The sound of rustling accompanied by a loud bump disturbed Gerald's sleep. "Dad! Move over!" The irritated voice was followed by a rather strong push on Gerald's chest and thigh. It turned out the kid was pushing Gerald's thigh with both of his feet while his hands pushed Gerald's chest from behind his back. "What's wrong with you?" Gerald asked groggily. "What's wrong with Dad," grumbled Axel. "Last night, Axel slept cuddling with Mommy. Why is Mommy rolling away now?" The kid complained. Annoyed, Gerald finally opened his eyes and saw Ariana's back, which was now a whole arm's length away from him, while Axel was in between them. He glared at Axel, as if the child had taken away his favorite toy. "You! Can't you see Dad's happy for a bit?" he grumbled irritably. Axel turned, looking back at his father with equal annoyance. "This is Axel's place, Dad," the boy retorted, making Ariana chuckle. She had been presumed to be still asleep. Ariana slowly turned, stretching her arms and
"Stop talking nonsense, Shelma!" Gerald snapped harshly. Instead of being silent, Shelma just shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not talking nonsense, Gerald. I'm just stating what I've heard. I've heard all this time that the two of them were very close. In fact, extremely close. My sources even say she spent time at his apartment. What else could a man and a woman do in a closed room?" Shelma asked again. Ariana laughed. "What do you think?" she countered. Shelma looked at Ariana with a sly smile on her face. "Of course, fulfilling long-suppressed desires and passions. Besides, I heard you've been separated for quite a while. For years," the woman replied arrogantly. Ariana's laughter grew longer. She nodded her head slowly. "Is that how you spend time alone with a man in a closed room?" she said flatly. Shelma was taken aback, shocked to hear Ariana's question directed at her. "Ma'am, I didn't mean it like that. But it's true that a long-separated couple would do nothing but to indul
After finishing breakfast, Axel was led by his caretaker to return to his room and get ready for school. Meanwhile, Ariana and Gerald went back to their room on the second floor. What was unusual was that Ariana seemed unenthusiastic. When they arrived in their room, she didn't move towards the bathroom or prepare as she usually did. Instead, she chose to sit on the couch. "Aren't you going to the restaurant?" Gerald asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. Gerald sat down next to Ariana. "Are you okay? Are you sick?" he asked again, touching Ariana's forehead gently. Ariana shook her head softly. Gerald knew that Ariana's demeanor had nothing to do with what Shelma had said earlier. Clearly, something else was occupying her thoughts. "When will Axel's matters be settled?" the question came out of Ariana's mouth suddenly. Gerald looked at her with furrowed brows. "I'm just reminding you, Gerald. Wasn't the reason for this marriage to gain full custody of Axel? So when wil
Gerald arrived at the office feeling utterly chaotic. His day became even more chaotic when he received news that the ship carrying his raw materials had sprung a leak and nearly sank in the middle of the ocean. He considered himself lucky that some of his ordered goods could still be salvaged. Nevertheless, it made his head throb with pain. Lately, Gerald's mood had been like the fluctuating stock market. Unpredictably changing, sometimes he felt happy, but in a split second, he could become furious without clear reasons. And the only person he could vent his frustrations on now was the one most loyal to him—none other than Vivan. Just like now. Gerald paced back and forth, occasionally running his fingers through his hair, while Vivan stood motionless in front of his desk, his expression blank. "Ariana asked me about the progress of Axel's adoption process. Who does she think I am? A member of child protection services? A social worker? She knows I'm a businessman, not a governme
Gerald's shoulders tensed immediately. "What do you mean?" he said harshly. Shelma tilted her head again. "Just say it, she's pregnant right now. And she's hiding it from you. Then link all of this with Chris's arrival. And her spending nights with him when you should have been enjoying your honeymoon as newlyweds. Could it be that the baby she's carrying right now belongs to Chris?" she asked rhetorically. "It's possible, isn't it? Or maybe it's someone else's baby other than both of yours?" Gerald clenched his fists and looked at Shelma with an anger he could no longer contain. "Don't insult my wife, Shelma. She's a good woman. She's not the kind of woman who would sleep with random men like you." Karenina widened her eyes. While Shelma feigned a shocked expression. Even her manicured hands rose, touching her chest. "How could you be so rough, Gerald?" she asked sadly. "How can you be sure she's a good woman when even the number of times you've met her can be counted on one hand?
The bad thoughts kept repeating in his head. Vivan, who was still standing there, could only look at Gerald with concern, but she didn't say much. Chris. Once again, that name echoed in Gerald's mind. All because of Chris. If only that man didn't show up again, none of this trouble would have happened. Yes. Gerald could be sure, even though Ariana had spent a few nights with Chris, he was sure Ariana and Chris hadn't gone too far. But what about make out? Could they have done it? He wondered silently. Suddenly his chest felt hot. He was jealous. But even so, he still felt victorious because he was the one who took Ariana's virginity first. Yes. Gerald was certain Ariana was still a virgin. Gerald knew that for sure. Although virginity operations were not uncommon nowadays, Gerald knew Ariana hadn't done it. So if Ariana was really pregnant, Gerald was one hundred percent sure that the baby in her womb was his. So the other option Gerald had was his second assumption about Shelma.
"Yes! You lied to me, Ariana. I trusted you!" the man snapped harshly. Ariana continued to stare at him in silence, her eyes starting to well up. Not because she was scared, but more because she was holding back her anger. "What do you mean I lied?" she asked, not understanding. "Everything," Gerald replied harshly. "Everything!" he repeated, his voice rising. "You said you didn't go anywhere, but all day long, since I dropped you off at the restaurant, you were never there. You didn't even step inside. Where did you go? Did you meet another man out there?" he accused roughly. "And some time ago, you went to the mother and child hospital. Why didn't you tell me you went there? What were you doing there? Were you checking your pregnancy and planning to abort it without my knowledge?" he continued with accusations that sounded unreasonable to Ariana. Instead of answering his questions, Ariana burst into laughter. "What is this? Are you writing a screenplay?" she asked mockingly. "I'
"A Widowed Leaf!" the shout echoed loudly, causing the listener to raise an eyebrow. "Isn't that a trendy type of plant?" Ariana asked her cousin. "What are you doing here?" Amber looked at Ariana, puzzled. "As far as I know, this is still my apartment, Amber," Ariana replied casually. She, who had been standing in the kitchen, now walked over to the sofa in front of the TV. "So, are you going to kick me out?" Amber asked, annoyed. Ariana shrugged. "I'll think about it later," she replied and chose to turn on the television. Amber, who had just put her shoes in the closet, now walked towards Ariana, who was changing channels without any interest in watching TV. "I'm seriously asking you, Ariana. What are you doing here? Does your husband know?" "I'm sure he knows where I am. You know he has subordinates everywhere," Ariana replied casually. Amber shook her head, refusing to accept her friend's answer. "Are you two fighting again? Are you running away again?" she asked. Ariana