(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

“How did you two get to know each other?” Ariana started the conversation. Gerald looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Why? Are you interested in that black man?” Gerald asked sarcastically. Ariana chuckled.

“Are you jealous?” she asked. Gerald snorted. “I’m not interested in him, Mr. Aarzu. I’m more interested in his story, how he can have two wives at the same time. And seeing the way you two communicate, it reminds me of Chris,” Ariana replied honestly.

“Don’t bring that man’s name up in front of me,” Gerald replied sternly. “Those two men, never mention their names to me again. Just thinking about them raises my blood pressure,” Gerald said sharply.

Ariana glanced at him and smirked. “If you don’t want to tell me about Sheraz, I won’t tell you a secret about me,” Ariana said cunningly.

Gerald’s steps halted. Ariana stopped too. “What secret is that?” Gerald asked curiously.

Ariana shrugged. “If I tell you, it won’t be a secret anymore, will it?” Ariana challenged. She walked ahead of Gerald towards a food vendor’s cart. “Two grilled sausages, please,” she said to a male vendor there. Afterward, she chose to sit on a nearby staircase.

Gerald followed her. He sat next to the woman, his gaze fixed on the people passing by in front of them. “Do you really want to know? Or are you genuinely interested in Sheraz?” he asked, still with his sarcastic tone.Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

Ariana smiled. She sat closer to him and playfully hugged his arm. “I just want to know. The reason why he has two wives,” she answered honestly. “Do you also know his second wife?”

Gerald glanced at Ariana, then nodded. “Honestly, Sheraz’s decision to officially marry two wives caused quite a stir among businessmen,” Gerald then explained. “I knew Sheraz back when we were in college. Actually, I, Sheraz, and Chris were at the same campus. Just in different departments. We were brought together at a nightclub,” Gerald said with a sardonic smile on his face. “We were all womanizers,” he continued. “So don’t believe him if he says he’s not a playboy. All those bastards are the same, always claiming to be good guys,” Gerald snorted again.

“Including you,” Ariana replied. And Gerald laughed.

“I don’t know what motivated him to choose marriage. Clearly, my initial reason for marriage was for Axel. And I have to thank fate because eventually, you became my wife, not someone else,” he continued. Ariana just sighed hearing his flattery. “But I don’t know what made Sheraz make that decision,” Gerald said confusedly. “One day, I heard news from Vivan that Sheraz was engaged to a woman. And a few months later, he got married. Not just to one woman but two women at the same time. Officially,” Gerald said again.

“So he married them simultaneously?” Ariana asked incredulously. Gerald nodded. “Officially?” Gerald nodded again.

“Secret marriages are not uncommon among businessmen. Having many women could be considered our skill. But marrying two women at the same time? Honestly, even I was shocked to hear it,” Gerald said honestly. The sausage vendor Ariana had ordered from had delivered their order. Ariana asked Gerald to pay for their meal. He simply handed his wallet to Ariana without saying much.

“So, what about his second wife?” Ariana handed the sausage in her hand to Gerald’s mouth. Gerald momentarily looked confused but then opened his mouth and bit into the sausage in one big bite.

“As you heard, he married his first wife’s stepsister,” Gerald answered between chews. “Not that. I mean, is his second wife happy?” she asked, curious.

Gerald raised an eyebrow. “Of course, everywhere the wreckers of other people’s households always seem happy, don’t they?” Gerald asked sarcastically. Ariana chuckled hearing that. “Why are you laughing like that?” Gerald asked in confusion. “I thought you would hate Sheraz’s second wife and feel sorry for his first wife. Considering how much you dislike being cheated on,” he commented. Ariana offered him another sausage, and Gerald bit into it again.

“Yes. Usually, I always hate homewreckers. But in this case, I can’t hate her,” Ariana replied honestly. “Why? How is that possible?” Ariana smiled. “Do you want to know the secret I told you earlier?” Ariana asked, and Gerald nodded. “Are you not tired of hearing my past story?” she asked again. Gerald nodded obediently.

“It all started fifteen years ago,” Ariana began her tale. The bustling atmosphere around them seemed to serve as a backdrop to her story.

“Tanisha, Sheraz’s second wife, and I were school friends. Tanisha was my junior in elementary school,” Ariana smiled to herself, reminiscing about their childhood days. “She was a cheerful and inquisitive girl. Initially, we didn’t know each other. But an incident during a course brought us together. Everyone used to call me Ay or Rin. My juniors called me Kak Ay or Kak Rin. But little Tanisha called me Kak Ai. You know, the name sounded childish to me. But Tanisha did it because she said she always liked to see my expression when she called me that,” another smile formed on her face.

“Then one day, a new student came to my class, her name was Lunara,” Ariana said softly. Gerald looked at Ariana with a furrowed brow. “A skinny little girl whose figure was not much different from Tanisha’s. I don’t know, I didn’t like her from the beginning,” Ariana replied. “I just tried not to show it and chose not to socialize with her. But Lunara was close to Karenina,” Ariana continued.

“Time passed, and our relationship months were still like ordinary classmates. Then one day, everything changed. My mother and Karenina left, and everyone in my class, including the teachers, knew about it,” a bitter smile appeared on Ariana’s face. “And from that moment on, I knew who the real Lunara was. Even at the age of just ten, she was as cunning as she is now. Slowly, I learned that my friends were distancing themselves from me. I didn’t understand at first. But I chose not to care. My problems with my father had become a burden for me at that time. Then I saw little Tanisha looking gloomy. She no longer greeted me with her cheerful nickname. I tried asking her, and she said her mother had an accident. Truly tragic, isn’t it? It seemed like we shared the same fate. The difference was, I was abandoned because I was unwanted. While Tanisha was abandoned because of an accident. We went through difficult days together. And then the rumors started. Lunara gave Tanisha and me such great nicknames. ‘The discarded child and the bringer of misfortune.'”