YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

"That's enough, Amira," Smith warned in a low voice. "You shouldn't speak of Violla like that."

"Why can't I do that?" the woman scowled, her eyes wide with indignation. "I'm telling the truth, aren't I? Why do you keep trying to stand up for her?"

"You..." Smith started.

"Dad, don't stick your nose into this! Go upstairs first," Leila said, pushing her father away. "Mom will discipline this wench on behalf of all of us!"

"Who's the real wench here? Who's the one who has no shame?" Violla challenged. "You know perfectly well what happened four years ago, don't you? Don't you dare act stupid!"

"You... What nonsense are you spouting now? What happened four years ago?" Leila asked, looking a little panicked. "It was your foolish idea to go down to Empire Night and hire an Escort, and you were the one who made the choice to have his children! Why are you slandering me now?"

"Who was the one who dragged me to Empire Night? Who was the one who told me to find another man to make Franklin jealous so he would go up against his family and marry me? It was you, Leila! You tricked Franklin and me into breaking up before turning around and marrying him instead! And you still insist that you had nothing to do with it? What rubbish!" Violla spat.

"Shut up!" Amira rushed forward and slapped Violla across the face.

The latter's head jerked sideways with the force of the slap, and blood gushed out of a wound on her lip. She looked down, her eyes glinting with a wave of savage anger beneath her mop of untidy hair.

"Excellent! I hope that knocked some sense into you," Leila said, gritting her teeth. Amira wasn't finished. She raised her hand to strike Violla across the face again.

"Amira," Smith said hurriedly as he held her back, "what are you doing? Talk things out nicely. Why do you need to resort to violence?"

"Oh, get out of my way!" Amira threw him aside and pointed at Violla, her chest heaving up and down with rage.

"You made the choice to do something so shameless and disgusting, and now you want to blame it on my daughter? I invited you here today so you could face reality—Leila and Frank are already married with kids. If you dare to seduce Frank again, I'll give you a good beating!"

"Amira Smith..." Violla whispered, gritting her teeth angrily, "I'll make sure you pay the price for your words today!"

"Wow, that's funny. Are you trying to threaten me?" The woman rushed forward to slap her again, but an angry roar erupted. "Stop right there!"

"Frank..." When Leila spotted her husband, guilt washed over her. She wondered if he had overheard her heated conversation with Violla just then.

The man gazed deeply at Violla, pity written all over his face. However, he didn't make his way over to her instead, he turned to his assistant and said, "Send Violla home."

"Yes, sir." The assistant wheeled Violla out of the room as instructed and left with her.

Smith hurried after them to send them off to the car.

Soon, only Amira, Leila, and Franklin remained in the house. The tension in the air was thick.

Leila grabbed hold of Franklin's hand and pleaded in a whiny voice, "Frank, you have to believe me. What Violla said isn't true..."

"Leila!" Her mother snapped warningly, telling her to shut up. That made the woman fall quiet immediately.

"Frank, I wasn't trying to make things difficult for Violla on purpose," Amira explained soothingly. "Those relatives of ours were concerned about her and tried to inquire about her situation, but she threw a tantrum and smashed things around. She even injured my hand, look."

She shoved her arm in Franklin's face and continued, "As her elder, I was merely trying to discipline her."

"Is that how an elder disciplines their charge?" the man retorted politely. "Whenever you disciplined Leila, you always took care to be respectful and restrained with your punishments. But when you spoke to Violla, you made sure that every word cut deep in her heart! Don't you think you were doing a little too much?"

"Frank, what do you mean by that?" Leila asked shrilly. "Are you going to start a fight with my mother because of Violla?"

"I was only discussing appropriate punishments with my mother-in-law," Franklin replied coolly. "Mom, don't you think I'm right?"

"Yes, of course you are." Amira was an intelligent woman, and she knew when to admit defeat. Changing her attitude completely, she said, "I wasn't thinking straight just now. I must have done that because Violla smashed some things, ruined dinner for everyone, and then proceeded to slander my daughter."

"Was she really slandering Leila?" Franklin asked, shooting a dark look at his wife.

"What's the meaning of that? Are you suspecting me now?" Leila was so angry that she was practically shaking. "I'm your wife and the mother of your son. Why do you always believe other people instead of me?"

