(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

“Ariana left the restaurant with a takeout bag in her hand. She continued to ignore Gerald, who walked beside her. Her vision was getting blurry, and the sky was darkening. Ariana kept walking, and Gerald’s hand gesture made her stumble for a moment.

“Where are you going?” the man asked irritably. “Home!” Ariana replied, annoyed.

“Home? Your home is where Axel and I are!” Gerald retorted, equally irritated.

Axel. Ariana did forget about that kid today. But who cared? She just had to act normal in front of Axel if there were any officials from the department coming for a survey later. Besides that, she had no obligations toward Axel. Or the man in front of her.

“Home?” Ariana looked at the man mockingly. “Home is where you want to go back. It’s where you feel comfortable and wanted.” Ariana said sarcastically. “And I don’t want to go back there. I don’t feel comfortable there. And clearly, I’m not wanted there.” She continued harshly.”

“Gerald stared at her with a furrowed angry brow. ‘What makes you uncomfortable? And who doesn’t want you?’ His grip on Ariana’s arm tightened. Ariana tried to push him away, but he was stronger.

‘You very well know who doesn’t want me!’ she shouted loudly. She didn’t care if she was starting to attract attention. She just wanted to vent her frustration.

‘Who? Axel and I want you,’ Gerald replied in a softer tone.

Ariana snorted. ‘Do you think I’m stupid? What does Axel know? He’ll accept any woman introduced to him. Whether it’s me or a woman you pick up from the street. He’ll want them because you clearly promise him a mother. And that’s not specifically directed at me. Just let me rest in peace, Gerald,’ Ariana said. She tried once more to free herself from Gerald’s grip.

This time, Gerald let go. But as Ariana was about to step away, he repeated his actions, lifting her like he had carried her from the campsite.

Ariana, who had already been experiencing a headache, now felt her head throbbing and heavy due to Gerald’s actions. She felt like she was going to throw up right there.

‘Gerald, put me down!’ she ordered. But her voice was weak, as she felt too tired and her head was pounding.

Gerald continued carrying her until his car approached, and someone opened the door for them. ‘I hate you!’ Ariana growled, her voice choked. She felt truly nauseous. Although there was nothing in her stomach to vomit since she hadn’t eaten anything all day.”

“‘You can hate me all you want, but I won’t let you go just like that,’ Gerald said triumphantly.

Ariana pressed her forehead gently. Her vision was really blurry, and the nausea had reached her throat. ‘Take me to the apartment,’ she pleaded softly. But Gerald ignored her.

‘Take me to the apartment, or I’ll throw up right here!’ she commanded.

Gerald looked at her, and upon realizing Ariana’s pale face and the sweat drenching her forehead, he appeared panicked. ‘Are you sick?’ he asked, full of concern, gently wiping Ariana’s forehead. Ariana pushed him away roughly.

‘Just take me to the apartment!’ she ordered again. Gerald instructed his driver to do as Ariana requested.

Ariana’s apartment and the restaurant weren’t too far away. In less than ten minutes, they had reached the basement of Ariana’s apartment building. Ariana saw her automatic car parked there, clearly untouched for the past few days. She chose to ignore it and walked toward the entrance, inputting the password and quickly taking the elevator. She even disregarded Gerald, who was following her from behind.

They arrived at Ariana’s apartment floor. Without hesitation, she entered her unit’s password and once again, ignoring Gerald, she immediately ran to the only bathroom in the apartment and vomited the clear liquid that had been making her nauseous and her head throb painfully since earlier.”

“Gerald had already taken off his jacket and was now massaging the back of Ariana’s neck, hoping it would help ease her nausea. Ariana washed her face after spitting a few times. She looked at her own reflection in the mirror. She clearly appeared disheveled and pale. ‘All because of a long shower on an empty stomach,’ she muttered to herself. Now she caught a chill.

Ariana slumped onto the couch and massaged her still-throbbing head and queasy stomach. Somehow, Gerald returned with a glass of warm water in his hands. ‘Drink this, at least warm up your stomach a bit,’ he said gently. Ariana took the glass and drank a third of it before placing it on the table.

‘Why are you still here? Go home. I’m staying here tonight,’ Ariana said harshly. Gerald shrugged. ‘If you’re here, I’m staying too,’ he replied casually.

Ariana stared at him, dumbfounded. ‘Fine, suit yourself!’ she retorted. She settled her body back onto the sofa.”

The headache in Ariana’s head showed no signs of subsiding. She shifted her body and curled up on the sofa, massaging her head with her fingers. At the same time, Gerald chose to go to the kitchen area and prepare the food they had bought earlier. After transferring it onto a plate and arranging it neatly, Gerald returned to the sofa. He called Ariana’s name, but she didn’t budge.

