YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

'That's weird. Why didn't the bad guy feel any pain? Not a sound out of him.'

Eliana directed her hatred-filled eyes to gaze at Davon. Her face was red with anger.

Davon bent over with an arm outstretched. He hoisted her up as easily as a baby chick.

"Let go of me!" Eliana demanded. She trembled, thinking that Davon wanted to hit her. She kicked and struggled in vain.

Eliana scrunched up her face and wailed loudly.

"Let go of Eliana!" Jason's fired his gun at Davon.

The toy bullets struck his thigh with several dull thuds. 'That should hurt.Compared to Eliana, these should do more damage.'

"Stop!" Several guards rushed over, as Davon was being overwhelmed by the children's onslaught.

Jason turned and pointed his gun at them, intending to hold them back. But a guard grabbed his toy in one swift motion.

"Give me back my gun!" Jason shouted, looking as though he was fit to leap up if not for his broken leg.

"How dare you!" Davon yelled at the guards. Fearing his employer, the guard hurriedly returned the child's toy and stood against the wall.

"Stop screaming, Jason," A nurse was frantic. "Mr. Roman will not hurt Ryan, I promise you."

"Then how did Ryan fall ill while he was with him?" Jason demanded, staring at Davon with distaste.

Davon took Eliana by the hand and led her to Jason's side. He knelt down and was about to address the children when Jason swung a fist that met his nose with a crunch.

Though it wasn't particularly painful, the real sting was the embarrassment of it.

Davon clenched his eyes and furrowed his brow. The bystanders were breathless with horror at Jason's audacity.

'Mr. Roman has never been disrespected in any way before.How will he react?'

"You've gone too far, you little rascal!" A guard bellowed, reaching out to grab Jason.

"Step down," Davon commanded grimly. The guard obeyed without a word.

No one else dared to voice their displeasure. However, they eyed Davon warily.

Cruze, who just arrived, was equally speechless. He hid his face in his hands, unsure of what to say.

"You bullied my mommy and Ryan. I won't let you get away with this! You just wait until I'm grown up. I will pay you back twice as much the pain!" Jason shook a little fist and shouted, looking like an angry little lion cub.

"That's right," Eliana said, her face flushed with righteous anger. "You are a jerk. I thought you wanted to be my friend, but if this is what you really are, I won't hold back on you!"

As soon as she uttered those words, Eliana headbutted Davon in the chest with all the strength she could muster.

Davon would have fallen over if he was not a practitioner of martial arts. He merely swayed, but held his ground.

Davon felt aggrieved. He was used to dealing with murderous beasts and savage foes. These little children who seemed to hate him with a passion, however....

All of a sudden, his salvation arrived.

"Jason!" came a feeble voice from within, with a trace of the authority of an elder sibling. "Stop that racket!"

Davon saw that Ryan had arisen. He shuffled towards the door with his drip, looking pale and exhausted. "Uncle Davon did not hurt me. It was my mistake. I'm allergic to peaches and I had some juice with peaches by mistake."

"Ryan…" Eliana rushed over as quickly as she could to hold him. "How do you feel? Does it hurt?" she asked tenderly.

"Just a little," Ryan sighed with a resigned air. "I wanted to lay down for a nap, but you were all too loud."

"Sorry, Ryan." Jason pushed a wheelchair towards him. "I was thinking that something had happened to you. You made me worry," Jason said in a shaky voice.

"You should apologize to Uncle Davon." Ryan jerked his chin to indicate Davon.

Jason glanced timidly at Davon. He felt that he should be apologizing, but words failed him. He was only three and a half, but he had pride.

"It's fine," Davon said loudly, sparing Jason the necessity to speak. "Have a good rest."

He then turned around to instruct the nurses, "Take good care of them!"

"Yes, Mr. Roman," the nurses replied, scrambling to round up the children.

Davon glanced at Ryan once more before departing, with Cruze hurrying to keep pace.

Davon addressed him in a low voice, and he turned around to address the guards, "You four, the children's safety is in your hands."

"Yes, sir!"

"Ryan, Jason, Eliana, let's head back to the ward." The nurses led the way.

Outside, the four bodyguards stood as still as statues, barring the entrance with their wide physiques.

"What are they doing?" Eliana asked in a frightened voice. She hid in the folds of the nurse and peered timidly outside.

"Don't be afraid, child. They are sent by Mr. Roman to protect you," the nurse assured Eliana.

"Ryan, is he a bad man?" Jason frowned, concerned. "Was he the one who captured Mommy?"

