YOKED TO A BILLIONAIRE BY VENNEH LISAH
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Of course he didn't want to switch houses. He wanted to be as close to Violla as possible.
An even more alluring smile appeared on Davon's lips. He turned around and walked straight into the villa.
The person in charge didn't dare to question his decision or ask even more questions. He had no choice but to keep his mouth shut and continue making arrangements for Davon.
The master bedroom of the villa was huge. The last rays of the evening streamed through the floor-length windows and pooled into a golden spot on the ground.
Davon took off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his stifling shirt. Carrying a wine glass, he made his way to the balcony and sat down on the marble-white recliner. Squinting in the sunlight, he turned to look at the balcony of the adjoining house.
Almost immediately, the balcony door slid opened and out stepped a familiar-looking person. The woman was barefoot and wore her hair down around her shoulders. In a long, flowing silk dress, she looked both relaxed and careless.
Without her aloof, arrogant façade, she appeared more like the innocent, simple Violla from the past.
"Well, I didn't expect to see you here, Mr. Roman." Violla sat down on the same marble-white recliner. She stretched out her hand towards Belly, who promptly passed her a glass of ready-made cocktail.
"I like admiring the beautiful scenery and beautiful women alike," Davon remarked.
He smiled at her and raised his eyebrows with an ambiguous look on his face.
"You're quite the playboy, Mr. Roman," Violla commented with a taunting laugh. "What happened to the frigid, ice-cold man that everyone knows?"
"I only show this side of me to certain people." Davon shot her a look. It had been two years, but she hadn't changed a bit. After taking off her makeup and letting her hair down, she looked quite the same as before. However, her eyes had taken on a rather arrogant quality, and for some reason, she looked sharper and more intelligent than she once was.With status came great power!
"Are you making fun of me, Mr. Roman?" Violla asked, laughing coldly. "I heard that you're a married man."
"Yes. In fact, you look a lot like my wife." Davon tried to provoke a reaction from her. "She has been missing for two years now. Could you possibly be her?"
"Hahaha." Violla burst into mocking laughter immediately. "Mr. Roman, your method of getting girls is quite pathetic, don't you think?"
"Do you really not recognize me?" Davon looked rather confused. Violla's response didn't seem fake, if it was fake, however, she had to be an exceptionally talented actress to pull it off.
She seemed neither flustered nor panicked. In fact, she seemed to have no recollection of the past, and neither was she displaying any sort of yearning towards it.
It was as if Davon was a complete stranger to her. To Violla, he was nothing more than her business rival.
"Why would I know you?" Violla aised her eyebrows provokingly, laughing frostily as she gazed at him.
Although she seemed to be full of mockery towards him, her heart was actually full of complicated emotions.
When he told her that she looked a lot like his wife, the needle in her heart had wedged itself a little deeper. The jolt of pain in her heart had been the most tormenting yet.It was as though his words had truly cut her somehow.
"Viollaβ¦" Just as Davon was about to continue, there was a loud commotion downstairs. "You foolish people, don't you have eyes? Don't you know who I am? Let me in right now. I'm here to see Davon."
This voice sounded rather familiar. Davon turned around and spotted Laura immediately.
They hadn't had a single interaction in the past two years. Why had she chosen to show up in front of him again that day?
Cruze hurried over and whispered in Davon's ear. "She's probably here as one of Tarique Group's representatives. She was informed that you were attending this conference and decided to pay you a visit."
Davon waved his hands idly, signaling that Cruze should go settle the matter for him.
Violla had seen everything. She snorted loudly and said, "What a way to play with a girl's feelings, Mr. Roman. I wonder if this woman looks like your wife, too!"
"Miss Landiana." Just as Davon was going to explain himself, Violla turned and returned to her room.
Her female bodyguards slid the balcony door shut and tugged the curtains close. Davon couldn't peek into the room at all.
He couldn't help but frown in disappointment. What a ruined opportunity.
However, Laura's arrival gave him another idea. Seeing an old enemy of hers might make Violla give up that act of hers.
"Mr. Roman, I've settled the matter," Cruze said, returning to Davon's side. "She has returned to her room, but I wager that she'll come and harass you again tonight. Do you want me to put a stop to it first?"
"There will be no need for that." Davon wanted to see how Violla would react when she finally laid eyes on Laura again.
