YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

Violla rushed into the bedroom and saw Eliana, who was hugging her favorite alpaca doll and sleeping soundly on her pink princess bed.

An unfinished milk bottle and a family photo rested beside her.

"Before Eliana fell asleep, she kept asking me if her mother will come back. She was hugging the family photo and crying her heart out. I had to coax her for a long time before she went to sleep," whispered the class teacher.

"Thank you!" Tears brimmed in Violla's eyes and streamed down her cheeks. She tiptoed into the room, bent down, and planted a gentle kiss on Eliana's forehead. In a whisper, she said, "Eliana, Mommy's back. I won't lose you again."

When the principal and the class teacher saw that, their eyes reddened.

Violla hugged Eliana and tucked her in. After moving the milk bottle and photo frame aside, she quickly strode to the adjacent room and pushed the door open gently.

When she turned on the wall lamps, she spotted Ryan and Jason who were both fast asleep on their beds.

Jason was hugging his toy gun and sleeping soundly, his drool all over his pillow.

His right leg, which was in a cast, was placed delicately on the bed, while his left leg was propped up against the wall. His body was sprawled across the bed and the blanket had already slipped off the bed. His sleeping posture looked as wild as his usual personality.

"Haha!" the principal covered her mouth and stifled a chuckle. "I just placed his leg in the correct position and tucked him in earlier. Within a few minutes, his posture became like this."

"That's how he sleeps." Violla quickly went over to check him up. She asked, "What happened to his leg? His head is also bandaged. What happened?"

"That's a long story. I'll explain it to you later," whispered the principal. "Spend some time with your children first. We'll be waiting for you outside.

"Okay." Violla nodded and pulled the blanket over Jason's body. Then, she moved his legs back into the correct position and adjusted his sleeping posture. After gently pulling the toy gun out of his arms, she kissed his forehead tenderly.

"Hmm… You're such a pretty girl…" Jason turned around and mumbled.

A chuckle rumbled out of Violla's lips as she smacked his chubby butt gently.

'This brat is thinking about pretty girls instead of his Mommy in his sleep! Where is his conscience?'

She grabbed a piece of tissue paper and wiped the drool away from Jason's mouth. After pinching his cheeks affectionately, she turned around and looked at Ryan.

His sleeping posture was much better. However, his brows were furrowed as he hugged the family photo. There was even a baton used for self-defense lying beside him.

This child had always been more mature and thoughtful than his younger siblings. He often had more worries running through his mind.

Violla had always worried that it would be a toil on his mental health if he matured so quickly.

However, on second thought, Ryan would not need to worry so much if she was a strong and capable mother who could give them a sense of security.

'As the eldest brother, is Ryan trying to shoulder my burden because I can't make them feel safe?'

Her heart ached as she stroked his face and smoothened out his furrowed brows. She then bent down to kiss his eyes. To her surprise, he suddenly opened his eyes after she moved away.

"Mommy…" Ryan stared at her in astonishment and only returned to his senses after a while. Rubbing his eyes vigorously, he exclaimed, "I'm not dreaming, right?"

"No…" Violla cupped his cheeks and whispered gently, "Ryan, Mommy's back!"

"Mommy!" Ryan immediately pounced into her arms and said agitatedly, "I miss you so much, Mommy. I was so scared that I won't be able to see you again."

"You foolish boy. I still need to watch over you while you grow up." Violla embraced him and patted his back gently. In a gentle tone, she reassured, "I'll never leave your side again!"

"Mommy…"Ryan, who had put up a strong front for many days, could not control his emotions anymore. He started bawling in his mother's arms.

As Eliana kept crying and Jason was being treated at the hospital for those few days, Ryan had to take care of them as their older brother. While worrying about his mother and Mrs. Blake, he still had to take various precautions to prevent evil guys from harming his younger siblings.

It was rare for such maturity and wisdom to be found in a three-year-old toddler.

Regardless of what he encountered, he did not shed a single tear. Even if his eyes had turned red and his voice had choked up, he would quickly suppress his emotions.

However, now that he finally saw his mother, he could not hold it back anymore.

The facade of strength he had put up disintegrated at that very moment. In the haven of his mother's arms, he could finally act like a young child and vent all his emotions without a care in the world.

As he kept crying, Violla's heart ached. She kept kissing Ryan's hair and consoling, "Don't be scared, Ryan. Now that I've come back, I won't leave anymore."

Ryan only calmed down after a long while. Taking a deep breath, he raised his head and looked at Violla. "Mommy, what happened? Where have you been for the past two days? Why couldn't I contact you? Are you hurt? Did you get bullied?"

