YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

With a tap on her phone, Violla transferred a lump sum to his account. To give herself additional peace of mind, she dialed his number. "I've transferred one hundred and seven thousand in total. Please check if you have received it."

"Okay," the familiar voice answered plainly.

"Good bye ." She bade him.Within a second after hanging up, she erased his number from her contact list.

She couldn't help but feel irritated. "What's with that cold attitude? Wasn't he so gentle and passionate just a while back at the hotel? Was it all a pretense? Where did all his manners disappear to? Not even a "thank you" after she returned his money! "Stupid escort." She cursed.

Apart from that, she stared blankly at the remaining balance flashing on her screen. There was only seven hundred left, it wouldn't even be enough to buy milk for the kids.

It hasn't even been a month yet since she started on her current job. She was at a loss on how to manage until payday.

She fumbled through her closet and drawers, hoping to find something valuable that she could possibly sell or pawn off for some quick money.

Alas, there was nothing else besides the ruby necklace. Davon Roman had gotten it for her back at the charity auction.

She felt miserable. The ruby necklace wasn't something she could use right then although it was worth a hundred million. She had to return it to the Devil himself one day.

Come on, is there really no other way? She rested a palm on her head and let out a helpless sigh.Her brows were tightly woven in a deep furrow when her phone rang again. Puzzled at the unknown number, she hesitated briefly before picking it up. "Hello?"

"Violla! It's me, Eunice. Are you okay?" A high-pitched voice echoed from the other end.

"Eunice" It took her a while before she recalled that name. Eunice was the other girl from the administration department. "I'm fine… How did get my number?"

"I got it from the HR department. I heard that you took emergency off today, so I just wanted to check up on you." Eunice told her.

"I'm fine, thank you." Violla was wary despite sounding as polite as she could. After what had happened the previous day, she couldn't trust anyone enough to let her guard down. Until now, she was still in the dark as to why Yulisa had ambushed her like that. She couldn't remember having done anything that could've offended her.

"What happened last night? You disappeared without any notice after you left the suite with Yulisa! Your boyfriend never came back either after he left to search for you," Eunice responded. "Everyone thought you lot were trying to escape from the bill, but Empire Night's manager told us that your boyfriend had already paid for the entire session."

"I'm okay… I guess I just drank too much," Violla avoided the question. "I'm sorry for leaving you guys just like that yesterday."

"Don't worry about that. By the way, Yulisa hasn't come into the office today as well. The company had just announced that she was involved in some criminal activity with Mr. Isaac ! Apparently they've been handed over to the police. We're all shocked! It's so scary…" Eunice answered.

So Yulisa had been Isaac's partner in crime! No wonder things seemed so fishy. The way Yulisa had repeatedly questioned her about Isaac all this while was suspicious.

And on that day when Isaac was about to stab her, she had undoubtedly felt a push from behind. She thought she must've been imagining, but at Eunice's explanation, she was now certain that Yulisa was the person who had tried to push her to death.

"Violla, I wanted to apologize as well. I should've stopped you when Yulisa led you out of the suite. I had no idea things would turn out like this! Everyone in the office was discussing about it today. They were talking about how Yulisa tried to harm you, but fortunately Mr. Roman rushed to the scene and rescued you. I can't imagine what would've happened if he hadn't shown up on time…" Eunice rambled on.

"Did you just say… Mr. Roman?" Violla was startled. Wasn't it the "escort In Debt" who had rescued me? How could it be Davon Roman?" Violla ruminated .

"Yeah, a colleague said it was Mr. Roman who carried you away in his Aston Martin," Eunice said as her voice began to quiver. "I'm really sorry, Violla! Please don't ever bear any grudge against me. I really didn't mean to let you get hurt…" she sobbed.

"Don't worry, Eunice! I know it's not your fault. You should get on with your work. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Violla dropped the topic and hung up.

There's something she couldn't fathom. Didn't the Aston Martin belong to the escort? How could it be Davon Roman again?

Perhaps her colleagues had mistaken the escort for Mr. Roman.They both looked so similar from behind after all.

A headache began to brew as multiple thoughts overwhelmed Violla's mind at once. "I shouldn't be thinking about this right now. How I can afford my next meal is more important than men." Violla reminded herself .

