(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

“How about her?” Gerald asked, curious. He genuinely wanted to know because in the past, Max seemed to despise Gina. The innocent Japanese girl who preferred books over Max himself. The love story between the two had originated from a challenge made by Max and Gerald’s friends during their college days. Whatever happened, one day Max admitted that he lost a bet. Since then, they never discussed Gina again. Even when Gerald returned to Indonesia and Max decided to go back to Spain, that topic never surfaced again. Until a few years later, he heard Max was getting married, to Gina, the woman who had once been the subject of their bet.

“It’s a long story,” Max replied when Gerald asked how they ended up marrying each other. And now, ironically, Max was head over heels for his wife, bowing down to her. “And my wife, she’s fine. Honestly, we are happy.” He said happily, without any intention of mocking Gerald, who seemed visibly annoyed.

“I brought her here and told her that I would introduce her to you and your wife. She was very excited. She wants to meet the woman who made you willing to get married. Honestly, I’m curious too. You never told me anything about her, even though we talked on the phone. It was always business, nothing more. And that made me even more curious,” Max said without hesitation.

Gerald shrugged. He never wanted to discuss it because, back then, he planned to get married just to get a divorce. He didn’t want to be the subject of his friend’s mockery. But now he was mocking himself because he was trapped in the trap he had set for himself. And again, he couldn’t tell Max that he was in the process of getting a divorce, could he?

Gerald shrugged again. “You made empty promises to her, Max,” he replied wearily.

“Why? Is she not in the country? Did you marry a foreigner, just like me?” Max asked, curious.

Gerald laughed and shook his head. “No, it seems I prefer local products. Ariana is one hundred percent Indonesian,” he said proudly. Unconsciously, he had just declared his ownership of his future ‘ex-wife.’ He could also see the mocking smile when Max raised an eyebrow momentarily.

“Ariana, huh?” Max said, with a tone that Gerald could interpret as teasing. “So, you didn’t marry Shelma, then?” Max asked suspiciously.

“Why Shelma?” Gerald asked, curious.

Max picked up his glass again. Clearly, he deliberately created a pause before giving an answer to his friend. He put his glass down again and leaned back, crossing his right leg over his left and intertwining his fingers on his knee. He looked at Gerald meaningfully.

“I heard everything. About you replacing your bride,” he said flatly. Gerald raised an eyebrow. Max didn’t say it accusingly, but hearing Ariana referred to as a replacement bride made Gerald feel angry. “When I heard you replaced your bride, I thought it would be Shelma.”

“Why her?” Gerald repeated his question.

Max shrugged again. “At some point, she came to my place,” he began his story. “She said she was on vacation. You know Gina never liked her from the beginning?” Gerald nodded in response. “Then Gina told me that Shelma lied to her. That someday she would make Spain their honeymoon destination, after she married you. Because, ‘coincidentally,’ your marriage happened after she divorced her father’s chosen husband, right?” Max replied, mocking.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Gerald sneered. “A dream,” he said. “She did get a divorce, that’s true. But I would never be her husband.” “We all know how much she loved you.”

“It was just her foolish obsession,” Gerald retorted. But Max chuckled.

“Why? I thought for bedroom matters, she wouldn’t be doubted. Didn’t you say that someday, even if you didn’t love her, it would be enough if she could satisfy you in bed? And I thought, Shelma must be good at that,” Max said.

“That was just a youthful fantasy, Max. Stop your nonsense,” Gerald snapped, embarrassed by his past words. “So, who is this Ariana?”

“Her twin,” Gerald replied flatly. But not so with his feelings. Remembering the moment he decided to make Ariana Karenina’s replacement made his heart race with longing.

“Switches bride,” Max murmured, making Gerald widen his eyes. Max didn’t say it accusingly, but hearing Ariana referred to as a replacement bride made Gerald feel furious. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” he asked again.

“It’s none of your business.”

Max raised an eyebrow again. “I know you love her, G. Your expression changes every time I talk about her. You’re in love with her, just admit it.”

“Yes, I’m in love with her like crazy,” Gerald finally admitted. Max smiled happily to hear it, but when he saw Gerald roughly wipe his face, he knew something was wrong.

“What happened between you two?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Everything happened so quickly and unpredictably. What I wanted, what I expected from her, I couldn’t get it. She did everything opposite of what I imagined for us,” Gerald said at length. He didn’t know, he had to talk about it. He had to vent his frustrations. And for some reason, he just told Max everything. Maybe because for him, their closeness was more than just a friendship. And perhaps, unknowingly, Gerald hoped Max would give him advice since the man was experienced in marrying a woman who had once been very reluctant towards him, just like Ariana was now.

“There’s always a first time for everything, G,” Max reminded him.

“Yes, and I eventually realized that I fell in love with the wrong woman. Because let alone reciprocating my feelings, she heartlessly killed our child. She killed the baby inside her without an ounce of guilt. For what? Just to regain her single status and so she could separate from me. In essence, her dreams and my dreams are different,” Gerald said passionately.

Max furrowed his brow and looked at Gerald in disbelief. Was Gerald really in love with a woman so wicked? If that was the case, what was the difference between her and Shelma? But for some reason, Max felt doubt in Gerald’s conviction.

“We’re in the process of getting a divorce,” Gerald said, bringing Max back to his senses. “She filed for it right after we received Axel’s adoption papers.”

“So fast?” Max asked incredulously.

“Yes. From the beginning, she never wanted to get married. And I forced her into a marriage she never wanted. I tied her down, in an unconventional way,” he said softly.

Max furrowed his brow again. “What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

“I kidnapped her father just so she would agree to stand at the altar in her sister’s place,” he said. “You what?” Max looked at his friend in disbelief.

“I know you’re not deaf, Max,” Gerald snorted. He knew his friend might judge him, but strangely, the man burst out laughing.