(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

Mrs. Rosaline called the nearest servant to her. “Where is Yosef?” she asked the servant, who turned back to look at Mrs. Rosaline with fear in his eyes. Understandably so, her Christian face clearly displayed anger.

“Um, ma’am, Mr. Yosef went out with Mrs. Ariana’s guest earlier,” the young servant stammered.

Mrs. Rosaline simply nodded and went back into the living room, closing the door behind her. She grabbed her phone and searched for Yosef’s name there. He picked up the call on the first ring. “Where are you?” she asked the middle-aged man who had devoted more than half his life to their family.

“On the way to the hospital, ma’am,” Yosef replied from the other end. He was now sitting in the car being driven by Jody, looking back where Ariana was held in Amber’s arms.

“Which hospital?” Mrs. Rosaline asked again. Yosef mentioned the name of a hospital well-known to Mrs. Rosaline. “Very well. Do as we discussed earlier,” commanded Mrs. Rosaline before ending the call.

Yosef looked back at Ariana, who closed her eyes in pain. He tried to conceal his sympathy every time he looked at her face. Ariana, the woman who had become his Christian daughter-in-law, kept too many secrets. Yosef suspected that only a few people knew the extent of her troubles. He, along with the two others in the car, was among them. Add Mrs. Rosaline, who had recently found out the reasons behind all of this.

Yosef focused his gaze on the road ahead of him. Yosef, the old man, had come to regard the Zeroun family as more than just a Christian family. Nobody knew that Yosef’s presence in the Zeroun residence was a request from Mrs. Rosaline’s parents. As a token of gratitude, Yosef had agreed to serve the family for the rest of his life. Even though he had received better job offers with higher salaries, he chose to reject them. Because the Zeroun family, especially Mrs. Rosaline, was his priority.

In his years of service, he had learned all the ins and outs of the Zeroun family. There were no secrets he didn’t know. He knew more about Mrs. Rosaline than Gerald did, and vice versa. His job required him to know everything. And now, he felt that he knew Ariana, his new daughter-in-law, even better than his own son.

Yosef glanced at Ariana again, who was now in obvious pain. He felt a deep sadness. There was only one step left for his master to achieve happiness. But why did trials keep coming their way? And why was this young woman sitting behind him, why was she suffering so much?

They arrived at a large hospital that had become a regular destination for the Zeroun family. A stretcher quickly approached them as their car pulled up in front of the emergency room. A nurse in a blue uniform moved Ariana onto the stretcher and gently pushed her inside.

“She’ll be alright,” Jody tried to reassure Amber in his arms. They were now in front of the ER waiting room when Yosef took care of his master’s administrative matters.

“Why didn’t you persuade her not to lose the baby?” Amber looked at Jody accusingly, her hands covering her face.

“For God’s sake, Amber. Do you want me to ask her to kill her own child?” Jody looked back at Amber, disappointed.

Amber fell silent, sitting with her hands covering her face, crying softly. “I don’t know. I panicked. I was scared,” she said through her tears.

Jody sat down next to her and embraced Amber again. “Do you think I’m not scared? Do you think I’m not panicking?” he asked in a softer tone. “I’m scared too, Amber. You know how much she means to me.” He continued. Jody hugged Amber tighter. Amber moved into his embrace and hugged him just as tightly. “Has your uncle said anything yet?” Jody asked above Amber’s head.

Amber shook her head slowly. “She made me swear not to tell anything to Uncle Bradley,” Amber replied softly. Jody nodded and gently rubbed Amber’s back to comfort her. “Why is she being so selfish?” Amber asked in a hushed voice.

Jody didn’t answer. He understood what Ariana wanted. And he also knew what Amber was afraid of. But this time, even though he knew Amber’s desire was right, he would support Ariana more. Knowing them since they were young made him develop feelings beyond just friendship. Both Amber and Ariana had become like his own sisters. He wanted to protect them and make them happy with whatever he could do. Even though he knew he couldn’t make them happy with his wealth, he could always be there when they needed his help.

Jody looked up when he saw the woman who had been appearing in front of him lately. It was none other than his friend’s mother-in-law. “The doctor is still examining her,” Jody said flatly. Amber, who was still crying, also looked up.

“Why are you here?” she asked in confusion. Amber looked at Jody, realizing something from his expression. “Is there something I don’t know, Jody?” she asked, probing.

Jody turned. At that moment, the ER door opened again. A doctor in a blue uniform without his coat appeared and looked at Mrs. Rosaline directly. “How is she?” Mrs. Rosaline asked, ignoring Amber’s previous question.

“Let’s discuss it in the room,” the man said. Amber and Jody got up and followed the senior doctor away from the ER room. Meanwhile, Yosef, who had just finished his administrative work, nodded slightly to Mrs. Rosaline and walked towards the ER.

The three of them entered a large room dominated by white color. A young and handsome doctor was already there with a report in his hand. “This is Dr. Akara, my assistant,” the senior doctor introduced. The handsome young man simply looked at the three guests brought by his senior and nodded his head slightly in greeting. When the senior doctor sat down, the young doctor placed his report and began to explain.