The Manipulated Villainess

Aston slowly opened his eyes and shook his head to arouse himself. He finds himself sitting and chained to a chair in a dark and damp place.

He recalled what happened before he lost his consciousness. Aria. What was wrong with her?! He couldn\'t believe that his twin sister was doing such a thing! Suddenly, his thought was interrupted when he heard the sound of footsteps coming his way. It must be the one who made Aria do such a thing.

The door opened and one man walked inside. He still couldn\'t have a clear look at the man as the room where he was kept was very dark. However, when he finally gets a glimpse of the man\'s face, his eyes grew wide open in shock!

Lester Yun?! He had a connection with Aria?! What\'s all this nonsense?!

"I just realized that the Pacesetter could also be surprised." Lester Yun calmly commented, making his way to him.

In a split second, the actor was filled with rage! What connection did this psychopath have with his sister?! Did he perhaps... blackmailed her? Was he aware of their relationship? Many questions crossed his mind but he still chose to be silent for now. He couldn\'t afford to make mistakes!

"I always told you not to be too kind, Aston Kang. Look at you. Betrayed and so pathetic." Lester Yun clicked his tongue and shook his head. However, his lips curved into a mocking smile the very next second.

"What trick did you play this time, Lester Yun? Did you blackmail Shara Lee?" Aston asked, fiercely glaring at his former boss.

Lester Yun shook his head and bent down to match Aston who was still chained to the chair. "No. She doesn\'t need any blackmail. She is one of us from the very beginning."

Aston\'s face turned pale at the revelation! Aria was on the same page with Lester Yun?! How is that even possible? She was a member of a Blackhood! Then one thing suddenly crossed his mind.

The possibility of a traitor among the Blackhood that he mentioned to Leon. Was that Aria? Did she helped... no... did she rescued Lester Yun herself?!

"It\'s rare to see you like this." Lester Yun pointed out. "But I love to see it."

"Do you think you will be able to retrieve me this way? I\'d rather die than work for you again." Aston firmly said, looking at Lester Yun right in the eyes. There wasn\'t a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

Lester Yun simply chuckled. "I know you will say that. You\'re always fearless but... " His voice trailed off, walking back and forth before the actor. Then he suddenly turned to the latter. "Are you okay with seeing your lover die? You know, it\'s a piece of cake for me to kill her. She\'s just a fragile woman."

"Lester Yun!" The actor barked. "Don\'t you have anything better to do apart from threatening me?" He was clearly at a disadvantage yet he refused to be weak in front of this psychopath. That would only give him pleasure!

"I have many things to do." Lester Yun said with a little smile. "However, I decided to take care of you first."

"You will never get what you want," Aston said in a deadly low voice. "It\'s a shame that I don\'t kill you that day."

Lester Yun chuckled, bending down to match him again. "You aren\'t capable of that. I already told you many times."

Aston smirked. "People can change, Lester Yun. What\'s more, they can do things which are beyond your imagination if pressured."

Lester Yun nodded and then laughed. "You have a point. I will remember that." He stood straight and glanced down at Aston. "We will have much time for a chat in the near future. So, you can stay here and gathered your thoughts. For Nicole Yang\'s safety, what would be the best decision?"

Then he walked out of the dark room, leaving Aston all alone.

The moment Lester Yun left, Aston was fully occupied by his sister again. What made her work with someone like Lester Yun? He couldn\'t understand it no matter how many times he thought. It didn\'t make any sense!

He was in Lester Yun\'s hands again but he wasn\'t afraid. As long as Nicole was well-protected, he had nothing to worry about. What\'s more, he knew that Lester Yun wouldn\'t kill him. As long as he was alive, there was always a way.

He sighed in relief when he noticed that he was still wearing his watch. With this, Nathan could easily track him down. Then he heard a footstep again, more gentle and careful than before. He instantly knew that whoever came to him, he or she would be a well-trained one.

