YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

The driver got out of the car first and rushed to the back to help Violla out of the car.

At that moment, Franklin appeared before them and greeted, "Welcome, Mr. Roman!"

"Greetings, Mr. Roman. I'm Leila, the young mistress of the Stanleys..." Before Leila could finish her sentence, her eyes widened in shock as Violla's gorgeous face appeared before her.

"Violla?" Leila stuttered.

"Veee!" Franklin said, confused by her sudden appearance. "Why are you here?"

"Aunt Amira told me to come," Violla answered, raising her hand. Two medical assistants rushed forward to help her up while Immaculate pushed a wheelchair over.

"Since when did you get to ride in a Rolls-Royce Phantom?" Leila scoffed. "Did you rent the car and hire your maids?"

Immaculate glared at her in silence.

"Ma'am, this is indeed the Roman family's Phantom," Franklin's assistant whispered. "The driver is one of Mr. Roman's personal bodyguards. I've met him before!"

"How could this be?" Leila said, confused. "Why would the Roman family chauffeur Violla to this party? It's not like she's important or anything."

"Mrs. Stanley," Immaculate said, unable to keep her cool any longer. "Miss Milan is Mr. Roman's esteemed guest."

"It's alright, Immaculate," Violla said, cutting her off. "Thanks for sending me here. You can go home now."

"We'll be waiting for you in the parking area," Immaculate said. She figured that Violla did not want to drag her into her personal matters, so she got into the car and told the driver to leave the scene.

"Wow, I wonder what you did to pique Roman's interest?" Leila snickered. "Looks like you're a pretty talented wh*re!"

"Shut up!" Franklin yelled.

"Hey! Why are you yelling at me?" Leila shrieked, her face beet red. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No one has the right to talk about Mr. Roman like that!" Franklin warned. "You're going to get us all into trouble!"

Leila fell silent upon hearing his words, visibly disturbed by them.

"I got injured during work hours, so my boss assigned a private doctor to chauffeur me here. That's all," Violla explained.

She did not want to associate herself with Davon more than necessary since it would do more harm than good in the long run. She saw herself as an ordinary woman living an ordinary life, and sucking up to some rich man was the last thing on her mind.

Besides, Davon Roman was a pretty difficult person to deal with. "I'll suffer if I become a nuisance to him!" Violla thought.

"I see..." Leila said, sighing in relief. "You're just riding on his coattails! How shameful!"

"Can't you shut up for a moment?" Franklin bellowed.

"Why are you being so impatient with me?" Leila yelled, stomping her foot.

"Look who's here!" a voice suddenly rang out. Violla turned around to see Amira walking over with the vaguest smile she had ever seen. "You're still as beautiful as ever. Oh! What happened to you? Why are you in a wheelchair?"

"She's injured. Take her inside," Franklin said, gesturing to his assistant, who rushed forward and helped Violla push her wheelchair into the courtyard.

Leila pulled her mother to the side with a frown. "Mom! Why did you invite her of all people! You're just creating more trouble for me!"

"No, sweetie, I'm seeking revenge for you! You silly child, I'm trying to stand up for you!" Amira pulled Leila closer and said in a low voice, "It took you so much effort to marry into the Stanley family and produce a son for Franklin. How could I let someone else destroy this happiness for you when you didn't come by it so easily in the first place?"

"Mom, do you mean...?" Leila asked.

"Tonight, I'm going to force Violla to face reality. Someone has to teach her to know when to back off." Amira laughed coldly. "Just you wait and see!"

"You love me the most, Mom." Leila threw her arms around Amira and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Mom, do you know that Franklin has been treating me coldly ever since he returned from Violla's workplace? My head hurts from thinking about it."

"As long as you don't speak up directly about this, your relationship with Franklin will not be harmed." Amira patted her hand and continued, "Just continue playing your role as the good-hearted young mistress of this family. As for everything else, Mom will sort it out for you."

"Alright," Leila said, nodding her head, "I'll do just that."

"Let's go in first. Where's Titus?" Amira asked.

"He fell asleep in the car," Leila said.

The assistant pushed Violla into the villa in her wheelchair, and everyone in the room turned to look at her. The older ones in the room recognized her immediately. Exchanging scandalized looks with each other, they put their heads together and started murmuring anxiously.

Someone asked in a hushed whisper, "Why is she here?"

"She did something so outrageous back then that she managed to anger her own father to death! How does she have the guts to show up here now? If I were her, I would've escaped to somewhere else a long time ago."

"Oh, be quiet! Let's not talk anymore."

"Why can't I talk about this? If she could do something like that, it's well within my rights to judge her for it."

"Violla!" Smith walked over and greeted her enthusiastically. "We finally meet. I've been looking for you all these years. Have you been well?"

He sounded so concerned, as though he were a relative caring for his young charge.

"I've been well. Thanks for asking, Uncle Smith," Violla looked up at him and smiled blandly, wishing she could see what was going on in his mind right then.

The man had worked alongside her father all those years, earning himself a reputation for being loyal and hardworking. Because he was mild-mannered by nature and lacked any opinions of his own, his wife ordered him around as she pleased.