She had to figure out a way to earn some quick cash.A sudden knock at the door snapped her out of her jumbled thoughts. "Miss, you haven't slept, have you?" Mrs. Blake's voice resounded from the other side of the door.

"No, I haven't. Come in, Mrs. Blake." Violla answered.

The door swung open as Mrs. Blake entered with a few papers in her hand. "Miss, the kids will be leaving for a school trip tomorrow. We'll have to sign this consent form and invoice, and make the payment at the kindergarten today. Are you going to do this yourself, or should I go instead?"

"You do it, please. My wounds still hurt, I need some more rest." Violla grabbed her phone and was about to transfer money to Mrs. Blake. "How much is it?"

"It's eight hundred per pax, so the total for all three of them is two thousand four hundred," Mrs. Blake replied as she handed over the invoice.

Violla gaped at the papers before her eyes. What sort of kindergarten is this? Eight hundred per child for a mere school trip? Do they intend to bring the kids on a tour to outer space or something?

"Oh, this reminds me!" Mrs. Blake chirped as she saw the balance in her phone. "I still have a remainder of three thousand from the furniture expenses you gave me last time. I can make the payment with this money first."

"Did I…?" Violla looked up in confusion.

Mrs. Blake didn't seem to hear her mumble. "I should go to the kindergarten now then. Rest well, Miss. I'll make dinner once I come back."

At that, she walked away hurriedly and left the house.

Violla stared as the plump woman's back waddled off and disappeared from view. She felt guilty for having given only a thousand to Mrs. Blake to purchase some furniture earlier.

Mrs. Blake had come home with an old shoe rack and a simple bookshelf from the thrift store. She even returned with a balance of three hundred.Where did the extra three thousand come from? Mrs. Blake must have sold her own jewelry to help fund the household's expenses.

She sighed at how useless she herself had become. Mrs. Blake had been so faithfully looking after her and the children all these years. In addition to delaying the housekeeper's salary, she even had to ask Mrs. Blake for help with money this day.

Violla couldn't live with the remorse for much longer. She flipped her laptop open and began searching for a part-time job.E-hailing driver, food delivery person…

She scrolled on in dismay. Most of the vacancies listed required her to have her own mode of transport. She no longer had a car, and couldn't even afford a bike with the amount of money she had at the moment.

"Come on, is there any other job I can take?" Her eyes lit up when she came across an advertisement for a bar singer. Good looks, appealing figure, adept at musical instruments…...She scanned through the job requirements eagerly, then saw the last sentence where the salary was stated. Two hundred and eighty per hour!

It seemed like the bar had just recently opened its doors. The bar appeared to be the more sober type of place where customers would go to unwind themselves in the music, have some drinks, socialize and play games, and perhaps also to do a little bit of flirting around.

It couldn't possibly be on the same level as a nightclub as grand and flamboyant as the Empire Night.These kinds of bars would most likely have less nonsense in comparison.Besides, she wouldn't bump into shady people like the "escort In Debt" in a bar like this.

I can give this a shot! She quickly wrote up a resume and submitted it with a click.As someone who had taken piano lessons since young until the highest grade and even won multiple international awards, she was confident that she could pull off the job.

Music had only been a hobby for her as a child. She'd never thought that she would one day need to feed herself with this skill.

Desperate to obtain the position before it was snatched up by anyone else, she dialed the number stated on the employer's advertisement.

The phone was answered almost right away, as if the hiring company was indeed in urgent need of someone to fill the vacancy. "You can come for an interview at 8 p.m. tonight if you wish. If you pass, we might even consider letting you start work tonight itself."

"Alright. May I know if I'll get paid on a daily basis?" she enquired.

"That's definitely possible. The payment form is negotiable as long as you have the looks and talent we're looking for," the voice on the other end replied.

"Great! I'll be there at 8 p.m. sharp tonight. Thank you!"

She hung up the call with relief and excitement. Just then, her children's voice echoed through the house, "Mommy, are you home?"

"Ryan! Jason! Eliana ! Finny" She hurried out of the door to greet them.

