(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

Ariana groaned. “Let me remind you, dear Mr. Gerald. In case you forgot, I’ve already showered. So, of course, I smell good.” Ariana tried to keep her voice regular, even though she wanted to sigh, especially now that Gerald’s lips teased her. Kissing the side of his neck and behind his ear. If only the man’s legs weren’t holding him back. Maybe Ariana had fallen on the floor because her knees suddenly felt weak.

“You said… Oh My God Ariana!” Amber’s screams rang through the room. She, who had suddenly opened the door, was shocked by the condition of Ariana and a man who was stuck together, pressed against the wall like lizards mating. Ariana tried to push Gerald, but the man still didn’t move where he was. Maintaining their position makes people think they are being perverted.

“Who are you?” The question just came out of Axel. The three adults forgot about Axel’s presence, who had been swallowed by the back of the sofa. “What’s wrong with Mom and Dad?” His green eyes looked at Gerald and Ariana alternately. Gerald was also surprised. He moved away from Ariana and approached Axel.

“Mom? Dad?” Amber stared at Ariana, her eyes filled with questions. ‘Who is he, and why is he calling you Mom?’

“I’ll explain later,” Ariana replied flatly. She straightened her clothes and hair, which were perfectly fine. Then she walked closer to Axel. “Axel, Mommy has to work now, okay? Don’t be naughty. Try to put Papa to sleep if you can.” Ariana patted Axel’s head, and he nodded in response. She then gave him a quick kiss on his head. “If you’re looking for Mommy, Mommy will be downstairs.” Once again, Axel nodded.

Ariana then walked away from them. When she reached the door, Gerald called her. Reluctantly, Ariana turned. The man blew her a kiss from afar. Ariana was taken aback. She was surprised by his flirtatious behavior, something she had never expected. As she realized what had just happened, she shuddered and left, closing the door quite forcefully behind her.

“So? Who’s that guy, and who’s the kid? Why did he suddenly call you Mom? You were gone for less than 24 hours, Ana. It’s not possible to get pregnant and give birth in a day, is it? I mean, even growing chili peppers takes time. How can a child be born and grow that big overnight?” Amber ranted as they made their way to the kitchen.

“Stop for now, Amber. Let’s work first. We can continue this conversation later,” Ariana said, walking toward the kitchen supplies cabinet. She put on an apron and a headband before heading to the messy kitchen. “How’s it going? Have you finished everything?” She asked the employees who were cleaning the ingredients.

“Where were you? Heard a handsome guy was looking for you. Where is he?” Shelin, another woman working for her, besides Amber and Dara, now glanced at her teasingly.

“Was it Bryan who said that?” Ariana asked. Shelin shook her head. She nodded her head toward Jody. “How do you know?”

“I was walking behind you earlier. Just got back from buying spices.” Jody replied with his sly smile. “No wonder you got a call out of the blue this morning. Turns out there’s a kid and a man asking to be taken in, huh?” He teased again.

“Shut up, Jod. Work, just work. Don’t gossip about my life,” Ariana slapped her hand over the guy’s mouth. She then grabbed a knife and prepared to clean the onions.

The employees were ready with their respective tasks, and so was Ariana. Amidst chatting and jokes, time flew by, and unexpectedly, the clock showed it was already eleven o’clock.

Jody had chalk in his hand, ready to write the menu on the announcement board outside the door. Amber had checked the lunch bookings and was prepared to mark the tables according to the order and the customer’s names.

The Dutch door leading to the kitchen swung open. Ariana turned and saw little Axel entering. “Mommy…” the child whined and approached her. The employees in the kitchen turned simultaneously. Their eyes widened in surprise when they saw Axel coming in. The handsome boy’s gaze was fixed on Ariana. “Axel is hungry.”

Ariana approached the child. “Does Axel want to eat now? What do you want to eat, Sweetie?” “Axel wants chicken,” he replied. Ariana furrowed her brow.

“We don’t have fried chicken here, Sweetie. Mommy will make lunch first, okay? Does Axel like meatball soup?” she asked. Axel looked at her confused. “Mommy will make soup. It has round pieces of meat in it. Would you like that?” she asked. Axel just nodded, although Ariana was sure the boy didn’t understand. “Can Axel go to Papa first?” she asked, and the boy nodded again.

Today’s lunch menu happened to include pasta with meatballs. So, Ariana didn’t have too much trouble making soup for her sudden father-and-son guests.

