YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

After his revelation, Franklin felt ashamed of himself. That incident had become a painful memory for him. He didn't want to bring it up in front of anyone, especially Violla.

"So, that was what happened." Violla finally understood what happened. The mother-daughter duo sowed discord between Franklin and her. After that, they hooked her up with a male escort to destroy her innocence. Following the incident, they got the media to destroy her reputation. Finally, they let Leila seize upon Franklin's moment of weakness to seduce him.

Unfortunately, both Franklin and Violla were too innocent to see through their schemes. Hence, both of them were ensnared by the trap.

"Actually, after getting to know the mother-daughter duo better, I surmised that they were the ones behind what happened. It's just that… when I see my son, I just couldn't bear to hold them accountable." Franklin let out a deep sigh as remorse overwhelmed him.

"I understand your predicament." Violla smiled wryly. "After Leila returns the necklace, I will get the kids transferred to another school. As long as the mother-daughter duo don't bother me, we can draw a clear line between each other."

With that, she stood up to leave.

"Veeh!" Franklin grabbed her hand and gazed deep into her eyes. "Please give me another chance. Once I resolve this mistake, I will be free to be with you."

"The ship has sailed. There's no way we can go back." Violla retracted her hand and left resolutely.

Despite her regrets and lingering feelings for Franklin it was clear to her that rewinding the clock was impossible.

As Franklin watched Violla leave with a forlorn expression, he didn't notice that someone was taking pictures of them secretly.

Violla planned to take a taxi back but noticed that the Romans' family Maybach was still waiting for her.

She quickly got in and thanked the driver.On the way back, there was a lot on her mind.

Davon told her that her dad's personal assets were not seized. In that case, Smith and his family must have taken over her family's assets. As for Franklin's revelation that it was the Romans Group's takeover of Milan Corporation that caused it to go bankrupt.....

On the surface, these two matters seem unrelated. But in reality, they were in conflict with each other.

'If what Davon said was true, that would mean there is a traitor amongst the Smiths. It would also mean that Davon's conscience is clear. Or else, why would he bring it up for me to investigate?'

However, given Violla's understanding of Franklin, she knew he wouldn't lie. Let alone malign Davon.

'What is really going on?' Violla got a headache just thinking about it. Sighing, she looked out the window. Just when she wanted to calm herself down, she saw Bar DWF being sealed off.

Stunned, she quickly cried out, "Stop the car."

The driver stopped by the roadside.When she alighted to investigate, she saw the sealing notice stating that it was a permanent closure. Puzzled, she gave Fred a call.

"Hello, Violla?" Fred started.

"Fred, I just passed by the bar just now and saw it being sealed. What happened?" She inquired.

"We've stopped doing business and are closed forever." Fred was depressed.

"Why?" she probed further.

"There's no need for you to know. By the way, Violla, I have transferred your pay for your final night into your account. Did you receive it?' he asked.

"I'll check it in a while." she replied.

"Let me know once you do." he said.

"I will." She told him.

"Violla, if you have the chance please beg for mercy on behalf of Drew…"

"Wait, what?" Violla was stunned.

"Nothing, just pretend I didn't say anything. Goodbye." Fred ended the call quickly.

Stunned, it took a while for Violla to regain her senses. 'Did the bar's closure have something to do with Drew?'

She thought back to that night where Drew was drugged and lost his mind. When he tried to force himself on her, it was escort that saved her.

'Did the escort take revenge on Drew and even closed Bar DWF? However,the escort was just an escort. He isn't capable of something like that.Unless he is Davon!' Violla ruminated.

Indeed, Davon was the only one who had the ability to stop the Bar DWF from operating.

Violla then thought about Clyde, the Rolls-Royce, and all the other pieces of evidence.

Everything was pointing toward the fact that Davon was the escort.

'If that's true, then Davon is the father of my children.Well, I guess a genius president who's powerful in the corporate world is better than an escort from a nightclub.' At those thoughts, Violla could not help but feel overjoyed. In fact, she even started imagining the scene of her children meeting their father.

However, she soon stopped her wishful thinking.

'No, if Romans Group had been the one who took over Milan Corporation and led it to bankruptcy, which in turn forced my father to a dead end, then Davon is the murderer of my father.How can the murderer of my father be the father of my children?' At that thought, Violla's heart sank.

"Miss Milan." The driver's voice interrupted Violla's train of thoughts. Returning to her senses, she said to the driver, "I have something to attend to. You can go back first."

"All right." The driver nodded to her before leaving.

Violla then took out her phone and started calling a list of people that she had not contacted for a long time.