"Mommy!" Her three kids immediately plunged themselves into her arms. Finny circled around in the air above them while chanting along, "Mommy! Mommy!"

"Eliana, did you take Finny to the kindergarten again?" Violla planted a kiss on Eliana's chubby, rosy cheek.

"She flew into my bag. I only found her hiding inside when I was at the kindergarten." Eliana explained as her pink lips pressed into a tiny pout.

"But the teachers didn't scold me for that!" she continued eagerly. "Finny behaved herself today. She didn't disturb anyone during class, and everybody had fun playing with her. They all loved Finny!"

"Yes, Titus said he would ask his father to buy him a talking parrot." Then, Jason took out a gold invitation card. "Mommy, he also invited us to his birthday party."

"Uh…" Violla was taken aback. Both of them were at each other's throats the last time they met. When did they develop such a close relationship?

"Mommy, Titus does not bully Eliana anymore." With a serious expression on his face, Ryan continued, "Every day, he brings different types of food for Eliana. For lunch, he even gave her his chicken wings and strawberries."

"Exactly, he isn't as rude as he was before," Jason agreed. Then, he started to mimic punching motions and boasted, "Recently, he even asked me to spar with him, and I taught him a few tricks."

Ignoring her brothers, Eliana tilted her head and asked innocently," Mommy, can I forgive him and accept him as a friend?"

"Of course." Violla nodded her head with a smile. "I will not interfere with the people you want to make friends with."

"If so, can we attend Titus' birthday party then?" Jason did not hesitate to ask.

"Well…" Violla pondered then came up with an excuse. "His family members will probably be at the birthday party too. Although all of you have cleared the misunderstandings and developed a new friendship, his family members may think otherwise. I think it will be best if all of you don't attend his party. Anyway, you can celebrate with him in the kindergarten."

"I thought so too." Ryan, the most mature one, nodded in agreement. He added, "Titus' mother and grandmother are so fierce. We should skip the party instead."

"Okay." Disappointed, Jason pursed his lips and looked down. "I won't be able to see the Transformers figurines at Titus house anymore."

On the other hand, Eliana seemed unaffected. In a serious tone, she stated, "I will draw a picture and send it to him as a birthday gift. Will that be alright, Mommy?"

"Of course! All of you are such wonderful friends!" Violla pecked on each of their cheeks.

"Mommy! You are a girl. Please do not kiss me all the time," Jason pouted and ran away.

"Oh?" Violla was surprised by his reaction. In the past, he was always jealous of his sister and complained that she was biased toward Eliana. He even protested that she had to give them the same number of kisses each time. What's wrong with him now?

"Jason likes a girl," Ryan snitched. Squeezing his chin as though he knew everything, he divulged, "He is always peeking at her."

"Is that true? Who is it?" Violla curiously questioned.Inching to his mother's side, Ryan whispered, "He likes our new music teacher."

"Haha, really?" Violla chuckled. "Well, do you like her too?"

"Of course not!" Her eldest child immediately puffed his chest and patted it. "I am only interested in my studies."

"Haha, you have the right priorities, Ryan" Violla praised and gently ruffled her son's hair.

"Mommy, Titus also gave this to me." Eliana took a bracelet out of her bag. "He gave me this because I helped him to eat the strawberries that he hates."

"This…" Violla took a closer look at the bracelet and frowned, "Eliana you should not accept such gifts from others in the future, okay?"

"Why?" Her daughter widened her eyes and queried.

"This bracelet is expensive, and it is their family heirloom." Violla trailed off before she thought of a simpler way to illustrate her point. "In any case, you should not accept such presents in the future unless your friends made them personally. Do you understand?"

"Okay, I understand," Eliana reluctantly nodded and agreed.

"Mrs. Blake," Violla called out and instructed, "When you send Eliana to school tomorrow, will you pass this bracelet to her teacher? Tell the teacher to return it to the student who gave this to her."

"Alright." Mrs. Blake acknowledged while cooking.

Violla was about to continue, but Finny was making noises to signal that it was hungry, so the children rushed to feed their pet parrot.

At the same time,the gate guard knocked on their door to remind them to pay their utility bill. He also threatened to cut off their electricity if they did not pay.

Instantly, Violla lost her trail of thought.