She grabbed the vegetables and prepared to chop them into the right size. She boiled water in a medium-sized pot and got her vegetables ready. She also made egg rolls to go with the meal. The delightful aroma filled the kitchen. “Why are you making so little? We want some too,” Jody said, returning from putting up the announcement board. He was ready, wearing his apron and preparing to cook for their guests. And coincidentally, their first visitor had arrived.

“I’m not making this for you. If you want, make it yourself,” she grumbled. Ariana transferred rice into a large bowl, put the soup in another, and placed the eggs on a plate. The tray already held empty bowls for eating and other utensils. “I’m going upstairs. Take care of the customers.” She excused herself to Jody.

Amber and Dara, seeing Ariana carrying the tray, teased her. “Awww, for what reason are you being so attentive, Ariana?” “For love, of course, Mba. Can’t be for money,” Dara responded, joining in on Amber’s teasing.

“Stop being nosy, or I’ll cut your salaries,” Ariana reprimanded. Instead of being quiet, they just giggled.

Ariana reached the upper floor. Without knocking, she gently opened the wooden door. The two men of different ages turned their heads simultaneously. They were sitting, embracing each other behind Ariana’s desk. “What are you two doing?” she asked, more directed at Gerald.

“Papa said he wanted to check on Mommy,” Axel replied innocently. “Look at the pretty pictures of Mommy.” Axel pointed at the laptop screen with his small finger. Ariana widened her eyes. She placed the tray on the table and quickly walked over to her desk.

“You, really. This is a privacy violation,” Ariana immediately grabbed her laptop and promptly closed it.

“What a violation of privacy. My people have seen more than that.” Gerald’s head went up and down. His eyes scanned Ariana’s body from top to bottom. The man then seductively rubbed his lips. Ariana ignored him. “Besides, it’s your own fault. Why wasn’t your laptop locked?” Gerald said as he got up from his seat and walked towards Ariana. The man was standing behind Ariana. His nose smelled Ariana’s body. “Your scent makes me even hungrier.” He whispered in Ariana’s ear. Ariana elbowed the man in the stomach before stepping away. Gerald complained softly, but Ariana ignored him.

“What is this, Mommy?” Axel asked the bowl in front of him.

“That’s soup, darling.”

“What is the green and orange one, Mommy?”

Ariana sat on the long sofa and patted the side. Ask Axel to sit there. “The light green ones are cabbage leaves; the orange ones are carrots. The pale yellow ones are potatoes.

“I don’t like that, Mommy,” Axel whined, pouting.

Ariana felt her eyebrows twitch. She didn’t understand children’s preferences at all, and she knew she couldn’t force him. “Why doesn’t Axel like them?” The child shook his head. “Has Axel tried them before?” The child shook his head again. “Axel, honey,” Ariana gently stroked the child’s head. “You shouldn’t say you don’t like something if you haven’t tried it, if you haven’t experienced it. That’s not right, Sweetie.” The child looked up at her, seeming afraid of her scolding. His face was already teary.

Ariana remembered that the child had received mistreatment from his late mother’s family. Although Ariana didn’t know the exact nature of the mistreatment, it was clear that it had eroded the child’s self-confidence.

Ariana picked up an empty bowl and poured some soup into it. “What would Axel like to eat? This round thing here is called meatball, in Indonesian, it’s called ‘bakso.’ Mommy made it from beef. Want to give it a try?”

Axel nodded. Ariana cut the meatball in half, revealing the fibers of the beef. She scooped it up with some broth and fed it to Axel. The child opened his mouth and chewed. “Is it good?” she asked. Axel nodded. “Now, try the carrot. Just a bite. If you don’t like it, you can spit it out here.” Ariana grabbed a tissue and placed it on Axel’s lap. The child looked fearfully at the square piece of carrot on the spoon. However, when Ariana brought the spoon closer, he opened his mouth.

One chew, and the child didn’t spit it out. “How does it taste?”

“Sweet.” A pleased nod came from Axel. Ariana then took a small piece of cabbage leaf and fed it to Axel, followed by a diced potato. As a result, after two rounds of refilling his rice, there was nothing left in Axel’s bowl. Meanwhile, Gerald just observed the interaction between Ariana and Axel. So, where was the cold girl he had witnessed yesterday, displaying her icy demeanor to everyone? He wondered silently.