(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

A week had passed since Ariana left Zeroun’s residence. But if Gerald noticed, the atmosphere at his home seemed normal. Even Axel, who used to sulk when going to school, now appeared just like before. It was as if things had returned to the way they were before Ariana entered their lives. The only one who felt Ariana’s absence was Gerald.

Yes. Every night, without realizing it, Gerald would wake up with his hand reaching out to Ariana’s empty side of the bed. Then he would stay awake until the early hours of the morning, missing the woman who had been accompanying his sleep and patiently listening to his meaningless chatter.

Ariana. Why was she doing all this? How could she be so heartless to her own child? How could she be so cruel to Gerald? Didn’t she have any feelings for him? Gerald was convinced that Ariana had started to open up to him. If Ariana didn’t have feelings for him, she wouldn’t have agreed to be with him. She wouldn’t have prepared his favorite meals, listened to his ramblings, or spent time with him. Or was it all an act? Or just pity? Feeling sorry for Gerald, who always professed his love?

Gerald shook his head to clear his thoughts. No, he was sure that Ariana’s feelings for him were genuine. At least her love for Axel was sincere. If not, why would Axel continue to stay with him?

Gerald massaged his temples. Another thing that had changed since Ariana left was his increasingly severe headaches at the same time every day. And for some reason, when the pain surfaced, Gerald’s desire to meet Ariana grew stronger.

He looked at the envelope in front of him. The report he received about Ariana. In the past week, Gerald hadn’t received any strange reports. According to the recent reports, Ariana hadn’t left her apartment. She hadn’t gone anywhere, not even to a restaurant. And she hadn’t received any visitors, not even from her own family.

Was Ariana intentionally hiding her situation even from her family? Gerald wondered. Surely, if her family knew, they would be happy, right? Ariana was the first child of the Bradley family, and she would give the man a grandchild. Typically, a grandfather would be delighted to hear such news. But if there was no movement from the Bradleys, it meant Ariana hadn’t told her father anything. Or maybe she had told them but had forbidden them from visiting?

Gerald’s thoughts wandered too far. But he had to consider all possibilities and prevent the worst from happening. He didn’t want to be caught off guard and regret it later. Yes, until this moment, Gerald was still convinced that Ariana hadn’t mentioned the pregnancy issue because she intended to terminate it. That was why he had assigned several people to watch over Ariana, to monitor her movements and report if she ever truly attempted her plan. No one must harm the Zeroun heir. The baby had to survive no matter what. If necessary, Gerald would keep Ariana confined until the baby was born.

Even if later she would leave him to return to her first love, he didn’t care. What mattered was that his flesh and blood were safe with him.

A knock on his door made him look up. Vivan walked in and placed another folder on his desk. “The Social Services Department informed us that they will conduct a survey in the coming weeks, sir,” the man said with his usual calm tone. Gerald, who had just read a bit of the report, furrowed his brow.

“Can you confirm the exact timing?” he asked Vivan. “You know the state of Zeroun’s residence now. I don’t want any failures,” he said coldly. Vivan understood what Gerald meant without needing a lengthy explanation.

“You can determine the time, sir,” Vivan replied. Gerald only nodded and continued reading the documents in front of him. It took him a while before he finished reading the documents and signed them.

“Have you received any news about his whereabouts?” he asked, handing the leather-bound folder back to Vivan. Again, Vivan understood whom Gerald was referring to.

“I apologize, sir. His location was only traceable up to Leonardo da Vinci International Airport. After that, his trail vanished.”

“So he didn’t return to Paris?” Gerald asked, unbelieving.

Vivan shook his head. “Our prediction was wrong, sir,” Vivan replied regretfully.

Gerald gripped his pen tightly, and his grip was so strong that he ended up breaking the expensive pen easily. “Pay anyone, no matter the cost. I want to know where he is. I don’t want Ariana to reach him first,” he growled angrily. Vivan just nodded and chose to leave.

Damn it! Once again, his misfortune multiplied. What was happening to him? Why lately did it seem like luck was not on his side?

Chris. He had to find him before Ariana did. He must. If Ariana’s reason for wanting to terminate her pregnancy was because of him, then he would ask Chris to restrain himself at least until the baby was born. What difference would waiting seven more months make to him? They had been apart for almost half a decade, and they were fine.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Ariana sat slumped, her body feeling weak. The pain in her chest from throwing up the little food she managed to eat made her body ache. It felt as if someone was pounding small hammers on her joints. Her head was incredibly light. Her knees felt like they couldn’t carry her anymore. As a result, she curled up on the couch in front of the TV.

She didn’t allow any light to enter. She kept her apartment dim. She closed all the windows and only turned on a few lights. The sunlight truly hurt her eyes and made her head ache. She laughed at herself for it. Even when looking in the mirror, she felt increasingly pitiful. She felt like a vampire in self-imposed exile.

Her face was pale, and even the hollows under her eyes started to show. All this because she could only fall asleep after 2 AM. Sometimes she couldn’t even close her eyes until 4 AM. Her cheeks were sunken due to the limited food intake. She wasn’t okay. And she was even less okay right now. Ariana gently rubbed her stomach. Although there were no signs of pregnancy yet, her belly had slightly hardened. And because of it, she smiled. There was a baby inside her. Her baby and Gerald’s.

She glanced at the vitamins in front of her. Even those vitamins couldn’t improve her condition.

The doorbell made her furrow her brow. Ariana looked at the wall clock, and the crease on her forehead deepened. Who could be visiting at this hour? It couldn’t be Amber or Mrs. Rosaline. Both of them had gained access to her apartment.

With reluctance, Ariana got up from her reclined position and, with dragging steps, walked to the door without checking who the visitor was and directly opened it. A mocking smile met her. The uninvited guest had even let himself in and shamelessly sat on her favorite couch.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.