(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

Gerald looked at Ariana, astonished. In the brief duration of their marriage, it was the first time he had seen Ariana laugh. Was that old cartoon character story really that amusing to her? Gerald wondered. Nonetheless, he found himself smiling at her reaction.

Their breakfast was clearly over, but because Chris was still there, Gerald felt reluctant to leave. That man was a threat to Gerald. Seeing how close Ariana was to Chris, it made Gerald feel incredibly alone.

“Boss?” Vivan tried to remind him. She knew her boss had seemed uneasy since earlier. Not for any particular reason, but Gerald had a lot of schedules today that he couldn’t afford to miss due to his absence while searching for Ariana.

“She already invited you to leave, why don’t you?” Ariana said, wiping the corners of her eyes that were watering. Gerald looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“Fine, you go far away. If necessary, don’t come back here again. Ariana is clearly happier with me than with you,” Chris said.

And that was exactly what Gerald didn’t want. Seeing the two of them happy together.

Ariana stood up from her seat. She also looked at Chris with her sharp gaze. “You too. Go back!” she ordered Chris. She didn’t even acknowledge the surprise on Chris’s face due to her dismissal. Unwittingly, this made Gerald happy.

They watched Ariana leave the dining table without looking back. Leaving Chris and Gerald now staring at each other sharply. Finally, Gerald got up because he had other responsibilities he needed to attend to. He had to remember that many lives now depended on him.

Vivan had walked ahead of him. His assistant even opened the door for him. Gerald walked away from the restaurant, although he was actually leaving with a heavy heart.

No one spoke during the journey. They arrived at the office nearly an hour later due to the traffic congestion after they got back onto the main road.

All the documents were piled up in front of him. If you assumed that because Gerald was a CEO with many assistants, his workload became lighter, you’d be wrong. Gerald’s workload had actually increased due to it. His assistants worked as his trusted deputies. Because Gerald couldn’t split himself into many pieces to do everything alone and attend all the meetings in various places by himself.

Gerald was already sitting at his desk, while Vivan had returned to her own room. The postponed meeting would start fifteen minutes later. After that meeting, there were more meetings that Gerald had to attend. Until finally, lunchtime arrived.

“Where would you like to have lunch, Boss?” Vivan asked understandingly.

“Just order. I can’t leave all this work now,” Gerald replied without diverting his attention.

Vivan just nodded and did everything silently. She knew her boss well despite not having worked for him for very long. All thanks to her father, Yosef.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Gerald’s lunch was served on his table exactly fifteen minutes later. Not a lavish menu, just a bento box that Vivan had bought from a well-known store not far from their office.

Gerald leaned back slightly after finishing his lunch. He leaned his back and rested his head, leaning on the back of his luxurious leather chair. He glanced at the expensive wall clock in his room. He sighed. There were still a few minutes before the break ended. Gerald chose to close his eyes for a moment to relieve his fatigue.

“Boss, there’s some news,” Vivan said when she felt her boss was in a relaxed mode. “What?” he asked nonchalantly.

“She’s on her way here,” Vivan replied. Gerald suddenly opened his eyes. Although his sitting position remained the same, Vivan noticed his posture had become tense.

“When?”

“She’ll arrive around this evening,” Vivan replied.

“Keep an eye on her. I want to know where she goes back to,” he instructed. Vivan nodded. Even without Gerald’s instructions, she had already told her subordinates to do so. “What about that man? Did he leave after we did?” that question had actually been bothering Gerald’s mind since his return from the restaurant, but he had been reluctant to ask and had then forgotten it due to his piled-up workload.

“He left shortly after we did, Boss,” Vivan replied matter-of-factly. Gerald simply nodded quietly. He then rose from his seat and returned behind his desk. Getting ready to work.

Ariana felt content, of course. After days of being away from her work, she was back to her routine. Cooking in the kitchen and serving the food she prepared to the customers. It brought her immense joy, especially when her customers praised her dishes. Her happiness multiplied.

After Gerald’s return, she intentionally drove Chris away too. Despite her best friend and step-cousin’s insistence to stay, Ariana knew that there were still Gerald’s people watching her. Ariana drove Chris away not because she cared about Gerald’s feelings. It was more about not wanting him to return to the restaurant and disturb her. The presence of those two men was already giving her a headache.

The clock had struck nine in the evening. Ariana had instructed Dara to flip the sign at the front door indicating that their restaurant was closed, even though they would officially close at eleven. The sign was there because they no longer accepted guests.

She helped the other staff members tidy up the kitchen and dispose of all the food waste they had separated earlier. There was no caste system here. Just because she was the owner didn’t mean she refrained from doing distasteful tasks. No, Ariana was not like that. To her, all the employees were family, and they managed the restaurant together. So, they treated each other like family, emphasizing teamwork rather than pointing fingers.

Ariana, assisted by one of her employees, prepared to dispose of all the trash, which was quite a lot, in the waste disposal area, a fair distance from the restaurant. They walked side by side, each holding large trash bags. During their journey back, Ariana intentionally walked towards the front of the restaurant. She observed the surroundings at this late hour. Suddenly, her eyes caught a glimpse of a luxurious car parked across the restaurant. The car was red, and its tinted windows prevented Ariana from seeing inside. However, she sensed that whoever was inside the car was currently observing her.

Ariana squinted at the car. It only lasted for a fraction of a second, but then the car suddenly started and drove away with surprising speed. “What’s wrong, Miss?” The question made Ariana turn her head. She saw her employee standing there, also looking in the direction Ariana had been watching. Ariana shook her head.

“It’s nothing,” she replied shortly and then walked back inside the restaurant through the side door.