YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

The two of them hadn't exchanged a single word throughout the entire journey. Soon, the car finally pulled up outside an extravagant villa.

Violla pressed her nose to the window as they rolled up to the gates. There were all sorts of luxury cars parked there, which made her realize that the event that night was going to be a huge one. Curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, "What kind of event is this?"

"It's just a normal charity gala," Davon replied plainly. "Don't get nervous. Just stay beside me."

"Why did you choose me to come with you?" Violla asked, feeling rather confused. "I'm just a lowly security guard, and I don't think I can be of much help..."

"You're underestimating yourself," he interrupted her nastily before getting out of the car.

She pouted unhappily, following him out of the vehicle. As she did so, she nearly tripped and twisted her ankle, but Davon caught her just in time.

A man in a suit approached them with his assistant to welcome them. "Mr. Roman, all the guests have arrived!" When he saw Violla, he bowed deeply towards her and respectfully said, "Good evening, Miss."

"Good evening," Violla replied courteously. She was a little surprised by the respectful treatment she received. Davon followed the man into the villa.

Struggling to keep up with him in her heels, Violla decided to follow from a distance. Suddenly, she spotted a white Bentley among the crowd of cars. "That's Frank's car. Is he here tonight too?" Violla wondered to herself.

A few steps later, she noticed a Porsche that definitely belonged to Smith.

She frowned worriedly. This event seemed to have a long guest list. As long as Smith was there to attend the gala, Amira was likely to be present as well.

"Oh no. Will Amira tell Davon that I'm a mother of three children? If I get into an argument with Amira because of this, I might end up embarrassing Davon," Violla thought.

It spelled nothing but trouble for her. As Violla's thoughts wandered further and further, she suddenly bumped into something very tall and hard.

She was so shocked that she jumped a little. Putting her hand up to shield herself, she looked up and saw that she had bumped into Davon, who had been waiting for her in front. However, as she struggled with her thoughts, she had walked straight into his rock-solid chest!

"Why do you look so distracted?" he asked, his low voice sounding very enigmatic indeed in the night.

"No—nothing..." Violla felt a little panicked. "I—I suddenly feel a little unwell. Why don't I return home first..."

Before she could finish speaking, he grabbed hold of her arm and steered her into the villa.

She tried to shake herself free, but it was to no avail. Finally, she gave up and let him drag her into the house by her hand. Feeling the warmth of his hand, her heart beat even faster. She could feel her face turning red.

His legs were very long, so he sped ahead very quickly. She had to jog to keep up. In the end, he conceded defeat and slowed down for her, allowing her to catch her breath for a brief moment.

The moonlight shone down on the two of them, making the atmosphere extremely romantic as he lowered his gaze and told her, "Relax and stop being so nervous. You are with the most powerful man in this nation." Violla nodded, and Davon engulfed her in a hug. He then planted a kiss on her lips and gave her a reassuring smile before they started moving.

When they arrived at the ballroom, the champagne-colored doors swung open. Immediately, they could hear the dulcet sounds of a string quartet from inside the room.

The numerous chandeliers shone down so brightly that she felt momentarily blinded. She quickly shut her eyes. But applause rang out from every corner of the room.

Davon pulled her arm around his waist and wrapped his on her shoulder as he forced her to walk into the room with him.

When she finally got used to the light, Violla opened her eyes slowly and found a room full of people who were smiling respectfully at her.

She felt as though she had entered a separate world. She thought she had been transported back to her childhood when her father was still alive, and her family used to throw parties like that once in a while. All of them had been just as grand as that one.

Four years ago, she had fallen from heaven and suffered all sorts of earthly trials. The world seemed cold and ghastly to her, and she feared she would never return to her glorious past. However, the man next to her had bestowed upon her the highest honor once again!

Deep in the crowd, Amira rubbed her eyes and asked Leila, "Are my eyes playing tricks on me? That woman next to Mr. Roman is Violla, isn't it? I think my eyes are failing me."

