(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

Ariana lightly slapped both of her cheeks. Oh God, what had she just done? Making out? It felt like more than just making out. It hadn’t even been 24 hours since she became this man’s wife, and she had already done such… “Aaarrrggghhhh…” Ariana stifled her restrained scream. She swore she felt embarrassed, even though she didn’t want to admit it.

The man had taught her such wicked things. For God’s sake, Ariana had never been touched by any man before. So why had she behaved like a loose woman, allowing herself to be kissed and touched by a stranger?

Okay, not entirely a stranger. He was her husband now. And Ariana hadn’t committed any sinful act, even though she had gone further than that.

But the man was still a stranger. Despite his status as her husband. All Ariana knew about him was his name, Gerald Zeroun. She barely knew anything about his job, age, and she couldn’t even remember the name of the old woman, Rosaline Zeroun, who was apparently his grandmother. As for the woman who was his mother? Ariana had already forgotten her name.

The only reason she remembered Rosaline was because her name reminded Ariana of a flower she liked: a rose. Ariana didn’t know Gerald’s occupation, his age, or any details about his family.

Alright. Maybe for some people in the jet-set crowd, the name Zeroun wasn’t unfamiliar. But Ariana wasn’t part of that crowd. Although she could be categorized as upper-middle-class, her social circle was more towards the middle class. She didn’t care about the latest gossip, whether it was about neighbors, celebrities, or even businesspeople.

She didn’t know if the Zeroun family was one of those families that frequently appeared on TV or not. Ariana’s world revolved around food, work, and sleep. Okay, she occasionally had fun if she had the chance.

After her express shower-post-makeout session-was done, it was time to change. And she once again realized she didn’t have any clothes with her. The last option she had was to wear the bathrobe that she assumed belonged to her strange husband. It was dark and oversized, almost drowning her entire body.

‘Besides, why did he bring her here in the first place? Now she doesn’t have any spare clothes. And she doesn’t even have underwear. He should have prepared everything. Typical.’ She monologued in her mind.

Ariana left the room and found her husband already wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts above his knees. His hair was wet, and he looked “awesome.” His firm chest was prominently defined, and his broad shoulders and muscles… Ariana wanted to smack herself. ‘Why is he being so seductive?’

“Where are my clothes?” She asked, reverting to her sarcastic mode. Yes, she had to maintain that demeanor. Don’t act too friendly; you might be misunderstood.

Gerald stepped forward and grabbed the clothes that he had hung over the sofa the night before. Ariana frowned. “You didn’t bring my clothes with you? If you planned to bring me here, you should have brought my necessities too,” she grumbled.

“I didn’t have time,” he replied shortly, looking entirely unapologetic.

“That’s not an answer,” she huffed. “I also need new underwear. I can’t possibly wear…” Damn it. Why was she getting flustered at a time like this? And why was he walking closer?

“Just wait a moment. Let me ask Mommy first,” he said, leaving Ariana shivering. Ariana reached for her bra. At least, she didn’t mind wearing the bra she had on. But as for her panties, she’d rather go commando than wear used ones.

Ariana glanced at the door across from the bathroom. There were no wardrobes in the room, so she was sure that the door led to a walk-in closet. She opened it, and she was right. She noticed several glass wardrobes attached to the wall, containing suits, shirts, and pants for the man. One of the wardrobes seemed to contain underwear and toiletries. In the middle of the room, there was a square-shaped closet with shelves that Ariana didn’t want to explore.

Ariana opened the first wardrobe in front of her and grabbed a long-sleeved black sweater, putting it on. Was it her small frame or his large one? How could the sleeves of his clothing be this long?

She then looked for a pair of pants, but she didn’t dare choose one. If his clothes were this oversized, what about his pants?

“My pants will probably be too big too,” she muttered. The sound caught Gerald’s attention. He was standing in the doorway with clothes in his hands. Gerald placed them on the closet in the middle of the room. Ariana reached for them. There was a brand new set of women’s clothing, including a bra and panties. Ariana ignored the bra and grabbed the panties.

“Turn around!” she ordered. Gerald hesitated. “I need to put on underwear. Turn around.”

“Why should I? I’ve already seen you, and I’ve even touched you,” he replied, unfazed.

“Ish…” Ariana muttered in annoyance.

“Should I help you with that?” Gerald approached and reached out his hand. Ariana pushed him away. Then quickly, she put on her underwear under the sweater that reached almost to her knees. Afterward, she put on the white skirt with Lily flower patterns that Gerald had brought. The skirt reached her mid-calf, and the sweater she was wearing covered part of it.

Ariana still had a towel wrapped around her head, as was her usual habit. When Gerald approached to remove it, she refused.

