(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

“Axel is not my biological son.” Gerald’s answer made Ariana look up. Her eyes looked at Gerald confusedly. “I have a brother. His name is Axelo Darrel Zeroun. He is four years younger than me. One time, he got drunk and made love to a girl. He said she was his classmate on campus.

We thought it was just a one-night stand. You know the society of today’s young people. But it turns out our guess was wrong. Darrel is really into that girl. He was willing to give everything to the girl.

My father didn’t accept it. He wanted Darrel to focus more on his studies and work at the company.

An unsanctioned love and typical youth rebellion. Darrel chose that woman over his family. This situation happened about five years ago. Darrel’s age is the same as you are now.

At that time, I didn’t know. I am busy with my studies and work abroad. I didn’t know about Darrel’s rebellion because no one told me. And Darrel also changed into a more closed person at that time.

Then, something happened. Father and my brother suddenly died in an accident. I returned from abroad and realized that the men in my family were gone, leaving only me. At that time, I still didn’t know that Darrel had secretly married the woman he loved without our knowledge.

After Darrel’s funeral, I went back abroad with the intention of settling my affairs there before ultimately deciding to stay here and continue my father’s business. About a year and a half after my return to Indonesia, the new resident of my condominium contacted me. He wanted to send me my old belongings that were still left in the condo. I accepted the packages without opening any of them. Until about a year ago, I found it-a letter sent by Darrel to me.

The will contained the revelation that he had married a woman he loved but wasn’t approved by our father. It stirred something within me, and I started to investigate. However, the information I gathered revealed that the woman had passed away six months after Darrel’s accident.

I couldn’t stop there. I asked my contacts to find out more about her, her family, and even small details about her life. I discovered the fact that she had given birth to Darrel’s son, a boy who was heartlessly placed in an orphanage by her family.

I tried to locate the child’s whereabouts. My mother and grandmother were still unaware of his existence, and I didn’t want to raise their hopes about a truth that hadn’t been unveiled. Eventually, we found where the child had been left, but when we attempted to bring him with us, the family of Darrel’s late wife took him from us. They claimed that they couldn’t afford to care for Darrel’s child at that time.

I attempted to regain custody of Axel, but legally, we lost. They were cunning, using Axel as a means to extort money from me. I didn’t mind giving them anything they wanted, even Darrel’s assets that rightfully belonged to Axel. But it turned out that all the money I provided didn’t make them treat Axel kindly.

I was furious, but my position was powerless. I was just a brother, and I wasn’t even aware of their marriage or Axel’s birth. Meanwhile, they were the grandparents who took care of Axel’s mother during her pregnancy and childbirth.

I could have reported them to the authorities, but the evidence was in their favor. In fact, I could only bring Axel to this house and legally adopt him if I had a complete family. Because a child should be under the protection of both his father and mother. Of course, loving and caring parents. That’s why I intended to marry Karenina, your twin sister.

I married her not out of love, but because of the win-win solution they offered. I would have a wife and mother for Axel in terms of status, while they would receive my money to support their business. I knew that Karenina wouldn’t fully love Axel, and to me, it didn’t matter. The love and care from my mother and grandmother felt sufficient to cover everything.

They agreed. Brooks, his wife, and their child all agreed. I had already introduced Axel to Karenina and shared stories about his cute antics. She seemed to accept him back then, although I knew her acceptance wasn’t from the heart. Her acceptance was more about what she would gain by marrying me.

Of course, with a limitless credit card and all the comforts that came with bearing the Zeroun name, she couldn’t refuse. I even knew that she had broken up with her boyfriend for this marriage. And right now, they might be on a date somewhere, thinking I’m unaware of their whereabouts.”

Ariana stared at Gerald with a disbelieving look. “If you know where he is, why didn’t you look for him and bring him here?” She asked with fiery anger in her tone. Ariana was clearly upset, feeling deceived once again by Gerald’s actions. “If you know where he is, you should be marrying him right now. Instead, you’re forcing me to sign an unclear contract. You’re kidnapping my father and dragging him here to be the unwanted guardian of a marriage I don’t want.” She continued, not lowering her voice one bit, although Gerald didn’t care if anyone outside heard them; after all, the room they were in was soundproof.

“Why should I bother bringing her back when I don’t want her anymore?” Gerald’s statement left Ariana stunned. “I no longer want her after seeing your existence. If my marriage to Karenina was just a necessity to meet Axel’s adoption requirements, then my marriage to you is not only for Axel’s needs but for mine as well,” he casually stated.

Ariana widened her eyes at Gerald, who was now wearing a lecherous smile. Her body shivered involuntarily. Her mind was replaying what had happened between them not long ago.

Oh God, her mind was now tainted with explicit thoughts because of him. Even her body, which had remained untouched, had been exposed to him. A complete stranger who was now her husband. A complete stranger she had met less than 24 hours ago but had already seen her in such an intimate state. Ariana was indeed a virgin in every sense, meaning her body had never been touched. She hadn’t even kissed anyone before.

But her eyes had clearly seen explicit things. Well, at 25 years old, she couldn’t claim to be completely ignorant of such matters, even though she had never experienced them. However, earlier, she had come close to trying everything she had ever seen.

“Then, by marrying me, you can adopt Axel?” “Yes and no,” Gerald answered casually.

“What do you mean by yes and no? After all of this, after all the coercion you’ve subjected me to, the decision about Axel is still uncertain?” Ariana asked, once again with fiery passion.

“The decision lies with the Child Protection Agency. Do you think adoption is as simple as going to an orphanage, signing a paper, and the child becomes ours? It’s not that easy, my dear. They have to investigate the family’s circumstances that want to adopt the child. Financially, whether they will provide well for the child. Harmoniously, whether they will place the child in the right family. And other comparisons. I win financially, and we just need to show them that we’re a harmonious family, then,” Gerald snapped his fingers, “Axel will be under the Zeroun name.”