(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

Amber remained silent. Ariana didn’t speak much either. She just let Amber immerse herself in her thoughts. “Do you really want recognition from this marriage?” Amber asked later.

Ariana shook her head. “If you mean recognition that he loves me, I don’t need that. What I need is to know who I am here. As a legitimate wife, I am not acknowledged by anyone except those closest to me. Doesn’t that mean he still leaves the possibility open for people out there that my position might not be permanent? Am I wrong?” Ariana asked, wanting to know. “My role here from the beginning was just a scheme for them. Mrs. Caitlyn needed me as a replacement for Karenina to save her family from disgrace. While Gerald only needed my physical presence so that he and his family could have custody of Axel. Fine, I don’t mind. I can help them, even though their initial approach was wrong and I felt forced back then. But my concern is Axel and his custody. But do you know what happened next? Mrs. Caitlyn, with her arrogance, offered me a billion dollars to leave Gerald.”

Amber’s mouth hung open wide. “Did you accept it?”

Ariana chuckled. “Do you think I’m stupid? Of course, I refused,” Ariana replied firmly.

Amber was astonished. “Don’t tell me you’re in a drama scene rejecting money because you love the leading man?” she asked incredulously.

Ariana snorted. “Hello, Amber. If you could get diamonds, why settle for silver?” Ariana asked irritably. Amber understood; she nodded her head in understanding. “Why would I accept that money when I can get more from Gerald?” Ariana replied again.

“So, you want to use Gerald? You want to manipulate him,” Amber said.

Ariana now laughed mockingly. “For God’s sake, Amber. What kind of woman do you think I am? I just said that to annoy his beautiful mother-in-law. Besides, what would I do with that much money? Should I donate it to you?” Ariana asked. Amber nodded enthusiastically. “I don’t need that much money. I’m still healthy, and I can earn my own money in a legitimate way. I currently feel more like their plaything. Gerald feels uncomfortable too. If he knew I sold him for a billion to his mother, what do you think he would do? Sure, he might forgive me or just be upset with me. But what if he starts to hate me and does everything in his power to take revenge? Making me and my family poor because of his influence. Do you want to become a street child just because of the money I took, which is not much?” Ariana challenged. Amber shuddered in horror.

“Again, what makes me angry here is that Mrs. Isidora thinks I want to endure this marriage. Hello, I should have told her back then that the one who came begging for my help was not her, Mrs. Caitlyn, and also Mrs. Rosaline.”

Amber nodded her head vigorously. She remembered that moment well. And honestly, at that time, Amber felt uncomfortable with the presence of those three socialite women. She felt inferior just because of their appearance, which, if Amber calculated, was worth a fantastic amount.

“I have, up until now, endured my status as that guy’s wife because I love Axel. I want him to have the best among the best. From how I’ve observed Gerald’s family, they genuinely care and love the kid. I really want Axel’s custody to go to Gerald. Not to his mother’s family. Although I don’t really know what his late mother’s family is like. But seeing that kid happy with Gerald’s family, I really want to be a part of that happiness.”

“I don’t need Gerald; I don’t want to be his wife because I’m not ready to be a wife. Especially not a mother right away. From the beginning, I was prepared to let go of that status, even though it wouldn’t bring back my original status. I don’t want to be seen as stealing from my own twin sister. I don’t want to be given disdainful looks by those two people all the time. My life has been enough to make me…” Ariana couldn’t continue her sentence. Amber understood what the girl wanted to say next. She didn’t say much. Instead, Amber moved closer and hugged Ariana gently, patting her arm softly as if providing comfort.

Amber knew how unpleasant Ariana’s life had been so far. As a little girl, Ariana couldn’t enjoy her childhood because she had to take care of her father and work hard to sustain both of them. And during her teenage years, when her father became healthy again, Ariana no longer received her father’s attention because all his attention seemed to be given to his new family. And his newly born children.

Ariana never said anything, but Amber knew deep inside she felt jealous. She just wanted to be acknowledged as a daughter. Loved and cared for. Even though her stepmother was kind, that wasn’t entirely what Ariana wanted. She just wanted attention from her father.

But her father, besides being busy with his newly established business, seemed to pay more attention to Ariana’s stepsiblings. And because of that, Ariana decided to keep herself busy with work. She learned a lot from every opportunity that came her way. She challenged herself to become a successful woman so that one day she wouldn’t have to depend on anyone. So that she wouldn’t be belittled by anyone again. And so that she wouldn’t be abandoned again.

Amber heard Ariana speak again. “What I have achieved so far is my hard work. And just when I wanted to enjoy all of this, suddenly someone ties me with invisible strings they call marriage. I’m imprisoned; I can’t be myself. It feels like I can’t even breathe freely. Not to mention the looks from people who usually look down on me. They think I’m enjoying all of this and getting so lost that I forget who I am. I’m too caught up in everything, so they believe I won’t willingly leave my place. In fact, from the very beginning, I intended to let go of all of this. But they refuse to believe that fact.”

“It’s all because they’re afraid,” Amber replied finally. “Because of how Gerald treats you. They’re afraid that you might choose to stay in the end.”

“Do they think, what special treatment has Gerald given me that they’re afraid I won’t let go of him?” “It’s not that you can’t let go of Gerald. It’s that Gerald won’t be able to let go of you,” Ariana straightened her posture, looking at Amber with a furrowed brow.Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.