“Do you see my phone?” She asked. Gerald walked over to the nightstand drawer and handed Ariana the dead phone. “The battery is dead,” she complained. Gerald handed her the charger.

The time had passed five-fifteen. Ariana checked her phone for messages, especially from her restaurant group. She should have been on her way to the market at this early hour, preparing all the fresh ingredients she needed. However, ordering an online taxi in the early morning like this seemed impossible. As for asking Gerald for help, she felt embarrassed to do so. But it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Ariana cleared her throat, and Gerald looked at her. He was wearing his sports shorts again. “Uh, I need to go to the market. I have to prepare ingredients for the restaurant,” she began. Gerald furrowed his brow.

“Can’t your employees handle that? This is our first day as husband and wife. Even though I know everything is forced for you, isn’t it unethical for the bride to disappear during the first breakfast with the family?” Gerald asked. Ariana was caught off guard. “I won’t stop you from working. I’m not an old-fashioned man. But there’s an important matter we need to discuss. I hope you can set aside the restaurant for just today,” he requested, his tone gentle, making it hard for Ariana to refuse.

Alright, just for today. Besides, she also had something to discuss with her estranged husband. “Okay,” Ariana replied softly. “But I need to contact my colleagues,” she added. Gerald nodded and left the room, giving Ariana some privacy.

Not long after giving instructions to Jody, Ariana called Amber. However, before the call connected, Ariana felt something touch her shin. “Mommy…” A small, handsome child’s voice sounded. Ariana looked down and saw a sleepy-looking little boy gazing at her.

“Hello?” Amber finally answered her call.

“I’ve given instructions to Jody. You go to the restaurant first, and I’ll come in the afternoon,” Ariana said without waiting for Amber’s response. She hung up abruptly and turned her attention to the child in front of her. “Who are you?” Ariana crouched down in front of the fair-skinned, black-haired, green-eyed little boy and tried to examine him closely.

“Mommy… I’m Axel,” the child whimpered. “Papa said Papa would bring Mommy home, so you’re Mommy, right?” The child asked innocently.

‘Papa? Gerald? So, he married a widower? Oh no, Ariana is trapped again.’ Ariana’s chest rumbled with anger.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Gerald, who was surprised that Axel had disappeared from his room, was now observing the interaction between the two people inside the room. He could see the initial surprise and anger on the girl’s face, but only for a moment. Perhaps she thought Gerald was tricking her. And she wasn’t entirely wrong. Gerald didn’t intend to deceive her, he was just too slow compared to Axel. He should have been the one to inform her about Axel’s presence before the boy barged in and introduced himself.

“What’s your name?” Ariana asked softly. “Axel, Mommy.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“If it’s okay, can Mommy know what Papa promised to Axel?”

“Yesterday, Papa said to Axel that he would come back with Mommy for Axel,” Axel replied with the typical innocence of a young child. Ariana nodded in understanding. Gerald could see the anger on the girl’s face, but she managed to regain control of herself.

“Sir, I’m sorry. Nanny…” Axel’s babysitter came in flustered and looked scared. Gerald raised a hand to silence her.

“Axel…” Gerald called out as he opened the bedroom door wide.

“Papa!” Axel ran off, leaving Ariana, and hurled himself into Gerald’s embrace.

“Papa was looking for you in the kitchen, but you weren’t there. It turns out you were here,” Gerald said as he held Axel naturally.

“Earlier, Axel was with Nanny in the kitchen, but Nanny had a stomachache, so Axel went to Papa’s room. Is this Axel’s Mommy, Papa? Papa promised to bring Mommy for Axel, right?” Axel’s head turned to look at Ariana before turning back to his father, as if waiting for an answer.

Instead of giving an answer, Gerald returned Axel to his babysitter. “Axel, go take a bath first, and after that, we’ll have breakfast together,” Gerald instructed gently. The little boy nodded and then moved into the arms of his babysitter.

Gerald closed the bedroom door and locked it from the inside. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled slowly.

Ariana shrugged. “It’s okay. Accepting one more trap isn’t difficult for me. So, is there any other surprise I should know about apart from suddenly becoming a wife and mother? Maybe I’ll meet your ex-wife or other lovers?” She quipped with a sarcastic tone.

“No ex-wives or other lovers. Because this is my first marriage, and I plan to make it my last,” Gerald replied bluntly, somehow getting under Ariana’s skin. “And I didn’t trap you. I just lost to Axel,” he corrected.

Ariana snorted. “Well, blame the clueless kid then,” she replied, still maintaining her sarcastic tone. Ariana chose to sit on the sofa, waiting for whatever her strange husband had to say next.