The Manipulated Villainess

Edwin was so curious. Aston Kang cherished someone to a great extent! What's more, the woman in question was not his sister!

He noticed how the Pacesetter was waiting for his response. He was yet to give him an answer.

Edwin Zo joined the Red Tiger Gang at a young age. Besides, he wasn't even educated properly. It won't be easy to get a job even if he turned a new leaf.

He used his fist and guns most of his life. As such, he was more than skilled. Being a bodyguard for someone? It would be his forte. Most importantly, it was the Pacesetter who was asking him.

"I will take the job but may I ask you who is this person? I'm about to work for her, I should at least know her identity." He asked after a few seconds of silence.

Aston quietly observed Edwin before he said, "She's the woman I love. Nicole Yang, the Chairwoman of Yang Group."

Yang Group?! Edwin was stunned! His eyes grew wide at the unexpected response. Did Aston Kang just say that he was in love? Not to mention that the woman was the Chairwoman of Yang Group!

"I just spill out my secret to you, Edwin Zo. If Lester Yun knows this, things won't be great. You also know that he is busy trying to know my weakness, right? I want to stop him from achieving that no matter what." Aston was determined yet his voice remained calm. He rarely lose his composure anyway.

"Don't worry, boss. I will give my all to prevent that." Edwin Zo earnestly replied. Aston trusted him with his secret and he was determined to not let him down.

"That's great. I look forward to it." The actor rose from his seat and Edwin followed suit. "I will introduce you to her as soon as there is time. I will also inform you when we will make a move regarding Lester."

* * *

The Next Day 

"This is the report regarding the construction for the hospital." Colin Park handed a file to the Chairwoman who was sitting on the chair.

Nicole opened the file and briefly flipped through the pages. "This would be good enough. I will discuss with Chairman Jun and let you know the result."

Colin Park was supposed to leave the Chairwoman's office but he quietly stood still before the desk.

"Do you have something more to say?" The Chairwoman asked, lifting her head to look up at the Director. Was he planning to get on her nerves again? He better not.

"Do you trust Chairman Jun?" Director Park suddenly asked. He seemed to be quite serious.

Nicole's brow furrowed. "If I don't trust him, do you think I would work with him?" What's wrong with this sly man?!

"I advise you to be careful, Chairwoman. I'm well aware of how you think of me but I already spent three decades in Yang Group. I want the best for the company." The Director straightly met the Chairwoman's gaze. Then he bowed and leave the office.

Nicole quietly sits still, staring at the report. What Colin Park said echoed in her ears. What made him behave that way? What did he know? She wanted to ignore it but this was not a trivial matter for her.

Believing that there's no harm in being careful, she took her phone which was placed on her desk. She was about to call Jerome but she suddenly realized how she told him to take a rest.

With a heavy sigh, she puts down her phone. She can think about this later. She shifted her gaze to the computer and decided to look for some articles about Carson Jun.

Nicole spent the next few minutes reading articles about Carson Jun. To be honest, she was amazed at how flawless his personal life was! Besides, he was flawless in business too. Was he not human or what? She even wondered what his strength might be!

She recalled him telling her how he loved the same woman for two decades. Was she his inspiration? Maybe his love was powerful enough to build him into who he was now! Somehow he reminded her of Aston. They seemed to be quite similar. They were determined and also the best in whatever path they chose.

While thinking of these, she ended up looking at Aston's profile. She still remembered how he asked her his birthday, claiming that all his fans knew! Come to think of it, he was so narcissistic!

Still, she read his profile for a while. There were no records of his family in the profile and she understood why. Then she saw his birthday. April 22, 1993? That's just two days away! Why didn't he tell her anything?!

With a displeased face, she took her phone again and sent him a message.

'Mr. Min, I read your profile and it says that your birthday is April 22. Why don't you tell me anything? We should make some preparations. Don't you think so?'

She puts down her phone again and continued reading his profile, much more like a biography. Much to her surprise, Aston replied right away.

'Ms. Yang, I'm sorry about that. I'm not the type to celebrate a birthday, so I don't think through it.'

That's all? Nicole frowned. Why was he so complicated? He's just like her stepmother! Then she replied to his message.

'Oh! I don't know that. But now that the topic is brought up, what about celebrating your birthday with those two friends of yours? If I'm not mistaken, one is a detective.'

She received a reply right away.

'Well, I'll think about it. I'm not fond of parties and all.'

Nicole abruptly rose from her seat, glancing at the message displayed on her phone. What was there to think about? It's just a simple meal with his two friends!

No! She won't tolerate this! She quickly pressed the call button.

Aston who was in a filming site fixated his gaze on the phone. He was sitting under a big umbrella, smiling to himself.

Judging from her temper, she would have already lost her patience! Why was she still not calling him? He glanced at his wristwatch and frowned. The break will be over soon and he won't have time if that happens. He was trying to send her another message until... his phone rang and the name he was waiting for was displayed on the screen. Finally!

He deliberately cleared his throat, trying to sound normal. Then he picked up the call.

"Why do you have - "

He couldn't finish his words as Nicole cut him off right away.

"Are you playing with me? Is it that hard to say okay? I'm talking about having some meal with your friends to celebrate your birthday yet you - "

"It's 24th," Aston spoke up with a little smile on his face which instantly shut Nicole's mouth.

"What are you talking about?" She dumbfoundedly asked, putting the phone nearer to her ear.

"My real birthday is 24th April, not 22nd." He corrected which was followed by a light chuckle.

Nicole sat down and glanced at the profile once again. "Here, it clearly said that 22nd. How come... " She paused when something crossed her mind. He changed his birthdate along with his name! Was it to avoid suspicion?

"You figure it out, right? That means that my birthday is four days away, not two." He smiled and stretched his arms. "This is nice. It's been 17 years since I last celebrated my birthday. Now, someone is going to make preparations for me."

"It's not funny," Nicole muttered. She was now calmly sitting still in contrast to just a minute ago.

"I know, but I'm happy. I mean it. Talking about celebrating my birthday; this reminds me of my childhood." He recalled how he was always too excited whenever his birthday was around the corner. Being twins, he shared the same birthday with Aria and the level of their excitement was always the same.

Nicole think about it for a split second and then asked, "What do you want for your birthday? I want to give you the best gift."

Her words made the actor chuckled. "I'm fine with anything as long as it's from you."

Nicole wondered and suggested, "What about a car?"

Though Aston said that he was fine with anything, his response was a quick 'No.' He didn't want her to buy such pricey things for him yet she had no idea of what he was thinking.

"Then what about a house near my residence? It would be great if you live nearby." Nicole suggested, excitedly.

"Nicole." Aston cleared his throat. "Just a small gift will do. You don't have to spend that much on a birthday gift. If you want me to live nearby, I will look for a house and buy it. Leave it to me." He calmly said.

"I want to give you something valuable," Nicole muttered. She never picked a gift in her own will and she had no idea what to choose. Valuable was the only thing that crossed her mind.

"I know. You already give me your heart and that's the most valuable gift for me. So, why don't you pick a small gift this time?" Though he personally thought that a gift wasn't necessary, she seemed too excited and he didn't want to let her down.

Nicole gave a quick thought and reluctantly agreed. "Fine then. I will come up with another gift."

Aston glanced at the crew and noticed that the break was about to be over. "I have to go now. I have a filming schedule till night so I don't think I'll be able to meet you tonight. But I bet you will be busy working as you waste your time on me during the daytime. So - "

"I'm hanging up." Nicole bluntly said and hung up the call, making him laughed. She's hopeless yet he was addicted to provoking her.....