"Precisely! Franklin, you can't treat Leila like this. Back then, you were the one who..." Amira was cut off.

"Alright, that's enough," Franklin interrupted her. "Let's consider this matter closed. I don't care who was in the wrong.I don't want to investigate it any further."

"As both of you have mentioned, Leila is my wife and the mother of my son. I want to lead a peaceful, upright life, and I give you my word that I won't do anything that might jeopardize the harmony of this family. In the future, I hope you won't harass Violla anymore," Franklin warned.

"Are you doing all this because of that woman?" Leila asked, her voice shaking.

"Leila, for heaven's sake." Amira immediately grabbed hold of her to silence her. Turning to Franklin, she said, "Franklin, you misunderstand me. I never wanted to harm Violla in any way. I invited her over today for the sole purpose of having dinner with the rest of us. I didn't think it would turn out like this. Everything is my fault—I should've planned it better. If I get the chance in the future, I'll make sure to apologize to her. As for you and Leila, please don't let this matter get in the way of your relationship."

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear," Franklin said before turning and heading upstairs.

"Mom, what were you thinking?" Leila hissed angrily. "He only stopped investigating the incident because of Violla."

"And what about it?" Amira retorted in a low voice. "As long as he knows what he has to do and stops hanging around that woman, we will have achieved our goal! Who cares about the reason behind it?"

"What do you mean?" her daughter asked in confusion.

"Are you sure you're my child? How could you be so stupid?" Amira asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "You can't be so idealistic about love. There isn't a single man on earth who can remain loyal to one woman for his entire life. You can't control the fact that Franklin may have someone else in his heart.

"However, the more you tighten your grip on him, the more annoyed he'll be with you. Your relationship will become even more strained. But if you turn a blind eye to his actions and act like a generous wife, he'll feel sorry for the way he treats you. You need his guilt to solidify your standing within this family," Amira enlightened her.

"I don't want his guilt; I want him to love me!" Leila whined.

"If you want him to love you, you should learn how to be more obedient and subservient to him. That's the only way you can keep your position as Mrs. Stanley. Once the image of Violla in his heart is destroyed, he'll turn around and fall in love with you again," Amira said.

Franklin's assistant pushed Violla out of the villa. In the distance, the Roman family's car was driving slowly towards them.

Violla turned to him and said, "Please head inside first. There are a few things I want to say to Uncle Smith."

"Alright." The assistant bowed towards her and left.

Smith looked guiltily at the woman in the wheelchair. "Violla, does it hurt? Your aunt Amira has a pretty bad temper—please don't take it personally, alright? I'll make sure to yell at her lots when I get home."

"Uncle Smith," Violla said as she looked up at him, "How did my father die?"

"Huh?" Smith's expression froze. His eyes darted about shiftily as he stammered, "W—why are you asking me about this now? Everyone knows your father committed suicide by jumping off a building." Smith was bewildered.

"Yes, but why did he jump off a building?" she pressed. "The Milan Corporation was doing extremely well at that time. Why did he commit suicide when he had everything going for him?"

"The business world is complicated, and there are lots of things you don't understand," Smith said distractedly. "Come to think of it; I don't fully understand much of it either."

"Why didn't you attend my father's wake? Why did you disappear during the funeral?" Violla continued to ask. "There must have been a reason for that, right?"

"I don't know, I really don't know anything," the man answered in a panicked voice. "Don't ask me anything anymore. Just live your life peacefully."

He then took out a bank card and stuffed it hurriedly into Violla's hand. "I'm giving this to you now,the password is your father's birthday. Please accept it as a sort of compensation from me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and ran back into the house. As she watched him leave, Violla felt her suspicions grow. There was something suspicious about her father's death, and she had to find out what it was.

"Does it have something to do with Smith or Amira, perhaps?" she contemplated.

However, upon seeing Smith's attitude, he didn't seem to have been involved in it. Besides, Amira would never have been capable of killing her father.

"So what exactly was going on?" Violla asked herself.

"Miss Milan," Immaculate's voice startled Violla out of her reverie. When she finally snapped out of her daze, Immaculate and her medical assistant had appeared in front of her.

Immaculate spotted the deep red mark on Violla's face, and the woman frowned and asked immediately, "What happened to your face? Who did that to you?"