Hence, he never had his big break in his career. Instead, he followed Gerald around as his loyal retainer—one who was unassuming and reliable. However, she never understood why Smith had hidden himself at home after her father died, refusing to show up at his wake.

"What's the matter with you, anyway? Why are you in a wheelchair?" Smith asked anxiously. "Are you injured?"

"Yes," Violla said, nodding her head. "It's just a little injury—nothing to be worried about."

"If I knew you were injured, I would have come and picked you up from your place." Smith looked extremely guilty. "Where are you living now? Why don't you move back here to live with the rest of us? Amira and I can take care of you in the future."

"Exactly!" Amira's shrill voice sounded from behind them. "I've already told the servants to clean up the guest room. Violla, you can move back in with your kids whenever you want to. I'll come with Smith to help you move your things."

"Kids? What kids?" Her husband was evidently in the dark about the whole matter.

Everyone else who had been watching the exchange quietly widened their eyes in shock and started murmuring to each other again.

"Oh, I have an awful memory!" Amira patted her head and said in a troubled voice. "Smith, I forgot to tell you that Violla now has three…"

"Aunt Amira!" Violla shrieked.

"Mom!" Franklin called out.

Violla and Franklin opened their mouths at the same time, startling the woman enough to stop her in the middle of her sentence. Violla and Franklin looked at each other, their expressions rather complicated.

"Franklin." Leila walked over immediately and grabbed hold of his arm, leaning affectionately onto him. "Titus has fallen asleep. Why don't you carry him upstairs to his bedroom?"

Franklin shot a glance at his wife before turning to Amira and saying, "Mom, why don't you come with me? There's something I need to discuss with you anyway."

"Oh, ask your father to go with you! Here, ask him." Amira shot a frantic glance at her husband.

Smith obeyed his wife instantaneously. Rushing up to his son, he tugged at his sleeves and said, "Frank, I'll go with you."

Although feeling a little helpless, Franklin had no choice but to leave with him.

"Ugh, why are we all standing around?" Amira cried jovially. "We're family! Come on, have a seat. Leila, don't stand there looking so foolish. Wheel your cousin sister to her seat."

"Alright," Leila voiced.

Amira had discreetly arranged for Violla to sit between Leila and herself. Although they painted a happy picture of a wholesome family, the setup was meant to trap Violla between them so she couldn't escape.

When they were finally seated, one of the aunts turned to Violla, smiled at her, and gave her the once-over. "We haven't seen you in years! You look so much more mature now, Violla."

"The last time we saw you, you looked like a girl, and now you look like a woman!" another aunt chimed in purposely. "Amira, what were you saying about Violla's kids? Do you mean she's already married with kids now?"

"Yes, she already has three children. Time has flown by, hasn't it? We're all getting old." Amira laughed shrilly and continued, "Violla, why didn't you bring your kids along with you today?"

This time, Violla didn't interrupt her. Instead, she allowed her aunt to finish saying what she wanted to say.

From the moment Leila bumped into her and her child at the kindergarten the other day, Violla knew that her secret was out.

The news of her children would have spread like wildfire among the Smiths and the Milans.

From what she knew about Amira's personality, the older woman had probably fed the other aunts all sorts of vile stories about Violla to taint her reputation.

Violla was sure that Amira had invited her over tonight to make a mockery of her. The latter probably wanted to embarrass her in front of Franklin so that he would end their relationship forever. "Oh gosh…"

Everyone at the table was extremely stunned. It had been four years since they last saw Violla, and she had returned with kids—three of them!

A few of the uncles started to frown. Their expressions had clouded over, and the look in their eyes as they gazed at Violla seemed to turn rather accusatory.

An aunt asked excitedly, "Violla, when did you get married? We didn't even know!"

"How old are your kids?" one of her aunts asked. "What does your husband do for a living? Why isn't he here with you?"

Amira and Leila looked at Violla and smiled, looking as though they were grimacing instead. The two of them waited gleefully for her answer. How was Violla going to tell everyone that she had hooked up with an escort at Empire Night and now had three of his children?

After a pregnant pause, Violla finally spoke up, "That's my business. I don't suppose you think you have a right to know, do you?"

Immediately, the entire room fell silent with shock. Nobody had expected her to reply to their questions like that.

One of the uncles growled angrily at her, "Of course we have a right to know! We're your elders! Don't we have a right to ask you about your marital situation?"

"Look how wishy-washy you're being. Did you get pregnant out of wedlock?" another uncle asked. "Who's the father of your children?"

"Why aren't you saying anything?" the others chimed in anxiously. "Did you get together with a married man and give birth to his illegitimate children?"

"Haha!" One of her aunts burst into laughter beside her. "A married man is already the best-case scenario. It would be much worse if she doesn't even know who the father is."

"How could you have done something so awful? You've brought nothing but shame upon all of us!" One uncle was so angry that he slammed the table and stormed out of the room.

"Violla, this is simply preposterous," said an aunt crossly. "Four years ago, you did something so outrageous that your father threw himself off the building and committed suicide out of anger. We thought you would stop embarrassing yourself after that, but you've only changed for the worse!"