"No, he wasn't," Ryan replied, feeling exhausted as he stretched out on his bed. "He did not capture her. He told me that Mommy will be back tomorrow."

"Really?" Jason was overjoyed. His young handsome face was radiant.

"That's great!" Eliana clapped excitedly. "We can finally see Mommy again."

"Mommy! Mommy!" squawked Finny the parrot.

"Alright, children. You need to rest now," a nurse said. "Jason, Eliana, these two beds are for you. You tuck yourselves in, I will bring you some milk in a while."

"Did you bring my bottle?" Eliana asked, her eyes widening expectantly. "And my little lamb!"

"Yes, we've brought everything, don't worry," another nurse started unpacking their belongings.

"I don't want a bottle," Jason said in a low voice, not wanting to wake Ryan, who just fell asleep. "I want a cup. I'm a big boy!"

"Very well, now get into bed," the nurse said.

On the other side of the building, Davon arrived at the laboratory, eagerly awaiting Immaculate's test results.

Cruze understood his anxiety but felt that it was unnecessary.

'If they are indeed Mr. Roman's children, his relationship with Violla would mend. Besides that, the Roman family would not be short on heirs.'

Cruze's phone buzzed. He glanced at it and leaned towards Davon. "It's Douglas. He's calling."

"Don't tell him about the DNA test," Davon whispered.

"I won't." Cruze didn't understand why but obeyed him anyway. "Hello, Douglas!"

"The other two kids are at Immaculate's Hospital too?" Douglas asked.

"Yes, they just arrived," Cruze answered. "They were cursing and hitting Mr. Young Roman. It's a good thing he didn't take offense, though."

Douglas sighed. "It's not in his nature for Mr. Young Roman to pick fights with three-year-old. Anyhow, the kids are cute. He will grow fond of them once he interacts with them more."

"That's right." Cruze nodded.

"I've just received a call from Diana Roman She's coming to visit Mr. Old Roman tomorrow night." Douglas' voice suddenly turned tired and sad. "Is Mr. Young Roman aware of this?"

Cruze did not answer but handed the phone over to Davon.

"Yes, I am," he said coldly. "Tomorrow at seven in the evening, I will meet her at the lobby of the hospital, and escort her to meet Grandpa."

"Roger that," said Douglas. "Mr old Roman condition has improved greatly tonight. He asked to see you when he woke up. Would you like to come over tomorrow morning?"

"Alright, I will drop by tomorrow," Davon replied. "The children are being taken care of over here, so you don't have to come for them."

"Yes, Mr. Young Roman," said Douglas.

Davon remained behind the door of the lab, anxious for the results of the DNA test. At that moment, nothing was more important than the answer to that question.

He was desperate and mad with waiting, like a man whose wife was in labor.

Immaculate convinced him to get some rest,the test would take at least another few hours.

Davon assigned two bodyguards to wait in his place and visited the pediatric ward.

He observed the sleeping children. The longer he looked, the more convinced he was that they were his.

Ryan slept soundly, in a stiff position that perfectly embodied his strict and disciplined character.

Jason slept with limbs sprawled in all directions. The foot freshly out of its cast was on a little stool by the bed. He was still clutching his toy pistol.

Eliana was suckling on a pacifier. She clutched her plush alpaca and snored gently, without a care in the world.

Davon felt his heart melt away from the sight of the kids before him. He didn't think they looked like him when they first met, but now he was not so sure anymore.

The imposing and domineering characteristics were trademark traits of the Romans that made Davon felt all the more convinced of his theory.

"Mommy…" Eliana was startled awake and sobbed for her mother.

The nurse, who was dozing at the side of her bed, did not notice.

Davon rushed into the ward and comforted Eliana. He held her hand and patted her chest gently—just like how Ryan was comforted by the medic earlier.

Eliana fell back asleep soon after and hugged his arm. He tried extracting it but she held on to it tightly. The slightest movement would wake her again.

He had no choice but to bend over with his arm outstretched for the sleeping child.

After a long while, the pain in his waist was unbearable. He decided to alleviate it by squatting down.

It helped for a little while, but soon his legs were going numb. He had no intention of sitting on the hospital floor, as the hygiene of the floor was something he would rather not contemplate.

So there he remained. An hour passed, and then another.

Finally, he had had enough. Germs or not, his thighs were killing him. So he sank down onto the floor with a groan. He looked up at Eliana's sweet face in the moonlight.

She smelled like milk all over. Her exquisite little face looked exactly like her mother, even down to her manner of sleeping.

She looked adorable in his eyes. He pinched her plump cheeks, unable to help himself.