She made fifteen consecutive calls, but only four picked up, and only one agreed to meet.

Violla rushed to the location they agreed on.

On her way there, she felt conflicted. On one hand, she wished that Davon were the escort, but on the other, she hoped that he wasn't.

In fact, she wished Franklin had made a mistake,that the bankruptcy of Milan Corporation and her father's death had nothing to do with Davon.

Soon, she reached Jude Realty. When she entered the office and saw its surroundings, Violla was surprised.

The vice president of Milan Corporation and Gerald's right-hand man Jude, now had a real estate company with a grand total of five employees.

When Jude saw Violla, an awkward expression crept upon his face. He quickly assigned tasks to his subordinates before he led Violla to a nearby café. In a rather passionate yet slightly awkward manner, he greeted, "Miss, it's been many years since we've seen each other. You still look the same. I've been thinking of contacting you, but I was worried that I'd disrupt your life."

"There's no need to be so formal. Just call me by my name," Violla replied with a smile.

"How can I?" Jude panicked. "You're Mr. Milan's daughter, and Mr. Milan is my savior."

"My Dad helped many people, but you're the only one who agreed to meet with me. I'm already grateful for that." Violla sighed before she finally started the solemn topic.

"Mr. Jude, I know you're busy, so I'll be frank with you. I'm here because I wish to find out what happened four years ago. Why did Milan Corporation suddenly go bankrupt? Why did my father decide to take such extreme actions?" Violla went straight to the point.

"I…" Upon broaching the subject, Jude became melancholic. "Mr. Milan had told me not to tell you about those things, he hoped that you can lead a peaceful life."

"Mr. Jude..." Violla started.

"Before he passed on, he left something for you," Jude interrupted.

He then took out a small box from his pocket. In the box was a black key that he handed to her with a grave expression.

"Mr. Milan said to give you this when you come to look for me. The item's in upper hill Mausoleum's number 105 safe. There are two locks on it, and the passcode is your mother's birthday."

Upon hearing those words and seeing the black key, tears welled up in Violla's eyes.

Violla had known since young that her father had a red wooden box. In the box were some important documents, as well as her mother's photo.

Although she had never seen her mother, her father always told her that her mother was like an angel and a perfect woman.

Her mother had died after giving birth to her, and her father never remarried. He did his best to be both her mother and father.He worked hard to climb up to the top of the corporate world, just so that he could give her the very best.

Although Violla understood nothing back then, she knew her father loved her mother dearly, and her mother was an excellent woman.

As such, even though her mother had never taken care of her, she never felt a hint of grievance toward her. All she felt was a sense of longing for her mother.

After her father passed away, Violla thought of looking for the red wooden box. However, she could not find it anywhere. In the end, she thought it had been seized. It was only now that she found out her father had put it at Mausoleum before his death.

Perhaps he had realized something would happen to him early on, and that was why he had made early preparations for his daughter.

"Mr. Jude, why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Violla took the key with slightly trembling hands. "I've been looking high and low for this box four years ago."

Jude sighed and murmured, "If I were to give you the box four years ago, many would've been after it. Too many people had their eyes on you back then. You were like a fish on the board, waiting to be gutted. There was no way you could defend yourself. Your father expected that, and that was why he asked me to hand this to you five years later. I never thought you'd come to me a year earlier than the expected date."

"So, my Dad planned this early on." Violla took in a deep breath as she collected herself. "What happened back then? Can you talk to me about it? I just want to know the truth."

"Miss, it's best if you stop asking about it." Jude's brows were tightly knitted, and he muttered, "I can only say that it's impossible for Mr. Milan to commit suicide when he has a precious daughter to take care of . He was set up by someone."

At that, Jude became so agitated that his hand that was holding the cup shook.

"Who is it?" Violla questioned. "Who set my father up?"

"That person is too powerful for you to win against." Jude clenched his fists, trying his best to hold back his emotions. "It's all in the past now, and it won't be good for you to learn too much. It's best if you just protect yourself well."

"But...." Violla started.

"Miss, I still have some matters to attend to in the office. I'll take my leave first." Before Violla could ask him more questions, Jude stood up and was about to leave.

"Mr. Jude..." Violla wanted to stop him, but he was swift to leave. After taking a few steps, he seemed to have recalled something and turned around to tell her, "By the way, Miss, you have to be careful about Smith Milan and his family."

With that, Jude left.

Violla stared at his retreating figure as a myriad of emotions washed over her. 'What did he mean by that? He said that the person who set my dad up is powerful, and now he's telling me to be wary of Smith and his family. In other words, he's telling me…The one who set my father up isn't Smith.Could it really be Davon then?'

