(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

Ariana remained silent. After Gerald left, she knew that the two male guards who had been watching her were now stationed outside her door. Was she annoyed? Definitely. But what could she do? She could only sit on the bed, turning on the television aimlessly, just to dispel the silence. Afterward, she picked up her phone and checked her messages.

There were messages from her father and her mother, inquiring about her well-being. A message from Aisyah asking when she would come home. And a message from her younger sister inviting her to play together over the weekend. But those messages had been received a long time ago. Her phone had been in Gerald’s possession all this time.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. An elderly woman entered the room. Who else could it be but her grandmother-in-law, Mrs. Rosaline? She wore her usual expensive attire and politely asked Ariana for permission to enter her room, as if she would leave if Ariana denied her entry. Ariana sighed inwardly.

“How are you?” Mrs. Rosaline inquired. Ariana couldn’t tell if it was genuine concern or just polite small talk.

“Better,” Ariana replied shortly.

Mrs. Rosaline took a seat in a chair beside Ariana. She looked at Ariana with her aged eyes. “I apologize,” she said. Whether it was out of genuine concern or just a formality, Ariana couldn’t discern.

“You don’t need to apologize, Mrs. Isidora’s actions were not a mistake. It’s natural for a mother to want her child’s happiness,” Ariana responded, raising the corner of her lips.

Mrs. Rosaline shook her head. “No, it’s not like that,” she replied sadly. “Isidora didn’t do it because she loves Gerald or wants him to be happy.” She continued, her voice growing somber. “I know this isn’t something I should talk about, and maybe Gerald himself should be the one to tell you. But I know what kind of person Gerald is, and he won’t tell you anything about this.”

She paused, seemingly hesitant. Ariana waited, her curiosity piqued despite herself. Mrs. Rosaline took a deep breath before continuing.

Ariana could only stare at her with a furrowed brow in confusion. “What Isidora is doing now is trying to control Gerald,” the woman said. Ariana furrowed her brow even more. “Isidora is afraid of her position in our household. You should know, Isidora is not Gerald’s biological mother.”

The old woman’s statement clearly shocked Ariana. Something pierced her heart instantly upon hearing it, but Ariana didn’t know what.

“The biological mother’s name is Shabira Aarzu,” the woman began her story. ‘Aarzu? Didn’t Gerald say that was the name his mother gave him? Is that true? Or did he take his mother’s maiden name for himself?’ Ariana wondered silently.

“Shabira was a beautiful girl. She had a graceful personality-gentle and elegant. My son fell in love with her at first sight,” a smile appeared on the wrinkled face. “Due to complications after giving birth, Shabira passed away when Gerald was two months old,” she continued sadly. “She always felt regretful for not being able to breastfeed Gerald like a mother normally would, all because of her frail condition. But I loved her dearly and considered her my own daughter. I felt her loss just as deeply as my son did at that time.

Before she passed away, Shabira asked someone to take care of Gerald, who was still a baby. It wasn’t Isidora, if that’s what you’re suspecting,” Mrs. Rosaline said as she observed Ariana’s face, seemingly expressing her thoughts. “The caregiver was an old friend of mine, a woman of my age who had previously been my son’s caretaker. And she is Isidora’s mother,” she stated.

“The Isidora I knew back then was a good girl. She had a cheerful and positive personality. She and her parents lived with us, much like Axel’s caretaker does now. She left her parents to attend school in another city and only returned when Gerald was one year old.”

She seemed to have a great affection for Gerald and didn’t hesitate to take over his motherly duties. At that point, I thought, there was no harm in them getting married. Isidora appeared capable of taking care of Gerald, and she genuinely loved my son. Gerald agreed to marry her, and so we did. What I saw then matched my thoughts. Isidora loved Gerald so much. She praised him as if he were her own son, and she took great care of my boy. I felt grateful for her. Because of her, my son, who had changed after Shabira’s death, was back to his old self.

Then Isidora became pregnant, and that’s when everything started to change. Isidora wasn’t as attentive to Gerald as she used to be. Her focus was on her son, Darrel, whom she adored and cherished. Gerald started to receive less attention. He turned into a rebellious child seeking his parents’ attention.Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

I was wrong back then. I was too engrossed in my work, neglecting an orphaned child living with me. But before I realized it, Isidora had sent Gerald to a boarding school in another city,” Mrs. Rosaline said sadly. “Separating Gerald from his family didn’t help. He became more… troubled. Not just once or twice, he caused a scene at his school. He did it all just to get Isidora’s attention, the woman he believed to be his mother.

But Isidora remained unmoved. She seemed numb to Gerald, almost as if she despised him. I tried to approach Gerald and reveal all the facts about his life. He was twelve years old at the time. I told him that Isidora wasn’t his biological mother and that his real mother had died when he was still a toddler. I even took him to Shabira’s grave.

He cried there. He finally understood why Isidora treated him and Darrel differently. I couldn’t blame him if he lost respect for Isidora. It was Isidora’s own doing. If she didn’t differentiate her attitude toward Darrel and Gerald, I’m sure Gerald would have loved her more than Isidora could imagine. But Isidora didn’t do that. She changed, feeling that she was now the ruler in the Zeroun family home, considering she was my son’s legal wife and had already given birth to his heir.

Gerald, disappointed at that time, asked my son to send him to a school far away. And I, having nothing else to do, chose to go with him. We’ve been living in San Francisco since Gerald was thirteen years old.”