"No, I'm completely fine." While wiping his tears away with a piece of tissue paper, she explained, "I was still working that day. As I received a call saying that Mrs. Blake has fainted, I quickly rushed to the hospital to take care of her. I was late by twenty minutes to pick you up, so the time I reached Uplands Estate, you guys were already nowhere to be seen… I've been searching high and low for the three of you over the past few days."

"Mrs. Blake fainted? How is she?" asked Ryan worriedly.

"She's sick, but my friend who's also a doctor is taking care and treating her now. You don't need to worry," reassured Violla as she cupped Ryan's handsome face. "Sleep now, Ryan. I'll go out and talk to the teachers and policemen first. I'll make breakfast for you tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Ryan nodded obediently. "Go and do what you have to do first, Mommy. Rest early after that."

"I know." Violla planted a kiss on him again before leaving quietly.

After closing the bedroom door, she signaled the principal and the class teacher to her bedroom and inquired about the situation.

The principal explained that after the children went missing, the school authorities were extremely flustered and combed the entire area for them. As their search yielded no results, they reported it to the police. It was then that they realized that Violla had also made a report. Although they tried to contact her, she did not answer any of their calls. Hence, they had no choice but to wait for the police's updates.

At 6 p.m. that night, the principal received a call from the police saying that the children had been found. They instructed her to go to Amelia's Hospital, and they discovered the truth afterward.

The three children had been walking home on their own after school. However, on the way home, Jason dashed into a forest while chasing a little cat. After emerging out of the forest onto another road, he got knocked down by a luxurious car. The owner of the car then sent them to the hospital.

Cruze appeared a while later and paid them a large sum of money to take care of the children for a night.

At the mention of that, the principal quickly clarified, "Actually, it's our duty to protect the kids. Even if we're not paid, we'll still do our best. Since the Romans Corporation insisted on paying us, we…"

"It's fine. Romans Corporation's rich anyway, so it's a waste to refuse their money." Violla was not bothered by it at all. "Since they paid you, just keep the money. Do you know who the perpetrator was?"

"While we were chatting with the medical staff on the way here, we realized that he's the grandfather of Romans Corporation's president…" mumbled the class teacher.

Violla was stunned. 'So old Mr. Roman crashed into Jason and sent them to the hospital? Is… Is this the truth? Or is there more to it? What had he come to do in uplands?'

"Old Mr. Roman was very nice to the kids. They've already developed a close relationship with him and were even reluctant to leave him." added the principal.

"Yeah! Old Mr. Roman even bought the kids a lot of presents—almost enough to fill up an entire car!" The class teacher enthusiastically chimed in. "When we were at the hospital, he also said that he'd make compensations."

Not saying anything, Violla fell into deep thought.

'Even though old Mr. Roman had accidentally knocked over Jason, he sent him to the hospital for treatment and took care of Ryan and Eliana well. Not only that, but he also settled everything afterward.'

'In that case, she could not possibly pin the blame on him.'

'However, if that's true, why did Davon threaten me with the children?'

'Why are the recordings of the surveillance cameras at that particular stretch of road missing too?'

'Did old Mr. Roman order the traffic police to wipe them away, or was it Davon?'

'What actually happened?'

"Miss Milan." said the principal softly. "Since you're already back, we don't have to stay anymore, right?"

"Yes, thank you for your hard work." Only then did Violla jolt back to her senses. She quickly stood up, thanked them, and sent them off.

Meanwhile, the two policemen and medical staff were still waiting for Violla

outside.

The policemen said that they received instructions from their superiors that they could leave after the children's parents returned. However, they would increase the police patrols around Uplands to ensure the residents' safety.

Violla thanked them profusely and politely sent them off.After they left, she asked the pediatrician the specifics about Jason's injury.

The pediatrician passed the comprehensive check-up report and hospital bill to Violla for her to review. Lastly, he reassured, "As Jason's right ankle is fractured, he might need to rest for a while. Other than that, he's fine and will recover quickly. You don't have to worry too much."

"Phew, that's great." Violla heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your hard work over the past few days. Let me send you off."

"Actually, Miss Milan," interrupted the pediatrician, suddenly adopting a serious tone. "Our superiors have instructed us to stay behind and take care of the three kids until everyone has recovered!"

"Yeah, the three of us will take care of a child each, the doc,will be responsible for Jason's treatment."

The nurses pledged with a smile, "Not only are we equipped with nursing skills, but we're also trained in childcare education. We know how to prepare meals for toddlers too, so we won't face any problems taking care of the children. Don't worry."

"Um…" Violla felt a little flustered. "My house is a little small, so where will you stay?"

"Mr. Cruze has already bought the house opposite. According to him, it is already equipped with the daily necessities we would require. We'll be staying there temporarily," said the pediatrician as he pointed at the house opposite. "Our medical equipment and kits are all there."