The medical assistant who had tagged along let out a gasp of horror as well. "Look! Miss Milan's arm is bleeding, too."

"Come on, let's get into the car first." Immaculate helped Violla into the vehicle.

When they got into the car, Immaculate helped her remove the tiny shards of glass that had been lodged in her hands. In a quiet voice, she told Violla, "Miss Milan, Mr. Roman has put us at your disposal. If you need anything done, we're the ones for the job!"

Her words held a deeper meaning. The moment the words fell from Violla's mouth, Immaculate would be ready to go up against everyone who ever harassed her.

Violla felt a little surprised. She was merely a lowly security guard at Romans Corporation. "Why does Davon insist on treating me so well? Does he really have a secret crush on me?" Violla thought to herself.

"Miss Milan, don't be discouraged by the power of Stanley's. Mr. Roman's influence far exceeds theirs. You do not need to fear," Immaculate added reassuringly.

"Thank you," Violla said, speaking up for the first time, "But I think I'll settle this matter by myself."

She didn't want to get someone else involved, particularly when he was never part of the issue to begin with. After all, that would simply be another debt she would need to pay off.

"Alright then..." The family doctor didn't say anything else. However, as she looked at the injuries on Violla's face, her expression was extremely serious.

It was just as she had feared.

Immaculate recounted everything that had transpired that night to Davon, whose face turned dark with fury as he listened. His eyes, as deep as the ocean, gleamed with steel, a sight rarely seen by the woman.

He confronted Immaculate and her medical assistant. "What were you two thinking? I specifically told you to stay by her side. How could you allow my woman to be harassed?"

"It was my fault," Immaculate murmured, bowing her head without further explanation.

"There must be a reason why Miss Milan didn't let them into the house with her," Cruze speculated. "Perhaps she has a family secret she wants to keep hidden?"

"Should we investigate further?" Cruze asked cautiously.

"No need for that," Davon ordered, setting down his wine glass. "Tell Franklin Stanley to attend the charity gala as an invited guest in three days!"

"Yes, sir!" Cruze acknowledged.

Over the next few days, Violla enjoyed a period of relative peace, allowing her wounds to heal under Immaculate's excellent care. Her injuries closed up quickly, and she regained her health.

Every morning, Violla received calls from her children. She would huddle in bed, speaking with them while hiding under the covers, fearing that their conversation might be overheard.

Mrs. Blake was deeply concerned for her, and the children missed her dearly. Violla knew she couldn't stay there any longer.

That afternoon, after Immaculate helped her remove the neck brace, Violla insisted on going home.

This time, Immaculate didn't object. She called a cab for Violla and packed bags of medicine and vitamin supplements for her.

Not wanting the doctor to meet her children, Violla asked the driver to stop near her house. She planned to walk the remaining distance.

Immaculate handed her the bags of medicine and said respectfully, "Miss Milan, I'll be here to pick you up tomorrow at three in the afternoon."

"Huh? Why are you picking me up?" Violla felt a bit unsettled.

"Mr. Roman has invited you to the charity gala tomorrow night," the woman replied, smiling brightly at her. "I'll get your gown and accessories ready for you, but we'll need some time to get you ready."

This was news to Violla. No one had ever mentioned a charity gala to her.

Those two days, Davon had left the house early in the morning and returned late at night after he got off from work. She hadn't managed to see him at all. Why was he suddenly inviting her to his charity gala?

"Oh no!" she thought in a panic. "Davon has probably fallen in love with me."

She could only blame her own charisma for that.

Upon seeing Violla frozen and in a daze, Immaculate asked with a smile, "Do you need me to help you carry anything upstairs?"

"No, thanks. I'll walk home myself. Please drive back safely." Violla bid her farewell and hurried home with the bags of medicine dangling wildly from her arms. As she ran, her head was full of jumbled thoughts. "What now? It isn't always a good idea to dance with the devil. When Davon eventually finds out that I have three children, would he blame me for tricking him? I might die of heartbreak if he did."

She soon recalled the dream she had a few nights ago and felt a shiver run down her spine. She couldn't let that happen. She had to tell him as early as possible so that he would abandon the idea of getting together with her.

