(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

Ariana slammed the bedroom door shut with force. Her chest was heaving, clearly with intense emotion. She was passionate, of course. She had to admit that.

As a mature woman, she was entitled to feel all of this. After all, she wasn’t young anymore, and biologically, she was in her prime. But alongside all of that, what Ariana was feeling right now towards Gerald was mostly anger.

When she confronted him about other women, he didn’t deny it at all. And it was a safe bet that her assumption was correct.

Yes, Ariana was only guessing. She didn’t really know if Gerald had many women out there or not. She deduced it based on a conversation she overheard between Chris and Gerald.

Ariana knew Chris very well-his social life and his love life. She understood her cousin’s interactions because he often confided in her.

Ariana was frequently asked for help by Chris to keep away the girls who pursued him. And Ariana knew that Chris’s romantic escapades weren’t just about watching movies, holding hands, and forehead kisses. He clearly did more than that.

Ariana had witnessed it herself-not the hot scenes, but the arguments between Chris, a woman, and another woman who happened to be his mistress.

Considering what Gerald and Chris discussed when Gerald picked her up from the campsite, Ariana quickly drew her own conclusions. Gerald wasn’t much different from Chris. And it turned out her guess was right.

Ugh, Ariana sighed. Men, always after one thing. Who did he think he was? Giacomo Casanova? Or did he believe he was Genghis Khan? Sorry, but Ariana wasn’t an Eva Braun being Hitler’s mistress. She was just a normal woman who desired to be the only one in a man’s heart.

Ariana heard a loud bang on her bedroom door. Of course, it was him, who else could it be? Perhaps he had snapped out of his thoughts about what Ariana had said.

“What!” Ariana shouted from inside the room. “Open the door, sweetheart,” he commanded, albeit in a coaxing tone.

“Why should I do it? This is my room; I’m free to do whatever I want,” he replied, still shouting.

“I know it’s your room. And I want to enter. I want to sleep,” Ariana sighed. “Just sleep outside. There’s a long sofa out there!”

“It won’t be comfortable to sleep there. It’s better to sleep in the room. We can sleep together, and you can cuddle me like earlier,” he suggested.

Ariana glanced at the bolster on her bed. ‘Damn bolster! Why does he have to replace you!’ she cursed inwardly.

“Ariana!” the man called out when Ariana didn’t respond.

“What?” she said.

“Please, open the door. Are you really going to make me sleep outside and wake up all sore?” Gerald asked again, his tone slightly pleading.

“Why should I care? If you really want to sleep on a comfortable bed, you can go back to your own mansion!” Ariana knew he was probably gritting his teeth out there, but she didn’t care.

“I won’t go home and leave you here alone,” he replied.

“In that case, you only have two options: sleep in Amber’s room or sleep on the sofa in front of the TV,” she retorted. Ariana didn’t hear any response.

She felt Gerald had probably walked away. Maybe he decided to sleep in Amber’s room or in the TV room, or perhaps he would go back to his own home. Ariana didn’t care.

She sat down on her bed. In truth, she didn’t feel sleepy. Usually, when she wasn’t sleepy, she’d spend her time watching TV, YouTube videos, or reading. But now, her phone wasn’t even in her hands, and she didn’t have a book to read.

Ariana glanced at the wall clock in her room. Damn! Double damn for her because Gerald was outside her room now. If she went out and opened the door, the man would have a chance to enter her room, and in the end, they would be trapped together inside.

But if she didn’t leave her room, she couldn’t fulfill her needs. Alright, an idea crossed Ariana’s mind.

She then opened the door. The sound of the key turning was likely heard by the man who was now sitting on the sofa, watching TV. “Changed your mind, huh?” he asked with his wide grin. Ariana just smiled.

She ignored him and went into the bathroom. She chose to spend a long time in there, going through her bedtime ritual. Washing her face again, brushing her teeth, and even applying her night cream.

Afterward, she came out of the room and found the TV turned off, and her room, which was previously wide open, now half-closed. Ariana chuckled to herself.

She walked towards a room, but not her own. It was Amber’s room. She locked the door from the inside.

“Ariana!” the voice was clearly annoyed. “Yes!” Ariana replied, trying to suppress her laughter.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“What are you doing? Why didn’t you return to your room?” he asked, still sounding irritated.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to sleep in the room? So, I yielded. Sweet dreams, Mr. Aarzu!” she said. Gerald even kicked Amber’s room door after not receiving a response from Ariana. And Ariana chose to ignore it.

“Serves you right!” she murmured softly. She folded Amber’s prayer mat and put it back where it belonged before finally climbing onto the bed, preparing to rest. Hmmm… what a delight… she thought to herself.

Ariana fell asleep after reciting a long prayer in her heart. A prayer she dedicated to her father, her mother, her closest people, and herself.

Ariana woke up to her body’s natural alarm. She glanced at the digital clock beside Amber’s bed. Stretching with a long groan, Ariana got up and tidied Amber’s bed. She then walked out of the room towards the bathroom. She wouldn’t shower at her apartment to save time. After washing her face, she intended to leave the apartment for the restaurant, hoping Gerald hadn’t woken up until she was truly gone.

Oh God, Ariana felt like she was playing cat and mouse right now. After previously playing house with the man, now she was playing hide and seek.

This wouldn’t have happened if Gerald had treated Ariana reasonably. Reasonably meaning he would act cold and arrogant, just like his initial impression. But now, he behaved as if Ariana was something he had to obtain, and Ariana didn’t like it.

She finished her needs and silently thanked her lucky stars because it seemed Gerald was still deeply asleep.

In her heart, she laughed proudly. Bye-bye, Mr. Aarzu, she said before leaving the apartment.