YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

Violla quickly provided an address nearby her home and arranged to meet him in half an hour.

She quickly cleaned up, changed her clothes and tidied her hair before heading out.

Upon arriving at the pre-arranged location, a black Maybach stopped in front of her.

As the door flew open, a man with long legs alighted. He removed his sunglasses, and a radiant smile appeared on his face. "Hey, Violla!"

"Martin!" She took a close look at the man and only recognized him after a short pause.

Martin looked like a completely different person . The man, who had a rather slender figure, now sported long hair. He looked a lot more gentle than before.

These features only made him look even more attractive.

Even Violla felt a little insecure standing in front of him. "You've lost some weight. You look much better now!"

"Tsk tsk tsk. I told you long ago not to describe me that way." He still enjoyed pinching her like before.

"But I mean it. You do look good." Violla

took her own words seriously.

The man now looked like a protagonist from a story. His white teeth, fair skin, and incredibly gorgeous face put many girls to shame, especially now that he had long hair.

Despite tying it up ever so casually, he still managed to look extremely charming in a pretty boy kind of way. "Not as good as you."

Speaking the same way as before, Martin held her by the shoulder and helped her into the car. "You should get in. The paparazzi are on the hunt again."

The woman nervously scanned the area. There seemed to be a few suspicious-looking people staring at her.

"Buckle up and sit tight," he reminded before he started the engine and sped away.

Violla frantically clutched onto the grab handle, took a deep breath, and leaned into her seat.

As expected, two black cars began to trail them. Being the excellent driver he was, Martin easily shook them off while on the road.

She heaved a sigh of relief after noting that the reporters were gone and reminded Martin, "Slow down."

"Okay." The latter reduced his speed and caressed her head affectionately. "Let's go get some roasted meat ."

"You actually remember what I like." Violla had loved

roasted meat ever since she was young, but Franklin never took her to eat any as he felt it was bad for her digestion.

Martin, on the other hand, thought differently. He just wanted her to be happy.

"How could I not?" He beamed at her. "I remember every single thing about you."

She didn't know how to respond to such profound words.She gazed at the moon outside, feeling tired and frustrated. 'I have so much to worry about now. I can't even live a normal life. I don't want to drag anyone into this mess.'

"I heard about everything that happened back then," Martin couldn't help but mention. "I'd never have let that happen if I were the one who married you, and Mr. Milan would've been okay."

When she heard this, Violla's nose began to tingle, and her eyes turned red.She hurriedly turned away, not wanting him to see how miserable she looked.

She had chosen Franklin over Martin back then, but reality was now slapping her across the face.

The Black family had always maintained a low profile, with their assets kept overseas.

Barbra and Martin's fathers were siblings. Barbra's family had only begun gaining a foothold in the City ten years ago, but they slowly grew in power with the help of Martin's father.

The Blacks were now on the verge of overtaking the Stanleys.

It was sufficient to say that the Blacks were indeed a rich and influential family that had a firm place in the corporate world.

Even the mighty Davon Roman treated the Black family with more respect than he did other families.

Hence, Martin's words were no bluff. Had he been around that time, Violla's father, Gerald, wouldn't have had to resort to such means.

Back then, Martin liked Violla more than Franklin did, but he had let her go out of respect for her decision.

Then, the man left the City in a fury, severing his ties with everyone so that nobody could find him.That was how the Milan family had lost their very last saving grace.

"It's all my fault." Martin felt extremely remorseful. "Your father would've still been alive and well had I not left the City and cut everyone off like that."

"It has nothing to do with you," Violla replied, taking a deep breath. "I guess this is fate."

"You never used to say such things." His heart ached as he gazed at the woman he once loved. "It must have been tough on you these few years."

"Well, it hasn't been that bad. It's just that…" She suppressed her urge to tell him the truth and hurriedly changed the subject. "Have you come back to see Barbra or her father, Martin?"

"I came back for you," the man answered, staring into her eyes. "After hearing what you've been going through, I decided to come back and see if I'd be able to help you in any way."

"Don't be so nice to me," she couldn't help but reply chokingly. "I'd only feel guilty if you treat me so nicely."

She turned to look at his hands on the steering wheel. The man wore a glove on his left hand to conceal the fact that he didn't have a ring finger.

That finger was supposed to be where he would wear a wedding ring one day, but he had lost it because of her.

"You silly girl!" Seeing how Violla was about to cry made Martin's heart wrench, and he hurriedly pulled her into his arms. "I'm more than willing to treat you nicely. It makes me happy. Can't you just let me be happy for a while?"

