The Manipulated Villainess

Aside from his most reliable friends, it\'s the first time Aston opened up to someone. Besides, it\'s been years since he last spoke about his family misfortunes. It\'s not easy for him.

From time to time, he would quietly glance at his family photo, burying himself in his thoughts. When he turned his head to Nicole who was paying all attention to her, he continued.

"Since then, I spend my life alone. I was taken to an orphanage and stayed there for four years. Actually, a couple from New Zealand tried to adopt me when I was 14 but I don\'t want to leave this country. I want to look for my sister. That\'s why I ran away from the orphanage and started living on my own. The Director look for me and eventually find me but I refused to return. I also legally changed my name to Aston Kang with the help of the orphanage Director." His voice trailed off, hinting at his pain of abandoning his family surname.

"Do you wish to have it back again? Your real name." Nicole asked. Abandoning a family surname would be hurt than she could imagine.

"Yes but in this country, it\'s not easy to live as a son of a traitor, though it was not true. Even in an orphanage, it\'s hard to have a normal life like others. If I wish to live on, I need to abandon my name." It was a bitter truth yet it was too much for a ten years old boy.

Aston holds Nicole\'s hand while she gazed at him, intently. "You might be able to get it back. We can find a way to prove your father\'s innocence." She said to him.

He smiled and took a deep breath, wondering what he would say next. Was it the most shameful period of his life?

"I struggle to live on and support myself as I was still a minor. That\'s why I started learning combat skills. I used to be a fighter and I was pretty good. That\'s how Lester Yun came to know about me." He paused, hesitating a bit to continue yet he knows that he must say it sooner or later anyway. "He is the Leader of the Red Tiger Gang." He continued in a low voice.

Gang? Nicole was taken aback. He was talking about his past and she never thought that a gang would be included in the talk! Then she suddenly realized that the one who beat him up might be the gangsters. That\'s what Jerome told her.

"You are shocked, right? This is why I said that you might not look at me the same." Aston murmured. "Lester Yun was impressed by my skills and he wanted me to join his gang. I refused right away but he had no intention to give up on me. He did an investigation on me and maybe his power and connections help him, he finds out something about my sister. He used that to get me to work for him."

Nicole suddenly erupted in anger. "Is he a psychopath? If not, then why would he used someone\'s weakness to his advantage?!" She grunted. She was finally back to her sense when Aston chuckled at her reaction. Was she angry for him? It\'s kind of adorable though it\'s not the reaction he expected.

"Why are you chuckling?" Nicole bluntly asked with a displeased face. She was being serious here!

"It feels good to know that someone is feeling angry for me. It makes me feel less unfortunate." He remarked. There\'s no doubt that she made him felt a bit at ease. "Do you want to hear the rest of the story?" He asked, thinking about how it was not a beautiful story to hear.

"Of course. You can\'t just stop midway." A hint of frustration was seen in Nicole\'s face. Did he plan to make her curious and then stop midway? That\'s unacceptable!

"Okay then," Aston mused and rubbed her hair which turned to a mess. Nicole wasn\'t pleased with this gesture and sharply glanced at him which only made the actor chuckled more.

"I ended up spending five years in the gang. I wanted to quit it many times but it\'s like a bottomless pit. It\'s not easy to quit once you joined it. Somehow, I and my other two friends gathered money to pay for the price of quitting. Lester accepted our money but he hunt us when we left."

"One of us was Rion, the one who was with me when you came to take me to a hospital. He succumbed to Lester\'s manipulation and failed to leave with us. One was Michael Lee, my best friend. He was killed by Lester while we were on the run. I made it alone." Guilt was written all over his face.

Aston wasn\'t okay with talking of his friend\'s death and Nicole knew it. The more he talked about himself, the more it exceeded her imagination. How can one suffer so much at a young age?!

She used to thought that her life was filled with misfortunes yet he was way more unlucky! She was convinced that his sufferings would surpass hers!

"I\'m sorry. I don\'t know that you went through such things. Losing someone dear to us is never easy." Nicole whispered. She wasn\'t good at consoling people and she felt lost. It\'s not her fault. It\'s the way Garcia Han raised her.

Aston shook his head. "Don\'t be. Before you let me witness it, I don\'t know how rough your life was either." He paused and pressed his back against the back support of the couch. "This is the world, Nicole. Everyone is easily fooled by an outer facade."

Remaining quiet for a few seconds, Nicole asked, "So, the one who beat you up last time was the men from your former gang? Why? What do they want?" Nicole was confused. She knew that Aston was around in the Entertainment industry for five years now. Did they still bother him?!

"Not men. Just Lester." Aston mused. Did that incident still bother her? He somehow loved it when she showed concern for him. It\'s rare to see her this way unless he gets injured.

"Just him? You should just kill him." Nicole spatted without much thought.

"Shall I really do that? Wouldn\'t you mind?" Aston asked with a slight smile. She continued to amaze him with her reaction to his past! Was she thoughtless or what? Didn\'t she understand that he was a dangerous man with a shameful past?!

"No. It\'s better for him to be dead than harming other people." A menacing smile plastered her face.

Aston finds himself falling more and more for this woman. Why did she influence him so much?!

He sighed and leaned towards her, narrowing the distance between them. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "You are one amazing woman, Ms. Yang. How can you be so bold and gentle at the same time? You made me wonder what other qualities will be hidden in you." He whispered.

Nicole slightly smirk. "Well, you are not much different. Aren\'t you, Mr. Kang? Or should I say, Mr. Min?" 

Aston promptly pulled back and when she saw her victorious smile, he sighed in defeat. "How can you still behave this way even after I told you everything?" He inquired. Was she a fool?!

"Then let me ask you just one question." Nicole narrowed her eyes at his hands. "Have you ever killed a person?"

"No. I refused such an act and that\'s why I always end up having a conflict with Lester." Aston promptly replied, staring at her the whole time.

"That\'s all I need to know. No other problem." Nicole simply replied.

"Are you sure?" Aston asked with bewilderment.

Nicole sighed at his doubtful questions. "Listen, it\'s all in the past. I care about your present and your future. That\'s all. Besides, it\'s not your intention to join the gang. And about your father, I believe you. Even if... " She paused, thinking about how to express the words in her mind. "If... just if it was true, I wouldn\'t waver. Because it\'s not your fault." 

Aston blinked, not because of her words but because of how fast she talked! It\'s the first time he witnessed that and it put him in awe!

"What?" Nicole frowned. "Don\'t you believe me? I\'m -"

"I understand what you say." Aston suddenly spoke up, interrupting her. He kept on staring at her intently, a little smile on his face. Was this a dream? Did she really accept him even after knowing all his past?!

When he finds himself lost in her captivating chestnut brown eyes that gazed at him with a little hint of confusion, he abruptly rose from his seat. He must get to his sense! \'Wake up, Aston Kang!\'

"Let\'s prepare breakfast." He awkwardly mumbled and tried to walk to the kitchen which was just a few steps away. But when one thing crossed his mind, he turned his head to her again. "I like it when you call me Mr. Min." He remarked and finally flashed a smile of relief.....