(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

They left in Gerald’s car. Of course, Vivan was not with them as he was currently assigned to replace Gerald in the company. Throughout the journey, Gerald remained silent. He was clearly sulking because of Ariana’s appearance, which he thought was too feminine and would attract the attention of many men. But Ariana chose to ignore it. Just because she always wore jeans and a long-sleeved shirt didn’t mean she didn’t like dresses or beautiful clothes like other women. She had always prioritized comfort. Wearing a skirt all the time wasn’t comfortable for Ariana, considering she was active and often did tasks typically associated with men.

The car had reached the school parking lot. They entered the school area, and as before, Gerald’s presence drew the attention of parents who were there to pick up their children. Jealousy? Of course, Ariana felt it now, but she couldn’t act childishly by covering Gerald’s face with a mask, could she?

Gerald immediately approached Axel’s caregiver, asking her to return home because he and Ariana would go together with Axel. The woman nodded her head and promptly left.

Imagine the happiness on little Axel’s adorable face when he saw his parents picking him up. The boy ran to Gerald with enthusiasm and immediately went into his father’s arms. Gerald, comfortable with one hand carrying the child, held Ariana’s hand with the other and guided her back to the parking area.

“Axel thought Papa wouldn’t come,” the boy said when Gerald placed him in the back seat and fastened his seatbelt.

“Huh, have I ever lied to Axel before?” Gerald asked the boy. Axel shook his head immediately. A smile appeared on his face. Gerald ruffled his hair affectionately.

Ariana was already in the passenger seat when Gerald walked around to the driver’s seat. “Mommy, where are we going?” Axel asked shortly after Gerald sat in the driver’s seat and fastened his seatbelt.

“Where does Axel want to go?” Ariana asked again.

“Can we go back to the arcade, please?” the boy asked hopefully. Ariana leaned her head towards Gerald. “Papa, can we go back to the arcade?” the boy asked. Gerald, who was reversing the car, just nodded. Axel cheered excitedly from his seat.

“But let’s eat first,” Ariana said. Both Gerald and Axel nodded.

They arrived at the mall where Ariana had taken Axel to play last time. But as per Ariana’s request, they stopped first at a restaurant inside the mall. It was the same place Axel loved, especially because it mainly served fried chicken in various forms.

The three of them lined up to choose their meals. Gerald was quite surprised when Axel only picked two types of food. Previously, when they went out just the two of them, the boy always filled their table with almost every menu available there. “Why so few?” Gerald finally asked.

Axel furrowed his brow and looked at Gerald. “Mommy said I should eat what I can. If I finish and I’m still hungry, I can ask for more later. Right, Mommy?” Axel sought Ariana’s approval. Ariana just nodded. And Gerald raised the corner of his lips. It was very easy for Ariana to influence Axel, even though Gerald had always been the one Axel usually followed.

They brought the food to one of the tables with chairs attached to the wall. While Axel was deliberately given a taller plastic chair, he immediately devoured his food with enthusiasm. Ariana did the same. Gerald just smiled; Ariana was hungry. He had made sure his wife worked hard since early morning.

After finishing their meal, Ariana washed her hands first. His wife returned with a fresher face, and Gerald knew she had reapplied her lipstick, which, although not striking, still tempted him.

Axel finished eating after her. The boy got off his chair, but before walking away from the table, he glanced at Gerald shyly. “Papa…” he said softly.

“What?” Ariana answered for him.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” he said shyly. His feet moved left and right, and Ariana knew what he meant. “Come on, Mommy, escort me,” he said. He was already standing and reaching out his hand. But Axel shook his head. “Papa…” the boy began to whine. Gerald understood what he wanted. He then stood up.

“Pee,” he mouthed to Ariana. Ariana widened her eyes, then nodded. When she saw Axel quickly pulling his father’s hand, Ariana raised the corner of her mouth. The little boy could already sense embarrassment.

Ariana leaned against the leather sofa’s back and played with her phone. She read some messages from Jody and Dara and a few messages from Adel, whom she had temporarily employed in the restaurant. Amber was still in her silent mode. For the first time, the girl had been away from the restaurant for so long. It had been almost two weeks, and Amber hadn’t given Ariana any news.

A sound made Ariana lift her head. “Hello,” a man greeted. Ariana looked at him and furrowed her brow. She didn’t recognize the young man in front of her. It couldn’t be said that he was young, actually. Ariana guessed he was in his mid-20s to early 30s.

“Me?” Ariana pointed to herself. The man nodded.

“May I sit?” he asked. But without waiting for Ariana’s answer, he pulled another chair and sat in front of her. “My name is Bayu, Miss. You’re Ariana, the owner of Leonida’s, right?” the man asked, still being friendly.

Ariana nodded. Well, as a restaurant owner, she had to be friendly to one of her patrons, right?

“I and my friends occasionally visit your restaurant, Miss. We happened to meet here. I’ve been admiring you for a long time,” the man continued.

As a woman, Ariana was, of course, delighted to hear such words. Although then she tried to act as natural as possible. “Really? Thank you,” she said as calmly as she could. “Mm… actually…”

Elsewhere.

Gerald stood leaning against the men’s restroom wall. Right at the door where Axel was relieving himself. He actually felt uneasy himself. It’s not that. From the start, he didn’t want Ariana to look beautiful in the dress she was wearing now, but instead of following what he wanted, she deliberately kept wearing it. Gerald was aware that since earlier, even since he stepped into the mall, he knew many eyes were on them. Let alone single men, even men who were with their partners still turned their heads to look at Ariana.

And Gerald didn’t like that. Hence, waiting for Axel here only made Gerald more worried. What if someone approached Ariana right now? Whoever it was, Gerald promised he wouldn’t forgive any man who dared to approach his wife. Even if it was just to introduce himself or exchange glances.

The sound of water made Gerald stand up straight. He saw the door turning, and Axel came out of the restroom. The boy’s head tilted

towards him. Gerald then guided him to the sink, moving a small step for Axel to step on so the boy could wash his hands without Gerald having to carry him. Impatiently, he watched Axel following the twenty-second handwashing rule he had learned from his school teacher.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

“Come on. Poor Mommy waiting for so long,” he urged, noticing that Axel was taking a bit too much time. Axel, in his grasp, ran after Gerald’s long strides.

Gerald grumbled internally. He had been right. In a short time he left, his wife was now smiling sweetly at a young man. “Ahem,” he cleared his throat behind the man.