YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Amira flew into a fluster as she tried to explain, "Mr. Roman, my daughter acted too impulsively. She did not intend to create trouble for you. We are willing to apologize and compensate you in any manner you want."

"Yes, that's right. Mr. Roman, you're a big-hearted man. Please just forgive her this once," Smith pleaded after hearing what had happened.

Davon couldn't be bothered with them and instead looked at Barbra. "You're the victim here. What do you think?"

"This is the first time anyone has humiliated me like that since the day I was born." Barbra was fuming mad, but she tried her best to control her emotions. "But as this is Mr. Roman's function, I won't kick up a fuss."

She then paused and asked respectfully, "Mr. Roman, may I hand her over to the police? I intend to have my lawyers sue her."

"Please don't, Miss Black..." Amira pleaded anxiously. "We can compensate you however you want. Please don't alert the police. Everyone here is either rich or powerful. Besides, this function is hosted by Mr. Roman. It wouldn't look good for anyone if the matter were blown up."

Amira was clear that Leila was Franklin Stanley's wife and represented the Stanley family. No matter how much the woman embarrassed herself that night, it would still be kept within the inner circle.

After all, it was Roman's function and a closed-door event. No one would dare to circulate gossip about what had happened.

However, it would be a different situation altogether if the police got involved. If Barbra approached the media and exaggerated the story, Leila would definitely make headlines in major newspapers and become the top search on the internet. The woman would become the laughingstock of the entire nation.

By then, it wouldn't just be Franklin; the other elders of the Stanley family would also despise Leila! No matter how foolish Amira was, she still understood that.

At that moment, Leila dared not even breathe loudly. She was waiting for her parents to resolve the problem for her. That had been the case ever since she was born.

"Well, that reminds me." Barbra arched her brows and continued," The auction is still ongoing. How can we spoil everyone's mood? However, how should I punish you other than involving the police?"

"We can apologize and offer compensation..." Amira immediately suggested.

"What a joke! Do I need your compensation? Compensation won't suffice. I am not financially incapacitated," Barbra bellowed. "All you're going to do is apologize after slapping me? If that's the case, can I slap you ten times and say 'sorry' ten times too?"

"I..." Amira started.

"I think that's a good idea," Davon suddenly spoke up. "An eye for an eye!"

With Davon's support, Barbra said right away, "If you don't want me to go to the police, fine! Then I'll have to slap you back. For every one slap you gave me, I'll slap you ten times. That sounds fair to me!"

"Barbra Black, don't go overboard..." Before Leila could finish her sentence, Barbra had already landed the first slap on her face.

Leila's cheeks flushed red immediately after being hit. Shaking with anger, she glared at the woman in rage.

Amira no longer dared to speak. Even though her heart was aching for her daughter, she could only surrender to the situation.

"This is one slap," Barbra counted and raised her hand, preparing to strike again.

"Why are you doing this yourself? Doesn't it hurt your hand?" Davon suddenly asked.

"Oh, right! Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Roman," Barbra turned to Amira, saying sweetly, "Aunt Amira, I'll have to trouble you, please!"

The woman looked at Barbra incredulously and replied, "You... You want me to do it?"

"Why? Can't bear to?" Barbra cocked her brows and said, "If that's the case, I guess I'll have to ask my security guards to do it instead. Don't say I didn't warn you, though. They are quite ruthless. They won't go easy on her just because she's a lady."

"Where are my security guards? Come here now!" Barbra rumbled.

"Wait a minute!" Amira stopped Barbra at once and said, "Fine, I'll do it! I'll do it!"

She then lifted her trembling hand as she spoke and gently slapped Leila.

"That one doesn't count!" Barbra shouted angrily. "I have to hear the slapping sound and see the red mark on her face. Otherwise, the slap will not be counted."

"You..." Even though Amira was fuming with rage, she had no choice but to slap her daughter with all her might.

"Mom!" Leila burst into tears.

"Why are you crying? Your mom isn't dead yet!" Barbra beamed with delight. "Good job, Aunt Amira! Carry on!"

Amira shut her eyes and landed another slap on her daughter's face.

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

Barbra continued counting.

Smith, too, felt agonized as he helplessly watched the scene. However, he could only remain silent and lower his head in submission, praying for the ordeal to end soon.

The guests gathered around to see what the fuss was all about. "Why would he marry such a woman?" one said. "What a disgrace!" said another. People began to gossip about them.

Meanwhile, Violla remained silent. She had a gut feeling that Davon was seeking revenge on her.

