The Manipulated Villainess

"Great. Great. Okay, perfect!" A photographer was shouting and complimenting Aston continuously as he took pictures of him.

Aston was wearing the newly designed clothes of the Yang Apparel which will be launched very soon. The clothes were mainly athletic such as track jackets, track pants which mostly come in suits. Nicole wanted to try these sports dresses rather than fancy ones.

The actor already tried on many dresses but he never spent too much on one which showed his experience and professionalism. Wearing athletic dresses which were very suited to his fit and well-exercised body, he tried many poses which made him looked charismatic and athletic at the same time.

Nicole was also there, observing the actor. She admitted that his manly and strong charisma were very plausible. She kept on staring at him, blankly throughout the photoshoot which Aston didn't fail to notice.

"Okay! Done!" The photographer shouted and everyone applauded Aston's performance. He stepped away from the camera and his manager quickly came to him, attending to his needs. Next will be Anna's turn and after a break, it will be followed by shooting as a couple.

With a bottle of water in his hand, Aston walked to Anna who just came out after she got changed. He handed her the water. "Don't push too hard. You can easily complete this. But if you need a break, don't hesitate to say. Alright?" He calmly said to her.

Anna nodded and drank the water. She was quite nervous. Ever since she was a child, she was always confident in whatever she did but her brother's death made her weak both physically and mentally.

"I will be right here, so you will be fine." Aston nodded and rubbed her hair with a slight smile.

"Okay. I trust you." Anna said and return the bottle to him. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at him and walked in front of the camera.

Witnessing how close they were and how comfortable they were with each other, Nicole felt uneasy. Somehow the feeling pained her as minutes passed.

She watched Aston whose gaze was fixated on the actress who was currently having a photoshoot. She noticed that he rarely took his eyes off her! He stood there without even resting in his changing room. Little did she know he glanced at her every now and then. It's just that their timings never matched.

The Chairwoman was briefly taken away by her thoughts - the possibility of the two celebrities to be together. She was amazed by just how the mere thought of it hurt her. She should do something or else, she might really lose control as Aston predicted.

When she snapped out and looked in the direction where he was standing, he was not there. She was flustered for a few seconds but thought that he might be resting in his changing room. She was happy with it. It's better than him standing there, gawking at the famous actress! That's what she thought.

She tried to focus on the shoot but flinched when Aston suddenly appeared next to her. She stared at him as if he was a ghost!

"The room is quite hot, Chairwoman. I wonder if you need any cold drinks." Aston flashed a smile and offered her a cold drink.

She narrowed her eyes at the drink for a split second and took it from his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Kang." She muttered, trying her best not to let herself controlled by her feelings. "You did great before." She added with a smile that seemed to be out of courtesy.

"It's my work, so I should be. Unlike you, I'm not skilled in many things. Being in front of a camera is my only speciality." Aston jokingly said. He was also more than skilled in combat and even guns but he won't mention that, at least for now. He was not ready to reveal his darker side.

"I don't remember myself having many skills." Nicole simply replied. Her gaze fixated on the photoshoot.

"Yang Electronics, Yang Construction, Yang Holdings, Yang Group of Hotels and now Yang Apparel." Aston made a deliberate paused and regard her appraisingly. "There are many other fields. Do I have to say more?"

"Mr. Kang, didn't you know that all those are categorized into one word, business?" Nicole promptly said. "That means all I know is business." She added.

"I'm not as intelligent as you. I hope that you could understand my dumbness." Aston dryly said which finally made Nicole smile. It was not a smile out of courtesy. It was not a fake or forced smile. It was a genuine smile and that warmed up his heart. He finally made her smile again.

Realizing that she just smile due to his fake dumb act, Nicole's smile faded. "Excuse me." She retreated and went to the restroom while he stared at her until she was out of his sight. 

"You did great, Aston Kang." He muttered to himself. He wouldn't need to wait for long.

"Please get a grip of yourself, Nicole." It was Nicole who was talking to herself. Standing alone in one room, she took a deep breath. Why did he always make her lose herself? She was scared. What if the price of losing control was too high?!

After an hour, Nicole finds the couple photoshoot too tormenting. Why did her heart keep on betraying her today? The photoshoot was just a part of work and she was also one of the people who planned this damn photoshoot but... she still felt uncomfortable.

Seeing her standing too close to him, touching his chest and his arms around her waist, sometimes her hands on his shoulders and gazing at each other as if they were lovebirds who couldn't be separated! Urgh! This was too frustrating!

Had they not done? Why did they need too many photos?!

After a few tormenting minutes, it was finally over. Then she let out a breath which she didn't even know she was holding. Standing next to the photographer who was now looking at the photos, they discussed the photos which they like but she avoided the photos from the couple's shoot. She had enough for today!

Another half an hour passed and it was already 6 in the night. The set was also cleared and everyone was busy with their work. Then Aston came to her once again.

"What will you do after this? Do you want to have dinner together?" Aston suddenly felt a bit discouraged. "Just dinner." His voice trailed off. He looked at her eyes and it was clear that she was not expecting this. It made him more nervous.

"I'm sorry but I have plans," Nicole said, feeling surprised by his nervous expression. What happened to the shamelessly confident top celebrity?!

Aston tried to say something but Anna came and grabbed him in the arms. "My father wants you to come over for dinner. Are you free?" She asked him with a hopeful smile.

"Oh!" Aston glanced at Nicole who remained impassive. What was he expecting? He turned his attention to Anna who was standing beside him. "Okay. Let's do that." He reluctantly agreed.

"You did great today, Ms. Park. It's nice to work with you." Nicole forced a smile as she reached out her hand to Anna Park.

"It's an honour, Chairwoman Yang. I look forward to our promotional events." Anna gave her a handshake. An exciting smile was evident on her face.

Nicole turned her attention to Aston but the sound of her ring tone interrupted her. "Excuse me." She said and answered the call.

"Leon." She greeted her fiance who was on the other line and tried to walked away.

Hearing her calling her fiance's name, Aston grabbed Nicole's hand, holding her back from walking away. "Nicole." He muttered with almost a pleading voice. Witnessing this, Anna glanced at them with a bewildered face.

Nicole gave Aston a side glance but the voice she heard on the phone made her shifted back her attention.

"Where are you?" Leon asked before saying, "I see you." He was standing just a few metres away. He came to pick Nicole up as they planned to discuss their visit to the orphanage which will be at tomorrow.

Nicole quickly turned around and saw Leon who was making his way to her. She saw him looking at Aston with his guard heightened.

"Are you done?" He asked Nicole the moment he reached where the three stood.

"Yes. You're early." Nicole remarked as she walked closer and stood beside him.

"You're Leon Jung, right? I'm a huge fan of your work. I always wished to meet you in person!" Anna Park suddenly exclaimed which made everyone turned their attention to her.

Leon looked at the actress and smiled. "It's an honour to know that a famous actress like you admire my work, Ms. Park." He formally responded.

Despite her status as one of the most famous actresses in the country, Anna Park grinned like a little kid. She couldn't believe that she ran into Leon Jung here! But she suddenly realized that he was the fiance of the Chairwoman.

"Did you come here for your fiancee, Mr. Jung?" Anna asked with an admiring smile.

"Yes. We plan to have dinner together." Leon responded, briefly glancing at Aston who remained quiet, looking elsewhere.

When Aston heard that Leon was the one who had plans with Nicole, he darted his eyes to him and once again, tension was forming in the air, circling the two men.....