose and fell with every uneven breath.
"I hate how much I love you," she finally whispered.
William stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, this time not as a tease, but with genuine warmth. "Then love me anyway. Because I'm not going anywhere."
And for a moment, Jane didn't fight it.
She simply let herself be held for a few seconds before separating.
"You are such a greedy guy," Jane muttered, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at William with mock resentment. Her lips pouted slightly, but her eyes betrayed a deeper emotion—worry, longing, love. "I don't care. I really don't care. If you can't handle the mess you've made with all these women, that's your own problem. Don't expect me to clean it up."
William gave her that classic smug smile—the kind that could simultaneously melt hearts and get him punched in the face. "Relax," he said smoothly, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from his jacket. "I'll satisfy all of you."
He leaned in with a whisper that sent a jolt up Jane's spine, "…one at a time if I have to."
Jane narrowed her eyes and shoved him lightly, her voice brimming with frustration, "You are the worst. You think you can get away with everything just because you flash a grin and flirt your way through disasters?"
"I mean… it usually works," he teased, reaching for her hand, but she pulled it back.
"Anyway, I'm serious this time," she said, her tone suddenly shifting. "No more lies, no more disappearing acts. If you ever leave me again, I'm not going to wait around like some love-struck idiot. I won't."
William's teasing expression melted away. He reached out and gently cupped her cheeks, his thumbs brushing just beneath her eyes.
"Jane," he said, his voice lower now, sincere and vulnerable. "You've suffered so much because of me."
Her eyes shimmered. "So be good to me," she said. "I've already made my choice, you know. I chose you. That means turning my back on a lot—on my past, on my reputation, maybe even the whole world. People might curse me. Millions might hate me because I chose the man they call the public enemy of mankind."
"But you don't care?" he asked softly, with the faintest hopeful smirk.
"I don't," she whispered, smiling through tears. "Because even if the world turns against you… I'm still with you."
William placed his forehead against hers, heart racing. "Then I swear," he murmured, "I'll make you the happiest woman alive. Even if I have to fight the entire world for it."
Jane chuckled. "You already are fighting the entire world."
He shrugged, grinning. "Just makes it more romantic, doesn't it?"
"You're impossible." She smiled, but then tilted her head. Jane's lips trembled, caught between a smile and a glare. "You're such a bastard."
"But your bastard," he whispered, kissing her forehead.
She exhaled slowly and leaned into him for a second before pulling back with a sudden spark in her eyes. "Wait a second. How do you know Richard?"
William's expression immediately darkened. "So, it was Richard, huh? I knew it."
Jane looked startled. "Wait, what? How do you even—? Were you spying on me?!"
William raised a brow smugly. "Jane, there's nothing in this world that I don't know. That guy dared to have lunch with you. As far as I'm concerned, he signed his own death warrant."
Jane tugged his arm, half amused, half annoyed. "Oh, don't be so dramatic! It's not what you think. Richard and I are not a thing."
"Then explain the lunch. And fast, before I fry his Instagram account and delete him from existence."
Jane rolled her eyes. "Okay, look. My mom lives in London, alright? I came here partly for research… and partly to visit her. She's been trying to set me up, and guess who she loves?"
William deadpanned. "Richard."
Jane sighed. "Yes. She's obsessed. Thinks he's perfect. She forced me into that lunch, and I just played along so she'd drop it."
William nodded slowly. "So… mother-in-law troubles already."
"Don't even joke. If she finds out I'm dating the most wanted man on Earth, she'll have a heart attack."
"Well, then we'll keep it a secret. Until the wedding," William joked.
Jane gaped. "What wedding?!"
William just winked. "One crisis at a time."
Before Jane could respond, the skies above them suddenly rumbled with fury. A storm rolled in out of nowhere, crackling with divine electricity.
A voice thundered from the heavens: "WILLIAM!"
A blinding bolt of lightning streaked down from the clouds, slamming into the ground—and into William himself.
Jane screamed as William stepped in front of her and raised his hands, catching the bolt midair with a deafening crackle, electricity dancing over his body like living fire. Despite the impact, he didn't feel anything.
"Thor," William growled as the figure descended. "I didn't expect to see you again. I thought you fried during the New York invasion."
The God of Thunder landed with a crash, his face twisted in fury. "William, you scoundrel! The Tesseract! Hand it over! It's not yours!"
William smirked, the crackling lightning still dancing in his fingers as Jane clung behind him.
"Oh, come on, Sparkles. You're not still mad about that little cube, are you?"
Thor narrowed his eyes, gripping Mjolnir tighter. "You dare mock me?!"
William's grin widened. "Always."
*****
Hello everyone, a new work has been released! If you find it appealing, kindly take a moment to check it out and consider adding it to your library.. [Ashes of God And Devil]