The Manipulated Villainess

Nicole was reminded once again that Aston was right. She lost control and it happened just now!

His embrace warms her up so much that she couldn\'t brush him away. She felt warm, protected and shielded for the first time in 15 years! The feeling. It was the most pleasant for a woman like her. It was nothing like she had ever experienced!

She sat there with her chin on his shoulders, not struggling as if she was an obedient child. She gave in to his persistence and his unchanging heart.

Would she regret this later? Maybe. But for now, she didn\'t want to think about it. For the first time ever, she only wanted to live in the moment without a worry.

Was this a dream? Aston couldn\'t believe that she finally listened to him. If it was a dream, he would say that it was the most beautiful dream ever! It will be enough to shield him from those endless nightmares!

"You won, Aston Kang." Nicole finally spoke up after what seemed to be forever. "I don\'t know how to push you away anymore. I\'m at my wit\'s end." She confessed in a low voice.

Aston pulled back and gently brushed her bottom lip. "That\'s what I want to hear the most in this world." He remarked and flashed a slight yet genuine smile.

"Why are you always so confident? Do you think you have 7 lives?" She frowned and shook her head. He\'s hopeless!

Aston chuckled at her words and action. He stood up and sat beside her. "Too bad I only have one life. If I have 7, I will still devote all of it to you. I think you\'re worth it." He responded.

Nicole sighed. "Never thought that the nation\'s heartthrob is a fool!" She commented sarcastically.

"Never thought that the Chairwoman of the influential Yang Group would be foolish enough to reject this nation\'s heartthrob countless times." Aston dryly said which made Nicole laughed.

"I heard you talking about a house. Do you want me to help you?" Aston asked, his loving gaze never left the young Chairwoman.

"How?" Nicole asked back, wondering what type of help was in his mind.

"You will surely need a house with a secret room. It will even be better if it has a secret passage like this apartment. I can help you find such a house." He explained. 

"That bothered me a lot. It would be best if I built one for myself but I don\'t have time. With the internal election and the main election coming up, I cannot just wait." Nicole said, determinedly.

"Election?" 

"Yes. My step-mother is planning to become the next President of our country. I cannot let that happen." Nicole mocked even the ambition! If someone like Garcia Han became the President, what would their country become? Besides, she will only gain immense power!

"Don\'t worry. She is a politician. You know what is the most important thing for a politician." Aston hinted with a malicious smile.

"Reputation." Nicole recalled how her step-mother was also crazy about maintaining a good reputation. Of course, the image of a loving step-mother was among the many images that Garcia maintained!

"For both politicians and celebrity like me, our reputation is easily harmed though it\'s the most important trait to keep our career alive. It\'s the same for your step-mother." Aston started.

"If you want to destroy her political career, target her reputation in the first place. If she lost people\'s trust, it will be hard for her to continue being a politician, let alone a President." He advised Nicole.

Nicole smiled at his advice. "I will work on that but I must earn her trust first."

"Her trust? Do you mean that the way you behaved before her just minutes ago was to earn her trust?" Aston mused.

Nicole nodded her head. "She is a suspicious person. Her men keep an eye on me all the time and I cannot do anything without her knowing. In the morning, she confronted me with our photos from the hospitals, the department store and the cemetery. I barely managed to convince her."

"Then I will be careful. I\'m not afraid of her but I don\'t want to put you in trouble." Aston simply said.

Nicole wondered how well he adjusted to the situation and how fearless he was. He was too calm though the situation would be beyond one\'s imagination. Was he really just a normal man? It\'s hard to believe that!

"Sometimes, it\'s hard to believe that you are just an average man. When you were tortured and even now, I always have a strange feeling." Nicole frankly said. What might his secret be?

Aston\'s calm and pleasant face disappeared as he heard her words. He resembled a man who had fallen into dismay! Then he decided to speak up. "Your instincts are great, Nicole. I\'m not as simple as I seem to be. I have a very complicated past. It still gave me trouble even now." He forced a little smile. "Do you wish to know my secret too? I already know yours." He muttered.

"Later. I will give you time." Nicole promptly said. She understood it\'s not an easy decision.

Aston slightly smiled and nodded at her response. "I will find a house for you first. Are you interested in learning combat skills? It will be very useful for protecting yourself." He opined.

"Combat?" Nicole almost laughed at his suggestion. "Ever since I was young, I have a weak body and health. I never once imagined learning that." She paused and give a quick thought. "But I will give it a go. Still, it must be kept a secret. How can I learn?"

"I can teach you once you move to a new house." Aston simply said without thinking much.

"You\'re skilled in combat?" She asked, flustered. Was an actor supposed to be skilled?

"I am but only a few know this," Aston whispered.

He was always ashamed of his past, but not as much as he did now! If possible, he even wished to hide it from her forever! But she will eventually find it out sooner or later, so it\'s better that she hear it from him.

A man with a complicated past like him. Would she be able to accept it? He was not sure. He was never this insecure in his life!

Nicole realized right away that the man who made her lose control was not as simple as he looked. He was a man with a secret. On top of that, his secret might not be a trivial one. If it was, he would already spill it out.

Still, she wanted to wait. It was so hard for her to come this far and she didn\'t want to ruin all the efforts which both of them made.

No matter what his secret was, she knew two things for sure. That he was a great man and just like her, he hid his pain beneath a happy facade. Did that make her drawn to him? Maybe.

* * *

Leon finds himself in the base again. It\'s not the weekend but he was still there. Besides, he was busy visiting the orphanage at the weekend, so he couldn\'t make the time.

Both his museum and his family mansion; they were tormentingly empty with Shara\'s absence. Maybe he had already grown accustomed to seeing her in both places. Now that she was not there, he felt like there was a huge hole in his heart.

He changed his clothes like he always did as soon as he reached there. Then Ryan came to him and bowed to show his respect. "Young Master."

"I have important matters at the weekend, so I only come now. Is everything fine here?" Leon asked.

"Yes, everything is fine but... " Ryan\'s voice trailed off, hesitating to continue.

"What is it?" Leon promptly asked. Did something bad happen while he was away?

"Shara is sick, Young Master. I think she overworked herself." Ryan continued with a bit of reluctance. He was well aware of how the Young Master cherished Shara Lee.

"Why did you tell me that only now?" Leon grunted. It didn\'t even surprise him. That woman was too stubborn! "Where is she?" He asked.

"In her room," Ryan replied, lowering his head.

Leon didn\'t need to be told twice. He stormed out of the villa and rushed to Shara\'s room which was located on the left of the base. There were several rooms there and it was also a place where the members lived.

He wasn\'t careless enough to make a sound when he saw her sleeping in her small room. Her face pale and cold sweat was forming on her forehead. It seemed like she was murmuring in her sleep. Did she have a nightmare? Again?

He makes his way to her without making a sound. He sat beside her bed and placed his hand on her forehead. Damn! She was burning with fever! Why was she alone? She should be receiving treatment. It made Leon sighed. Her stubbornness had no limits!

Then he heard her talking in her sleep but he couldn\'t hear her. He bent his head a bit, trying to hear what she said.

"Dad. Mom. Don\'t die, please. I\'m scared."

She had nightmares again. The worst nightmare.....