Hundreds of thoughts raced across Violla's mind as she stared at the black key in her hands. She hesitated, wondering if she should head to the Mausoleum now for the red wooden box.

It was too dangerous at home, and she could not possibly take the box to Davon's place.

There was nowhere safe for the box to be at, so Violla felt that leaving the box in the Mausoleum would be the best decision to make.

After mulling over it, Violla decided to return to Davon's place first.

She left the café and was about to hail a cab when she realized she did not know the address of Romans' residence.

Right then, a Maybach drove over, and its driver came down the car to open the door for her. Respectfully, the driver said, "Miss Milan, this way please."

"Why are you here?" Violla blurted out.

"Mr. Roman has instructed me to bring you back safely, so I've been waiting for you from afar. I hope I haven't disrupted you," the driver explained politely.

However, his words sent chills running down Violla's spine. She suddenly realized Davon was watching every move she made. It was impossible for her to escape from Davon.

By the time she returned to the Romans' residence, the sun had set. As night approached, it looked as though a black veil had blanketed across the sky, making it look mysterious and distant.

Coming down from the car, Violla was distracted. Various questions were running amok in her mind, waiting for the answers that could settle them down.

"Miss Milan," she was acknowledged by surrounding guards and maids.For a moment, Violla felt as if she was the lady of the house.

She shook her head, trying to shake the thought off her mind. "Where's Mr. Roman?" she asked.

"Mr. Roman is at the pool. I'll lead you there," a maid replied.

"All right. Thank you." Violla followed the maid across the garden to the pool. From afar, she could see a large blue lamp shining at the pool.The light made the surface of the pool shimmer, and she could see a figure swimming in it.

Under the light, his slender figure seemed nimble. Looking at him, she could feel that familiar enigmatic sense exuding off him.

Violla jogged toward him. She wanted to use the opportunity to find out whether he had the tattoo on his lower back.

However, when she went closer, she realized the pool was huge, and Davon was swimming in the middle of it. From the land, she could see a patch of dark green on his back, which meant he had a tattoo. Nonetheless, she could not see the design of his tattoo clearly.

Violla's heart leaped into her throat as she jogged to the other end of the pool.She wanted to get closer to him for a better view.

However, the moment she came closer, he swam to the other side. Hence, she jogged over again.What happened next was her running after him as he swam laps.When Davon surfaced and wiped his face, he gave her a mocking look.It was as though he was looking at a fool.

"Are you doing this intentionally?" Violla huffed as she hunched over, tired from all the chasing.With a smile, he lowered himself into the water again and continued swimming.

The tattoo seemed to fade in and out of his back, tempting Violla to go closer.Furious, Violla whirled around to leave, but her footsteps halted after taking a few steps.

'No. I can't leave. If I don't find out about his identity today, I'm not sure I'll have any more future opportunities to do so.Even if we're in the bedroom, I doubt I would have the time nor sense to find out about his tattoo…It's crowded here, so he can't do much to me.'

With that thought, Violla returned. Beside the pool were ivory lounge chairs and tables. On the table was a bottle of red wine, a bucket of ice, and some desserts.

Violla took an ice cube out from the bucket and tossed it at Davon.The ice cube landed beside him, and Davon jolted a little before he continued swimming.

Violla then tossed another piece. Like the previous ice cube, this one landed beside Davon again.

After a few seconds, Davon popped out of the water and shot a glare at her.She threw a handful of ice cubes at him.This time, the ice cubes landed on Davon's back, bottom, and head.

Finally, Davon was enraged, and he started swimming in her direction.Standing at the edge of the pool, Violla tiptoed as she tried to peek at Davon's back.

'I must see his tattoo this time.'

Like a sailfish, Davon came close to her in seconds.

Meanwhile, Violla continued staring at the tattoo on his back. Under the blue light, the patch of ink started getting clearer and clearer.Just as she was about to see the pattern clearly, a hand suddenly grabbed her ankle and tugged on it.

Splash! Violla fell right into the pool. Her arms flailed about as water invade her nose and mouth. She was struggling like a cat that was drowning.

In the meantime, Davon simply watched her from the side, indifferent to her struggles. In fact, a taunting smile was plastered on his lips.

Just as Violla was about to sink into the water, Davon finally reached out to scoop her out of the pool.She spat out a mouthful of pool water right onto Davon's face.

Davon quickly shut his eyes before he gritted out, "Violla Milan you're dead meat!"

Violla panted for a while before she came back to her senses. Immediately, she turned Davon around to look at his lower waist.