YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH

As Laura finished with her threat, she slashed the fruit knife on her wrist.

“No! Miss Laura! Don’t be hasty!” Cruze shouted after her.

Davon had no intention to stop the whole incident. Instead, he sat down on the sofa with his legs up comfortably and lit his cigar calmly.

Meanwhile, the knife found its mark. A shallow s***h appeared as fresh blood slowly trickled out.

Laura slumped onto the floor dramatically, weeping pitifully as torrents of tears streamed down her face.

‘'What a farce. With such a shallow wound, it’s impossible for you to die.” Davon dangled his cigar in his mouth and raised his eyebrows. “Shall I teach you how to do it instead?”

Walking over, he grabbed Laura's hand, picked up the fruit knife, and put it against her injured wrist, as he cold-bloodedly instructed, “You’ve got to show more resolve. Use more force to jam the knife in. Let me hear the sound of the blade piercing into the arteries. Let me witness the glorious fountain of blood spurting out. Only then you will die quickly!”

“You…” Laura opened her eyes wide in astonishment, staring at him incredulously as if she was looking at a total stranger.

Everyone knew of Davon's ruthlessness and resoluteness. From the very beginning, she had admired those qualities of his; those were the aspects of a man who would stand on top of the world in the future. She had thought that she could become his wife by leveraging the existing relationship built by her parents with his family.

Alas, right then, she finally got a taste of his cold-bloodedness firsthand.

“What’s the matter, my dear?” Davon sneered, “Aren’t you going to die in front of me? Go on! Come on!”

“You…” Laura was nearly driven mad as her whole body shook. “Fine! You wait!”

Throwing the fruit knife away, she got up and left, slamming the door with all her might on her way out.

The few secretaries outside exclaimed in horror at the sight of her bloodied hand. Molly frantically rushed in and asked, “Mr. Roman, what happened to Miss Laura? She…”

“Forget about her,” Davon responded ruthlessly.

Cruze quickly made a hand gesture.

Understanding the signal, Molly hurriedly withdrew. Dispersing the panicked secretaries outside, she barked, “Get back to work. Nothing interesting to see here.”

As the secretaries returned to their positions one after another, some could not restrain their curiosity and started whispering. “Miss Laura has cut her wrist. My goodness! For her to walk out alone, won’t she die?”

“From what I saw, there’s not much blood. Her wound shouldn’t be too deep.'

“Makes sense. If it were life-threatening in the first place, the president would not have ignored it. After all, it’s a matter of life and death.”

“You’re right. Serve her right for putting up such a show in an attempt to force Mr. Roman's hand. Such a primetime display of drama is worthy of the Grammys.”

“Hmph! Mr. Roman would never be threatened by such cheap farce.”

“That’s right! Mr. Roman did not even bat an eyelid! Such a complete catastrophic wipeout.”

“It’s a blessing for us! Thank goodness. We’ll be spared from such a terrible future lady boss.”

“I wholeheartedly concur with that!”

“Quit yapping around and get back to work." Molly popped back to remind. Turning her head to Elizabeth, she instructed, “Go and call up the cleaning lady. Tell her to get rid of the bloodstains on the floor.”

“Affirmative.” Elizabeth obediently scrambled out.

Deep down their hearts, all the secretaries on the floor were glad. Finally, they did not have to put up with Laura's atrocious antics anymore!

Back in the president’s office, Cruze asked cautiously, “With that has transpired, what if she impulsively turned to Landiana Corporation?”

“With our joint projects in hand, if she were to turn to Landiana Corporation, the Tariques Group would naturally lose a lot of money. I’m sure she’s smart enough to weigh the pros and cons. Besides, even if she were to act foolishly, she still has the arduous task to convince her other shareholders to jump in on her ship as well.”

Casually, Davon puffed his cigar, proverbially having all the winning cards securely in his hand.

“That’s true.” Breathing a sigh of relief, Cruze asked once more, “But haven’t you perhaps gone too far just now? She may report all these to Mr.old Roman.”

“Jolly Mr. old Roman now has great-grandchildren. Who would care about her?” Davon rolled his eyes, “Let’s stop with the nonsense for now. Get someone to clean up the mess here. I don’t want the children to be shocked when they come in here.”

“As you wish.” As Cruze was about to call for someone, Molly had already brought in people for the clean-up.

Davon was about to go to the adjacent room to his children when Clyde hurriedly rushed in to report, “Sir, Mr.old Roman has awakened!”

