The Manipulated Villainess

"Soon, the Prime Minister's men will call you. Whatever request they made, don't accept. Don't let them know how you really feel," Aston advised Nicole who seemed to be struggling to stay still. His keen gaze noticed the anxiety on her face.

"What are you saying?" Alex Jo uttered. "Do you plan to let the Minister die?"

"Alex," Nicole muttered which made the man raised a brow. It had been years since she addressed him that way!

"We know what we're doing. Trust us," Nicole added in a low voice.

"But -"

"My stepmother won't suffer in their hands. I will never allow that," Nicole snapped and Alex Jo fell silent. However, his amazement was still evident on his face.

"I will go and meet with Chairman Jun," Aston said and turned to Nicole. "Wait here and I'll be back soon."

Nicole nodded and Aston briefly caressed her face before he shifted his gaze to Alex Jo. "I hope you can stay here and cooperate with Nicole. I will take care of things out there."

Without even waiting for a response, Aston Kang stormed out of Nicole's house.

"You know this beforehand?" Alex Jo asked Nicole the moment Aston left. His face was still plastered with confusion.

"We can only assume but we still get prepared for it," Nicole replied and took a seat on the couch.

"Why?" Alex Jo asked but his eyes grew wide when one thing crossed his mind. "Did the Minister know about this?"

"She knows," Nicole muttered and narrowed her eyes. "Aston met her yesterday."

"This is dangerous, Nicole. What if -"

"I know. There is no other choice," Nicole said, interrupting Alex Jo before he could finish his words. Her firm gaze met his before she shut her eyes. "She will be fine. If anything happens to her, Peter Jung knows that he won't be able to bear the consequences."

When Alex Jo stood still without saying anything, Nicole opened her eyes. She looked up at him and let out a sigh. Then she went to her room and came out with a first aid kit. "You should clean up and bandage your wound," she said as she handed him the kit.

Alex Jo blankly stared at the kit in his hand and then touched the wound on his forehead. "She forced me to run away and seek you out when those men suddenly showed up. Maybe you're right. She also saw it coming."

Nicole looked at Alex Jo and noticed that he didn't even make a movement, let alone taking care of his wound. Then she rose from her seat and took the kit from him. "Sit down. I will do it for you."

"No need," Alex Jo quickly said. "I can do it -"

"Just do as I say. We don't have much time," Nicole argued in a serious tone.

Alex Jo quietly stared at Nicole before he gave in and sat on one of the couches.

While Nicole cleaned the wound and apply an ointment to it, she noticed that Alex Jo never took his eyes off her. She knew it but she feigned ignorance and simply continued.

"Seeing you like this... I'm reminded of the past," Alex Jo muttered. "You always do this for me whenever I got hurt."

His words made Nicole paused her movement. However, she continued it again after a few seconds. "It's all in the past. You should forget about it," she muttered. "I already have someone I love."

"I know," Alex Jo promptly said. "But sometimes, I used to wonder what will happen to us if your stepmother didn't get in our way. Will I still be the one who owned your heart?"

"Stop talking -"

"I'm happy for you," Alex Jo suddenly said. This made Nicole pulled back and she looked at him with a perplexed face. "You have a reliable man who is willing to do anything to keep you safe. You know, Nicole. Someone like me will never be capable of doing that."

He paused and added, "I owe a lot to your stepmother. I know what she did years ago but still, my mother won't live to see this day if it isn't because of her. That's the kind of life I'm living."

"We are the same," Nicole replied. "We just do whatever necessary to survive. The same goes for my stepmother."

Alex Jo realized that though she seemed different now, this woman was still the same as the first time he met her when they were in college. She was still kind and always puts herself in other shoes. It was the reason why he fell for her in the very first place. Seeing such a rare trait in someone who was born with a silver spoon put him in awe and made him interested in her.

"I'm glad," he muttered and his lips curved into a little smile. "You never lose yourself and that's worth applauding."

Nicole simply smiled and without saying anything, she continued attending to his wound.

* * *

"This is the Minister's current location."

Aston showed Carson Jun the address which appeared on his phone screen. The two men were in the residence of the Chairman.

Yesterday when the actor met Garcia Han, he gave her a GPS device and told her to carry it with her all the time.

Judging from the look on his face, the Chairman of JK Group didn't seem to be okay at all. "Shouldn't we go and rescue her right away?" he asked Aston. He was struggling to be still.

"My friend is observing the situation there. Nothing will happen to her. Please don't worry," Aston assured Chairman Jun. Through Nicole's words, he already knew how this man cared for the Minister of Justice. So, he understood how hard it must be for him to stay put.

"What is the plan?" Carson Jun asked Aston after trying hard to calm down himself.

"We need to have proof that the men who abducted the Minister are connected to the Prime Minister," Aston informed the Chairman.

"No matter what her past is, Garcia is still the Minister of Justice. Do you think the Prime Minister will show himself and let her know that he is the one who made the order to abduct her?" Carson Jun asked and shook his head. "I doubt that."

"I know," Aston promptly said. "Peter Jung isn't foolish enough to go there himself but... we can make a trap for him. I already talked about this with the Minister yesterday."

Carson Jun recalled how Garcia Han called him last night and said that she was in danger. She even told him to be prepared but... she didn't tell him the details even when he asked! He only understood what she meant when the actor came to him.

"I know it's a huge risk but my friend will observe the situation all the time. If he thinks that there is a possible danger, he will make a move right away. So, I want you to trust me and cooperate with me," Aston explained to the Chairman.

"I also asked my detective friend to help me out. He will also wait for Peter Jung to take the bait," he added.

Carson Jun thought about it for a while and then looked at Aston. "If Garcia agrees with you, that means she trusts you. That means I have no reason to doubt you." He paused and asked, "What will I do?"