YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

"Mind your words!" Violla rebuked her.

"That's the truth," Leila slyly replied.

"Shut up," Amira interjected and gazed intensely at Leila.Then, she turned and looked towards Violla.

"Be it that the bracelet was stolen or lost, that is not important. Nonetheless, it is undisputed that your daughter is the culprit of this unfortunate event. We're reasonable people and do not intend to be hard on the child. Hence, we invited you here to resolve the situation. Now, how do you suggest we solve this?"

Ever since she was punished by Davon during the last auction, Amira had adopted a different strategy.

Now, she was pretending to be reasonable and courteous towards Violla. This way, even if Davon were to find out, she would not be reprimanded.

"Please give me some time to figure this out," Violla urged.

Violla was a reasonable person. It didn't matter that the mother-daughter duo were nasty and absolutely despicable. If Eliana did lose the bracelet, she would have to bear the responsibility.

"We're rushing back home to celebrate my grandson's birthday." Amira checked the time on her watch. "Is ten minutes sufficient?"

"That works." Violla carried Eliana in her arms and calmed her down. Later, she asked Mrs. Blake softly, "Mrs. Blake, didn't I ask you to accompany Eliana to return the bracelet?"

Mrs. Blake's frustration was apparent. "That's true. However, when I was sending off the three babies to the school bus, the class teacher was not there. Therefore, I instructed Eliana to hand it back personally to the class teacher. I didn't expect this to happen… I'm all to blame!"

"Don't blame yourself for it. I'll try to make things clear." Violla turned towards Eliana and gently touched her face. She then asked, "Eliana, can you tell me what happened?"

"When I reached school and wanted to return the bracelet to the class teacher. I realized that the bracelet was gone…" Eliana whimpered. "Mommy, I'm sorry…"

"No worries." Violla swiftly hugged her. "Eliana, you're still young. It's normal to make mistakes. Mommy is here to help you solve it. Don't be afraid, alright?"

"Mommy, will you go to prison?" Eliana's arms were wrapped around her mother's neck.Her grip was so tight, it was as though her mother would disappear if she were to release her grip.

"Mommy will be fine. Eliana will be fine too! Trust me." Violla gently assured.She patted her on the back again and signaled at Mrs. Blake.

Mrs. Blake hastily attended to Eliana. "Eliana, let's go to your brothers. They're still helping you to look for the bracelet. We'll go help them!"

"Sure," Eliana released her arms and followed Mrs. Blake. After taking a few steps forward, she looked back at Violla and said, "Mommy, we'll return once we find the bracelet."

"Okay. Go ahead." Violla nodded and smiled.

"Hey, how can you let the child leave like this? Now, who's going to be responsible?" Leila immediately stood up.

"What can you get from the child?" Violla asked coldly. "Didn't you mention it just now? I as her guardian shall take responsibility for this matter."

"We don't have time to fool around with you," Leila was extremely impatient. "Give me back my bracelet, or compensate me for my loss. Otherwise, I will sue your child for theft."

"You're so grumpy and impatient. You should learn from your mother!" Violla gawked glacially at her.

"You…" Leila was speechless yet infuriated.

Violla decided to ignore her. Following that, she invited the principal and the class teacher to a corner of the room and asked for more information.

Yesterday, the class teacher saw Titus pass the bracelet to Eliana. However, she was oblivious to what happened subsequently. Also, she tried to look for the bracelet at the school field and in the classroom. However, her efforts were futile.

The principal summoned a group of teachers to look for the bracelet as well. Additionally, she instructed the school worker to inspect the CCTV footage for possible clues. Therefore, they would be informed if there were any new findings.

"We're already here for an hour." Amira broke the silence. "Our time is very valuable. This can't go on anymore, call the police!"

"That's the way to go. Besides, inform the media!" Amira stroked her head in exasperation. "It will be a big problem if someone loots it and sells it off!

"Hold on," Violla stopped them before they could do anything. Her facial expression instantly changed. "I understand that calling the police is necessary. However, why the media as well?"

"That's my decision to make." Amira snarkily responded

You…" Violla was speechless.