She drooled in her sleep through the corner of her mouth.

Davon eyed the impending droplet of saliva with some apprehension. 'Please do not drip… Please do not drip…'

To his anguish, the massive, sticky blob of drool broke off and landed on his arm. It did not stop there,it continued to flow downwards.

Davon, being a germophobe, felt like he was in a waking nightmare. He tried once more to tug his arm out of her grasp, but she held on even tighter. Even worse, she rubbed her face against his arm, which sent out another stream of drool.

Davon's brow furrowed with stress. His eyes followed the stream helplessly. It felt like a kitten sharpening its claws against his skin, which made him deeply uneasy.

Before, Davon would just volunteer his arm, and give it a quick rinse if it got soiled on.

But now, he was incapable of that. Still frowning with anxiety, he nevertheless kept his position on the floor.

Looking around for some paper towel to wipe the drool, he caught sight of some on a shelf not too far away. He stretched with all his might to reach it without waking the little girl.

Outside, through the clear glass door, Cruze witnessed the entire scene in disbelief. Davon Roman, in all his strategic and diplomatic prowess, was being tethered and drooled on by a kid?That was depressing!

Davon finally managed to grab hold of the paper towel by his fingertips. He heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Davon tore off a generously large sheet and wiped his arm, as well as the drenched cheeks and lips of Eliana, who was still fast asleep.

He tossed the soaked wad over into the bin not far away, landing perfectly with one try.

After all was said and done, he exhaled in relief again. It was hard work to care for a child.

'How did Violla do it all those years? One is bad enough, but three…'

Thud. Something fell over. Davon turned and caught sight of Jason's gun on the floor by his bed. He jumped in his sleep and rolled off the bed.

Davon shot out his leg to intercept Jason. He fell onto it and clung on like a koala bear.

Currently, Davon's left arm and right leg were occupied by one child each. He was forced to remain frozen, limbs stretched out in opposite directions, like a grotesque performer of sorts.

Davon attempted to retract his leg, but at the slightest hint of movement, Jason clung on harder.

He did the same with his arm. Eliana held on as well.

'Well, this is great. Both are stuck on me.'

Davon pondered on his current predicament. He prided himself on his ability to solve problems. However, that day was the first time he'd doubted himself. 'They're just children, how hard could it be?'

A minute passed. Five more. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes was gone.

Davon did not feel a thing. However, at the one-hour mark, his leg began to seize up.

Cruze was prepared to go in and assist, but as he was about to, he caught sight of Ryan being wide awake, staring at Davon unblinkingly.

That was a gaze of admiration from the little fellow!

Davon was not aware that he was being watched. He was deeply focused on maintaining his balance. He was doing well and nearly forgot about the cramp in his thigh until Jason who had his butt towards Davon let out a fart.

Davon shut his eyes and held his breath.

'Oh, God! Please have mercy on me! What creature is this? I don't even mind that they use my arms and legs as bolsters. But to drool and to fart on me!'

"It's stinky! It's stinky!" Ryan couldn't bear it any longer. "Jason must have had baked potatoes yesterday." He fanned the air with his hands.

"Stinky!" screamed Finny the parrot on the side of Jason's bed, and flapped its wings.

Eliana turned over and started to sob again. She let go of Davon's arm and rubbed her tear-stained eyes.

"What's wrong?" Davon asked gently, fearing that he had made her uncomfortable.

"Ignore her. She has a temper," Ryan said, poking one nurse awake.

The nurse was horrified. She ran over in a panic and pried Jason away from him. "Mr. Roman, are you alright?" she asked nervously.

"I'm fine," Davon responded, trying to stand upright before realizing that he was cramped all over.

Aware that Ryan was still watching him, he strode out of there, desperate to cling on to some dignity.

"Uncle Davon," Ryan called just as he reached the door.

"Yes?" he turned back to address the boy.

"Thank you!" said Ryan softly. It wasn't much, but for Ryan to transform from suspicious and mistrusting to warm and grateful, meant the world to Davon.

"You're welcome." Davon smiled with genuine pleasure. "Rest well!"

With that, he went through the door. As soon as he closed it, his face contorted with pain. He slapped his thighs gently to get some blood flowing again.

"Mr. Roman, are you all right?" Cruze rushed over to support him.

"I'm fine," Davon replied curtly, too proud to display weakness. "When am I ever not fine?"

"Not easy raising kids, huh?" Cruze grinned. "Especially three at once."

"What's not easy about it?" Davon was surly. "Three little rascals—easy peasy."