The Manipulated Villainess

Nicole was about to leave her office when she received a call. Though she was waiting for this call for a while now, she didn\'t expect it at this time.

Even though she was a bit flustered, she promptly answered the call.

"Leon." She greeted her ex-fiance.

"Nicole, it\'s been a while." Leon\'s usual calm voice echoed in her ears.

"It is. I heard that you left your house. How have you been?"

"I\'m fine. Don\'t worry about me."

Nicole thought about it for a split second and then asked, "How about meeting up? It\'s been a while and it would be great to see your new home."

Leon who was sitting in his new home darted his eyes to Shara who was sitting opposite to him. The latter was busy going through some files. "Let\'s do that. I will text you the address and you can come over for dinner."

His words instantly drew attention from Shara. While he was putting down his phone, he could sense her gaze.

"Is Nicole coming?" Shara asked, slightly tilting her head to the left.

Leon cautiously nodded his head, wondering what Shara\'s reaction would be. When she spoke up, he blinked in surprise.

"That\'s great. It would be nice to meet her." Shara turned her attention back to the files again.

With a flustered face, Leon quietly stood still, glancing at Shara who was fully concentrated on working.

These days, Shara was stubborn than ever. Because of his injury on his shoulder, she refused to let him work and even did all the paperwork herself. Well, he admitted that his wound was quite severe this time but doing paperwork was fine!

Time slowly passed by and when Nicole arrived, almost an hour had passed. By this time, it was almost 7 in the night.

"Welcome, Chairwoman Yang." It was Shara who first greeted Nicole with a smile.

"Please call me Nicole. I would be more comfortable that way. Besides, we seemed to be the same age." Nicole said as she handed her a basket of fruits which she brought as a gift.

"Thanks for the fruits but you get one thing wrong. I\'m older by two years." Shara slightly smiled and when she noticed Nicole\'s bewildered face, she let out a light laughter.

"You don\'t seem older in my eyes," Nicole remarked.

"I\'m glad that you visit us. But what about your stepmother\'s men?" Leon asked and Shara went to the kitchen with the fruit basket.

"I can just make up something." Nicole simply said and Leon led her to the couch and they both took a seat. Shara also came out of the kitchen and joined them.

"I heard that you didn\'t even go to your Museum these days. Is something wrong with your work?" Nicole still remembered how she told him to see a doctor that night. His injury didn\'t seem to be that light. She wondered if that\'s the reason. She had no idea of the new injury on his shoulder.

Leon opened his mouth but Shara outspoke him.

"He suffered an injury on his shoulder, so I advised him to rest. He won\'t be able to afford it if it gets severe." Shara calmly said.

"How did you get injured? Your hands are precious. That\'s why I told you to see a doctor that night." Nicole was very concerned. She didn\'t know much about Leon but she was well aware of one thing. His love for pottery. If he were to quit his career due to some injury, it will be very hard for him.

Leon didn\'t want Shara to carelessly spill the truth, so he promptly said, "I was careless. That\'s all." He briefly glanced at Shara before he turned his attention back to Nicole and asked, "What about you? What\'s your situation these days?"

"It\'s quite good. My step-mother put some trust in me these days, so I manage well." Nicole only told half the truth. She didn\'t want them to be involved in her business. It will only bring them harm.

Leon understood right away that Nicole was up to something. He also knew that she didn\'t want to speak about it, so he feigned ignorance. "That\'s great."

Shara wondered if it would be better to leave them to talk. Maybe it might be useful for both of them. As such, she rose from her seat. "I will check if dinner is ready." Then she went to the kitchen, leaving the two behind.

Nicole quietly gazed at Leon and when the past crossed her mind, she slightly smiled. "You have changed so much, Leon. What happened to the man who only caused trouble? As far as I remember, your father always cleans up the mess you create. Were those just acting?" She mused.

Leon chuckled at her words. "You might not know but I have a very complicated relationship with the Prime Minister. I always end up losing to him, so that\'s the only way I could teach him a lesson." His lips curved into a playful smile. "Well, my acting won\'t be as great as someone."

Nicole laughed at his words. "It\'s not great but convincing enough. I always thought that was your real nature. It turns out that you are quite mature and reliable than I thought."

"Do you regret rejecting me now?" Leon dryly said but it was followed by a chuckle.

"I\'m afraid not." It\'s the first time she ever joked around with Leon but she didn\'t feel uncomfortable at all. She never felt or behave this way during the past two years!

Leon thinks the same. He recalled how he envied the comfortable atmosphere and bickering between Nicole and Aston in the hospital. Now, after cutting all ties that were not fated for him, he finally got to experience it too. And it\'s worth it.

"Don\'t you know, Nicole? I\'m not the only one who is misunderstood. Many people including your employees misunderstood you too. They don\'t know your hidden golden heart. But these days, your reputation went up a lot, all thanks to the hospital you plan to build." Leon earnestly said though a little smile was on his face the whole time.

"It\'s not easy to change their view, Leon. In the eyes of many people, I\'m still a monster who drove their loved ones to death. No matter what my reason was, I have to bear this guilt for the rest of my life. I might even get the chance to receive my punishment." Nicole paused and flashed a smile of relief. "But I\'m okay with it. Because it won\'t be an unjust punishment from Garcia Han but the law."

Leon always thought that his life was unfair. But now, he suddenly realized that he was in a much favourable position compared to the woman who was sitting opposite to him. It made him wondered... Who was he to complain or whine? This young and fragile woman went through many things worse than him!

After he remained quiet for a while, he said, "Don\'t talk like that, Nicole. You don\'t deserve to be punished. If someone was to punished, it should be that evil step-mother of yours." He narrowed his eyes and then turned his attention back to her. "Though we have parted ways, we can still help each other."

His expression became very serious when he continued, "My offer is still valid, Nicole. If you want me to - "

"Leon." She uttered his name which made him stop talking right away. "I don\'t want you to be in danger because of me. People suffered all because I\'m incompetent. I\'ve seen enough."

"But - "

"Please don\'t challenge my stepmother anymore. If anyone does that, it should be me." She paused when the things Alex said crossed her mind. "She won\'t hesitate to end anyone who is in her way but it\'s different with me. I will make her trust me and after that, I will destroy her."

"Will you be alright?" Leon was worried about her but when he thinks of Aston, he was feeling a bit at ease. "You have Aston Kang. He is capable enough to protect you."

Nicole didn\'t expect to hear such things but she was glad Leon said that. "After our engagement was broken off, you really get on the bad side of Garcia Han. Even that rumour about us, she is strongly convinced that it is your doing. You should not provoke her anymore."

Leon wasn\'t sure if he could do that. Once he started something, he rarely backs down. He was quite stubborn if necessary. Besides, he personally thought that ending an evil and fake person like Garcia Han would be fun. After all, he was a leader of Blackhood. Blackhood stands to end evil people anyway. It\'s not just about Nicole.

However, Nicole didn\'t intend to easily back off either. She glanced at the kitchen and said, "You should live happily with her. I don\'t want you to suffer because of me again. You deserve a happy and peaceful life."