The moment Violla entered the house, Finny flew into her arms and knocked the wind out of her. "Mommy, Mommy!"

"Miss, you're finally back!" Mrs. Blake flung down her mop and ran over to her. She grabbed Violla's arm and said with tears in her eyes, "Oh, my poor dear, let me see where they injured you!"

"It was just a few injuries, nothing serious... Ouch!" Violla tried to hug Mrs. Blake, but a dizzying pain in her shoulder prevented her from doing so. She winced and looked down.

"Mommy, hang in there!" Finny flew to land on Violla's hair, nudging her head with her green one to comfort her.

"Finny, my darling!" Violla reached up and gently patted the parrot on the head.

"Have a seat, come on!" Mrs. Blake guided Violla towards the sofa and helped her sit down. "Poor girl. It's been so many days! Why haven't your wounds completely healed?"

"It's fine. They're starting to heal." Beads of sweat appeared on Violla's forehead. "Mrs. Blake, these are the medicines and vitamin supplements that the doctor gave me. Could you help me put them away? I'll go and change my clothes in my room."

"Are you sure you can manage by yourself? I can help you change." The housekeeper looked uncertain.

"No, it's alright! The school bus should be arriving soon. Why don't you go and pick up the kids?" Violla instructed.

"Oh, right. My memory sure is getting worse by the day. I'll go once I put away these bags of medicine." Mrs. Blake helped Violla back to her room before she went and put everything away. Afterward, she headed downstairs with Finny to pick up the kids.

Violla struggled to put on a set of home clothes. Just as she was about to take a sip of water, her children burst into the house, chirping noisily, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!"

"Hello, my darlings!" she cried. The three children ran into her arms, accidentally bumping into her wound. She had to bite down hard on her lip to prevent herself from crying out in pain.

"Oh my goodness, children, be more gentle!" Mrs. Blake admonished. "Your mother..."

"It's alright, it's alright." Violla shot a warning look at Mrs. Blake, signaling her not to bring up her wounds in front of the children.

"Mommy, why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Ryan, her oldest, had excellent observation skills. He frowned when he noticed something off about his mother.

"Ryan, Mommy is fine," Violla reassured him as she caressed his hair.

"Mommy, are you sick?" Jason quickly poured her a glass of water. He ran towards her, causing some of the water to splash out of the glass. He caught the droplets with his hand, afraid they might splash onto Violla. "Mommy, have some water!"

"Thanks, Jason." Violla felt deeply touched by her sons' kind gesture.

"Here, Mommy! Eliana will help you wipe your sweat." Her youngest stood on her tiptoes and wiped Violla's sweat away with her sleeves, a look of worry on her cute little face.

"Thanks, my dears. Have all of you been good while Mommy was away?" Violla asked.

"Yes!" the three of them replied instantaneously. Violla felt very happy. No matter how difficult life got for her, she was always reminded once again that life was worth living every time she saw her kids.

"Alright, kids. Mommy will be resting now. Go and play with Mrs. Blake for a moment, won't you?" Mrs. Blake soon managed to cook up an excuse to lure the kids away. "I'll make you guys chicken nuggets for dinner tonight. Do you want to come and help me?"

"Okay..." The three of them skipped out of the room after the housekeeper.

Violla locked the door of her room behind her after they left. When she looked down at herself, she realized that her clothes were completely soaked in sweat.

She had no choice but to head into the bathroom and wipe herself down before changing into another set of clothes...

At that moment, a loud slam sounded as someone banged violently on the front door.

"Who's there?" Mrs. Blake called. When she opened the door to see who it was, she let out a huge gasp. "It's you! What are you doing here again?"

"Why can't I be here?" It was Amira's voice.

Violla hurried to put on her clothes. However, because of her injuries, lifting her hand took a lot of effort. She managed to put on her shirt after a long while of struggling.

"Ma'am, please leave. We don't want any trouble around here," Mrs. Blake pleaded.

"Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that?" Amira hollered, an arrogant expression written all over her face. "Where's Violla? Tell her to come out and speak to me right now."

"Ma'am..."

The children dashed out of the kitchen when they heard the commotion. Upon seeing Amira standing at the door with fury written all over her face, Ryan yelped, "Who are you? Why did you barge into our house, and how dare you behave so impolitely?"