The Manipulated Villainess

"She really smiled," Leon muttered as his eyes scanned his fiancee who was on the department store.

When he heard that she had a personal plan, curiosity got the best of the world-renowned potter and he ordered his men to follow her so that he could know the location.

This was not the first time. Whenever he wished to see the woman, he would quietly follow her around and she never once noticed.

"This is not my imagination. Did you see her smiling too, Shara?" He asked his friend who was sitting beside him. The two were on the car for a while now, monitoring the man and the woman on the store.

Shara gazed at Leon and her eyes showed a hint of pity for the man. She doesn't know what to say in such a situation.

Leon narrowed his eyes and once again, he looked at the two. "Did you know? For the past two years, I used to wonder when would I ever get to see her smiling happily and not the fake smile which she always wore." He said to Shara.

His face brightened up in even the slightest bit. "And I got to see that today. But..." He paused for a while and then continued. "I am not the one who makes that happen." His gaze fixated on the top actor and muttered, "It's him."

Leon turned his head away from his fiancee who was laughing at another man. Why does it hurt so much?

He always wished for her happiness even though he knew that she was never happy. He wanted her to take down the fake smile which she always wore and replaced it with a real and sincere smile. It was what he used to wish for the past two years.

Now, it finally happened. He finally got to see her real smile. He should be truly happy that his wish had come true but... why does he feel like his heart was being pierced by a knife? His heart had become very heavy in a split second!

"Young Master." Shara was still glancing at him. She saw his pain which she could relate to. "The man is Aston Kang. He recently signed a deal with your fiancee. This might not be what you think of. They won't have such a relationship." She tried to persuade him so that she could ease his pain.

Relationship? Leon never thought about that. All he thinks about was the convincing smile of Nicole. It was the only thing that matters.

Whatever their relationship was, his fiancee smiling happily at the man already said everything. Relationship or not, he holds a special place in her heart and it was a thing he could never achieve.

"Your fiancee is not the type to easily fall for someone. She is not capable of doing that." Shara informed him.

"It doesn't mean that it could not happen." Leon's response came very fast. He shifted his gaze to Shara. "The perfect example of that is the one sitting beside you. Me."

Shara understood his words right away. Leon was never the type to indulge himself in love or feelings until... he met the woman his father chose for him.

Before he met Nicole, he was not happy with the arranged engagement. But what could he possibly do? He already made a promised to his father. He already gave up his rights to choose his own partner.

To be honest, he even developed hatred towards the woman before he met her even once. He was convinced beforehand that the woman his father chose for him would be a greedy and selfish person just like the Prime Minister.

On the day he met the woman who was supposed to be his fiancee, everything changed and his heart was no exception. It was love at first sight.

His life was completely changed since that day. But one scene which he witnessed made him conceal his feelings even now.

Once again, Leon shifted his gaze to his fiancee who was busy picking out a coat for another man. Two years but she had never done that for him, not for even once!

A coat? He suddenly realized the coat which covered her body on the night of the party. Was there some connection to it? He still remembered that the actor was also present at that party. Nicole even talked to him about the actor the next day and it happened just three days ago.

"Let's go." He said to Shara and drive his car away from the store. He doesn't want to watch them anymore as it was a pure torment for him, who always have eyes for her and only her.

Not long after Leon and Shara left, Nicole was finally done in picking the coat for Aston. She was glad that he had become less picky after that tense conversation.

She left the store with her car and returned straight to her home. But the strange favour that he asked her still bothered her. Was something going on with him? But he seemed to be fine as he was still playful like before.

Aston first returned to his home to put the coat which the young Chairwoman bought for him. He made a mental note to treasure the exact coat.

He then drove his bike to the old building which was around an hour drive from the city. The building used to be the base of his former gang but it was not anymore and he didn't know where the base was moved.

One of the principles of the infamous Red Tiger Gang was to never reveal their base to outsiders. He was not an exception as he was not one of them anymore.

"Boss." One young man came to him as soon as he reached the location. But the man was alone as all the others were on the rooftop.

Aston's eyes darted to the man who called him but when he realized who the man was, he ignored him right away and walked past him.

"Are you really doing this? You know very well how much the Big Boss want to see you suffer. He will not kill you but he won't go easy on you." The young man said to him but he didn't pay any attention. He simply walked upstairs as if he was not spoken to.

Realizing that his words were not enough to attract his former boss attention, the young man ran past him and stood before him, blocking his way. "Please reconsider. It's not too late to change your mind." He begged Aston.

With a nonchalant face, Aston's shove the young man aside and started walking again as if nothing happened.

"It's dangerous!" The young man helplessly yelled which finally made him paused his movement. He was tired of his annoying voice.

He turned around and his sharp gaze landed on the young man. "Why do you care about that? Stop talking to me, Rion Joo. Or should I say... stop talking to me, you despicable traitor." His voice was dangerously low yet there was a hint of hatred in it.

The young man named Rion was frozen at his place. His face turned pale in the blink of an eye. "I only -"

"I said stop talking to me!" Aston snapped. "Why? Was letting Michael die not enough for you? Why do you talk like you're worried about me when you betrayed me?"

"I'm sorry." Rion lowered his head, not daring to face the ferocious glare of the man who was once the pride of the infamous Red Tiger Gang.

Aston suddenly burst out into a laughter when he heard Rion but... the laughter was out of despised for the man.

His actions made Rion nervous and at the same time, he was scared. He followed Aston for more than three years while Aston was the second in command of the Gang and he was more than aware of how capable his former boss was.

All at once, Aston's face turned very serious again. "Sorry?" He scorned. "Don't talk nonsense. Do you know this? Whenever I see you, I am reminded of my late friend who died because of you. If I ever lose my mind and self-control, you will be the first one whom I would kill."

He walked towards Rion and pushed him. The man's back roughly clashed with the wall which made him yelped in pain but the actor's face was still devoid of any expression. Not a hint of pity for the man could be seen in his face!

Rion could fight back, but he chose not to. He docilely stood there, being hold back by a dreary feeling called 'self-guilt.'

Aston's grabbed him by the collar and looked at him right in the eyes. "Don't ever say such things to me again. If that happens, I don't know what I would do to you. But I can guarantee you. You won't be pleased about it." He warned him.

Once again, he shoved Rion to the wall as he roughly withdrew his hands from his collar. He then turned his back at him and went upstairs where he was awaited by torment and sufferings.....