YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

"No, I cannot let that happen. I cannot let you settle the bill. Mr. Roman will blame me for this," Immaculate nervously said.

"I really need to draw things clear because of him." Violla suddenly put on a stern face.

"I hope that no matter what happens between him and me, we can still be friends with each other. That's the only way I can continue to let Mrs. Blake undergo her treatment here. Otherwise, she's going to be in danger if our relationship goes down the drain."

Immaculate was speechless. She could see where Violla was coming from. If she was fully dependent on Davon for Mrs. Blake's treatment, the man reserved the right to terminate his sponsorship as he pleased just like he did a few weeks ago.

However, if Violla was seeking treatment as an ordinary patient, then the hospital would be liable for the patient, and answer to Violla.

"Let's just go with this. Don't worry about the money. I can still cope with the hospital bills." Then, Violla steered the conversation in another direction, "About my friend's mother's condition, I brought her medical records today."

Violla handed over Olympia's mother's medical records to Immaculate.

She skimmed through the records and said, "This is a tad complicated. I need to run this through my team for a discussion. I'll come back to you on this in two days' time, alright?"

"Sure, thank you." Violla nodded her head. "I'll keep company Mrs. Blake then."

"Sure."

Violla and the kids kept Mrs. Blake company the whole afternoon. They had only left the hospital at about five in the evening when the kids were getting hungry.

Before leaving, Violla settled the fifty-thousand hospital bill and went back to Mrs. Blake's ward. "Mrs. Blake, we will come visit you again tomorrow. Get a good rest."

"I'm alright here. There are medical staff and Dr. Immaculate looking after me. It must be tough for you to handle three kids alone. There's no need to rush here and there."

"It's okay. The kids miss you. Besides, it's Sunday tomorrow and we still have time to spare. I can't say the same for Monday when the kids have to go to school. You'd better get some rest. We'll get going first."

"Take care."

"Goodbye, Mrs. Blake!"

"Be good, the three of you and Finny! You guys have to listen to your mom!"

"Yes, Mrs. Blake." The triplets were famished after they headed out of the hospital. Violla called for a cab to take the kids home and promised to make them dumplings.

The triplets were thrilled by the idea and vowed to help Violla with the dumplings.

Right then, Ryan's smart watch buzzed. He gestured for the others to keep quiet, and whispered to his mother, "Mommy, it's a call from grandpa Roman."

"Well, pick it up then." Violla nodded.

"Hello, grandpa Roman."

"Ryan, where are you guys? I want to pick you guys for dinner." D'barl was beaming on the other end. "Let's not go to Fairy Land today. I'll take you guys to the beach. It's really pretty there."

"Grandpa Roman, hold on." Ryan covered the microphone and looked at Violla.

She glanced at the other two. Jason and Eliana nodded animatedly. They liked D'barl, and wanted to spend more time with him.

Violla decided to go along with the kids' wishes.

"Sure, grandpa Roman . Mommy said yes." Ryan was excited at the prospect of seeing D'barl again. He could not wait to share what he recently learned at school.

"That's great! I'm right downstairs. You guys take your time and get ready. I'll come upstairs and take you guys later," D'barl said lovingly.

All color drained from Violla's face when she heard D'barl. 'He's right downstairs?'

Their cab was about to reach home.

Violla turned around and was greeted by the sight of a Rolls-Royce parked right opposite her place.

Douglas helped the old man get off the car. D'barl was grinning from ear to ear as he walked over to her building.

Violla signaled for the driver to stop.

However, the cab driver did not notice her signal and stepped on the pedal instead.

Violla was frightened out of her wits as she lay low in the car.

Noticing his mother's peculiar manner, Ryan immediately said, "Grandpa Roman, we are out buying some stuff right now. Why don't you wait for us at the garden in the residential estate? We'll get home soon."

"Sure, no rush. Take your time," D'barl said before hanging up.

Ryan stood up and stole a glance outside. "Mommy, grandpa Roman is already heading to the garden."

Violla had only found the courage to sit upright. After paying the cab driver, she got off the car along with her kids. She did not head toward her building. Instead, she turned to Ryan and said, "Ryan, mommy is not going inside with you guys. You wheel Jason to the residential estate entrance and let grandpa Roman pick you guys up from there."

"Yes, mommy." Ryan nodded his head.

"Mommy, why are you so afraid of grandpa Roman? He's a really nice person." Jason did not understand why his mother kept avoiding D'barl.

"Yes, grandpa Roman will never hurt us." Eliana cocked her head to one side and said innocently, "Mommy, you can come with us too."

"I have my own reasons, and it's really difficult for mommy to explain it to you guys right now. Anyway, you guys have to keep this secret for me, and listen to Ryan, alright?"

"Yes, Mommy." Jason and Eliana nodded their heads.

"Mommy, drink something while you're waiting for us to be picked up by grandpa Roman. Don't worry, we will call him as soon as we are at the entrance," Ryan said.