“Huh?” Davon frowned.

“It’s not just a minimally conscious state. He’s fully conscious now. Fully sound. And oh, he said that he wants to see you,” Clyde reported with much joy and excitedly ushered, “Come now. See for yourself, sir!”

“Alright.” Stubbing out his cigar, Davon got up to get the children.

The president’s office was so well-insulated that the sound from the commotion had not passed through the wall to the adjacent room where the children were. They had no idea what had transpired.

The bad mood caused by the intrusion of the uninvited guest had been allayed by the fun and games.

The three children had a great time playing VR games in the lounge.

The gaming setup in there was the most advanced. Equipped with hi-tech seats, the gaming experience was as real as it could get, almost transporting the children into the game itself.

The trio were seated side-by-side in the seats, donning the special goggles. They were experiencing the mysteries of space .

From time to time, they exclaimed excitedly and screamed in pleasant surprise as their hands fluttered around.

Finny seemed to be joining in the fun as well, as it flapped its wings and flew around the screen, seemingly wanting to enter into the same world to experience the same joys as the three children.

Davon had changed his clothes and walked in. Witnessing the children’s elation, he could not help but curve the corner of his lips into a satisfied smirk.

He felt he now knew why Violla was so obsessed with money in the past. For the sake of earning more, she would even sell him off to some rich cougar.

After all, it was all for the sake of raising up those three little rascals!

No matter what trials and tribulations one faced outside, the moment one stepped back home and witnessed the three of them, surely all troubles and worries of the day would just dissipate.

“Mr. Roman.” Seeing him walking over, the three nurses prepared to inform the children.

Davon gestured to them not to disturb the children. He wanted to let them finish the game first.

Outside, Cruze had already readied the car. Clyde stepped in and mentioned, “Sir, shall I go back to bring Miss Milan?”

“Don’t worry too much about it.” Checking his watch, Davon decided, “We’ll go over first. Let her set out one hour later.”

“Understood.”

“There’s something else I wish to report.” Leaning into Davon's ear, Clyde whispered, “Aunt Diana has been staying in this City and hasn’t left. Maybe she is waiting for the news of the old man waking up.”

Hearing those words, Davon deeply furrowed his brows. He had not cared much for neither the Tariques nor the Blacks. The troublesome one he was wary of was that aunt of his.

She possessed a black heart and a cunning mind. Her methods were swift and vicious. Her plots were sly and subtle. She would do anything and sacrifice anyone to achieve her insidious goals. Those qualities combined made her a formidable opponent not to be underestimated.

During the last visit to D'barl, even though she seemingly did nothing out of place, he had long suspected that there was something amiss. He did not manage to smell out the tricks up her sleeves.

Due to that, he dared not to lower his guard against her.

“Let’s not bring Violla today,” Davon uttered, changing his mind, “Deploy more personnel to protect the children.”

“Acknowledged.” Clyde immediately sprang to action.

Davon had known that something that had happened last time had cast a great shadow over Violla. She herself had known that her father’s death was related to Diana. Should an encounter occur at the hospital between two of them , Davon could not predict what the outcome would be.

It would be troublesome as well should the children be frightened.

Rather than taking chances, he might as well not let Violla visit the hospital. Utilizing all manpower to ensure the children’s safety would be the next prudent thing to do.

As the children were still engrossed in their games, Davon went out and called Violla.

“Hi!” His call was quickly picked up. Violla sounded groggy as if she had just woken up from her sleep, “What’s the matter?”

“Grandpa is awake,” Davon curtly relayed the good news.

“Really?” Seemingly fully awake from her slumber, Violla joyfully asked, “That’s great! Shall we go there sooner? Let me start preparing now."

“No.” Davon cut her off and gently said, “Just rest at home. You won't go over today.”

“Huh?” Violla had not expected the reply and reacted, “Why? Then what about the children?”

“I’ll take them over,” Davon answered.

Violla was surprised. After all, he had promised in the morning to take her along. Suddenly now he had changed his mind.

'What does this signify?' Perhaps he did not plan to tell old Roman about her yet. Even worse, maybe he had not prepared to marry her?

“Daddy…” The shouts of the children could be heard coming from the back.

“I’ll hang up the call first,” Davon informed before advising, “Get some good rest.”

Immediately after, he hung up. Violla held the phone in her hand. She was dizzy with disappointment.