As Davon was changing his clothes, his phone buzzed with a text notification. Thinking that it was some sort of spam, he ignored it completely.
Cruze hurried into the room and exclaimed, "Mr. Roman , they're coming out of the house now!"
"So fast?" Davon frowned and put on his shoes . "Hand me my watch, quickly!"
"Oh." Cruze passed him his watch immediately.
Davon put on his shoes and flew down the stairs while putting on his watch, his feet moving at an alarming pace. Cruze followed behind him hastily.
The moment he stepped out of the door, Davon slowed down immediately. Putting on an act of extreme serenity, he walked out onto the lawn at a perfectly normal pace.
Violla was in a white, strapless gown. With her hair down around her shoulders and a diamond-encrusted necklace around her neck, she shone as brightly as an angel. Everyone gaped openly at her, mesmerized by her beauty.
Two of her bodyguards opened the car door for her. Violla stepped towards the car.
"What a coincidence!" Davon greeted Violla coolly.
Violla turned to look at him and smiled a little. Without a word, she got into the car immediately.
"Mr. Roman!" Cruze held the car door open for him.
Davon got into the car, frowning. An unhappy expression was written all over his face.
"You have to take it slow. Wooing a girl takes lots of patience, you know." Cruze thought Davon was upset because of Violla's cold reaction towards him.
"What's with that awful dress....." Davon trailed off in the middle of his sentence, but his face had clouded over completely.
In the past, he had demanded to see every single one of Violla's outfits. Strapless gowns were a no-noβhe ordered her stylist to sew on some lace to cover her exposed chest. He disapproved of every gown that showed off her shoulders. However, that gown she had been wearing just now broke all of his rules.It was way too sexy for his liking.
Cruze felt a little speechless. He finally understood the reason behind Davon's unhappiness.He was annoyed that his wife was wearing such a revealing gown.
Cruze thought darkly. 'It remains to be seen whether she'll even consider herself your wife or not.'
Things were heating up in the banquet hall. A luxurious crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow down on the occupants of the banquet hall.
Calm, lulling music flowed into every corner of the banquet hall. Businessmen walked in and out of the room, sipping from glasses of red wine or champagne as they discussed business matters in hushed voices.
Violla's arrival drew the attention of a large crowd of people. As everyone's gazes fell on her, some people ventured daringly to greet her. "Good evening, Miss Landiana!"
Violla smiled and nodded at them in acknowledgment.
The banquet echoed with the sound of greetings as everyone greeted her warmly.
Someone walked up to her and tried to shake her hand. "Miss Landiana, it's great to see you here!"
Violla smiled and returned his greeting politely. She was kind,generous and courteous to a fault.
That was the first time she was attending a business event. Everyone had seen how arrogant and callous she could be that afternoon, and had tried their best to steer clear of her. However, stunned by her elegance and propriety then, they hurried forward to introduce themselves to her.
Violla became the center of attention immediately. Everyone was looking at her, including Laura.
When she spotted Violla, Laura's face had turned white as a sheet.'W-Wasn't this Violla? Hadn't she died a few years back? What was she doing here again?'
Laura was so frightened that the color had completely drained from her face. Grabbing a glass of wine from a passing waiter, she gulped down its contents in one go, trying to calm her nerves.
'Don't panic, don't panicβ¦she might just resemble Violla, that's allβ¦'
She overheard two people chatting about Violla next to her. "What's this woman's family background?"
"I heard she's Mr. Landiana's younger sister. She's the second-largest shareholder in Landiana Corporation."
"She's so accomplished for her young age!"
"I know, right? I heard she managed to turn the tables on the Roman Group and sealed a deal with regards to the South Sea territorial waters for three hundred billion yesterday! She's so young and talented!"
"Yes! Besides, look how beautiful she is!"
"Be careful of what you say. Miss Landiana has a horrible temper. She tried to provoke Mr. Roman in the parking lot this afternoon."
"What? She dared to provoke Mr. Roman? Is that true?"
"Of course it is. I saw it with my own eyes."
"Then I must make sure to steer clear of her."
Hearing that, Laura became even more confused? 'When did Violla become a member of the Landiana family? And when had she become the second-largest shareholder in Landiana Corporation? Is she really so powerful?'
Laura turned her head towards the person standing in front of her. Violla Landiana stood proudly in the room, surrounded by a powerful and intimidating aura, composed and elegant. Every inch of her screamed wealth.
