The Manipulated Villainess

Staring at Cassandra, Nathan squeezed his pants, trying hard to remain calm. She said that she was telling the truth but...

"It's too late, Cassandra. No matter what, we have an ill-fated relationship. Even our beginning was planned for evil. I don't want such a mess anymore." He barely uttered the words.

Those sleepless nights, haunting memories and nightmare; he didn't want to relive it anymore! If the pain he thought of was a physical one, it might be different but... it's mental pain. Even if he would be deemed as a coward, he didn't care. He only wanted to be free of such excruciating mental pain!

"Nathan - "

"I believe what you say and I understand but... I'm not that young and wild Nathan Woo anymore. I won't take such a risky move again. So... " He paused and then said, "Forget everything now. It's too late to turn back. We are already enemies before we even met."

"I won't blame you for your father's crime. So, you don't have to explain yourself or look for me anymore. Goodbye, Cassandra." He promptly added and rose from his seat. Though Cassandra called his name, he ignored her and left the coffee shop.

* * *

Aston spent half a day with Nicole and return to the filming set in the afternoon. Though he wished to stay more, he can't just ignore the filming schedule which was already planned beforehand. He could only rearrange a bit.

Not long after he left, Garcia Han walked inside Nicole's hospital room. She came right after she finished attending some important meetings.

"When did Aston Kang left?" She asked Nicole the moment she walked inside.

"A few minutes ago," Nicole said.

Garcia Han glanced down at the nutritional supplements which Aston placed near Nicole's bed. "Seems like he cares about you a lot." She muttered.

"Mother - "

"Just let him be." Garcia Han said which made Nicole fell silent. She didn't understand her stepmother's words at all.

Garcia Han stood near the glass walls and glanced at the outdoors. "I think you should arrange a security team for yourself. Shall I handle that?"

"I already arranged that but this happens before I could put it into action. I will do that as soon as I'm discharged." Nicole promptly said and the Minister simply nodded.

"Alright then. The doctor said you should rest for at least 5 days. So, keep in mind that you're not allowed to leave this room until that."

"I understand." Five days?! Then what about the final meeting with the Representative of Aris Group?! Nicole felt so hopeless! What would she do now?!

"Why? Is something wrong?" Garcia Han asked when she noticed Nicole expression.

"It's just that... I have an important meeting in three days. A Representative from Aris Group came from New Zealand and I already signed the deal with them." Nicole cautiously said.

"You can just try and reschedule. You're injured in the head, so you're not fit to work for now." The Minister looked at her with a bit of displeasure and Nicole gently nodded once.

"Alright. I will give a try." She said with a bit of reluctance.

When Garcia Han turned back to the window, one thing entered Nicole's mind. After pondering about it for a while, she finally said, "I heard the kidnappers saying that someone is helping you. Do I know this person?"

Garcia Han clenched her fingers when she heard her stepdaughter's question. "Why do you want to know that?"

"I'm thankful to this person. That's why." Who was the one who almost ruined everything?! Nicole was too curious but she tried to not make it too obvious.

Garcia Han fell silent for a while before she said, "You don't have to know. Just focus on your recovery for now. Don't think too much."

Nicole knew that it won't bring her any good if she was persistent. "Alright." She muttered.

Then Garcia Han takes out a phone from her bag. "You lose your phone due to the incident, so take this. I bought a new one and your number is still the same."

* * *

Shara was at the base of the Blackhood when she received a call from Aston. It had been a while, so she was there to trained and took some exercise. She sat down on the training floor and answered the call with a little smile.

"I thought you are busy." She promptly said the moment she picked up the call.

"A bit," Aston said. He was on the filming set and he was having a little break. "What are you doing now, Aria?"

Shara glanced around her surroundings and struggled for words to say. After a while, she finally said, "Some training."

"Training?" Aston raised a brow but when he thought of the possible reason, he slightly frowned. "Is it Blackhood again?"

"Yeah." Shara promptly said though she was quite wary of her brother's feelings.

"I heard about how the members are trained. Is it really necessary? It's a very dangerous job." The actor's voice was full of concern for his twin sister. She was the only blood related he had left and he can't afford to lose her again.

"This is my choice, Aston. I'm okay with it." Shara calmly said.

"Is it because you want to help Leon?"

"That's one reason but don't get him wrong." Shara promptly said. "He always urges me not to do it anymore, but I'm the one who is stubborn."

Though Aston hated to admit, he understood his sister. If he was in her shoes, he would do the same. He was also willing to do anything to help Nicole. "You really love him, right?"

Shara smiled at his question. "Leon is a good man but his life is very complicated. He deserves better. So, I hope you can trust him more. He won't mistreat me."

"Alright." Aston bluntly said which made Shara chuckled.

"You still act like a spoiled kid to me. Did Nicole know this?" She playfully said.

"It's better for her not to know." Aston dryly said and then finally chuckled.

Shara's smile slipped a bit when she realized one thing. "Don't forget that you still have to answer my question. I don't want any lies." Her voice was quite stern, unlike other times.

Aston understood what she said and to be honest, he really wished to skip this but...

"I understand." The two words unconsciously escaped his lips. Maybe it was out of habit.

While he was young, though he might always be acting like a spoiled kid when his sister was around, he never disobeyed her if she was serious about something. He could always tell right away if his sister wasn't joking. After all, he was still the younger twin.

"Alright. Let's talk later." Shara said and tried to end the call but...

"Wait, Aria," Aston said and when Aria waited for him to speak up, he quickly said, "Nicole hurt her head and she was admitted to Westview Hospital. Can you go and check her out once you have time? I have a tight schedule."

"What happened?" Shara instantly asked, raising a brow.

"It's a long story. I will tell you later." Aston replied.

Shara sighed. "Alright. I will do that. Don't worry and take good care of yourself."

"Okay," Aston said and ended the call.

Shara wasn't in the mood to train anymore. So, she decided to walk out of the training room and went to the hospital but...

"You should tell me if you plan to visit the base." It was Leon who suddenly opened the door and walked to her. "I told you not to do this for a while. You always push your limits and make me worried."

Shara slightly frowned. "I already said that I won't overtrain anymore. How did you know that I came here?"

"Ryan called me when you arrived. So, I drive here right away." Leon promptly said with a little smile.

"Do you tell him to spy on me?"

"No."

"Then how come he call you as soon as I arrived?"

Leon awkwardly scratched his head. "I only tell him to inform me if you come here."

Shara finds his behaviour quite amusing but she didn't want to show it. "That's spying."

Leon finally sighed. "Alright. I won't do it anymore. So, you should keep your promise too. I'm afraid that I will have to rush to the hospital again."

Hospital? Shara was so flustered by Leon's sudden appearance that she briefly forget about what Aston said. "Oh! Hospital! We have to go there." She suddenly exclaimed.

"Why? Are you sick again?" Leon said with a worried face and quickly placed his hand on her forehead.

Shara sighed and put down his hand. "It's not me. Aston said that Nicole hurt her head. She was admitted to Westview Hospital."

Head injury? Leon felt that something was not right. Did Garcia Han gets involved again?! He wasn't entertained by the thoughts!

"We will need at least two hours to return to the city but her stepmother might be there. Will you be okay?" Shara cautiously asked Leon.

"It's fine. I'm not scared of her." Leon firmly said and turned to Shara. "Let's go." Then they left the base and returned to the city right away.....

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