(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

“I came back here with new hope, in the beginning,” the man said seriously. “But then, that new hope vanished in an instant. And like you said, maybe this is the fate that God has planned for me.” He continued softly, “Initially, I thought I wanted to try everything in a new way. With you,” the man admitted. “But it turns out I was too late. Because you’re already married to Gerald. Although I was hesitant at first, but now I know that you’re captivated by his charm.” Chris looked at Ariana teasingly.

“You know, all of this feels funny to me. Only you know my story, and I hope this will always be our secret,” Chris replied, looking hopefully at Ariana. Ariana smiled and nodded.

“But leaving isn’t the right choice, Chris,” Ariana replied later. “You just came back recently. Don’t you feel sorry for Uncle Jason?” she asked sadly.

“I love my dad, Ana. You know that. But staying by his side isn’t the right choice either. I just hope that when I come back again, Dad will finally realize that I want to live life my own way.”

Ariana could only fall silent. She knew that Chris had thought everything through carefully. So, of course, he understood the pros and cons of the choices he would make. Although Ariana didn’t like his tendency to always run away from problems rather than face them, she had no power to persuade or stop him.

They talked for quite a while, until they unconsciously realized that lunchtime had arrived. Ariana glanced at her wristwatch. “I have to help the kids downstairs,” she said to Chris. Chris nodded. He stood up as well. They then left Ariana’s room together, walking side by side toward the stairs that would take them downstairs.

“When?” Ariana finally asked.

“Not long from now. I’ll only leave when the others are distracted,” Chris replied softly. Ariana could only nod resignedly.

“Wherever you go, don’t forget to keep in touch. At least inform your dad. Don’t let him worry about you endlessly,” Ariana instructed again. Chris raised the corner of his mouth, smiling as he tousled Ariana’s hair.

“Sure thing, dear,” Chris replied teasingly. Ariana looked at him. Then she understood why he called her ‘dear’ with a teasing tone. Gerald was standing not far from them, his gaze switching sharply between Chris and Ariana. Ariana realized that Chris still had his hand on her head. Quickly, she pushed his hand away.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Ariana asked Chris angrily. Chris just shrugged. It was obvious that he deliberately stirred up trouble between Ariana and Gerald.

“Hello, cousin-in-law,” Chris greeted Gerald with a wave of his hand. Gerald didn’t respond. He stood in front of Ariana with an angry expression.

“So, this is the reason? You asked me to let go of everything because you didn’t want me to know that you secretly met him?” Gerald pointed at Chris. Ariana glared at Chris. But once again, he just gave his typical grin and shrugged his shoulders.

“I came back,” he replied without feeling guilty at all.

Ariana now looked at Gerald, puzzled. Just this morning they had made peace, and now they were fighting again. Besides, why did he come to her restaurant without notifying her? Or had he actually made a reservation, but Amber deliberately didn’t inform her? Ariana glanced at Amber, who was standing behind the counter. The girl suddenly averted her face, and Ariana knew her suspicion was correct.

Ariana pulled Gerald’s arm and then led him upstairs. “I’ll explain upstairs,” she said when Gerald was uncooperative. “Please,” she pleaded softly. Gerald still stared at her sharply but then agreed to climb the stairs.

Ariana opened the door to her room and asked Gerald to come in. “What do you want to eat?” Ariana asked again. Gerald didn’t answer. Instead, he unbuttoned his suit jacket and loosened his tie. Then he threw his jacket onto the sofa. “Gerald?” Ariana repeated her question.

“Seeing you alone with him suddenly made me nauseous,” he replied. Gerald then slumped onto a different sofa from where he had thrown his jacket, careless in his movements.

Ariana sat down beside him, facing him. “There’s nothing between Chris and me,” Ariana began to explain.

“But what I heard was that you two were locked in this room for a long time. What were you doing during that time?” Gerald looked around the room. He didn’t find anything odd, because there was indeed nothing unusual that Ariana and Chris did in that room.

“What Amber told you was just because she felt jealous,” Ariana replied.

“Jealous?” Gerald raised an eyebrow. “Jealous of what? Who?” he asked sarcastically. Ariana moved closer, sitting down. “Amber is jealous of Adel.”Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

“She’s jealous of Adel, but why did she say that you and Chris were being intimate here?” Gerald continued to regard her suspiciously. Damn it. Amber and her mouth in anger were things that couldn’t be controlled.

“Amber is angry because she knows Chris is being arranged to marry,” Ariana replied with the patience she was desperately trying to maintain. “Arranged?” Gerald raised an eyebrow. “With whom?”

“You know, the teenage girl downstairs. Adel?”

“Her? Arranged to marry that young girl?” Gerald asked incredulously. Ariana nodded. But then Gerald chuckled. “Lucky him, getting a young chick.” He sneered.

Ariana narrowed her eyes at Gerald. “So, Chris is lucky because his parents are matchmaking him with a girl as young as Adel?” she asked. Gerald nodded.

“Of course. He can stay youthful longer. You know the saying: the older the man, the younger the woman he can get, the longer his lifespan.”

“Ah, so that’s how it works,” Ariana replied. “In that case, why don’t you marry Adel yourself? She could keep you youthful. That way, Chris can marry me. Especially since he just said he wants to make me his wife after I leave you.” Ariana replied bluntly.

Gerald fell silent for a moment. His body stiffened. He looked at Ariana, confused, while Ariana stared back at him coldly. “Don’t tell me he came here just to ask you to stay away from me?” Gerald asked, displeased. Ariana just shrugged. “You didn’t confirm his words, did you?”

Ariana shrugged again. “I don’t know, considering what you just said about marrying a young girl, I thought I might consider his proposal. Who knows, Chris might be a more faithful partner. He won’t turn to a younger girl someday after his wife gets old and wrinkled.” Ariana’s comment was sharp. Gerald knew she had unintentionally touched on a sensitive topic for women. And now, he, who had been about to get angry because of jealousy, once again made a mistake that harmed himself.

“Darling, Mrs. Aarzu, I really didn’t mean it that way,” he said in a coaxing tone.

“Mean what? Saying that I’m old?” Ariana asked sarcastically.