She was obviously a world of difference when compared to the timid, ignorant Violla Milan from the past.
'Perhaps it's just a resemblance. Moreover, so what if she really is Violla Milan? If that's the case, she's the same person that I humiliated and plotted against. The same person grovelled at my feet back then! What's there to be afraid of?'
At that thought, Laura straightened her posture and lifted her chin. The fear pounding in her heart slowly dissipated.
"Mr. Roman is here!" All of a sudden, someone from the crowd cried out, turning everyone's attention to the entrance.
Even the merchants fawning at Violla Landiana a second ago hurriedly rushed forward to welcome and greet Davon Roman.
Although it was true that Violla had an outstanding demeanor, Davon had an irreplaceable status in the corporate world, and the rest of the merchants present were smart enough to offend neither party.
Normally, Davon despised socializing and dealing with pesky businessmen and businesswomen, but he was surprisingly out of character that day. Not only was he pleasantly easy-going, all smiles and courtesy, he even asked Molly to jot down the names of all those who approached him that night in hopes of an appointment.
In just a short span of a few minutes, Davon had stolen the spotlight from Violla, becoming the center of attention.
Taking in the scene, Laura's eyes shone,feeling immense pride for Davon.
As the crowd surrounding him finally dispersed, Laura quickly went up to greet him. " Davon!" she called out, waving.
Davon instinctively frowned at the sight of her, hatred showing in his eyes. However, he swallowed the initial disgust and forced out a smile at Laura. "Long time no see, Laura," he greeted, in hopes to gauge Violla's reaction.
"Yeah, it has been a while!" Laura looked at him affectionately. All that had happened in the past didn't matter to her, not even the fact that he had so cruelly abandoned her. To Laura, Davon would always be the most flawless man, and she would always have a soft spot for him.
Davon sneaked a glance at Violla. The latter was surrounded by many young men, chatting with those around her and oblivious to Davon's attention.
Davon took a glass of champagne from a waiter and casually walked in Violla's direction.
"Have you heard? I've managed to get my hands on the piece of land in Barry." Laura followed him closely, attempted to curry favor with Davon by discussing topics he'd like. "There's also an underground casino in Springs ville that recently contacted us, hoping for partnership."
"Casinos in Springs ville are all legally operated, you could consider the offer," Davon replied Laura absent-mindedly, his gaze never once leaving Violla.
"The business in this Nation is also now under my supervision since daddy has too much on his plate. Good thing too, since daddy is way too soft with the staff and so indecisive. There have been multiple headaches ever since he was in charge of the family business for two years ." Laura pursed her lips before continuing, "We used to be one of the top thirty companies . Now we've been ranked down to top eightyβ¦" Relentless, Laura still tried to get Davon's attention. "But the Roman family will always be the best and that's the biggest difference...."
"Says who?" a voice responded icily, sending a chill down Laura's spine.
Finally turning her gaze away from Davon, Laura found herself face to face with none other than Violla Landiana. The latter's cold eyes bore into Laura's soul.
"The latest data has yet to be revealed. I wouldn't be so confident," Violla stated with an eyebrow raised. A hint of arrogance laced her voice.
Violla frowned slightly, staring at the woman in front of her. She felt so irritated by her presence? Violla felt a wave of fury and loathe surging through her at the mere sight of Laura Tarique, her nemesis.
Flustered, Laura looked away, breaking eye contact with Violla. The glare Violla gave her made her skin crawl.
Nevertheless, with all eyes on her, Laura refused to back down. As reluctant as she was, Laura bit the bullet and retorted, "Even if the data is revealed, the Roman family is still going to come first. No one can snatch that status from them!"
"Snatch?" Violla narrowed her eyes into a dangerous glint. "It's all fair play in the corporate world. Everything is determined by data and numbers. Why would I need to snatch the first place from them?" The clicking sounds of her high heels rang clear in the room as she elegantly strode towards Laura as she talked, like a predator who had cornered its prey.
"What's your name? Which corporation do you represent?" Without waiting for a response, Violla continued to interrogate Laura rather aggressively feigning ignorance. "How can someone with such an awful character be allowed to participate in the Gregorian Chamber of Commerce?"
Violla turned her head towards the person in charge and mocked, "Looks like you can do better at your job."
The person in charge was at the receiving end of Violla's anger again for no rhyme and reason.