"Wow…" exclaimed Violla in surprise. "Are you talking about Cruze, Davon's bodyguard?"

"Yeah!" The nurses nodded profusely.

"Okay, I get it." Violla glanced at the clock and urged, "It's already 3.30 a.m. so you should go back and rest soon. See you tomorrow morning!"

"Sure, you should rest early too! We'll visit you at 7 in the morning tomorrow and make breakfast for the children."

"Oh, thank you for your efforts!" After sending the medical staff off, Violla took a deep breath and closed the door. She headed to the balcony to check if Martin's car had left yet.

As she was so focused on looking for her children, she forgot all about the signal.

When she was walking towards the window, she suddenly heard someone knock on the door.

This caused her to jump in fright. Quickly grabbing a baseball bat for self-defense, she crept to the door and peered through the peephole. It was Martin!

She quickly opened the door. "Martin?"

"You forgot Finny!" Martin passed the golden cage to her.

Finny was nestled in the cage and sleeping soundly, completely oblivious to the fact that it had been forgotten by Violla.

"Thank you." She quickly took the cage from his hands and explained, "I was so eager to see my kids just now that I forgot to signal you. Everything's fine here and we're safe. Don't worry!"

"I noticed." Martin smiled gently. "I met the kindergarten teachers downstairs and chatted with them. Seems like there's another side to the story, huh?"

"Yeah." Violla had a frown. "I'm confused too."

"It doesn't matter." Martin changed the topic. "Everything's fine as long as you and your children are safe."

"That's right." She did not want to mull over it excessively either. Regardless of what the truth was, she was in no position to resist. Her priority was to protect her children and leave everything else aside first.

"I'm leaving now. Stay safe." Martin gazed at her deeply and left. When he reached the lift lobby, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Violla, it's not necessarily the case that you have no other paths to take!"

"What?" She did not quite understand what he was saying.

"If you can't take it anymore, someone can protect you," said Martin, his words concealing a deeper meaning. "Think about it."

With that, he stepped into the lift.

Violla frowned, feeling puzzled. When she closed the door and turned around, she suddenly remembered her father's letter.

He said that if she was ever at her wit's ends, she could call a number that belonged to the other Nation.

No matter what happened, that person would definitely solve it for her!

'Yeah, why have I forgotten about it?'

It might be of help if I encounter another crisis in the future.

But…

Violla remembered her father's constant reminder in the letter that she must not contact that person unless she was left with no other options. Once she contacted the person, it would mean that her life would take a drastic turn.

Earlier, Martin was probably hinting at this person.

It seemed like he had already read the contents of the letter.

As she pondered over it, Violla's heart sank again. She shook her head and tried to dispel those thoughts from her mind. It was more important to solve the current problem first.

She returned to her room and changed into her pajamas. While lying on the bed, she sent a message to Mrs. Blake: Mrs. Blake, the kids are already safely at home. Don't worry, we'll visit you tomorrow!

Then, with her phone still in her hands and overwhelmed by exhaustion, she fell into a deep slumber.

At the Romans' residence, Davon was sitting on the balcony in his robe. Gazing at the starry expanse of the sky, he silently sipped on his wine.

Cruze reported at the side, "Miss Milan has already returned home. The teachers from the kindergarten have already left too. At your instructions, the medical staff stayed to take care of them. And…"

After a slight pause, he continued carefully, "Martin went upstairs to pass Finny to her. However, he left after chatting for two minutes without entering the house. I think that he clearly understands the consequences now and will not pursue her anymore."

"Okay," Davon grunted an acknowledgment and continued sipping on his wine silently. When he finished an entire glass, he instructed, "Don't let Grandpa know about the children's true identity."

"Understood but I have a feeling he already knows he is just toying with you." Cruze nodded before adding, "But if the children contact him on their own accord, I can't prevent that either. He bought a smartwatch for them and even left his number."

"You don't need to bother about that," replied Davon coldly. "Violla is even more reluctant than me to let Grandpa find out. After all, she's their mother."

"You're right." Cruze heaved a sigh of relief. "It's getting late, so you should rest earlier."

When Davon waved his hands dismissively, Cruze bowed and left.

Although he continued drinking the wine, his eyes were fixed on his phone.

There was nothing—not even a single text or call.

'Even though that woman has met her children and learned the truth from the teachers, she still didn't call me. I expected her to be in tears by now, sobbing and apologizing to me guiltily.'

'Where the heck is her conscience?'

'Or is she still suspecting that this is part of a plot?'

At that thought, Davon's expression turned grim and he could not help but lament silently. 'I can't believe how ungrateful Violla is!'