"Mr. Lawyer," Amira instructed authoritatively, "inform all the media outlets in the country about the missing bracelet. If someone finds and returns it, the reward will be five million. However, if it was sold in the black market, I will take necessary legal action."

"Noted, Mrs. Smith." the lawyer acted accordingly.

Also, circulate the evidence that was taken just now. The photos and the videos." Amira added.

Violla instantly plunged into a state of trepidation. If the media were to be informed, the identity of the children will be exposed.

"Let's settle this privately!" Violla promptly said. "What do you want? Be frank with your demands!"

"Privately?" the corner of Amira's lips lifted upwards.

"Slap yourself two hundred times." Leila gritted her teeth and stared ferociously at her.

Violla was dismayed. Nonetheless, she had earlier anticipated that the mother-daughter duo was there to take revenge upon her.

"Leila…" Amira was putting on an act. "She's our relative. How can we do that?"

"Mom…" Leila appeared to be aggrieved.

"Besides, she's with Mr. Roman. We can't make an enemy of her!" Amira gazed at Violla with a complicated smile. "How are we going to settle this in private?"

"I…" Violla had no idea. Thirty million was not an amount that she could afford.

"I knew it, you don't have any solutions for this." Amira crossed her arms in discontent. "On one hand, you refuse to let us call the police. On the other hand, you refuse to compensate us. Come on, you can't expect us to lose thirty million without getting any compensation. This is preposterous!"

Amira looked the other way. "Madam principal,class teacher please be our judge. How can she treat us like this!"

"Yes, that's true…" The principal awkwardly nodded.

Nonetheless,the class teacher truthfully answered, "Miss Milan ,since Eliana was the one who lost the bracelet, I think you should compensate them."

"Hey, finally the class teacher uttered a proposition that is fair to us!" Amira felt wronged. "Since you're not able to provide a solution, I guess we don't have a choice…"

Amira stood up from her seat…

"Hold on." Violla recalled something and took it out from her bag, "I'll use this then…"

Amira stared at the ruby necklace held firmly in Violla's hands. Shockingly, it was casually wrapped with mere tissue papers. There was no packaging nor any sort of protection to safeguard the treasure. Nevertheless, the necklace radiated captivating shine and beauty.

"Isn't this the ruby necklace that was auctioned off that day?" Leila's eyes shimmered with desire and jealousy. "Is this fake?"

"Let me have a look." Amira took the ruby necklace and scrutinized it meticulously. Shortly after, she confirmed, "It's real!"

"This ruby necklace is priced at a hundred million," Violla was very reluctant to have pledged it. "It's more than enough to cover your losses. Once I manage to find the bracelet, I'll be back to redeem the necklace."

"If you don't manage to find it?" Leila pestered her further. "Then, this necklace will rightfully belong to me!"

"That's not going to work. The value of both items are not the same," Violla replied anxiously, "if I can't find back your bracelet, I'll find other ways to compensate you. However, you can't lose the necklace as I intend to redeem it!"

"There must be a time limit for this." Amira smirked. "Within seven days, if you can find the bracelet, I'll return this to you."

She proceeded to stipulate her conditions. "If you fail to find the bracelet, you'll need to bring thirty-eight million to compensate us. If you manage to do so, I'll return this necklace back to you. However, if you don't have the bracelet nor the money, then this necklace will belong to me!"

"This…" Violla was hesitant.

"If you don't agree, then I'll call the police and the media over…" Amira used her leverage against Violla.

"I agree." Violla's back was pressed against the wall.

"Alright, then we shall enter into an agreement. The principal and the class teacher can be our witnesses," Amira replied.

After they signed the agreement, the mother-daughter duo together with their lawyer left contentedly with the ruby necklace.The principal and the class teacher proceeded to the security room to inquire about the situation.

When Violla was ready to look for her children, a familiar voice sounded from her back. "Why don't you ask for my help?"

Violla turned over and was startled by who she saw. It was Franklin gazing at her with his sculpted and gorgeous face. Worryingly, he shed a few pounds and his complexion was haggard and ghastly.