The woman said nothing, merely pursing her lips and sniffling inside his embrace.

She was optimistic and cheerful by nature. Whenever problems befell her, she would always do her best to solve them instead of crying or being miserable.

Even so, there were also days where she would break down and feel worn out from all the stress she was experiencing.

Violla never showed such feelings in front of Mrs. Blake and the children, but now that she was in a warm embrace and had a firm shoulder to lean on, she suddenly had a desire to give in.

"With me around, you'll never have to be afraid of anything." Martin kissed her hair. "Tell me what happened."

"I…" She opened her mouth but couldn't speak. She dared not tell him that she was now being blackmailed by the mother-daughter duo of the Smith family after meeting an escort and giving birth to three of his children.

She did not want him to know that she was now being forced to marry someone. She did not want him to know that they had threatened to release all the pictures and videos of her and the escort online while also getting that East Nation escort to explain everything to the media.

Furthermore, Violla certainly dared not reveal how she had been forced to sign a debt repayment contract with the one and only Davon Roman. Even if Martin could help her pay the debt off, Davon would surely not agree to it.

'I owe Martin enough. I can't afford to burden him again.And I definitely can't make more enemies for him.Not especially when he may end up having to deal with someone like Davon I can't rope him into this.'

"I've seen the news," said Martin. "I'll never believe any of that. Knowing you, you'd never turn back to Franklin after he abandoned you when you needed him most four years ago."

"You really do understand me." She sighed in frustration. "I have no intention of talking to those from the past. I've forgiven them despite everything they've done to me, but they just can't seem to let me off the hook."

"Don't worry. Now that I'm here, no one will be able to hurt you." For the first time, an air of dominance engulfed Martin as he frowned.

"No. This is something I have to take care of myself. I don't want you to be involved," she hastily insisted. "You're different from other people, Martin. You've never liked business rivalries and schemes. Art has always been your only passion. Don't give up your own values because of me."

"Alright, let's not talk about all this anymore." The man smiled gently. "It's been so long since we last met, so we should be enjoying ourselves."

"You're right." She immediately nodded. "Let's have a good time. It's my treat tonight."

"Sure. I won't hold back then." His smile looked more dazzling than the moonlight.

Martin took Violla to a seaside East Nation style meat roasting restaurant. However, Violla felt unsettled the moment she saw the words "East Nation."

Despite being absolutely certain that Kevin wasn't the man from that night, those photos were more than enough to disgust her.

To make things worse, the photos were now in the hands of the mother-daughter duo of the Smith family.

If those pictures were to be publicized, Violla's reputation would be tarnished, and this would affect her children too.

"What's wrong?" Martin asked gently as he spotted the strange look on her face. "You don't like East Nation style meat ? Let's go somewhere else, then."

"No, it's fine." She figured that he had planned everything so carefully, so she didn't want to rain on his parade. Furthermore, they had already driven so far out. It would be time-consuming to suddenly go elsewhere.

"Then let's head in." He took the her into a private room he had booked prior to coming. Every dish was what she enjoyed eating.

After the waiters left, the two began to reminisce about the past. Talking about their university days made them especially happy. Those were much simpler times, after all.

Then, the man asked Violla how she was doing now.

With that, the smile on the latter's face vanished in a flash and she turned grim. The woman lowered her head and sipped her tea, not saying a word.

"I heard from Barbra that you're… pretty close to Mr. Roman of Romans Corporation," Martin hinted.

"He's my boss," she swiftly responded.

"Violla… Don't ever do anything to cross the Romans," Martin reminded.

At that, she looked up at him in confusion. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, how should I put it…" He tried to explain what he meant in layman terms. "There's a saying in the corporate world about two powerful families. The Romans control the North,South ,East and West Nation, while the Landianas control the whole of the Central. They are the biggest players in the worlds business circle, but they're also a lion's den. Both of those families are really complicated. You're too innocent to be getting caught up with people like them."

"Oh," she answered while nodding. "I thought you knew more."

"What?" The man was visibly puzzled by her curt statement.

"Nothing." She flashed him a smile. "Let's have some tea!"

Martin was different from Franklin, Davon, and even Drew, after all.

The man loved arts and hated anything business-related. As someone who despised a life where everyone schemed against each other in the dark, he was certainly a world apart from those shrewd businessmen.

He was also unlike Davon, who was extremely smart and tactful when it came to mingling in the world of business.

