The Manipulated Villainess

What?! The eyes of everyone in the main room flew wide open! What did Leon just say?!

Peter Jung gritted his teeth. "How dare you! Did you forget - "

"I already said all I wanted to say. I will take my leave now." Leon spoke up, interrupting his father.

He glanced at Garcia Han who was calm than he thought. Then he turned to Nicole. "I think the ties between our two families end here." He muttered. Without even glancing at his father, he stormed out of the house right away.

"That brat!" Peter Jung repeatedly glanced back and forth between the disappearing form of his son and Garcia Han who was calmly sitting still.

"I will talk to him and put everything back to its place. Please wait for - "

"There's no need for that." Garcia Han finally spoke up. She rose from her seat and turned to the Prime Minister who was looking at her with a confused face. "Your son married someone else and break off our ties. I won't tolerate such an act of disrespect he has shown to my family. So, I no longer want to work with you." She firmly stated.

"But we have put a lot of work into this. We can't just give up." The Prime Minister argued. Did his son messed up everything?!

"I don't care. I have nothing more to say, so leave my house now." Garcia Han was unyielding as she pointed at the door with her finger.

Peter Jung was at a loss for words. Judging from the way his son acted just now, he knows that it's pointless to argue. He must put his son in control first!

Having no other choice, for now, he made his way to the door and left the mansion. Then Nicole was alone in the house with her step-mother.

Seeing Garcia Han standing still in her place, Nicole felt the pressure as she couldn't read her. What if this messed up everything?!

She nervously rose from her seat and turned to her step-mother. "I apologize, Mother. I should have - "

"It's fine. This is not your fault." Garcia Han said as she returned to her seat. "I always knew that Leon Jung is something but I don't expect him to go this far." She simply commented.

Nicole glanced down at her step-mother with a puzzled face. Why was she always so complicated?!

"A broken engagement is nothing. It won't harm your reputation, so you have no reason to worry." Garcia Han added when she saw the look on Nicole's face.

Nicole sat down and though she was still confused, she didn't show it. "I'm not afraid of that." She replied.

Garcia Han remained quiet but she was thinking of something. "I thought that Leon Jung was interested in you. Am I wrong?" She suddenly asked. Her face showed how lost she was.

For a split second, Nicole thought what would convince Garcia Han the most. Then she spoke up. "No, you're right. He wants to have a real relationship but I turned him down. I was very cold to him and I think that made him change his mind."

Garcia Han's lips curved into an amusing smile. "You rejected him?"

Her step-daughter treating someone coldly? Garcia Han was quite delighted at the mere thought of it. She always wanted her not to be too soft. Did she finally do as she says?

Come to think of it, Nicole was quite good when she dealt with Director Park the last time. She thought that her soft step-daughter would forgive him as soon as she wasn't there but she was wrong. When she received a call from Nicole saying that she finished dealing with him, a few minutes passed and that was beyond her expectation.

Nicole only nodded and doesn't say any word.

Garcia Han chuckled. "That's great. You finally listen to me these days."

"I already promised you that I will." Nicole promptly said. "But what about the elections and all? The Prime Minister is your main ally."

"You don't have to worry about that. If Peter Jung is my only option, do you think he will behave like that? He is scared because he knows that I can easily replace him. Just focus on the company." Garcia Han calmly said, an amusing smile never left her face.

"I understand." Nicole continued to put up an act of an obedient daughter.

Garcia Han stared at Nicole for a while as if she observed her. This action made Nicole felt a bit uneasy. "Is something wrong?" She finally asked. The step-mother's gaze was always so penetrating and she didn't like that.

"No. I simply wondered how much you have changed. You even cared about my political career now." Before Nicole could respond, Garcia Han suddenly rose from her seat. "I'm tired. You should also go home and rest now. Take good care of your health."

* * *

While the conversation with her step-mother went well than Nicole's thought, things were not great in the Jung family mansion.

Peter Jung continued to confront his son with rage. His son broke his efforts of many years and he can't just accept that!

"How dare you destroyed my hard work! You should apologize to the Minister of Justice and her step-daughter! Tell them that you will make things right again!" The Prime Minister howled. His face was fuming red with anger.

"No. Even if you said it a thousand times, my answer is still the same. You should give up." Leon was very calm in contrast to his father.

Losing control, Peter Jung grabbed his son by the collar and pushed him down to the desk. Leon could easily break free but he chose not to. Even when his father punched him in the face, he remained still without blocking his father's hand.

"How can you humiliate me to this extent?! Another woman? Marriage? Are you out of your mind?!" Peter Jung growled as he tightened his grip on his son's collar. He was gritting his teeth with anger.

"Everything I said tonight was true. I'm not making up excuses. I don't lie either." Leon replied, showing no signs of backing down and this only angered his father more.

Peter Jung's hand curled into a fist and landed a punch on his son's face for the second time. He was blinded by rage and he couldn't think of anything!

"I will repeat for the last time. Apologize and set things right again. Or else, I will kill you. I don't need a son like you! You only tarnished my name!" The father howled.

"I cannot do that." Leon firmly replied, defying his father once again.

Blinded by anger, Peter Jung glanced around his room and when he saw a golf stick, he walked towards it and grabbed it. He didn't hesitate to rise the stick high up in the air, ready to strike his only son until...

Shara suddenly barged in and stood in front of Leon. "Please stop, Master. This is too much." She pleaded with the father.

Peter Jung halted but the stick was still high in the air. "Get out, Shara. This is not a situation for you to involved!" He barked.

"Please leave, Shara. This is between me and my father." Leon pleaded but Shara was as stubborn as him.

"No. This is wrong! You have no reason to be beaten up like this!" She argued.

Her words triggered the rage of the Prime Minister once again. "You also defy me now?" He grunted and tightened his grip on the golf stick.

Seeing what was coming, Leon pushed Shara to the side, making her fall to the floor and the end of the golf stick hardly strike him on the shoulder. The force made him lose balance and he fell to the floor.

"Leon!" Shara shouted and quickly crawled to him and hold him.

Pressing his shoulder, Leon clenched his teeth in pain and he darted his eyes to his father who was standing above him. The father's face turned pale and he threw the stick to the side. Did he finally get to his sense?

"I'm fine. Give me just a few minutes. I will wrap up things here and come to you." Leon said to Shara who was worriedly glancing at him. He even forced a little smile. "Please, do as I say." He begged. It's dangerous here and he wanted her out of danger. After a few seconds, Shara finally did as he asked though it wasn't easy for her.

Leon stood up by himself though the pain in his shoulder was not trivial. However, he had gone through injuries more painful than this while training in the Blackhood. Then he turned his attention to his father.

"You have taken out your anger on me. Are you happy now?" He glanced at the golf stick which was lying on the floor. He then picked it up and put it back in its place while his father stared at him the whole time.

"I can defend myself from all those attacks but do you know why I let you beat me up all these years? It's because you're my father. No matter what kind of person you are, you're the only father I have in this world." He paused when he felt the pain in his shoulder worsened.

"I always put up with everything, including your violent behaviour but... you went too far tonight, Father. You almost hurt Shara and I cannot forgive you for that. I'm tired of being your son, so... " He made a deliberate pause, observing the change in his father's expression. "I will cut ties with you. From now on, I'm no longer your son. I will also leave this house right away."

For his last act of respect, Leon bowed before his father and left the room right away while the father remained still without any movement as if he was a statue.....