That afternoon, he was injured by Davon in the Romans Corporation. Although the wound was bandaged and he changed into a new set of clothes, the sadness and dejection still lingered.

"I'm sure you know I can help you solve the problem. Why do you always bear everything on your shoulders every time? Franklin frowned.

"I must be independent." Violla smiled bitterly.

Franklin's heart ached for her. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms.

She subconsciously took a few steps backward to avoid him. Consequently, his hand hung hopelessly mid-air and he was forced to swallow the rejection. "I forgot. You no longer belong to me."

Such pernicious words and his desolate actions deeply touched Violla's heart.

If he had behaved unreasonably and crudely as before, she would definitely resist and resent him.

However, the way he restrained himself and the disappointed look on his face changed things. Her heart pained at the sight of his distress.

Past memories started to surge within her mind. As she vividly recalled, their first hug when they were sixteen was in a similar fashion. Likewise, the urge to embrace one another was met with an opposing force to restrain themselves.

It was a futile attempt just like their relationship. Eventually, everything fell apart.

"It's my own matter and I can deal with it myself," Violla replied softly. "On the other hand, why are you doing this to yourself? Your prestigious business consists of other clientele apart from Romans Corporation!"

"I can take care of this myself…" Franklin didn't want to discuss the matter. "Don't talk back to Davon because of me. Remember, it's not worth the risk."

"You're thinking too much. I'll not do that." Violla intentionally distanced herself from him. "Mr. Stanley your wife and mother-in-law just left a moment ago and they should not have gone too far. You should leave now to avoid any sort of misunderstanding."

"The bracelet was a gift from Titus to Eliana. Hence, there's no need for any compensation. I'll deal with this." Franklin responded.

"The best way for you to deal with it is to distance yourself from me." Violla interjected and reminded him strictly. "As long as you express your feelings towards me, the two of them will keep causing me trouble."

Franklin heard what she said and the conversation went into a stalemate. The silence went on for a long time before he decided to turn away and leave. Violla sighed as Franklin's figure slowly disappeared from sight.She regretted how things panned out, but it can never return to how it used to be.

"Mommy…" her children called out to her.

Violla turned around and Eliana hopped into her arms. Her cheeks were buried deep in Violla's chest when she asked in distressed, "Mommy, we can't find the bracelet. What are we going to do?"

"Mommy, Titus' mother said that the bracelet costs thirty million! Is that true?" Ryan frowned and asked with a straight face.

"How much is thirty million?" Eliana scratched her head and looked worriedly at her brother.

"Dummy, that's an amount that Mommy can never earn in her lifetime." Jason inadvertently blurted out. He quickly covered his mouth and guiltily looked at Violla. "Mommy, don't worry about it. I can earn that amount when I grow up."

"My innocent children." Violla gently rubbed Jason's hair and touched Ryan's cheeks. She held Eliana in her arms and said, "Don't worry about it. Mommy already compensated them. The matter has been solved!"

"Is that true?" The three children were shocked.

"Yes, it is. Recently, Mommy's work performance is outstanding and I earned a lot of money. Therefore, I can compensate them for the bracelet!" Violla pretended to be relieved.

"Yay! That's great!" the three children celebrated joyfully.

Violla then instructed. "Alright. You all should follow Mrs. Blake back home. Mommy still has some matters to handle right now and I'll be back home slightly late!"

"Yes, Mommy! " They responded cheerfully.

After Mrs. Blake left with the kids, Violla immediately ran back to the classroom and searched high and low for the bracelet.

She looked everywhere. The classrooms, the school field, the school bus, the toilets, and every single corner in the school compound.

With no choice but to persevere, she started to scavenge through the garbage bins. As a consequence, her clothes were later soiled full of dust and dirt.

As the sky darkened, the teachers and school workers left one after the other.

The principal tried to persuade her, "Miss Milan, I suggest you go home in the meantime. All of us will look for it tomorrow. Additionally, I've sent out a notice informing all school personnel about the bracelet. If anyone finds it, it will be passed to me."