"I think my eyes are failing me too," Leila replied as she pushed forward to get a good look at the woman. When she saw who Davon had his arms around, the color drained from her face. "Mom, it's her! It's that little b—"

"Be quiet!" Amira immediately clamped a hand over her daughter's mouth. "Don't you dare go shooting off your mouth today. If someone overhears you, you'll get into a lot of trouble."

Smith, who was shocked to see Violla, turned to Franklin and asked, "Franklin, what's going on? Why is Violla with Mr. Roman?"

However, Franklin was so focused on looking at Violla that he did not hear what Smith was saying. There was an unfathomable gaze in the man's eyes, a mixture of heartache, regret, and a sense of impending loss.

"Franklin…" Amira walked over with Leila and said to the man softly, "Leila and I will be heading back first."

"Alright." That was what Franklin had been hoping for.

"Everyone, please keep quiet!" the emcee announced on stage. "Mr. Roman, our host, has arrived. I shall now declare the start of the charity auction. Everyone, please take your seats!"

All the guests proceeded to sit down in an orderly manner. Franklin and Smith took their seats while Amira led Leila discreetly towards the exit. Just then, the door was suddenly shut, and the spotlight shone on the two women. Caught in the act, both women looked awkward and embarrassed.

The rest of the guests all looked at them with contemptuous expressions on their faces. Someone even whispered, "Which family do they belong to? Where are their manners?"

"Clearly, they're just bumpkins. If that's the case, they should have stayed at home instead of becoming such an embarrassment."

"Exactly!"

Franklin immediately covered his face with his hands, feeling extremely reluctant to let the others know that those two women were his family members. Smith, on the other hand, smiled awkwardly at the other guests as he hurriedly walked towards Amira and Leila. "Why are you two still standing here? Quickly, return to your seats."

"We wouldn't have come if we had known this would happen," Leila mumbled to herself, feeling annoyed by the situation.

"Keep quiet. Isn't this embarrassing enough?" Amira had experienced her fair share of ups and downs in life, so she was not particularly fazed. She bowed apologetically and said, "My apologies, everyone. This girl isn't feeling well. We wanted to leave quietly to avoid causing any disturbances to the event. We didn't realize the auction had already started."

"Ma'am, we have a lounge where you can rest," a waiter softly informed Amira.

"Oh, she's fine now. We're good. Haha... Thanks!" Amira pulled her daughter back to their seats, and they both sat down soon after, their faces flushed.

Leila noticed that Franklin had been staring at Violla, who was seated in the front row, the entire time. In contrast, he didn't seem to care about her predicament. She was boiling with anger. Just as she was about to lash out at him, Amira stopped her.

"No matter what happens tonight, you must control yourself. Don't let your emotions take over. Otherwise, we won't just be embarrassing ourselves — we'll be bringing shame to both the Smiths and the Stanleys. Even worse, you might incur Franklin's wrath, and he might not take you out anymore if you get on his bad side," Amira advised Leila.

"I can't accept this," Leila said through gritted teeth. "All Violla Milan did was cozy up to a man. Who does she think she is?"

"Relax and stay calm. We don't know that for a fact yet, so don't get angry and jump to conclusions!" Amira reprimanded Leila while trying to suppress her voice. "Do you think a high and mighty man like Mr. Roman would be interested in a second-hand good? Especially one who has already given birth to three children? She's merely attending an auction with him. That doesn't mean anything."

"You have a point," Leila replied as a twinkle suddenly appeared in her eyes. "I bet Roman isn't aware of her background yet. I should tell him."

"Stop right here!" Her mother quickly held her back. "I really wonder how I gave birth to a stupid girl like you. Can't you use your brain a little?"

"What's wrong?" Leila replied indignantly.

"Are you really asking me that?" Amira frowned. "We're not supposed to be the ones alerting Mr. Roman to such information. If we do that, he wouldn't have a good impression of us."

"What shall we do then?" Leila was confused.

"Don't worry, I have a plan." Amira turned to look at the two men beside her. One of them was her husband, while the other was her son-in-law. Both men had their full attention on Violla – they could not be bothered with her and Leila.

Amira felt a flicker of irritation at that observation, but she knew that she shouldn't let her personal feelings spoil the grand scheme of things.

