(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

“I won’t ask if I already know. I’m not someone who pretends to be foolish,” Gerald snapped.

“Yes, but it seems like you enjoy pretending to be drunk in front of a woman with a heart condition. Why? To make her anxious and die in front of you?”

“He-heart condition?” Gerald stuttered momentarily. “What do you mean by that?” he asked, confused.

“Yes. Your wife has a congenital heart disease. She suffers from atrial fibrillation, a condition where the heart beats faster and irregularly,” the young doctor explained.

“Ho-how is that possible?” Gerald asked, bewildered.

“From the patient’s history, this happens due to genetic factors,” the doctor said again. “History?” Gerald mentioned one word that seemed ambiguous to him.

“Yes, Sir. History. Because this is not the first time she has been admitted to this hospital in the same condition,” the doctor continued. “The previous patient experienced dizziness, shortness of breath, and chest pain that made her faint. Fortunately, the patient did not suffer cardiac arrest because if she had, the person you brought here today would not be a patient anymore, but a corpse,” he said curtly. Gerald clenched his jaw and clenched his hands tightly. He clearly didn’t like the young doctor’s know-it-all attitude in front of him. However, he really needed further explanation from the man whom Gerald had to admit seemed talented in his field.

“Please,” he said in a low voice. “Tell me clearly, what is her actual condition?” Among all the people he had ever worked with, this was the first time Gerald Aarzu Zeroun had asked for help from someone he didn’t know.

Doctor Akara Reynard then explained everything he knew about Ariana’s condition. He was specifically instructed by his mentor to monitor Ariana’s progress and handle her case if she had to return to the hospital.

Akara wanted to act professionally. But considering he had a sibling who also had a congenital condition since birth, Akara was reluctant to keep a secret about someone close to the patient. Regret was something he was reluctant to burden others with. And as a man, even though he was considered meddling in someone else’s relationship, he knew that if the man truly loved the woman, he should stand by her in her toughest times. The woman might refuse, reluctant to be pitied, but Akara knew that deep down in women’s hearts, they wanted the man they loved to be there to strengthen them.

“S-so, she’s pregnant.”

“Yes. And it’s risky for her own physical condition,” Akara said firmly. “Patients with a history like your wife should have received treatment beforehand before deciding to get pregnant if she didn’t want it to affect her own life. Because if she’s pregnant, the effects are not only on the patient but also on the baby in her womb. Even a normal woman can suddenly have arrhythmia during pregnancy. Let alone your wife, who already had that condition before.”

“So, she didn’t abort the pregnancy?” Gerald asked with an empty stare that made the young doctor roll his eyes.

“If she had aborted the pregnancy, she wouldn’t be here pregnant, Sir,” he said annoyed.

Gerald then looked at the doctor sharply. “Damn!” he cursed. The young doctor clearly widened his eyes, shocked by the man’s curse. “I’m not cursing you, doc. I’m cursing someone else,” he said. “Will my wife regain consciousness soon?” he asked.

The doctor looked back at the patient lying on the bed and shook his head. “She’s sleeping now. She might wake up tomorrow morning,” he answered confidently.

Gerald nodded understandingly. “Thank you, Doc. For everything,” he said, then shook the doctor’s hand, who looked at him puzzled. “Can you get a nurse to take care of my wife? There’s something I need to do,” he said.

“All the nurses on duty here will take care of your wife without you needing to ask,” he replied flatly.

Gerald nodded again. Then after that, he chose to leave the hospital.

The Zeroun residence appeared serene. Of course. The time showed it was already four in the morning. Everyone was probably still fast asleep until the rooster crowed and woke them up. But the anger Gerald felt right now didn’t allow him to wait until the rooster crowed. Especially not to wait for the sunrise.

As he entered the house, he shouted. Calling out a name that had been on his mind since he left the hospital.

The servants who were awakened by the sound of his shouting hurriedly approached their master. “I’m looking for Yosef! Not all of you!” he barked at the employees. Meanwhile, the man called Gerald walked with his measured steps. Not long after, the door opened again, and the son who had been called earlier came with clothes that looked more normal than the rest of his servants. “All of you, leave!” he snapped at those who were not needed and then walked to the office in a hurry without making sure if the two men behind him were following him or not.

Gerald walked towards his desk, grabbed something there, and threw it carelessly towards the bookshelf, causing the glass of the bookshelf to shatter into pieces. Scattered on the floor covered with luxurious carpet.

“Damn!” he shouted as he ruffled his hair roughly. “Who ordered you to hide Ariana’s condition from me?!” he scolded Vivan and Yosef. Who else but Vivan and Yosef. Both of them seemed to lower their gaze with a blank expression. “Answer!” he shouted again. But the two men remained motionless. Gerald walked quickly towards Vivan and grabbed his shirt and gripped it quickly. “Tell me who made you keep your mouth shut and hide all of this from me?” he hissed in the younger man’s face. Vivan just stayed silent, clearly wanting to keep his mouth shut. Gerald was infuriated, so in the end, he clenched his hands and punched the handsome man’s face as hard as he could.

Vivan collapsed, falling to the floor a meter away from where he originally stood. The man seemed to wipe his torn and bleeding mouth with his left arm before getting up again and standing while bowing his head.

“Do you consider my orders all this time a joke?” the man asked. Vivan remained silent, and that made Gerald even angrier. “Since when have you known the facts about Ariana?” he asked, wanting to know, but Vivan still chose to remain silent. Angry, Gerald then kicked Vivan’s shinbone, making the man’s knees bend, and he stood with both knees on the floor. “I considered you my friend, but do you consider yourself just an employee?” Gerald asked cynically. “Am I not valuable enough to know about my wife’s condition, huh?!” Gerald shouted in front of the man. Gerald grabbed Vivan’s clothes again with his left hand and clenched his right hand’s fingers. About to hit Vivan’s face for the second time when the door opened, and Mrs. Rosaline appeared. Wearing sleepwear covered with her wide robe. The woman looked at Yosef, Gerald, and then Vivan, who was still kneeling on the floor.

“Stop, Al!” she ordered with her flat tone.

Gerald squint© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

ed at his grandmother. But his left hand truly released its grip on Vivan’s clothes.

“So, Grandma, it was you who ordered this scoundrel to keep quiet?” he accused. And his grandmother didn’t deny her grandson’s statement. “Why? Why did you do all this?” he wanted to know.

“Because you wanted a child, didn’t you?” Mrs. Rosaline countered her grandson.

“So, because I wanted a child, Grandma wants me to lose the woman I love, is that it?” “That’s not Grandma’s choice. That’s Ariana’s choice,” his grandmother replied firmly.

Gerald snorted. “Really? Is this Ariana’s wish, or is all of this because Grandma manipulated her mind to sacrifice herself for me?” he challenged.

“Gerald!”

Gerald raised the corner of his mouth and looked at his grandmother scornfully. “What else does Grandma want now? An heir? Grandma already has it. There’s me, there’s Axel. What else? What else does Grandma want? Aren’t we enough to satisfy Grandma?” he asked, snorting in disgust. “I’ve got Axel for Grandma who wants the Zeroun name to continue. Is that not enough? Does Grandma still want another Axel in this house? Does Grandma want to repeat the same story by creating a competition in this house?” he said sharply. “Does Grandma want both Darrel and Gerald in this house?”

Mrs. Rosaline looked at her grandson with a bewildered expression. “Axel might not necessarily be the one who can make the Zeroun name endure,” she said in the end.