Then the door was opened. Slowly and cautiously making his way to him was none other than Aria. He raised a brow when he saw his twin\'s sister face.

When Shara was just a few steps away, she quickened her pace and ran to her brother. She bent down and removed the chain that bound him.

"What are you doing, Aria?" He asked, confused.

"You must leave this place before they do something to you. I don\'t allow you to suffer in their hands again." Shara quickly said but... Aston holds her back. Looking at her brother in a confused face, she asked, "Aston Kang, what are you doing? Are you crazy or what?"

"If you release me now, everything will be a mess. Even if I leave this place unscathed, what about you?" Aston said, giving his sister a pleading look.

"I don\'t care. Just leave." Shara firmly said. As an older twin, her voice was full of authority!

"Aria -"

"What are you thinking, Aston Min? Why didn\'t you do as I say? I told you to fight me and run! Why don\'t you listen to me?!" Shara snapped. Standing straight, she glanced down at her brother with a confused yet disappointed face.

Aston let out a breath and narrowed his eyes. "I was in the gang for 5 years, Aria. I clearly knew the consequence of failing a task." He paused and looked up at his sister. "When you suddenly attacked me, I felt lost. However, when I saw the two men, I understood your situation. All I could think of was to save you. Helping you succeed was the only way I could think of."

"Can\'t you foresee anything? You\'re in no position to think of others. Just leave. I will handle the rest!" Shara was feeling desperate now. Why was her brother so stubborn?!

"Aria, listen to me," Aston said, narrowing his eyes at his wristwatch. "As long as I wear this, my friend can track me down anytime. He is also a gang Boss and he\'s way more powerful than Lester Yun. I know we don\'t have much time, so I will save the questions for later. Call Nicole and tell her that we were supposed to meet but I don\'t show up. Express your concern to her. She will call my friend and he will come for my rescue."

"Aston, what if something happens to you before that? Just leave now!" Shara argued. She will never be able to forgive herself if anything happened to her brother!

Aston shook his head. "This is the best way for you and me. Hurry up and call Nicole if you want to save me. No matter what you say, I won\'t leave now. By this way, we will still be able to keep our relationship a secret." His voice was unyielding and Shara sighed in defeat.

"Fine." She said and take out a knife and stick it to the back of his waist. "If Lester Yun tried to do anything, kill him. I will take all the blame." She said with all seriousness.

Aston just nodded as he was afraid to draw suspicions if they take too long. "Leave now. I\'ll be waiting."

Glancing at her brother one last time, Shara walked out of the room in a hurry while Aston stared at her disappearing form, not turning away for even once. Right now, he bet his life on Nathan.

* * *

Nicole was in her study, working on some files. Once in a while, she would glance at her phone to see if there was anything from Aston. It\'s been more than an hour and she was feeling quite worried now. She even debated about calling Nathan for several times but she was afraid that she would just be making a fuss.

Maybe his filming took longer than expected. It often happened in the past, so she tried to convince herself that it wouldn\'t be a big deal. When her phone went off, she darted her eyes to it hoping that it would be Aston but... it was Shara. She slightly smiled and answered the call.

"Hello, Aria." She greeted the twin with a calm voice.

"Nicole, where are you?"

"I\'m in my house. What\'s the matter?"

Shara fell silent for a while, wondering what to say. Then she finally decided to go with Aston\'s plan. "I was supposed to meet with Aston but he didn\'t show up. I wonder if he is with you."

Nicole who was already wary couldn\'t be still anymore. She quickly rose from her seat when she heard Shara. "He didn\'t show up? How long has it been?"

"About two hours."

The Chairwoman nervously clenched her fingers while she said, "I got it. Don\'t be too worry, Aria. I will check up on him."

Without waiting for Shara\'s response, Nicole ended the call and tried calling Aston once again. After she learned that his phone was still off, she promptly called Nathan.

"Hello, Nathan. I need your help."