"Let's just watch the auction quietly first and go with the flow." The woman stared at Violla's figure as the corners of her lips curled up into a cold and wicked smile.

"When did Violla get so chummy with Mr. Roman?" Smith asked Franklin again.

"She's working at Roman Corporation and is Mr. Roman's employee," Franklin answered as he finally retracted his gaze. However, he was still feeling bothered. "I'm going to the washroom."

Franklin got up and buttoned his suit before casting a stern look at Leila and warning her, "Don't stir up any trouble!" He stalked off after saying that.

"Am I your wife, or is she?" Leila's face turned ashen with anger.

"Stay calm," Amira held her daughter's hand, comforting her.

Meanwhile, Violla could not sit still as she was worried that Amira and Leila would create trouble for her again. Davon gave her hand a light squeeze. It was a subtle action, but it strangely had a calming effect on her. She turned to look at the man. He was focusing on the stage and did not have any expression on his face, but the warmth of his hand set her heart at ease.

She could feel something tugging at her heartstrings; it was a funny feeling. Dinner was served a while later. That night's charity auction had a special arrangement where guests could dine and participate in the auction at the same time.

Guests were seated as family units,each table only had guests from the same family. Violla subconsciously licked her lips when a French dish was served to her table. The small piece of cake she had eaten in the car previously had not been enough to make her feel full.

Davon took over the cup of red wine from the waiter and raised his glass towards her. She raised a toast to him as well and took a sip of the wine while saying casually, "It's really generous of you to serve such fine wine to your guests!"

"Huh?" he cocked his brow and asked, "Do you know what wine this is?"

"How could I not know?" She continued cutting her steak and, without looking up, she said, "It's Blanc from S Winery. There are only 78 barrels in the whole world. Don't you think it's a waste to serve such exquisite wine at a function like this?"

"I didn't know you were familiar with wine," he replied as his lips curled up. "I've actually acquired the entire batch of Blanc. By rights, no one would have tasted it. How did you know?"

"I visited S Winery with my dad eight years ago and tasted it in the wine cellar. My dad was intending to buy a few barrels of it, but it was a pity that someone snatched all of it before we could buy any. I never expected the person to be you." Violla was feeling slightly emotional as she recalled the past. When her dad was still alive, he had brought her along on his travels around the world and taught her a lot.

"It's impressive that you remembered it after tasting it just once." Davon looked at her and asked, "What else do you know apart from red wine?"

"Jewelry, oil paintings, piano, fashion design..." Violla listed while counting on her fingers. "I know a bit about all those. I usually go with the flow when it comes to learning new things."

"Such things are usually picked up by heiresses to impress others," Davon commented with a slight scoff. "It would be useful if there's in-depth learning of a particular subject matter since that could be applied at work, but if it's superficial knowledge, it's pretty useless!"

"Hehe, you're right about that," Violla laughed. "That's what I told my dad, but he said that he only wanted me to be happy. I could marry a capable man and let him run the family business."

Perhaps it was because of the wine, but she thought about her dad a lot that night.

"You seem to have a really good relationship with your dad," Davon remarked, looking at her with a slight hint of envy. "Now I understand why you're always so cheerful. It's because your dad always pampered you!"

"Well, you've hit the nail on the head!" Violla smiled, feeling embarrassed. "I've always been pampered by my dad, so I've never experienced life's ups and downs. I never expected the biggest hardship of my life."

Her expression darkened as she spoke. If she had been a bit wiser four years ago and not easily influenced by Leila, she wouldn't have made such a grave mistake.

If she had shown more concern for her dad and understood the company's situation, she might have been able to prevent that tragedy.

"The business world is like a battlefield—very unpredictable."

Davon had heard a little about her family affairs and knew she was likely referring to her dad's bankruptcy and suicide four years ago, which resulted in her losing everything she had.

"Even now, I can't figure out why my dad's company suddenly ran into problems. Everything was going well..." Violla couldn't comprehend it. "Besides, my dad was a strong and optimistic person. Even if the company had issues, he wouldn't choose death as the way out. I have a feeling things weren't as simple as they seemed."

