(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

Gerald left Ariana with a pair of short workout shorts in her hands. After he closed the walk-in closet door, only then did Ariana realize what they had just done in there. She slumped down weakly onto the long chair in the room, gripping Gerald’s shorts tightly.

Oh God, what had they just done? No. Ariana shook her head vigorously. It wasn’t what ‘they’ did. It was what ‘she,’ she herself, had done. Why had she allowed herself to be treated like that by Gerald?

Ariana covered her face with the pants still in her hands, stifling her scream. Oh God, why had she acted so cheap? She wondered in her heart. She was utterly embarrassed. Truly. Even though it wasn’t the first time they had flirted, and they had even gone further than that, still. Arrggghhh…

Ariana quickly took off her jeans and put on Gerald’s workout shorts. That darn guy. Ariana thought he would give her workout pants the size of basketball shorts, covering her legs down to her calves. In reality, he gave her workout shorts that were so short, barely reaching above her knees.

Ariana was about to change into something else and search for larger workout pants in Gerald’s closet. At least something too big would be better than what she was wearing now. But before she could, Gerald opened the door again. “I was afraid you’d pass out in there. Why were you taking so long?” he grumbled.

Ariana gripped the sides of the workout shorts she was wearing. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you, bringing me these super short shorts?” accused Ariana. Gerald glanced at her legs and then shrugged.

“Come on out. Don’t tell me you’re planning to sleep in here tonight because I won’t allow it,” he said, walking briskly and then pulling Ariana out of the walk-in closet. Out of the bathroom, out of the room, until they finally stopped in front of a tent on the balcony. The tent door was already open, and Ariana noticed the sleeping bag inside.

“Are we really camping here?” Ariana asked Gerald. Gerald just nodded. Although Ariana still felt it made no sense, she would go along with it. “If we’re staying here, why is there only one sleeping bag? Where’s the other one?” she asked again. Gerald shrugged once more.

“We can use it together. Isn’t that more comfortable?” he asked. Gerald then entered the tent, unzipped the sleeping bag, and got inside. He patted the other side of the sleeping bag, silently urging Ariana to get inside.

Ariana still stood there outside the tent. How could they possibly sleep so close together in the same sleeping bag? No, Ariana couldn’t do it. “Come on,” he said. “This way it’ll be warmer.” He persuaded her again. Ariana remained motionless. Then Gerald crawled over, forcibly grabbed Ariana’s hand, and made her sit down beside him.

Gerald smiled meaningfully. He then positioned himself lying on the sleeping bag, extending his right arm and inviting Ariana to lie down next to him. “You know, this won’t be comfortable,” Ariana muttered. But Gerald seemed unwilling to take no for an answer. Ariana complied. She lay down next to Gerald, and clearly, the single-person sleeping bag wouldn’t be enough for both of them.

Gerald rested his head on the sleeping bag’s cushion while Ariana used his right hand as her pillow.

“We can sleep facing each other, or you can sleep with your back to me. I don’t mind either way,” he said. Ariana then smirked. She chose to lie diagonally with her back to him. Gerald pulled Ariana closer until they fit snugly inside the sleeping bag. He also slept on his side, pulling Ariana’s back close to his chest. “Warm, isn’t it?” he said above Ariana’s head. Ariana could only smirk. But she couldn’t deny the fact that his body was indeed warm.

“Tell me something,” he requested. His right hand, serving as Ariana’s headrest, attempted to reach for Ariana’s left hand and interlace their fingers. Meanwhile, his left hand wrapped around Ariana’s waist, fingers entwined with her right hand. Ariana didn’t resist; she just accepted his gesture.

“What?” she asked while adjusting her position to be more comfortable.

“Anything. Something about you, about your childhood. Something you think I’d like to know,” Gerald replied. “Maybe you can tell me about your puppy love?” he chuckled.

“I don’t know, I’ve forgotten,” Ariana replied shortly. Gerald’s body tensed for a moment before he spoke again. “So you have had a crush. On whom? Chris?” he inquired curiously.

Ariana shrugged. “Besides, why do you always bring up Chris’s name? Did you have some rivalry in the past?” Ariana glanced slightly over her shoulder.

“No,” Gerald replied curtly.

Ariana tried to tease him. “I heard he always stole your girlfriends. Is that true?” she asked, attempting to provoke him.

Gerald snorted. “He didn’t steal them. I dumped them, and they turned to Chris afterward,” Gerald replied, clearly irritated. Ariana chuckled at his response.

“Maybe because Chris has an extraordinary charm,” she commented.

Gerald’s head lifted, and he glared at Ariana. “Are you now comparing your husband to other men, Mrs. Aarzu?” Gerald asked sarcastically. Ariana shrugged her shoulders. Gerald then laid his head back on the cushion. “Tell me about your first encounter with Chris,” he said again.

Ariana fell silent. “Do you really want to hear it because I know him? Or do you want to hear it because you’re so curious about my perspective on him as a man?” Ariana inquired, curious herself.

Ariana felt Gerald’s shoulder move. “Maybe both,” he replied shortly.

Ariana smiled. “When did you meet Chris?” she asked, curious. Gerald fell silent in response. Ariana guessed he was mentally counting back to his first meeting with Chris.

“I don’t remember,” Gerald replied briefly.

“I met him after Dad married Mommy. You know he’s Mommy’s cousin, right?” Ariana asked again.

Gerald fell silent. “Honestly, I didn’t know. The person I hired to gather information about you never told me about Chris. Besides, at that time, my attention was solely on you, not the people around your family,” Gerald replied honestly.This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

Ariana grinned at his response. “I got to know Chris a few years after Mommy married Dad. He’s an annoying guy. Grumpy and always looks down on women. Then, one day, I found out something about him. And he begged me not to tell anyone that secret. And I don’t know, from that moment on, we became close friends. He’s always been there for me, no matter what. Until he decided to live abroad,” Ariana replied honestly.

“What secret was that?” Gerald asked, intrigued.

Ariana shook her head. “I swore I’d never tell anyone until I die,” Ariana replied seriously.

“Did you ever fall in love with him? Considering he has such extraordinary charm?” Gerald asked, his tone sarcastic. “In your opinion?” Ariana countered, her tone ambiguous.