He groaned inwardly. Despite the exasperation he felt, he still kept a polite smile on his face as he rushed towards them to lighten the mood. "Miss Landiana, this is Miss Laura of Tarique Group. For your information, Tarique Group is one of the leading companies in this Nation....."
"Leading? What was it that I heard her say just a second ago⦠ah, right. 'We've been ranked down to top eighty'. Come now, Mr. quit pulling my leg, Miss Laura said so herself ," Interrupted Violla with a smirk. "Though I know that the top one hundred companies can participate in the Gregorian Chamber of Commerce, shouldn't there at least be a character test?"
"Umβ¦" the person in charge was rendered speechless. He glanced sheepishly at Laura, then at Davon standing nearby, begging the latter for help.
Aware that that fiasco was caused by the mention of the Roman Group, Davon was ready to step in and intervene. Before he could, however, Laura had had enough and blurted out in a fit of anger, " Violla Milan! Can you stop causing problems on purpose?"
Violla narrowed her eyes and stared at Laura with cold, piercing eyes. "What did you say?"
"Don't think for a second that I'll be afraid of you just because you've changed your surname to become part of the Landiana family, you b*tch!" Blinded by her fury, Laura bellowed arrogantly. "Violla Milan was so submissive that she would have willingly licked my shoe if I asked her to! She's nothing but a piece of sh*t in front of me! So who do you think you are to act so high and mighty....."
Laura was silenced by a slap across her face, the sound reverberated clearly throughout the room.
Laura clutched her cheek, that was burning red and swollen while gaping at Violla, dumbfounded. "You⦠you b*tch! How dare you hit me?" she hollered. Without hesitation,
Violla gave another slap across Laura's face with a heavy hand.
The blow almost made Laura loose her balance.
Everyone gasped, taken aback by Violla's actions, including Davon.
He had never seen that side of Violla before. The Violla he knew would never lay her hands on anyone.
Staring at the stranger in front of him, doubts crept into Davon's mind. 'Is this really the violla I know?'
"Miss Landiana, whatβ¦ what are you doing? H-how could you hit a personβ¦" The person in charge tried to intervene but clammed up instantaneously by a sharp gaze from Violla.
"That is a light punishment for insulting and humiliating me," replied Violla with a murderous glare.
"I'm going to kill you!" Laura lunged herself at Violla with raised fists, going mad from anger.
Swift as a flash of lightning, Violla grabbed Laura by her wrists and twisted her arms with tremendous strength. An ear-splitting crack echoed throughout the room, followed by a terrible scream.
A commotion broke out in the room. Panic filled everyone in the room as they instinctively stumbled backward from Violla, trembling in fear.
Unaffected by the uproar, Violla shoved Laura lightly. The latter sprawled onto the floor, pathetic and disheveled. Laura's gaze fixated on both her broken arms, shivering in pain as she forgot how to scream.
"Quick!" The person in charge gestured to someone in the room.
Two men hurriedly rushed forward and carried Laura away.
"You better watch your back, Violla Milan! I will not let you get away with this!" Laura thundered, regaining her senses as resentment overpowered the sting on her arms.
"Next time,you'd do better than letting rabid dogs indoors!" Violla sent a chilling glare towards the person in charge's direction before turning around with an elegant smile. Gone was the furious woman from a second ago. "Apologies, everyone. Did I scare you?" Violla asked tenderly.
The fear of the crowd quickly dissolved to bewilderment at her sudden change in demeanor. After a minute of stunned silence, someone from the crowd quickly shook their head and quipped, "Oh, no, no, no. Not at all!"
"Miss Landiana you sure are⦠something else!"
"You've always looked as gentle and as graceful as flowing water. Who would have thought Miss Landiana would have such good martial arts skills!"
A few merchants smiled timidly in response, no longer daring to inch any closer.
"Don't mess with me and I won't mess with you," Stated Violla casually with a smirk. "But if someone messes with me⦠I shall deal with them."
Though she said so in a light and composed manner, her piercing gaze still made everyone's hair stand on end.
"Yes⦠Rightfully so, miss Landiana!" responded the crowd frightfully as they tried to keep their voices steady as to not let their panic show.
"What about you, Mr. Roman? What do you think?" Violla raised an eyebrow and turned her gaze to Davon, everything about her screamed extreme arrogance.