(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

Gerald kept his promise. He only slept in Ariana’s room for about an hour, and afterward, he appeared refreshed and ready to resume his activities. Ariana escorted Gerald to the front door, an unusual gesture for her, but she did it reluctantly due to Gerald’s insistence. She could only comply, furrowing her brow in the process.

Upon returning to the room, Ariana found Adel already there. The young adult, always teasing, looked at Ariana. “Aww, aren’t you two just being romantic,” the girl said. Ariana rolled her eyes. “If you want to be romantic, don’t do it in public. Some people might get affected.” Adel glanced at Amber, who responded with a dismissive gesture. “But, Mba Amber, where have you been all this time?” Adel asked curiously, not one to hold her tongue. Despite the displeased look on Amber’s face, it seemed like Adel intentionally wanted to provoke Amber further.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“Adel,” Ariana warned. Adel turned and closed her mouth tightly. “Have the others arrived?” Ariana inquired, heading towards the kitchen. There, Jody was unloading the groceries he had bought from the market using a rented pedicab. Obviously, the motorcycle couldn’t carry all of Jody’s belongings. Some meat and fish were already supplied by regular suppliers.

They discussed the menu for the upcoming lunch. They talked about the shortage of ingredients in the storage that they needed to buy and other matters they usually discussed. Shortly after, the other restaurant employees arrived and began preparing, donning their uniforms and aprons.

Lunchtime was just minutes away. Ariana was helping Jody and the other kids prepare some dishes when Adel’s head popped out of the kitchen. “Mba, Your Hus-Hus is here!” she shouted loudly. Ariana turned around, seeing Gerald, who still looked pale, walking towards her wearily.

“Why?” Ariana panicked a bit at seeing Gerald looking so unwell. “I have a headache,” the man replied weakly.

“If you have a headache, why did you come here? Shouldn’t you be at home?” Ariana asked again. But then, she took off her apron and guided her husband back upstairs. “Where’s Vivan?” she asked.

“He’s taking care of work,” he replied. The man put his arm around Ariana and walked upstairs. Ariana wanted to complain. Gerald’s body was quite heavy, and Ariana’s own strength wasn’t enough to support him. However, feeling sorry for Gerald, she didn’t say much.

Ariana opened the door and guided the big man to the room. Gerald immediately lay down on the bed without bothering to take off his shoes and socks. Ariana just shook her head. Slowly, she removed his shoes and socks and placed them by the door.

“Are you okay?” Ariana approached again, wiping his forehead, which felt a bit warm now. “Should I call the doctor?” she asked once more. Gerald just closed his eyes with his left arm resting on them and shook his head. “Do you want to go home? Maybe you’d be more comfortable there,” Ariana offered again. But Gerald shook his head once more.

“Just stay with me,” the man replied softly. Ariana could only take a deep breath and let it out slowly. She didn’t really want to accompany Gerald, not because she didn’t like him. It was because she had the responsibility to take care of her restaurant, and she felt guilty for burdening Jody too much. However, on the other hand, Gerald was her husband, and she also had an obligation to take care of him. As a result, Ariana sat there, still gently rubbing Gerald’s head.

“Have you had lunch?” Ariana asked again. Gerald shook his head again. “Shall I make something for you?” Gerald shook his head once more. “If you’re feeling unwell like this, how can you get better if you don’t eat?” Ariana scolded. However, despite her words, she didn’t move from her seat. “Eat, I’ll make some soup for you.” She tried to coax him. Gerald finally moved his arm, which had been covering his eyes since earlier, and looked at Ariana with his reddened eyes. It seemed the man was truly experiencing a severe headache.

“After you eat, you can take aspirin and then sleep,” Ariana suggested. Gerald just stared at her and then nodded slowly.

“Don’t take too long,” he whispered. Ariana just smiled and nodded. But before leaving, she asked Gerald to sit up and took off his jacket. Gerald complied. He behaved like a puppet, allowing Ariana to handle him as she pleased. Afterward, Ariana laid him back down and then covered him with a blanket.

“Wait here for a moment, okay?” Ariana wiped Gerald’s forehead once more and kissed his forehead before leaving and closing the door behind her.

She went downstairs and saw almost all the tables occupied by customers. All her employees were on the floor, serving all the customers. Once again, she felt guilty, as if she had neglected her duties as one of the restaurant workers, even though she was the owner. But still, she felt like she had neglected her responsibilities.

She walked toward the kitchen and saw the crew busy with all the orders coming in. She glanced at Jody and immediately grimaced. Meanwhile, Jody looked at her with a smirk on his face.

“What’s wrong with your man? Is he sick?” he asked. Jody was giving attention with his sarcastic tone, and Ariana knew it.

Ariana shrugged. “He’s a bit feverish. His eyes are red too.” She took out ingredients from the fridge, preparing to make the promised soup.

“I thought he was craving something,” Jody replied casually, still working with his cooking tools in front of him. “Can guys even have cravings?” Ariana asked in disbelief. She turned when she didn’t hear a response from Jody. Her friend shrugged.

“I don’t know. I’ve never had a wife.” Jody chuckled. “But I’ve heard from some people. They say it happens. The girl gets pregnant, but the guy gets extremely drunk.” Jody replied casually.

Ariana grimaced, for two reasons. Pregnant and drunk, as Jody mentioned earlier. In her heart, she refused to be pregnant. She wasn’t ready to be a mother. Even to be a wife, she wasn’t sure she was worthy yet. Let alone a mother. In her heart, she was afraid of becoming a failed wife and mother like her mother. She realized she was still a selfish woman who prioritized her own desires over others’. As for being a mother? Ariana shuddered unconsciously.

“But it’s called morning sickness, not day sickness. Can someone be drunk at this hour?” Ariana tried to divert her thoughts, joking with Jody.