Amira's hand tingled from repeatedly slapping Leila across her already swollen face. The mother-daughter duo hugged each other as they burst into tears.

Shortly afterward, Amira wiped her tears and asked, "Miss Black, are you happy now?"

"Off you go." Barbra waved her away.

Smith went to help them, but Davon stopped them from leaving. "Did I say you could go?" he asked in an icy voice.

Leila shuddered. "What else do you want from me?" she wept.

"Zip it." Smith tried to prevent her from causing another scene.

"You have to apologize to Violla too for laying your dirty hands on her when she came visiting." Davon's voice was icy cold.

"Fine." Amira took a deep breath, approached Violla, and executed a deep bow. "Miss Milan, I'm sorry for raising my hand at you last time. Please, let me atone for my rudeness."

She slapped herself continuously as punishment.

"Mom!" Leila bawled as Franklin's assistant grabbed her hand. "Mrs. Stanley, stay out of it. You'll make it worse."

She could only watch and weep in despair at her mother's suffering. Violla's eyebrows knitted into a frown. Although she had no desire to see Amira in such a plight, she couldn't forget how the woman had mistreated her children.

"Enough!" Smith couldn't bear to see his wife in pain. "Violla, do me a favor. I plead for your mercy. Please spare her."

His earnestness somehow appealed to her. "I think we should just let it slide, Mr. Roman," Violla softly uttered.

"All this time, did she ever show mercy to you?" Davon shot her a glare to silence her. A loud thud punctuated the silence. Smith gasped in shock when he saw Amira lying on the ground.

"Amira!" He hurriedly pulled her into his arms.

"Mom! Wake up! Mom, don't scare me!" Leila shook her shoulder to wake her up.

"Send her to the hospital!" someone shouted. Smith immediately picked up Amira with Leila closely following behind.

"Mr. Roman, Miss Milan, please excuse me." Franklin's assistant left.

"There goes Amira again, playing the same old disgusting trick whenever she finds herself in unfavorable conditions," Violla chuckled in her head, not daring to tell Davon. She didn't want the punishment to escalate for her aunt.

Violla turned around, and the bystanders looked at her, seeming to blame her for what had happened. It suddenly dawned on her that it was human nature to feel empathy for the weak, even Leila, despite her rudeness and arrogance. They blamed Violla because she had convinced Davon to punish the mother-daughter duo, which strained Amira and caused her to collapse.

People would have rebuked her, saying she was the wicked witch, and Davon was not to blame for that incident.

The auction was still ongoing, and everyone returned to their seats.

As Davon and Violla prepared to leave, she noticed the pink diamond ring on the ground. She bent down, picked it up, and passed it to Barbra.

"Thanks," said Barbra with a smile on her face before returning to her seat.

Violla stared at her as she walked away, reminded of how they used to fight over Franklin back then. Barbra was utterly fearless and bold, which sometimes got on her nerves. However, Violla had never hated her.

After all those years, they finally met again. Although they didn't have a chance to catch up, Barbra hadn't uttered an unkind word to Violla. On the other hand, her cousin Leila, who was more like a sister to Violla, tried to set her up repeatedly. I guess that's human nature.

An extended Rolls-Royce crawled away from the building.

Violla sat in the backseat, admiring the ruby necklace. It was almost the same as the one she had sold, except for the gemstone color.

"Aren't you sick of staring at that?" Davon looked at her while elegantly swirling the wine in his glass.

He couldn't take his eyes off her. His gaze traveled from her porcelain skin, up her flawless face, and to her rosy lips that could make a grown man lose his mind.

He teasingly brushed the hem of her dress with his leg. When she lifted her head and their eyes met, Davon said, "Come closer."

Davon's casual seduction pulled Violla's mind away from what had occurred at the auction. She blinked at him and mustered her courage to speak her mind. "Mr. Roman..."

Her words stuck in her throat. After witnessing how ruthless he could be when dealing with those who had offended him, Violla began to hesitate about being in a relationship with him.

"I guess no woman has ever rejected the advances from a man of such a high social status. What if he chokes me to death on the spot just because I turned him down? But it will be worse if he finds out I have kids and still got into a relationship with him." She trembled at the thought of what might happen to her.

"Yes?" Davon caressed her again with his leg.

"This... Take it back." Violla handed the necklace to him.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the accessory. The excitement gradually wore off, and his expression turned cold. "What are you doing?"

"Mr. Roman, I'm just a mere security guard at your company. I can't accept this; it's too valuable," she said cautiously.

