(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

The man who was facing Ariana immediately turned when he heard the throat clearing. Ariana looked up too, but her expression remained neutral. Axel then returned to his seat, as did Gerald.

“So, not even five minutes, and the empty seat is already taken, huh?” the man mumbled, more like a sarcastic remark. Ariana raised an eyebrow, looking at Gerald.

“Allow me to introduce, he…”

“Ariana’s husband,” Gerald suddenly extended his hand.

The young man sitting in front of them glanced at Ariana, then at Gerald and Axel. “He’s our son,” Gerald answered the unspoken question written on the young man’s confused face.

“But, I thought…” the young man squeaked.

“You thought Ariana was single? Yes. Up until a few months ago, she was indeed single. Before I married her,” Gerald replied again.

Ariana just shrugged at Gerald’s answer. “Oh, I see,” the young man replied awkwardly. He then stood up. “My friends are waiting for me. Nice to meet you, Ariana,” the young man said with a wide smile, which was involuntarily countered by Gerald’s sharp gaze.

“Feel free to visit the restaurant anytime,” Ariana said. “Certainly,” the young man replied, nodding.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

Gerald continued to look at Ariana with his sharp gaze. “So, while I was taking Axel, you were flirting with that man?” he accused. Ariana raised an eyebrow.

“What’s it to you? Do you think you’re the only one who can charm people?” Ariana replied with a sharp tone. “But you should remember. You already have a husband,” Gerald said again.

“Yes. And at least everyone knows I have a husband. Thanks to the announcement you made,” Ariana replied, still in a flat tone. “Not like you, whose subordinates don’t even know you’re married,” she continued, referring to the receptionist at the office who didn’t know who Ariana was and was more inclined to believe in Gerald’s relationship with Shelma. “Axel, sweetheart. Where do you want to go now?” Ariana chose to divert her attention from Gerald.

“The arcade!” Axel exclaimed happily. Ariana nodded. She stood up and extended her hand to the boy. “Papa?” Axel looked at Gerald, who was still looking at Ariana with a sulky face. But seeing Axel reaching out his hand, the man finally stood up and took Axel’s small hand. They walked side by side, just like a family planning handbook cover.

Axel led them to the gaming area. And like the day before, the boy played with enthusiasm. And even more so because now he was accompanied by Gerald, who seemed to enjoy the games more than Axel himself.

By evening, they finally returned home exhausted. The Zeroun residence seemed quiet. Yosef informed them that Ariana’s mother-in-law and Shelma were not there. Meanwhile, Mrs. Rosaline was in the kitchen preparing dinner for them.

Ariana guided Axel to his room, asking the boy to change his clothes. Axel, who seemed to need rest, complied. He went with his nanny, and afterward, Ariana left them. She needed to clean up.

Inside the room, Gerald was already waiting for her. He sat on the bed, leaning both arms on his back. He still wore his sulky expression. “Are you still sulking?” Ariana asked. Whether she liked it or not, she was annoyed by Gerald’s jealousy.

“What do you think?” Gerald asked curtly. Ariana chose to shrug. She decided to walk to the bathroom and intended to freshen up. Before she could even undress, Gerald had opened the door.

“Do you at least try to coax me?” he asked, sounding more like a whine in Ariana’s ears.

Ariana halted her movements. She turned to face Gerald, folding her arms across her chest. “So what do you want? Should I flirt with you to make you not angry?” Ariana asked again. Gerald fell silent and then nodded. “Do you want me to buy you candy or chocolate?” Ariana teased again.

Gerald snorted. “Am I Axel?”

“If you’re not Axel, then why are you sulking like a child? Are you jealous of that man?” Ariana asked again. “Even though you don’t even know who he is and what we were talking about. But you’re jealous?” Ariana looked at Gerald coldly. Gerald remained silent. “He’s a vlogger who asked for my permission to shoot content in the restaurant. What we discussed was business. He sat there not to get to know me and flirt with me. Not like you and Shelma, who walk hand in hand, hugging each other intimately. So that everyone in your company suspects that you two are in a serious relationship. It’s natural to be jealous, Mr. Aarzu,” Ariana continued, irritated.

Ariana pushed Gerald’s body out of the bathroom with a rough movement. Gerald staggered backward. Although the bathroom door didn’t have a lock, Gerald didn’t force it open and continued to enter. Yes, he admitted he was wrong. So Gerald could only stay silent.

In the end, he chose to leave the room. The only place he went was the kitchen. Because Yosef said his grandmother was there. And indeed, she was there, with two kitchen assistants accompanying her.

“You just got back?” Oma asked. Gerald nodded wearily. “Shouldn’t you two be having fun? But why does your face not show it?” Oma asked curiously.

Gerald shook his head slowly. But then he looked up. “If Gerald doesn’t like seeing Ariana with another man, is that normal, Oma?” he asked.

Mrs. Rosaline stopped her stirring motion in the pan. Her forehead furrowed, and her old eyes looked at Gerald with confusion. “You’re jealous of Ariana, Oma thinks that’s normal. So why?”

“Ariana doesn’t like it when Gerald is jealous of her,” he said sadly.

Mrs. Rosaline raised the corner of her mouth. In her heart, she murmured to herself, ‘What’s going on with these two couples?’ Mrs. Rosaline had known from the beginning that Gerald had fallen for Ariana. And Mrs. Rosaline also knew that Ariana had fallen for Gerald. But their personalities were clearly as if they were opposite.

Gerald, who was generally known to be cold and firm, had a childish side and liked to sulk. While Ariana, outwardly, always showed her tough and strong side. In fact, her heart was fragile. She had a crisis of confidence that not many people knew about. That’s why she always had negative thoughts about others. In fact, she was a good and gentle girl. She was caring and loving. And not many people knew that. Just look at how she treated Axel. She was so attentive and gentle. Even though Axel fell into the category of hyperactive and curious children.

“Both of you are still in the process of getting to know each other. So Oma thinks it’s normal if you often get annoyed with each other. You don’t know Ariana before you married her. And you treat Ariana like most women you know,” Mrs. Rosaline said.

“Gerald is not like that, Oma. From the beginning, Gerald knew Ariana was different,” Gerald retorted.

“Yes. From the beginning, you knew she was different. But you treat her like most women you know. You restrain her. You buy her everything you usually give to the women you know. You treat her like she’s a typical clingy woman who sticks to you like a leech. But Ariana is not like that.”