(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

“Gerald?” Karenina looked at Gerald, her face pale. Clearly, she didn’t realize that Gerald had been standing by the door, listening to their conversation all along.

Gerald approached and sat beside Ariana. “Hi, sister-in-law. Long time no see,” he replied casually. “Didn’t your informant tell you about my presence here?” he added, still in his relaxed manner.

Ariana chose to ignore both of them and uncovered the stainless steel cloche that had been covering the food since earlier. The cloche, now emitting steam from the top due to covering the hot food Ariana had prepared for both of them.

The grilled ribs with mushroom sauce, accompanied by steamed vegetables, were already placed in separate bowls, along with a bowl of steaming rice.

“Shouldn’t you tell me about your first love while we’re having dinner, my dear husband?” Ariana taunted Gerald. Gerald now stared back at her with a raised eyebrow. “Oh yes, this food will be enough for three people. Would you like to join us?” Ariana asked again. But then, she answered her own question. “Of course, you have to dine with us. Aren’t you going to help Gerald recount how that love story began and then ended under coercion?” Ariana taunted again. She was about to stand up, but Gerald held her back.

“Where are you going?” he asked, displeased.

“Getting more utensils, Darling. Do you think I’d let my twin sister watch us eat together? I’m not that heartless,” Ariana replied.

Gerald shook his head. “That’s not necessary. You’ve already brought complete tableware.” Gerald pointed to the two plates and sets of cutlery on the tray.

Ariana furrowed her brow. “So you intend to share a plate and feed each other, is that it?” Ariana asked. Gerald nodded. “Fine, you can share with her. After all, you both are planning to tell the same story. So, sit side by side, share a plate, and complement each other’s story,” Ariana replied sarcastically.

Gerald chuckled. He pulled Ariana’s hand quite firmly, causing her to sit down beside him. “I’ll dine with you, Mrs. Aarzu,” Gerald said playfully.

Karenina frowned upon hearing the strange term Gerald used for Ariana. However, the couple in front of her simply ignored her. Gerald handed an empty plate to Karenina before he took another plate and scooped rice onto it. He placed the pieces of grilled ribs and vegetables before mixing them. He disregarded manners by not waiting for Karenina to do the same. He lifted his spoon and brought it close to Ariana’s mouth.

For a moment, Ariana just stared at Gerald, but he continued to advance his spoon, prompting Ariana to open her mouth. He then mixed the vegetables with the rib meat and fed himself before casually asking, “So, why don’t you continue your story?” Gerald inquired after he chewed and swallowed a mouthful. “Why don’t you just tell my wife the name of that woman, her age, and whose descendant she is? Then afterward, you can tell her how we met, how we fell in love, and how that story ended,” Gerald said casually. He fed himself another bite. “Ariana is truly fascinated by my past, especially if you season it with something sweet. I’m sure she’ll like it even more,” Gerald added.

Instead of answering, Karenina just bowed her head, her face turning red. It seemed she truly didn’t expect Gerald’s presence there and certainly didn’t anticipate that Gerald would respond to her remarks with a sweetness she had never experienced before.

“I have an appointment. I’m sorry, I can’t stay here any longer,” she said in a panic. She walked back to Ariana’s table where she had placed her expensive handbag earlier. Even without glancing back at Ariana and Gerald, she hurried towards the door.

After Karenina had completely disappeared, Ariana decided to leave her seat and sit where Karenina had been moments before. She took the plate Gerald had given to Karenina and started scooping rice for herself.

“Aren’t you curious at all?” Gerald asked again. It seemed he wanted to ensure Ariana’s reaction.

Ariana just shrugged. “Should I be curious?” she replied back to Gerald. And just like the feigned indifference Gerald had shown in front of Karenina earlier, Ariana was doing the same. She was more interested in the food on her plate.

Gerald didn’t immediately respond to her statement. He continued eating, spooning food into his mouth. “If you really intend to go back to her now that you know she’s no longer bound to the person her parents arranged for her, it seems you could do that right away. Before it’s too late,” Ariana finally said.

Hearing Ariana’s words, Gerald stopped his bite instantly. Again, the topic of separation resurfaced, but Gerald knew this time the statement carried a different meaning.

“If I truly intended to do that, I wouldn’t have bothered negotiating with you all this time,” he replied, then took another full spoonful into his mouth. Ariana tried to grasp the meaning of his words. Her forehead furrowed in confusion. Then she asked, “So, you’ve met her again?” Gerald nodded. His face remained expressionless. “When?” Ariana asked again.

“This afternoon,” Gerald replied shortly. Ariana furrowed her brow even more.

“And I can guess that you had lunch together,” she said. Gerald stared at Ariana intently and then nodded in agreement. Ariana raised the corner of her mouth. “Of course. There was time you spent reminiscing. Recalling the beautiful things from the past. Expressing the same regrets.”

Now it was Gerald’s turn to furrow his brow. “What do you mean?” he asked, puzzled.

Ariana shrugged her shoulders. “I mean nothing. I’m just assuming. That your meeting this afternoon was your first encounter after being apart for quite some time. And, like in a drama, the time you spent was more about telling what happened between you in the past rather than what happened after you separated. You talked a lot about how you lost each other and the difficulty of moving on after your breakup. Plus, you revealed that you couldn’t fall in love with your new partners because your feelings are still attached to the old ones,” Ariana replied at length.

Gerald chuckled at her analysis. “Are you a director now? Or are you secretly writing a romantic screenplay?” Gerald asked Ariana with a teasing smile.

“Choose whichever you prefer,” Ariana replied, putting more food into her mouth.

“Which one do I prefer?” Gerald asked back. “What I prefer is knowing that right now you’re jealous of that woman, Mrs. Aarzu.” Gerald’s response made Ariana’s eyes widen instantly.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.