The Manipulated Villainess

Aston and Nicole were about to enter one room together. However, the actor was quite hesitant about it. As such, his hands reached for Nicole when the latter was about to grab the doorknob.

"Are you sure about this?" Aston asked with concern. "We can still choose not to do this but... once we enter, we will have to deal with all the questions of the reporters."

Nicole slightly smiled and break free from his firm grip. Instead, she gently holds his hand. "We already talk through this, Aston. It\'s been 3 weeks since Peter Jung is arrested but we still can\'t be free from the media. So, let\'s finish this press conference to end it once and for all."

"Will you be fine?" Aston muttered. He was scared that she would be forcing herself to face this pressure. After all, she was always the more unstable one whenever it comes to mind.

"You will be with me and that\'s enough for me," Nicole promptly said. "Besides, you shouldn\'t underestimate me. Though I\'m not a celebrity like you, I grew up as the heiress of Yang Group, in the scrutinizing eyes of the media. Interviews and press conferences are too many in my life," she added with a light chuckle.

Aston Kang finally smiled at her response. Then he reached out his hand and gently caressed her hair. "Alright. Let\'s do this." He firmly holds her hand and led her inside the conference room of Yang Group where the press conference will be held.

Endless flashing of cameras was what awaited the couple the moment they entered the room. However, Aston tightened his grip on Nicole\'s hands and continued leading her towards the seat prepared for them. When they finally settled on their seats, Aston looked at Nicole and flashed a little smile. The latter smiled back in return.

Soon, the curious reporters threw questions at them. Nicole\'s secretary, Julia Cha picked up the task of pointing out reporters to give them the chance to ask questions to the couple who had been the talk of the country for 3 weeks now.

In no time, they answered three expected questions, all regarding the case of Peter Jung. However, the press conference still had a long way to go.

"I\'m Jenna Kim of MT Daily. We heard a report saying that the Prime Minister keeps on mentioning the Minister of Justice. He claimed that the Minister of Justice is an accomplice in the matters relating to Yang Group and family and he worked with her to claim the wealth of the late Chairman Yang. What are your thoughts on this, Chairwoman Yang?"

Nicole narrowed her eyes when she heard the question. That\'s expected but... her stepmother never knew about the involvement of Peter Jung. Why claimed that she worked with him?

As expected of Peter Jung, he was still shameless!

She briefly glanced at Aston who nodded at her. Then she smiled and turned to the reporter who asked her the question. "Did he have evidence to prove his claims? If he actually worked with my stepmother for all those years, there should be some proof."

After making a deliberate pause, she continued by saying, "The whole country knows that I always have a good relationship with my stepmother. So, his claim is absurd. If my stepmother indeed aimed at my family\'s wealth, why would she let me take over the company? Why would she put all the wealth in my name when I finished my studies?"

Though Garcia Han already did that 2 years ago, she only finds it out recently.

When the Chairwoman noticed how the reporters were swayed by her response, she said, "The Prime Minister was arrested while he was kidnapping my stepmother. No person would do that to their accomplice. Maybe he was mad for that incident and he tried to drag her into this mess."

Everyone in the room nodded their heads as what the Chairwoman said made sense. As such, no one brings up the topic again.

"I\'m Joseph Choi of Liberty News. There is a lot of gossips going around Mr. Kang lately. I\'m sure that you have heard about it too. Can you please clarify it?"

Gossips? His past and all? This was one of the questions which Aston expected. However, now that the time to clarify had come, he wasn\'t that confident. Suddenly, he felt Nicole\'s hand on his beneath the long table before them. The Chairwoman knew how sensitive this topic was for her lover. So, she wanted to encourage him and she indeed succeeded.

"As the news stated, I\'m the son of Ethan Min. Considering what happened 17 years ago, everyone should know that I won\'t be growing up with peace," Aston started. "Of course, my past isn\'t something to be proud of. There are times when I\'m ashamed of myself and believe me. I already lost count of those times."

Aston briefly stared at Nicole before he turned back to the reporters. "Those gossips are mostly true. However... I never once lost my conscience during those years. So, that\'s up to you to decide. What kind of things did your conscience forbid you to do?

"In my case, I won\'t do something which will make my late father hung his head in shame. I won\'t want people to say, \'Even his son commit that crime. Maybe everything was true all along.\' I won\'t allow that," he concluded.

"Chairwoman, what about your thoughts on this?" the same reporter asked.

"Aston is not the type of man who will keep these important facts from me. His conscience won\'t let him do that," Nicole stated with a little smile. "Whatever his past was, I\'m okay with it. There are no perfect beings in this world and I trust him more than anyone else."

"It seems like you two are connected even before you met," one reporter said, stating the fact that both their families were the victims of Peter Jung. However, they had no idea about Jonathan Kim, Garcia Han\'s brother.

The Minister decided to maintained her silence and she said that she was okay with it as long as Peter Jung is punished. Besides, revealing the fact will only make the public believed Peter Jung\'s claim and Nicole didn\'t want that.

"Do you think this is fate?" the reporter asked, continuing her statement before.

This time, Aston finally smiled genuinely. "If that\'s the case, I will be very happy," he replied. "Though what connects us is not a beautiful incident which one would want to remember, being a part of her life is my biggest happiness."

There was a smile on Nicole\'s lips when she heard him. Then she said, "Without Aston Min, I won\'t be who I am today. For me, nothing matters more than him." She paused and repeated, "Nothing."