"You're a good boy, Ryan." Violla gave her boy a hug.

Ryan then wheeled his brother, as Eliana and their pet parrot tagged along. The gang made their way toward the entrance of the residential estate.

The neighbors could not help but beam with delight at the cute sight. "Where are your parents, kids?"

"My mom is busy while our grandma is in the hospital."

"Did you guys come out here all by yourselves?" The neighbors were curious and asked, "Don't you have anyone watching you guys?"

"Yes, grandpa Roman is waiting for us in the garden." Then, D'barl's voice rang, "Ryan!"

D'barl wanted to meet the triplets as soon as possible. He thought he would try his luck at the entrance. Sure enough, he spotted the triplets right there.

Ryan was wheeling Jason with much difficulty while Eliana was holding the parrot as she trailed behind her big brother. D'barl was disheartened at the sight and ordered, "Quick, help them out."

His two bodyguards then rushed forward, took over the wheelchair and held Eliana and Ryan's hands.

"Where did you guys go? Why isn't there any adult around?" D'barl furrowed his brows.

"We went to visit Mrs. Blake at the hospital, and we just got back," Ryan replied.

"Why didn't the nurses follow you guys there?" D'barl crouched and hugged Ryan and Eliana. "Where's your mommy?"

"Mommy said that a hospital is a quiet place, and it's not so nice for us to take along so many people. So she took us there on her own. She went to the drugstore to buy some medicine. We're waiting for you here because we want to see you sooner."

There was no loose end with Ryan's explanation.

"Good boy." D'barl hugged Ryan. "I should have gotten you guys from the hospital if I had known about it."

"It's okay to get us here too grandpa Roman, let's get into the car," Ryan said.

"Don't you need to wait for your mommy?" D'barl lifted his head and noticed the usual hustle and bustle of the neighborhood. Some people were even engrossed in hushed whispers, but there were no signs of the triplet's mother.

"It's okay, mommy will get home on her own." Ryan only wanted to leave sooner so that his mother would not have to hide out at the cafe, and that she could head back sooner to get a good rest.

"Yes, grandpa Roman I'm hungry. Let's go." Eliana resonated her brother's words.

"Grandpa I'm hungry too." Jason chimed in as well.

"Sure, let's go now." D'barl then helped the three kids get into his car.

Before boarding the car, Eliana subconsciously waved her hand in the direction of the cafe.

At the same time, Finny called out in her arms, "Mommy! Mommy!"

Surprised, D'barl followed Eliana's gaze. Violla hastily turned around with her coffee in hand, so that her back was facing the road.

Fortunately, she was wearing a set of old clothes and had a cap pulled over her face, making her look completely different from the time she met D'barl. She was quite confident that he wouldn't recognize her. But she was wrong because D'barl growled in his heart, 'You can keep playing the hiding game Violla Milan,but one day you will play right into me.'

"Is your mommy back?" D'barl asked casually.

"Mommy is..." Eliana started.

"She is buying some stuff at the pharmacy near our house," Ryan continued Eliana's sentence, then added, "Be careful, grandpa Roman. Don't fall down."

"Sure, sure. You watch your step too." D'barl helped Ryan into the car.

After a while, Violla cautiously turned her head. When she saw D'barl's car leaving, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, taking the thermos bottle and various other items back home.

The three nurses were still waiting for the children by the door. Violla informed them that the triplets had gone out for lunch with D'barl, then told them to take the day off rather than waiting there.

They said that they would come again when the triplets returned.

Violla returned home and cleaned up the place a little bit before sitting at the desk to go through the medical bills.

After some calculations, she found that after paying one hundred thousand the other day, she still owed the hospital tens of thousands. Because she did not have money on her hands, she decided to make a call.

She was just about to contact the financial advisor in South Nation when a call from Olympia came in. "Good news, Violla! I contacted a friend of mine and she said she needs a pianist for a few high-end weddings. The pay for each performance is two thousand. Are you in?"

"Yes, yes! Of course, I'm in!" Violla was over the moon.

"There's one tonight which starts at six. I'll go there with you and get you acquainted first."

"Sure, sure. Let's meet at five-thirty then."

"Okay. I'll send you the location."

After ending the call, Violla was still brimming with excitement. Even though the pay for wedding performances was slightly lower, at least it was considered a proper job and she wouldn't have to worry about encountering problems like the ones she did at Empire Night.

If she could receive more jobs like those, she would be able to settle the outstanding medical fees by the end of the month.

Violla checked the time and realized with a start that it was almost five. She quickly changed her clothes and took a taxi to the designated place.

Olympia was already waiting at the entrance. Spotting Violla, she hurried toward her. "Violla!"

"Olympia, I'm sorry for being late." Violla had an apologetic look on her face. "Have you eaten? Let me buy you a meal."

"It's fine. There's no time to eat. I'll take you to meet Miss. Faith now."