"Exactly! As your elders, we can't condone such behavior anymore..." Another aunt sighed and continued, "If your father—bless his soul—knew how you're behaving right now, he would be rolling in his grave."

A few of Violla's aunts put their heads together and started whispering loudly, "She used to be so obedient as a child. What happened to her? She must have been possessed by the devil."

"When all is said and done, her poor behavior probably stems from the fact that she didn't have a mother to guide her when she was young. Look at Leila—she would never behave like Violla."

"Exactly! Leila is such an innocent girl. She got married like a normal person and had her husband's children. As for Violla, however..." Hearing this, a satisfied smile appeared on Leila's face.

"Oh, my dear sister, you mustn't say that!" Amira exclaimed, humbling herself as much as she could. "I've kept a firm rein on Leila since she was a child. Violla, poor thing, lost her mother when she was only a day old. That's why she's gone off the beaten track now. As her elders, we should do our best to educate her."

Violla couldn't stand it anymore. "Have you all said enough?"

"If I remember correctly, none of you here have the Milan surname," she said boldly. "What does the reputation and honor of the Milan family have to do with all of you?"

"You..." someone shrieked.

"When my father was still alive, and the Milan family was at the height of its power, all of you sucked up to us like a bunch of dogs. But when the Milan family went through difficult times, none of you were anywhere to be found. And now you have the audacity to discipline me as my elders? I call that utter nonsense," Violla snapped.

She then let out a cold laugh. "Aren't you afraid that God might strike you down?"

At that point, her uncles were so furious that their faces had turned red. "Is... Is this how you should be speaking to us?"

Another one of her distant relatives was also boiling with rage. Pointing a finger at Violla, he snarled, "When your father was alive, he never spoke to us like this! Well, what did I expect from a child born out of wedlock who never had a mother around to teach her proper behavior?"

The moment she heard that, a ball of rage welled up within Violla. She lunged forward and grabbed the glass of water in front of her, which she promptly flung at her uncle's head.

The glass flew past the man's head and shattered against the crystal chandelier behind him. A shower of crystal shards rained down on the table, causing a loud noise and frightening the women, who let out yelps of fear.

Leila jumped up from her seat and ran to hide behind her mother. Amira quickly used her arm to shield her face from the shards, but the crystals sliced open her arm, causing her to bleed profusely.

"Argh!" Amira let out a loud, exaggerated scream.

Upon hearing his wife scream, Smith immediately dashed downstairs in a panic. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

"This despicable person, this wench! She has already disgraced the family enough, and yet she dared to... to..." the man stammered.

One of the aunts was about to lament the injustice done to her, but she caught Violla's gaze and immediately silenced herself.

"You incorrigible fool!" The man roared as he pointed a finger at Violla. "How dare you harm a member of your own family?"

"You were the ones who said those disrespectful things to me first!" Violla snapped as she glared coldly at him. "I don't care if you call me all sorts of names, but if you're going to slander my parents as well, don't blame me for being too harsh on you!"

"You..." the man roared again.

"Alright, alright," Smith said, desperately trying to salvage the situation. "We're family, after all. Let's calm down first, shall we?"

"Who wants to be her family?" a man snapped angrily. "She acts like a whore, but she won't let anyone criticize her for it! And when someone does, she goes completely crazy and starts behaving like a dog!"

"Please, don't say that," Smith started.

"Smith, I've completely lost my appetite, so forgive me if I leave in the middle of this meal. I'll drop by and visit you and the missus another day." With that, the man stood up and stalked out of the room with his wife in tow.

Another relative tugged at Smith's sleeve and whispered loudly, "Smith, I know you're a kind man, but I must warn you to leave people like her alone. They'll bring you nothing but trouble."

"We'll be going now too. Mr. Smith, ma'am, Leila, we'll come by and visit you another day."

The rest of the relatives left, afraid of causing any more trouble for themselves.

"Hey, you can't all leave yet! None of the dishes have been served!" Amira called anxiously after them. However, not a single person turned around to acknowledge her.

"Oh, it's alright, let them leave," her husband said, pulling her back. "Go upstairs and bandage your wound. I'll clean up here."

"Bandage my wound?" Amira's expression changed into one of unbridled fury. Pointing at Violla, she hollered angrily, "Thanks for breaking up what was supposed to be a happy family occasion! Go and think about what you've done!"

Violla met her gaze coolly and asked, "Weren't you the one who invited me here, Aunt Amira? You put in so much effort to put on a show for the rest—how could I, as the lead actress, disappoint you by not showing up?"

"What are you talking about now?" Leily snapped. "My mother invited you over for a meal out of the goodness of her heart. It's one thing for you to ruin the occasion, and another for you to speak ill of her like that! Were you even brought up properly?"

"Haha! Out of the goodness of her heart?" Violla picked up a rag from the table and wiped away the glass shards and blood from her own hands. "You invited so many extras to join us today—weren't you just trying to make a fool of me in front of Franklin?"

"Make a fool of you? You were born a fool to begin with!" Amira screamed with fury. "Back then, your mother died right after she gave birth to you. Your father coddled you and treated you like a jewel, and you chose to disappoint him by turning out to be such a shameless wench!"