"I plan to search for it longer." Violla was overhauling the garbage tin. "Madam principal, please don't mind me. I'll search for it until eight at night and I'll leave after that."

"Truth be told, we've looked around in these places." The principal wanted to convince her further. Nonetheless, she changed her mind after she saw Violla's determination. "Alright then. I have to go. Take this flashlight with you, just in case you need it."

"Thank you." Violla took the flash light. "I needed this."

The principal turned and walked away. Later, she met the class teacher at the school gate and the two immediately discussed the incident.

"A woman trying to raise three children is not easy," commented the class teacher, "where is the children's father? He's such an irresponsible parent."

The principal replied, "She should be a single mom."

"Today, Mrs. Stanley had gone overboard by obnoxiously reprimanding the three children. It was atrocious for her to comment that the alleged theft was the result of insufficient familial education by their parents. I tried to calm her down but she threatened to have me fired instead! What an obnoxious woman!" The class teacher eventually disclosed her grievances.

The principal felt uneasy. "Mrs. Stanley is infamous for her arrogance and domineering behavior. Try not to mess with her."

The class teacher felt that it was extremely unfair for Eliana. "Clearly, Titus intended the bracelet to be a gift for Eliana. However, his mother now turns around and accuses Eliana of theft. Such a repugnant act!"

"Unfortunately, the law is against Miss Milan and Eliana. Minors do not possess the legal capacity to bestow gifts, especially something that is so valuable. Therefore, the Smith's have the upper hand in the situation!" The principal was clearly against the Smith's conduct.

The class teacher replied, "I understand. Therefore, I dared not to speak up during the argument just now. Nonetheless, Mrs. Stanley shouldn't have scolded the children in such an unscrupulous manner. When it happened, Eliana was crying and shivering with fear, it pains me to see her terrified look."

"Indeed, she's a very mean and cold-blooded woman. Only when Miss Milan arrived, did she restrain herself from scolding Eliana further!" The principal agreed.

The class teacher eventually visualized the potential catastrophe that would befall her by having Titus in her class. "True. A parent like this is horrifying. I have to pray to God that nothing bad happens to Titus during my class. Otherwise, I'm doomed!"

"Not just you, but the whole kindergarten will also be done for." The principal shivered at the thought of it.

Finally, the class teacher lamented, "It's extremely unfortunate to be involved with a family like this!"

While the two teachers tried their best to speak softly, they were unable to remain inaudible during the quiet and peaceful night. Inevitably, Violla managed to eavesdrop on the whole conversation.She held onto the flash light firmly and her eyes emanated intense fury and wrath.

Although she knew very well that the mother-daughter duo were insidious and heartless, she underestimated their level of atrocity."They have the audacity to hurt my children with such barbaric language!" Violla thought.

Suddenly, her phone started ringing.Mrs. Blake was calling Violla. She immediately took a deep breath to calm herself down. After she managed to recalibrate her emotions, she answered the call. "Mrs. Blake!"

"Miss, are you still at the kindergarten?" Mrs. Blake asked.

Violla replied, "Yes. I'm searching for the bracelet. What's wrong?"

"Eliana is having a fever…" Mrs. Blake broke the bad news.

Violla instantly panicked. "What? I'll come back immediately."

Violla grabbed a ride and rushed back home.Eliana laid down semi-consciously on the bed. One would notice that her chubby cheeks were flushed red.Beside her, Mrs. Blake tried to lower her temperature by sponging her with a cold towel.

Furthermore, Ryan applied an ice bag on her forehead using his right hand. Meanwhile, his other hand was measuring her temperature with a thermometer.

At the other side of the bed, Jason was trying to feed her some water. He patiently scooped the water bit by bit and put it in her mouth. While doing that, he routinely wiped off the remaining drops of liquid on the side of her mouth.

"Eliana, Eliana, it's Mommy…" Violla called out to her.She held her hand over and touched Eliana's forehead. Needless to say, it was blazing hot!

"Mommy…" Eliana mumbled indistinctly, "Mommy, I have a daddy right? I'm not a b*****d, I'm not…"After hearing what she said, tears uncontrollably streamed down Violla's cheeks.