"What was the name of your dad's company?" Davon asked, swirling his wine glass.

"It was called Milan Real Estate Corporation. In short, Milan Corporation," she replied.

Davon froze when he heard the name. An inscrutable glint flashed in his eyes. However, he quickly regained composure, looking down at his glass and gracefully continuing to savor his wine.

Just as Violla was about to share more about Milan Corporation, she received a text on her phone: "Franklin here. I'll be waiting for you at the parlor!"

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the message.

"How did Franklin get my number? He even messaged me... Could someone who's pretending to be Franklin be trying to lure me over?" she thought.

Violla turned around and looked at where the Stanleys were seated. Smith, Amira, and Leila were dining at the table, but Franklin wasn't there.

The number from which the text had been sent was indeed Franklin's. He was still using the same number as before, so Violla was rather certain that it was really him who had texted her.

However, she did not wish to get involved with him again.

As such, she replied, "You can text me if there's anything you want to say. It's not appropriate for us to meet in private."

A reply came shortly after, "I need to talk to you face to face. I only need five minutes of your time. Take the exit on your right – you'll be able to see me there. I won't leave until you come!"

Violla felt conflicted when she saw that message. It reminded her of an argument she had with Franklin years back. He had said the same thing – that he would wait for her outside her house and would not leave until he saw her.

Back then, she had refused to see him out of spite. It had poured heavily at night. She had assumed that he would have left, but he had waited in the rain the entire night. Because of that, he ran a high fever the next day which developed into pneumonia. He was even hospitalized for a whole month.

Violla felt uneasy as those memories surfaced in her mind. She put down her utensils and said to Davon, "I need to go to the restroom."

"Sure," Davon replied, darting a glance at the woman's phone. A frosty glint flashed in his eyes, and an indecipherable expression appeared on his face simultaneously.

Immaculate helped Violla out of her seat. After exiting from the right side of the hall, Violla saw Franklin immediately. He was smoking at the end of the corridor, and his lonely figure seemed desolate. Noticing that Immaculate was with Violla, Franklin looked down and walked into the restroom next to him.

"You can wait for me here," Violla said to Immaculate.

"Sure," the woman replied and stood outside the restroom.

Violla entered the ladies' and was about to text Franklin when she saw a white figure flash past in the mirror. One second later, someone hugged her tightly from behind.

"Ah!" Violla jumped and let out a shriek before trying desperately to struggle out of Franklin's embrace. "Let go!"

"Don't worry. I've checked and ensured that there's no one else around," Franklin said in a whisper and tried to hug the woman again.

However, she instinctively retreated a few steps and crossed her arms in a defensive stance, positioning them in front of her chest. "Mr. Stanley, please respect yourself!"

"Violla, why are you so guarded against me?" He expressed his pain. "Could it be that you've really gotten together with Davon Roman?"

"That's none of your business," Violla replied with a frown. "Please remember that you are a married man now."

"I regret it so much..." Franklin cast his eyes downward, feeling frustrated. "What happened back then was a mistake. It's my fault for not protecting you well. Please give me another chance. Let's start afresh."

"Do you even know what you're saying?" She widened her eyes in shock, finding it hard to believe the words that had just come out of Franklin's mouth.

Although what happened back then was indeed a mistake, regardless, he had already become someone else's husband and should behave appropriately.

In fact, Violla was extremely disappointed with Franklin's behavior.

"Violla!" Franklin began.

"Mr. Stanley," she interrupted him, speaking in a stern voice, "Did you call me out just to say all of this?"

"Why are you so cold towards me?" He couldn't accept the way she was treating him.

"I don't want to be associated with a married man," she replied, deepening the crease between her brows. "I shall leave if there's nothing else."

After completing her sentence, the woman turned and walked away.

"You will definitely regret it if you get together with Davon Roman!" Franklin suddenly exclaimed.

Violla stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Why do you say so?"

"Because..." Just as Franklin was about to explain, a woman's voice sounded from outside. "Why can't we go inside? I'm looking for my husband."

It was Leila...