She tried comforting herself in her heart. 'Perhaps Davon feels that since the old man has just woken up, it’ll be better not to rile the latter up too soon.' Violla pitifully comforted herself.

An elongated Rolls-Royce made its way to the hospital, escorted by two rows of convoys in front and at the back ,truly a sight to behold.

The bodyguards deployed were all vigilant, checking and scanning around to spot any untoward surprise ambushes.

Nonetheless, everything went on without a hitch as the journey itself was smooth.

As the cars drove up to the hospital, Davon led the three children out of their ride. Jason, whose foot had not fully healed, was sitting on his shoulders. He held the hands of the other two: Ryan and Eliana.

Jason was feeling elated, with a special sense of superiority seated on his father’s broad shoulders.

Finny was perched meanwhile on Jason's head, its eyes opened wide, gawking around curiously.

“Daddy, I don’t want to hold your hand anymore.” Breaking away from Davon's hand, Eliana childishly complained, “You’re too tall. I have to keep raising my hand to hold onto yours. My arm is now tired.”

“Truthfully, I’m tired too.” Looking up to Davon, Ryan blinked and asked innocently, “I’ll be as tall as daddy in the future, won’t I?”

“Of course you will.” Bending down, Davon heaved up both Ryan and Eliana in his arms while carefully making sure Jason was securely seated on his shoulders. “Hang tight, Jason.”

"Okie.” Jason held onto Davon's head for fear of falling.

“Yay! I’m high up now too!” Eliana cheered, clapping her little hands together.

“Suddenly I feel like my visual field has expanded,” Ryan mused, smiling.

“I’m higher up than you still.” Jason raised his brows, proudly showing off.

“I’m higher! I’m higher!” Finny squawked exuberantly, flapping its wings in response as if it understood the whole childish competition.

“Shush!” Eliana pointed to Finny with her chubby small hand, pouted her mouth, and playfully scowled, “Finny, if you squawk again, I’m going to pull off your feathers!”

The intelligent bird quickly covered its mouth with its wings and dared not make any more noises. Its eyes were rolling around, making it looked both funny and adorable.

“Hahaha.” The three children filled the air with their laughter simultaneously.

Davon could not help but grin. Since those three children had appeared in his life, his world had been filled with nothing but laughter and joy. He had also been slowly changed into a more cheerful person who tended to smile more.

“These kids are so adorable!” Clyde remarked with a satisfied sigh. “Everything has been a little different since Mr. Roman

became a father. He’s a changed man.”

“Agreed. A change for the better. A more humane person overall,” Cruze whispered.

Clyde laughed, “Yeah. Way better.”

As the entourage entered the hospital from the side door, they were greeted by the dean and heads-of-departments all lined up ready and waiting. They lined and led them directly to the special ward.

Douglas, who had been waiting downstairs all the while, was glad to see Davon. He promptly greeted the latter and informed excitedly, “Mr. Young Roman, Mr. Old Roman has awakened and has been thinking about you.”

“Noted,” Davon nodded before asking, “You haven’t told him anything, have you?”

“No, definitely not. I’ll leave you to tell him personally, as per your instruction.”

Gazing at the children one by one, Douglas smiled giddily, allowing himself a brief moment to show his true feeling. After that, his face tightened as he hinted meaningfully, “Mr. Young Roman, since Mr. Old Roman has just woken up, please be mindful that he can’t handle any bad stimulus yet!”

The meaning was clear as day: double down on the good news, avoid the bad ones.

Davon instinctively understood what Douglas meant and assured him, “Fret not. I’ll be tactful!”

The whole family soon arrived outside the special ward. Davon took the children to the decontamination chamber for a change of clothes. Finny intended to follow but was prevented by Davon who tapped its beak and ordered, “Stay outside. Don’t cause a ruckus.”

Stopping what it was about to do, Finny immediately landed on Cruze's shoulder. It looked aggrieved as it shrugged its little head.

“Make sure you don’t poop on my shoulder,” Cruze threatened, giving Finny a vicious look, “Or else I will pluck out your feathers one by one.”

“Daddy, Daddy.” Before Cruze could finish his sentence, Finny flew over to Davon and complained, “Pluck feather, pluck feather. Scared. Scared.”

“Umm, Cruze?” Davon coldly stared at him.

“I dare not.” Cruze hurriedly bowed his head in apology, somewhat reluctantly.

