The Manipulated Villainess

Nicole and Edwin Zo quietly sat still after Aston joined them while the actor simply placed the cup of tea in front of them. He lifted the one he made for himself and took a sip.

"Nicole, if you want to know anything, you should ask me. I will be able to reply you better than Edwin. After all, it\'s about me." He broke the silence with a calm voice. He turned to Nicole who was now looking at her with an apologetic face. However, he smiled, proving to her that he wasn\'t upset about it.

"Edwin, I trust in your skills. So, I hope that you will do a great job." Aston said, looking at his former subordinate.

"Rest assured. I will give my all." Edwin promptly replied.

After talking out the details, Edwin left the Chairwoman\'s house.

"Now." Aston suddenly said, turning his body to Nicole and placed his left elbow on top of the back support of the couch. "I think it\'s time to ask me whatever you want to know."

Nicole looked at him and thought of the things that Edwin Zo told her. "I have a second thought. I think it would be better for me not to know."

"Why? You\'re always a curious person as far as I could remember." Aston mused though there was a hint of amazement in his voice.

"I suddenly realized that it would bring no good. I know most of it, so it\'s better this way. It would be uncomfortable for you to talk about it. Besides, if I know everything... " She paused and her lips curved into a playful smile. "I might want to kill Lester Yun. It would be a headache."

"Are you sure that you won\'t be curious about this anymore? It would be a hassle if it happens again." The actor said with an amusing smile.

"I won\'t." Nicole promptly said. "By the way, you release a statement pretty fast today. It seems like you can\'t wait to admit the rumours." She let out a light chuckle.

"Of course. I feel like a leash that restraint me is finally removed. From now on, everyone will know about us. Besides... " His lips curved into a menacing smile when he said, "It would be great to drive away other men."

"When did other men ever bothered me?" The Chairwoman was quite confident until... she realized one thing.

Aston observed her change in demeanor and smiled. "You remember faster than I expect." He remarked.

"Actually..." Nicole muttered, cautiously eyeing Aston. "You know that guy from the morning walk."

"I know him? You don\'t say that before. You said that I won\'t know him even if you tell me." The actor blurted out with a perplexed face.

"I don\'t lie at that time. I have no idea that you know each other." Nicole paused before she said, "It\'s Mario Aris."

"Zander?" Aston slightly smiled. "Then I don\'t think I have to worry. He is just being friendly. Besides, he\'s a good man."

Nicole nodded. "That\'s great then. I was quite troubled when you introduce me to him that night. Besides, he is rarely serious and it\'s always so hard to know what exactly he\'s thinking."

"Zander has a tough childhood and he\'s quite similar to me," Aston remarked.

"Similar?"

The actor nodded. "He smiles a lot to hide his scars. I always did that before I met you and I understand him. So, it would be great if you can be patient with him."

"Alright. I will try but it will need a lot of patience, much more than you could imagine." Nicole said and let out a laughter.

* * *

When Aston left Nicole\'s house, he encountered an unexpected intrusion once again. When he saw the person, he frowned.

"Cassandra Lim, I thought we already talk out everything. It\'s never a pleasant thing to meet you." He bluntly said to the Moyan Boss.

"Don\'t worry, Aston Kang. I\'m not here to create trouble for you. Because of you, I finally had the chance to normally talk to Nathan. So, I\'m here to repay you." Cassandra Lim simply said to the actor. Though she maintained a calm face, her voice hint at seriousness.

"Repay me?" The actor wondered what the Moyan Boss was talking about. Besides, a part of him still doubted her.

"I know that your impression of me is not that great. However, I bet you would already hear of this. I may be infamous but I always return a favour." Cassandra told the actor.

"How do you plan to repay me?" Aston simply asked.

Cassandra glanced around her surroundings. "Can we talk somewhere indoors? Perhaps your apartment?"

Her suggestion confused the actor. "You want me to let you enter my house?" He gave her a suspicious look.

The Moyan Boss slightly frowned. "Look at me, Aston Kang. I came alone. Besides, I\'m not foolish enough to attack the Pacesetter alone. It\'s not like I don\'t know where your apartment is." Her displeasure and annoyance were so evident in her voice.

Aston smirked at her last sentence. "There\'s nothing that you don\'t know, isn\'t it?"

"Cut the crap. Will you let me enter your apartment? I don\'t have much time." Cassandra said in a stern voice.

Aston observed her one last time before he said, "Alright. Just follow my car."

Cassandra Lim nodded and they both entered their car and drove to the actor\'s apartment.

*

"So, how do you plan to repay me?" Aston asked Cassandra when they took a seat on the couch in his apartment. To be honest, he really didn\'t wish to get involved with this Moyan Boss. However, she was quite adamant this time and it made him curious.

"It\'s the same thing I mentioned before." Cassandra noticed the actor\'s impassive face and she quickly added, "But the deal is gone. I can solve my problem on my own now."

The Moyan Boss confident attitude made Aston curious about one more thing. Seemed like he should visit Nathan soon and checked him out.

Cassandra put a file on the small table for Aston to see it. "I collected those to make you help me. However, you are quite a loyal friend. But still, you help me in some way, so I must return the kindness." She said, gesturing Aston to open the file.

The actor took the file with a bit of hesitation. However, when he opened the file, he ended up squeezing the cover. "Are you trying to play a game with me, Cassandra Lim?"

"Definitely not. You should look more. Don\'t judge it too easily." Cassandra calmly said.

Biting his lip, Aston sat still for a while before he looked at the file again. When he checked out the document in the middle, he raised a brow. "What is the meaning of this?"

Cassandra Lim slightly smiled. "I figured that you will want to get back your name. But first, you have to solve your father\'s case for that. That will help you."

Aston observed the file for a while before he put it down and turned to Cassandra. "How did you get your hands on this?"

"Is that important?" The Moyan Boss asked without even thinking.

"Cassandra, I\'m not a fool. If someone like you who knows nothing about my father could easily get your hands on this, I will also be able to do it." The actor said in a stern voice.

Cassandra Lim fell silent for a while, debating what to say. Then she leaned a bit forward to Aston who was sitting opposite her. "Though it\'s against my principle to tell you all this, I will say it. After all, you\'re someone who is important to Nathan."

She fell silent again for a few seconds. If Aston didn\'t know Cassandra\'s nature, he will surely think that she was feeling nervous.

"First, you should promise me you won\'t tell anyone that I\'m the one who tells you this, especially members from my Moyan Gang. Second, the current members of my gang have nothing to do with this. So, don\'t hold them responsible. Accept my two conditions first." Cassandra said to him cautiously.

Aston thought about it before he said, "Alright. You have my word."

Cassandra nodded. "I know you\'re a man of your word. I will trust you." She made a deliberate paused and said, "At the time of your father\'s death, Moyan Gang was lead by my late father. They used to work for one man who supported them financially and also in many other ways possible."

"According to my informant who used to work for my father, the Moyan Gang received an order from the man whom they worked for. The order was... to kill your father, Ethan Min. As you also know, they succeeded." Cassandra said, observing Aston\'s reaction.

The actor\'s reaction was a mix of amazement and rage. His eyes showed the bitter emotion he felt and Cassandra knew how hard he tried to stay put.

"I risk a lot to tell you this but - "

"I will keep my word," Aston said, interrupting Cassandra as he could guess what she was thinking. "However, I want to know the identity of the man. If you get this information from someone who used to work for your father, then I\'m sure that you will know the man\'s identity. I want to know that."