Martin wanted nothing to do with all the power struggles and dark schemes going on in the corporate world. He was as pure-hearted as a saint with regard to his feelings too.

Hence, Violla didn't want him to be roped into her world.The food arrived shortly, and the two enjoyed their roasted meat while chatting away.

Martin took good care of Violla just like before; the woman was used to it.Suddenly, Violla's phone rang, so she left the room to answer the call. It was Mrs. Blake.

The housekeeper informed her that Eliana had caught another cold and was burning up, so she had taken the child to the hospital.

Violla's instantly panicked. "How is she?"

"Don't worry. It's just a common cold, but she misses you. She keeps calling for her mommy."

Violla wished to be by her child's side right then, but she knew that her current situation didn't allow it. So, she could only tell Mrs. Blake, "Please take good care of them for me. I'll be back once I've settled everything."

After hanging up, she was about to head back when she noticed the private room opposite to hers being left open slightly. Then, through the two-inch crack, she saw two familiar figures.

'Franklin and Barbra?'

The man looked like he had had too much to drink. He drank while complaining his heart away, looking like a complete miser.

Barbra's heart ached so much that she couldn't help but pull him into an embrace.

Yet, instead of pushing her away, Franklin grabbed her face and planted a kiss on her lips.

Violla was immediately stunned by the sight. She stood frozen in place.

It was only until a waiter shut the door that she returned to her senses and blinked hard. 'Were my eyes playing tricks on me?'

"Violla !" Martin called out to her.

With that, she immediately followed him back into the private room and shut the door before remarking anxiously, "I just saw....."

But before she could finish, she received a phone call from Leila.

Frowning, she answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" the woman instantly questioned.

"I'm having a meal outside. Why?" Violla frowned.

"Give me the address. Now." Leila demanded.

"Are you insane...." Violla barked. Suddenly, a waiter's voice rang out from outside. "Welcome to The Dimitri!"

When she heard that, Leila immediately went ballistic.

"Well done, Violla! I gave you two days to find a husband, but here you are seducing mine instead! Just you wait, you shameless wench!"

"Hey..."The call ended before Violla had a chance to even explain herself.

'Why, oh why, do I have such bad luck? I'm here trying to enjoy a good meal, but now I've just become someone else's scapegoat.'

'Leila must have installed a tracker on Franklin's phone. She knows where he is now, but he probably didn't pick up her calls. That's why she thinks he's out seeing another woman.And that woman just has to be me.That's why she called me.But that waiter just had to talk while I was on the phone! This is a disaster.'

"What's wrong? Who called you?" asked Martin.

"It was Leila," Violla answered petulantly. "She started going off at me the moment I picked up. What a crazy b*tch."

"Why would she go off at you?" he asked

"She thinks I'm having dinner with Franklin here. Honestly…" She immediately retracted her words when she realized what she was about to say.

Barbra was Martin's cousin, after all, and they were both at the same restaurant now. If Martin found out the truth, he would definitely go to beat Franklin up.

With so many people there, Franklin's and Barbra's relationship will be brought to light.

'It'll be bad for Franklin's career, and Barbra will hate me for it.I've already made so many enemies. I don't want her to turn on me either.I don't want to give Franklin a hard time either.'

"Honestly, what?" the man before her urged.

"Nothing." Violla didn't wish to complicate matters. "Let's go somewhere more peaceful, Martin."

"I shouldn't have booked this place. Barbra couldn't stop raving about the meat here." Martin grabbed his phone and keys before leaving with Violla.

The latter couldn't help but ponder over Martin's words and found them odd. "Does Barbra know you're here with me?"

"Of course she does," he answered with a grin. "I don't eat with any other woman apart from you."

Violla's lips curled rigidly. Despite saying nothing, uncertainty began to fill her heart.

'If Barbra suggested Martin bring me here, why would she come over with Franklin?Did she let me catch them on purpose?'

The two walked out of the restaurant and were about to enter the elevator when suddenly, she spotted a couple making out inside.She instantly stopped in her tracks.

But before Martin could glance at them, his phone rang, and he stepped aside to answer it. "Hello? Yeah, I'm out at the moment. Maybe another day. Let's talk about it when I've settled my matters. Okay."

By the time he hung up, the elevator had already arrived on the ground floor.

Violla hastily walked toward the glass window and looked down. As expected, she saw Franklin entering the car while holding onto Barbra. Then, the woman started the engine and drove away.