Sensing its victory, Finny shook its hips triumphantly, fluttered its wings, and flew over once more to Cruze's head. Raking his hair with its claws and treating his head as its nest, it promptly perched down after a while.

'Such a flaunting display of arrogance and dominance ,coming from a mere parrot!'

Cruze's face darkened, unhappy to be defeated by a mere bird. He rolled his eyes upward and stared at the blasted bird perched comfortably on his head, wishing to throw it into a nice pot of hot stew.

Witnessing the whole episode in front of his eyes, Clyde could barely contain his guffaw, and let loose his laughter with a loud snort. “ This little parrot is quite a human. Hahahaha!”

“One of these days....” Before Cruze could finish grumbling, Finny perked up and postured itself to squawk a complaint once more.

Taking a deep breath, Cruze had no other choice but to swallow his pride and his gripe. No matter what, the blasted bird was now his master.Better not mess with it!

After changing into their isolation gown, Davon and the children stepped out of the decontamination chamber into the isolation ward.

"I’m already fully awake. Why am I still locked in this accursed ward? Just transfer me out, stat! I’m not that vulnerable, you hear?”Just as they stepped in, they heard the unhappy complaint of old D'barl.

Although he had not been fully healed from his serious illness yet, and his voice was as energetic as before, he was still filled with quite the vigor.

The doctor and the health specialist standing next to him hurriedly comforted, “Don’t worry, Mr. Old Roman. We’ve already done a full-body detailed scan on you this morning. When the results of the scan come out, as long as all the parameters are okay, I assure you we will immediately transfer you to the general ward.”

“Why bother with all the troubles. Now listen, y’all, when I said I want to get transferred, I expect y’all to get it done right away..... .” D'barl gritted.

“Grandpa!” Little Eliana’s cute voice rang out, interrupting D'barl’s sentence halfway.

D'barl was jolted from his grumbling. Turning to look, he was overjoyed at the pleasant sight. “Eliana! Ryan! Jason!”

“Grandpa!”

“Grandpa!” The trio shoved Davon's hands away and rushed over excitedly to D'barl's side.

“Grandpa, you’re finally awake ." Ryan's eyes were red and he nearly choked with tears. “Every time we dropped by to see you, you were always sleeping. We were so worried and really hoped for you to wake up soon.”

“I’m awake. I’m awake. Dear old me ain’t be sleeping no more.” Shaking Ryan's hand excitedly, the old man said, “It’s a glad thing to see y’all the first thing I wake up!”

“Grandpa, you promised to take me to play soccer last time.” Jason's eyes were red, but he had a big and bright smile on his face. “Now that you’re awake, you’ll fulfill your promise, yes?”

“Of course,” The old man uttered with a smile as he asked, “How’s your tiny foot doing? Better?”

“Almost healed,” Jason raised up his leg to show the old man. “The cast has been removed, along with the splint. I’m healed enough to climb the stairs unassisted.”

“Hahaha, awesome!” D'barl laughed heartily. “The moment I’m discharged from this blasted place, I’ll take Jason along for some ball-kicking.”

“Hey, grandpa! You’ve said you’re going to take me to Disneyland to see the princesses.” Not wanting to be left out, Eliana grabbed D'barl's hand and squeaked childishly. “Your words still count, yes?”

“Hohoho! Of course, my dear!” D'barl nodded repeatedly. “The minute I’m outta’ here, I’ll whisk dear Eliana away to the good old magical world of Disneyland in a jiffy!”

“Thank you, grandpa." Eliana said as she raised up her chubby small hands and cheered, “All hail grandpa! Long live grandpa!”

“Hahaha. If I were to live a thousand years wouldn’t I end up an old geezer later, ?” D'barl remarked in a jocular fashion.

“No, grandpa won’t be an old geezer. Grandpa will always be the best! Hip hurray!” Tilting her head, Eliana said with a serious face, “Grandpa must watch us grow up, okay? We still want to honor you for years to come!”

“Good, good! Good kids, y’all are!” D'barl nodded joyously, feeling his eyes slightly wet.

Due to aging, or perhaps having gone through life and near-death experiences, he had become a more sentimental person. Whenever he would see children, he would be easily touched. 'I’ve become a big softie, haven’t I?

“Grandpa. Playing favorites now, are you?” Davon sourly noted before continuing in feigned jealousy, “The moment you have great-grandchildren, you don’t care about your grandson anymore!”

TO BE CONTINUED.........