(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

Gerald arrived at the office feeling utterly chaotic. His day became even more chaotic when he received news that the ship carrying his raw materials had sprung a leak and nearly sank in the middle of the ocean. He considered himself lucky that some of his ordered goods could still be salvaged. Nevertheless, it made his head throb with pain.

Lately, Gerald’s mood had been like the fluctuating stock market. Unpredictably changing, sometimes he felt happy, but in a split second, he could become furious without clear reasons. And the only person he could vent his frustrations on now was the one most loyal to him-none other than Vivan.

Just like now. Gerald paced back and forth, occasionally running his fingers through his hair, while Vivan stood motionless in front of his desk, his expression blank.

“Ariana asked me about the progress of Axel’s adoption process. Who does she think I am? A member of child protection services? A social worker? She knows I’m a businessman, not a government employee!” he approached the desk and slammed it in frustration. “And why are you silent? Why isn’t there any follow-up from the Social Services regarding Axel?” he demanded again, his voice fiery. “And if necessary, give them money to expedite all of this,” he ordered.

Vivan raised his eyebrows momentarily. He remembered that not too long ago, Gerald himself had forbidden him from engaging in shady dealings, like ‘bribing’ officials to expedite Axel’s adoption. Gerald’s other reason had been his desire for more time to change Ariana’s feelings. But now? Ariana was once again the reason his boss wanted to speed up the adoption process.

“Very well, Sir. I’ll handle it,” Vivan finally said. Gerald looked at his assistant and nodded.

Afterwards, he waved his hand to dismiss Vivan.

Unfortunately, just as Vivan was about to leave, two women Gerald wanted to avoid barged in. They ignored Gerald’s secretary’s orders not to disturb him. Why did Gerald forget to blacklist Shelma as well? He cursed inwardly.

Gerald glanced at his secretary and once again waved his hand, indicating for the man to leave. Meanwhile, Vivan, aware of his position, without Gerald’s request, turned back and walked towards Gerald, standing by his side.

“What are you doing here?” Gerald asked, openly displaying his displeasure.

“Didn’t you should offer us a drink, Ge? At least as a courtesy,” Shelma said, her tone sulky, which only made Gerald raise an annoyed eyebrow.

“I didn’t invite you. And your presence right now does nothing to improve my already bad mood,” Gerald replied bluntly.

Shelma continued to pout, feigning being upset. “You know I came with good intentions,” she retorted.

Gerald chose to lean back in his chair. He looked at Shelma and Karenina alternately with a sharp gaze. At the same time, he tried to stave off his headache and nausea.

“What good intentions?” Gerald challenged. “Just get to the point because I don’t want to see your faces for long.”

Shelma sneered. Then she showed a large brown envelope in her hands. “We just want to give you this,” she said. Vivan immediately walked to the table, took the envelope, and handed it to Gerald. “It’s proof that what I said was true.”

“True?” Gerald asked, not understanding.

Gerald only glanced at the brown envelope with one eye. “Aren’t you going to open it?” his wife’s twin said. “Who knows, you might find a surprise inside.” She replied mockingly.

Gerald looked at his supposed bride’s twin with narrowed, irritated eyes. But despite his irritation, he reached out, took the envelope, and roughly tore it open.

After seeing the contents of the envelope, Gerald frowned. What is this? He asked himself inwardly.

“Surprised, aren’t you?” Shelma asked cynically.

Gerald looked up and stared at Shelma and Karenina in turn.

“We weren’t too surprised,” Shelma said indifferently. “Right, Ren?” She turned and saw Karenina nodding.

“You’ve given me negative judgments all this time, thinking that I’m not a good woman. When in fact, your wife is no better than me,” Karenina said casually. “I do socialize, but my circle is limited to educated people and the upper class. Whereas your wife?” she said with a contemptuous glance. “She never selects her company, she can be friends even with streetwalkers, showing that at least my level is better than hers.”

Gerald grunted at Karenina’s overly arrogant statement. But when he looked at the photos in his hands again, his annoyance peaked. The 4R-sized photos showed Ariana entering and leaving a mother and child hospital. In the photos, Ariana also entered an obstetrician’s room.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

Is Ariana pregnant? he asked himself again. Confused, shocked, touched, and whatever else he felt now filled his chest. Was Ariana really pregnant? Again, he repeated his question. He wanted to contact Ariana and confirm all of this, but he heard Shelma speak again.

“I’ve given you clues about her pregnancy. But instead of trusting me, you chose to scold me. And now I have proof, even though I couldn’t get precise information about how far along your wife’s pregnancy is. But doesn’t that make you even more suspicious of her?”

“What do you mean?” Gerald asked, displeased. He was sure he would hear an unpleasant sentence after this.

Shelma shrugged. “I mean, when I suspected she was pregnant, if she really is, she should have announced the happy news immediately. But why hasn’t she said anything?” she challenged.

Gerald remembered the moment afterward. After the two of them entered the room, Ariana didn’t mention anything about it.

“In your opinion, why hasn’t she shared this happy news with everyone? Or do you already know but choose to pretend you don’t?” Shelma asked, her gaze investigative.

Gerald looked at her with furrowed brows. “Say what you want to say, Shelma. Don’t beat around the bush,” Gerald snapped harshly.

Shelma and Karenina appeared taken aback by Gerald’s harsh tone. But instead of fear, Shelma smiled challengingly. “It seems you really don’t know that your wife is pregnant. Gerald, could it be that the baby isn’t yours?”