Olympia tugged Violla along with her while briefing her.

"Miss. Faith's company provides entertainment services for all kinds of events, so she has a lot of projects on hand. She often comes to our university to recruit part-timers. I did a few performances for her in the past, but stopped after injuring my hand.

"I visited her yesterday and told her about your situation. She said she'd let you play a few songs and if she's happy with you, she'll call you up for any part-time jobs in the future."

"This is great." Violla was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Olympia. You've helped me big time."

"You're Mr. Milan's daughter. Besides, you've also helped me before. We're a family, so don't get all polite on me." Olympia smiled. "Besides, you helped me find a doctor too."

"Oh, right. I passed your mother's medical report to my doctor friend today. She said she'll discuss it with the doctors from various departments and give me a feedback in two days."

"Thank you."

"We're BFFs, right? Let's do our best together."

Olympia led Violla to Faith who was busy distributing tasks. Seeing Violla, she pointed at the piano and said curtly, "Play a song for me."

"Yes." Without a seconds delay, Violla went on stage and played instantly drawing everyone's attention. Even the staffs were mesmerized by the melody.

"That's very good." Faith wore an immensely satisfied look on her face. "Go change your clothes now. You start at six. Two thousand for two hours. As long as you perform well, there will be a steady stream of jobs for you in the future!"

"Thank you, Miss Faith ." Violla was bubbling with joy as she accepted her outfit from a staff member. Then, she tugged on Olympia's hand and said, "C'mon, Olympia. Let's go together."

"No, I can't…" Olympia glanced at her hand and felt disappointment wash over her. "You should go now, Violla. I have to hurry over to Empire Night for work anyway. Let's meet up again when we're free."

"Alright, then." Violla's heart ached as she hugged her. "Olympia, if you have the time, I can take you to my doctor friend and see whether your hand can be treated."

"Really?" Olympia's eyes lit up with hope.

"You'll never know until you try, right?" Violla smiled. "Life is always full of hope!"

"Mmmh." Olympia nodded eagerly. "Thank you, Violla!"

"Don't be silly. Go ahead with your work. I'll keep in touch."

After getting changed, it was time for Violla to start performing. To avoid being recognized, she wore a white mask over her face.

The performance ended without anything unusual. It was nothing but an ordinary wedding.

After the performance, Violla received her pay of two thousand and exchanged contacts with Faith, who immediately booked her for another performance at a company celebration the next night.The pay was also two thousand for two hours.

Even though it wasn't as much as the money she earned at Empire Night and there wouldn't be any tips either, Violla was rather pleased with it.

After leaving the hotel, Violla received a call from the triplets who said that they were reaching home soon. They also asked where she was and excitedly announced that they had brought some food back for her.

Violla said that she would be home very soon, but abruptly recalled that Davon was going to pick her up at ten o'clock.

Despite that, she shoved that thought to the back of her mind , wanting to go home as soon as possible.

By the time she reached home, it was already half-past nine. The triplets were asking the nurses about her whereabouts.

Before they could answer, Violla went in and the triplets happily ran over to greet her, prattling on about their day while taking out the dinner they brought home for her.

Feeling famished as she had not eaten dinner yet, Violla gobbled up the food like a starved beast.

Her children's hearts ached for her when they saw how hungry she was.

Ryan furrowed his brows and asked softly, "Mommy, haven't you eaten dinner yet?"

"No. Mommy went to work after you guys left." Violla explained while eating her steak, "Mommy went to play the piano. It was only for two hours, but Mommy made quite a lot of money."

"Mommy, no matter how busy you are, you mustn't forget to eat." Ryan's mouth turned down at the sides.

"Yeah, Mommy! You have to eat." Eliana took out a piece of wet tissue and clumsily wiped her mother's mouth.

"Alright, kids," Violla replied with a fond smile on her face.

Right then, her phone rang with an incoming call from Davon. She felt unsettled as she stared at his caller ID flashing on her screen. However, she was afraid to answer it in front of her children. She flipped the phone so that it was lying face down.

"Ryan, Jason and Eliana. It's time for you three to take a bath and go to bed . Mommy will tuck you in after eating, okay?" Violla urged.

"Okay, Mommy." The triplets were very obedient.

The nurses had already set up their bath and were waiting for them.

Violla got up and walked to the balcony, peeking down to see Davon's car parked downstairs with its headlights bright.

A short glance at the time showed that it was ten o'clock sharp.

She was in a bind. If she didn't go down, he might very well lose his temper, but the triplets had not gone to bed yet and she didn't know how to explain this to them.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Ryan's voice came from behind her.

"Nothing." Violla snapped out of her daze and made up a white lie. "A friend is here to see me."

"Should we invite her in?" Ryan was as sensible as ever.

"It's fine." Violla shook her head. "I might need to go down for a while. You kids go take a bath first, okay?"

"Okay." Ryan agreed.