“Ariana?” Gerald called her name softly, touching her shoulder and attempting to change her lying position.

“Hmm?” Ariana turned her head, opened her eyes, and gazed at Gerald. Her eyes looked reddened, and her lips appeared pale. “What?” she asked curtly.

“Dinner,” Gerald reminded her.

“Later,” Ariana refused. “I have a headache,” she replied in a softer voice. Gerald frowned. He touched her forehead. It wasn’t warm at all; it felt cold.

“Should I call a doctor?” he offered. Ariana shook her head slightly. She tried to sit upright.

“I just need to take some medicine and sleep,” she said, trying to get up from the sofa. “Go home; Axel might be waiting,” she reminded him again. Gerald ignored her. He stood up too.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Where’s the medicine?” he asked, looking around. Ariana looked at him, exhaling a frustrated breath.

“On top of the fridge. There’s a small medicine box. There’s aspirin in there,” she said. Gerald walked back to the kitchen and returned in less than two minutes, carrying a glass and something else in his hand.

Ariana grabbed the medicine from the man’s hand and opened it, placing it into her mouth before drinking the warm water he had brought. Afterward, she chose to lie down on the bed. Gerald attentively covered her body with a blanket, making sure it reached up to her shoulders.

“Do you have any aromatic oil?” he asked again. Ariana opened the drawer of her bedside table. There was baby oil, eucalyptus oil, and even some aromatic oil. Ariana kept these because she occasionally used them.

“Turn around,” Gerald said. Ariana looked at him, confused. “Let me apply the oil on your back,” he said again. Ariana still regarded him suspiciously.

“I promise I won’t do anything. But if you want, we can do something,” he offered. Ariana just glared at him before turning over onto her stomach.

“Just open the shirt,” Gerald instructed. Ariana glared at him sideways. “I’m not asking you to get naked, Sweetie. But it’s hard to apply the oil if you’re fully clothed,” he said honestly. “Come on, just pretend I’m a massage therapist,” Gerald added. Ariana scoffed.

“A massage therapist wouldn’t tease,” she replied.

Gerald chuckled. “A massage therapist with extra services,” he said teasingly. But Ariana complied, unbuttoning her shirt and leaving her black tank top, which contrasted sharply against her pale skin.

Gerald poured some eucalyptus oil into his hands and began massaging Ariana’s back with both of his hands. Ariana felt pain in several places, especially in her shoulders and neck, and she almost screamed when he applied a bit too much pressure there.

“You’ve caught a chill,” he said.

“I know!” Ariana snapped back sharply. Gerald just chuckled but didn’t stop his massage. He then poured a little eucalyptus oil onto his fingertips and started massaging Ariana’s forehead, moving slowly toward the back of her ears. Reluctantly, Ariana had to admit that the man’s massage was at least alleviating the pain in her head and the queasiness in her stomach. Or perhaps, it was the effect of the aspirin she had taken earlier. Ariana didn’t know for sure. What she knew was that slowly, as she began to feel comfortable, she started drifting into sleep.

Gerald could sense Ariana’s breathing becoming steadier. He glanced at the girl who was now sleeping on her stomach.

Not wanting to disturb her, Gerald tried to turn her body as gently as possible.

Gerald adjusted Ariana’s hair, playfully revealing her beautiful face that was covered by her rebellious locks. Her black hair almost matched the color of the tank top she was wearing. He admired her pale skin.

He rearranged the position of her pillow and then adjusted her blanket. Gerald gently wiped Ariana’s forehead and cheeks before deciding to get up and leave her to rest.

Gerald left the room and closed the door behind him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing his assistant’s number.

“Tell someone from the house to bring me a complete change of clothes and the car,” he instructed Vivan over the phone. “And you all can go home.” That was his only instruction. Then he dialed another number. “I’m at the apartment, so it seems like you can’t go home tonight.”

“What?” Amber exclaimed in disbelief. “How did you both end up there?”

“Anyway, tonight you can’t go home. Or else, you’ll hear something that will keep you awake all night,” Gerald threatened. Little did he know that on the other end, Amber shuddered in terror upon hearing his words. She then hung up her phone without saying a word, and Gerald chuckled at her reaction.

He then walked into the kitchen, noticing Ariana’s food that had clearly gone cold. Like Ariana, he felt hunger gnawing at his stomach. And he knew, when she woke up, she would be even hungrier. And when people were hungry, they tended to be more irritable. To avoid that, Gerald decided to take matters into his own hands.

He opened all the cupboard doors and pulled out whatever ingredients he could find. Just because Gerald was wealthy didn’t mean he couldn’t handle the kitchen. Ariana would be surprised to know that Gerald was an excellent cook. He praised himself silently. And he was determined to prove his culinary skills to Ariana.