"Why didn't you say anything when you jumped into my arms?" He looked pissed.

"If I rejected your gift earlier, I would be dishonoring you in front of your peers," Violla explained, putting on a smile. "Mr. Roman, I don't deserve you. You are too good for me." The words finally escaped her mouth, making her intentions clear.

He leaned back and glared at her. "What do you mean?"

"Gosh! Why can't he read the situation? Do I have to spell it out?" Violla thought.

His response really irked her, but she maintained a bright smile and said, "Well, you have been very kind to me. You sent me home to treat my injuries, gave me precious gifts, and even stood up for me. I really appreciate it, and I will surely repay your kindness. But I just can't accept your love because..."

He listened carefully and patiently.

"Because I am not worthy of your love," she continued. "I'm not from a prominent family; I have no money, no status... Nothing. All I have is a past that was too unbearable to even mention."

"That doesn't matter. Is that all?" Davon asked.

She was stunned for a moment. "He didn't even flinch. What do I do? Should I tell him I have three kids? Wait, that would probably put me in trouble. What if he gets angry and harms my kids? He is so unpredictable that nothing is impossible. What should I say?" Violla pondered.

"Yes?" He started to lose his patience.

"And I... I slept with an escort!" Violla blurted out those words in a panic. Her intelligent response surprised her. "Are you fine with that?"

"How many times?" He furrowed his brows and gave her a serious look.

She raised her index finger and said carefully, "Once. Just once. And it was on the news. I bet everyone saw that."

"That's all in the past now. You can stop doing it from now on," Davon said, his patience wearing thin. "Anything else?"

Violla panicked, thinking, "He didn't buy it. Does he really like me that much? What if his unrequited love turns to hate?"

Having reached his limit, Davon grabbed her and pinned her down beneath him.

"Mr. Roman, wait! Calm down!" Her heart raced, but she mustered the courage to stop him. "I know you're perfect, and I admit I do like you. I'm just not sure we should take things further."

He cupped her chin and said, "Cut the chit-chat, or I'll drop you off at the side of the road. And stop being so melodramatic."

As his lips were about to touch hers, she squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out, "I have a boyfriend!"

Her words were lost as their lips met, time standing still in that moment.

After a while, Davon pulled away and leaned back in his seat, ending the aggression but leaving tension in the air. Violla cautiously opened her eyes and stole a glance at him.

Thoughts swirled in her mind, but she couldn't articulate them clearly to calm him down.

"Boyfriend? How long have you been together?" Davon growled, suppressing the murderous aura threatening to consume him.

"A while," Violla mumbled.

He reached for the wineglass and downed its contents without hesitation. Setting the glass aside, he looked at her with ice-cold eyes. "I think you're misunderstanding things."

"Huh? I'm wrong? B-But... he just..." Violla panicked as Davon's veins bulged.

Davon wagged his finger at her. "First, you're my employee, and when you were stabbed in front of me, I didn't want it to cause any backlash for the company. That's why I sent you home and took care of you."

"Second, I gave you this necklace on a whim. A hundred million may sound like a fortune to some, but to me, it's just a number."

"And finally, I stood up for you against that wicked mother and daughter not because I have feelings for you. I stood up for what I believed was right."

She was speechless. His explanation made sense, and she wondered if her thinking had been delusional.

"So, you were delusional! Don't be so full of yourself!" Davon answered the questions in her mind.

"You thought I have feelings for you? No way! I'm not blind," Davon sneered, his words contradicting his true feelings. For the first time, he had been heartbroken.

Violla was at a loss for words. She hung her head low, unable to meet his eyes. She wished a hole would open beneath her and swallow her immediately.

"Take one last look." Davon held the necklace over his hand and swung it back and forth. Before she could react, he threw it out the window.

"Are you mad? That's worth a hundred million!" Violla roared, her eyes wide with shock.

"Pull over," Davon ordered the driver to stop the car.

The car stopped at the side of the road. "Get down!" he ordered Violla. "Call your boyfriend to pick you up."

She didn't dare breathe a word as she slowly gathered up her dress and alighted.

Her tardiness frustrated Davon, so he slammed the door on her hip, sending her sprawling on the pavement. A sharp pain surged through her whole body.

Cruze and Immaculate were stupefied, but they turned a blind eye.

"Drive," Davon commanded the driver to go and left Violla behind.

The Rolls-Royce sped off.

Violla got up, brushed off the dirt on her scraped palms, and gently touched the wounded area. She immediately turned back to find the necklace.

"I should find it somewhere around here." She murmured to herself.