The Manipulated Villainess

Driving his bike to the address which Nicole texted him, Aston was in a good mood. Of course, spending a day with the family contributed greatly but the excitement of meeting the young Chairwoman was surely different.

Judging from his actions and behaviour, who would have thought that he surrendered himself to be tormented at the night? Not to mention that the person he surrendered himself to was someone who really wished to see him suffer!

It really doesn\'t matter to him. He was simply glad to be alive until now. Besides he was sure that they won\'t kill him because they still need him.

Suffering for a while. Was that a big deal? He suffered mentally and physically throughout his whole life anyway! Finding his sister was the only thing that matters.

Keeping in mind the meeting with Nicole and the possibility of reuniting with his sister, he happily entered the department store.

The sun had started setting and with his helmet covering his face, he was confident that no one saw him. He doesn\'t care much about being spotted but he doesn\'t want to harm the woman\'s reputation. After all, she was still a woman with a fiance, at least for now.

Sawing Nicole with the Director of the department store, Aston smiled as he approached them. "I think I reach on time. But you\'re already here. I bet you can\'t wait to see me." He teased her with a confident smile.

Nicole rolled her eyes at his wild speculation. He truly had no shame! "Can you just keep quiet and pick your coat?" She bluntly replied as usual.

The Director who was a woman in her 40s smiled at their conversation. "Feel free to look around as much as you want. I\'ll leave you two then." She slightly bowed and left them.

"We have an hour," Aston said with a playful smile. "And that\'s plenty of time. Why the need to rush?" He took a step towards her which made them just inches apart.

Taking one step back, Nicole replied, "Because if I spend one hour with you, I don\'t know what I will do."

"Ah! Is that so?" He flashed a very sweet smile which she really hated. "Did you mean that you are afraid to lose your self-control? Or... " He made a deliberate paused and continued, "You might fall for my charms?" He took a step forward, narrowing the distance between them again. He narrowed his eyes at her and a devilish smile appeared on his face.

She didn\'t bother to retreat anymore. Instead, she exchanged his gaze confidently. "Oops! So bad. I didn\'t find you that charming." She crossed her arms with her beautiful face plastered by a menacing smile.

"Are you serious?" He asked. "I have never heard that." He retorted.

"Then you might hear often from now on." She simply replied.

Aston shook his head and chuckled. She was more brazen than he thought. He then started looking at the coat to pick one for himself.

Thirty minutes passed. Nicole was utterly annoyed by how picky the actor was. He still doesn\'t find any coat that suited to his liking. Maybe he was extremely picky or he deliberately acts this way to get back at her!

She tapped her thigh with her fingers and her eyes trailed to Aston who was walking around everywhere. She can\'t take this anymore.

"Excuse me." She said. "What game are you trying to play?" She asked with an annoyed expression which would be impossible to not notice.

Aston turned around and look at her. "I\'m really bad at picking my outfit because I have a stylist to worry that for me. Why don\'t you pick one for me?" He seemingly asked her with a smug smile. He knows that she had no other choice if she wanted to end this quickly.

"Argh!" Nicole abruptly swung her hands to the side. "You\'re really killing me." She walked to him and half-heartedly looked at the coats which were hanging everywhere.

She picked one which was black in colour and put it before him. "Will this do?" She asked.

"No." He didn\'t even glance at the coat. Instead, his gaze was rooted in her the whole time but she was too occupied to notice that.

Nicole put the coat back in its place and picked another which was white in colour. "What about this?" She asked again.

"Not this." He did the same, without even sparing the coat a single glance.

With annoyance, she lifted her head to look at the man. Then she realized that he was not paying attention to the coats she picked at all.

"Suit yourself. I\'m done." She put back the coat and turned her back at him until she heard his voice.

"I\'ve decided to not ask you anymore," Aston said to her.

She turned around and faced him again. "What?" She asked.

"Whether I\'m allowed to like you or not."

A slight smile appeared on her once annoyed face. "That\'s good then. I\'m glad that you finally -"

"Instead I will just like you on my own accord."

His words made her slight smile slipped away. Does he need to be this stubborn?

"I will like you and stay loyal in this one-sided feeling until it becomes a mutual feeling." He declared. His playful smile was gone and it was replaced by a serious one.

"Can you just give up on me?" She asked. "You\'re making things harder for me."

"If that\'s the case for you, I\'m sorry. But you\'re too special to easily give up without a fight and I don\'t want to have any regrets. That\'s how I always lived my life." He replied with a hint of determination. He was not joking around this time!

Nicole was at a loss of words. If the usually playful man confessed to her with a very determined and serious face, what could she possibly say?

Aston studied her change in expression. Was he making her uncomfortable? He had no idea because he had never seriously confessed before. His only experience was the many dramas which he starred in! He often played the role of a romantic and lovestruck male lead.

Dating around some women whom he didn\'t even like doesn\'t count as an experience for him. He gave a quick thought and decided to change the mood.

"Why are you so quiet? Are you not confident?" He asked in a challenging tone.

"Don\'t be so full of yourself." She finally spoke up. "You will soon give up on whatever you try to achieve." She coldly brushed him off.

"Oh! That\'s hurt. Must you always be this cold?" With downcast eyes, he faked a sad expression as if he was really hurt by her words.

When he saw her burst out into a laughter, he was convinced that the acting was worth it as long as she can smile because of him.

"You\'re a bad actor." She said as she laughed at him. The tense conversation between them had vanished into thin air!

Wait! Nicole\'s smile suddenly faded away. Did she just laugh out loud? Even herself finds it hard to believe!

She wondered what had gotten to her but whatever the reason was, she only knows that it was not a good thing because... this strange feeling gave her fear.

"Pick one immediately." She said without even looking at him. She wanted to avoid his strong gaze. She doesn\'t want to lose in his joke again.

She was about to turn away from him again but as always, his words stopped her once more.

"Can I ask you for a favour?" Aston asked her. He seemed to be downhearted and this time, it was not just acting. His eyes said so and eyes never lie.

The Chairwoman was taken aback by his change in behaviour. She had never seen him like that. "What is it?" She asked, trying to be a little patient for once.

"If I happen to call you tonight, can you please answer?" He paused when he saw her confused look and then continued. "Now that you have repaid me, you might feel like there is nothing to say between us now. But just this once, can you pick up the call if I ever call you tonight?" He asked her with his gaze never leaving her. He doesn\'t have much hope but he still wanted to give a try.

"Fine. I will do that." She simply nodded without even thinking. Answering a single call was not a problem, at least that\'s what she assumed.

Her response brightened up the actor\'s face even in the slightest bit. She didn\'t want to think much but she had a feeling that his request was a bit weird which was very unlike him.

Without saying anything, Nicole gets on to the task of choosing his coat again while he stood beside her and stared at her with a smile on his face.

Unbeknownst to them, two pairs of eyes were watching their every move from outside as the walls of the store were all glass which could be clearly seen through once it was dark.....