The Manipulated Villainess

Left alone, Nicole was stunned. She couldn't help but wondered what the relationship between the two celebrities might be! What's more? She had never seen Aston worrying about someone to that extent. He always did that for her but what was that?!

Recalling all the words she said to hurt him, to break him and to make him give up on her; she told herself not to think about him. Maybe he gave up on her, maybe he moves on and meet someone new.

He was the nation's heartthrob, the most popular celebrity and he will never be short on women as long as he wanted! He and Anna Park will make a great match but... the thought of him being with another woman hurt so much!

Shaking her head, she reminded herself that everything was for the best. But even she thought that she was just trying to force herself to believe it. In no time, her next scheduled meeting comes up and she left her office with a troubled and uneasy mind.

* * *

Aston rushed to his apartment and quickly get inside. In the main room, he saw Anna sitting on one of the couch.

The woman was dressed in a grey gown which covered up to her knee and a white flat shoes. She pressed both her hands on the couch and her gaze was fixated on the floor. She didn't move at all and sat there as if she was a statue. She only blinked her eyes once in a while.

"Anna," Aston uttered and walked towards her. Hearing his voice, the actress lifted her head and fainted a smile when she saw him.

Her face was pale and her lips had lost their original colour due to exposing herself to the rain for a long time. Her clothes were drenched in the rain and her hair was all wet.

"You should be at home. Why did you come out while it is raining nonstop?" Aston sighed and bend his knees before her to match her height.

"I'm bored and my house is so tormenting. Every inch in my house reminds me of my brother." Anna's trailed off. She narrowed her eyes at her thighs, refusing to meet his gaze.

"But you'll be sick if you remain like this. I'll get you a towel and dry yourself first." He stood up and was about to go to his room to fetch her a towel but Anna holds his hand.

He narrowed his eyes at her but she didn't say anything. Then he let his hand loose from her grip. "You promised not to do this."

"Can you just be with me? Only you can help me forget this heart-wrenching pain." Anna muttered. Still sitting on the couch, she lifted her head to look at Aston who was standing.

"Anna, I already tell you that I love someone else. I promised to help you get better and cope with your brother's death but... if you keep on doing this, it will be hard for me to keep seeing you." Keeping in mind the unstable condition of the woman, his voice remained calm and patient the whole time. 

Losing a family, losing a loved one; he understood how hard it was for the one who lived. Five days ago, Anna lost her older brother, her only sibling in a car accident. It took a huge toll on her, both mentally and physically as she was very close with the late brother.

She won't eat or sleep for three whole days and two days ago, she even tried to harm herself but her father and her friend find her on time and stopped her. Anna's friend who knows about her feelings for Aston contacted him and asked for his help. Even her father begged him to help Anna until she feels better. They begged him to help her in coping with the mental pain.

As the one who understood the excruciating pain of losing a loved one, be it a family or a friend, Aston couldn't turn them down. That's why he stepped in. But from the very beginning, he made it clear that he would help her out as a friend, nothing more or less. Just yesterday, he told her that he loved someone else when she suddenly became persistent again in her feelings for him.

Aston sighed when he glanced at her drenched clothes. He then sat beside her. "Anna, you need someone to love you and cherish you rather than someone like me whose heart is already taken. I will never be able to make you happy but you deserve someone who can do that."

Anna didn't say anything but it seemed like she had fallen into a deep thought. She often behaved this way and zoned out ever since her brother died.

"What are you thinking about?" Aston asked. Just within a short period of two days, he already understood and knew her too well.

"You are just like my brother," Anna replied in a low voice.

"And why is that?" Aston mused. He wasn't expecting such a response.

"Jason always say those words to me. Anna, don't keep on dating around. Find someone who truly loves you. You need a good man who will love you and make you happy." She recited what her late brother used to tell her all the time. "He was quite a nagger." She added.

"That means he loves you. We only nagged at someone because we care about them. We don't have the patience to do that to the ones we don't care about." Aston made a deliberate paused when he thinks of his family. "I would love to have someone who cares enough to nag at me." He trailed off.

"Do you mean that you care about me? You keep on nagging me." Anna said with a shadow of a smile on her pale face.

"Yes. If I don't care about you, why would I help you? But Anna, everything between a man and a woman is not always a romantic one. There is also friendship and the duty to care for each other as we are all humans." He explained to her.

"Then what about you? What is your thought in us?" She quickly asked.

"I care for you as a friend. I can be your friend if you want." He paused and added, "I never have a female friend."

"I never know that you have a kind heart," Anna remarked yet her voice was still barely above a whisper. She had lost her bold and carefree attitude in just five days.

Kind heart? Aston was not sure. Losing his parents at a very young age, he received the kindness of many people while growing up. He always tried his best to live his life in a way that wouldn't let those people down. If it was not for his dark past which was the gang, he wouldn't have a reason to be ashamed of himself.

He wanted to help people in need just like kind people helped him out in times of his need. But he never considered himself kind or great, all because of his dark years in the infamous gang. However, he still holds onto one principle even during his time in the gang. He never took a life. No matter how much the pressure was, this one principle never wavered.

He wanted to kill the Boss of the gang, Lester Yun when he killed his best friend. However, his friend's wish for him to lead a normal life, hold him back and that's how he was able to be where he was today.

Thinking of the past, the actor's eyes were filled with sadness. Refusing to let his emotion to take the best of him, he abruptly rose from his seat. "Stay here. I will get you a towel." He hurried to his room right away.

Coming out again after a few seconds, he handed the towel to Anna. "I didn't have any clothes that would fit you. So, dry yourself and I will drive you home. At this rate, you will catch a cold."

He sat next to the actress while the latter was busy drying herself. "Why did you insist on working right away? Your health is not good enough to withstand the tough working condition."

"I only have that photoshoot in my schedule. Our drama still has weeks left before shooting. Besides, you will also take place in the photoshoot. I have nothing to worry about." Anna simply replied as he wiped her hair with the towel.

"Do you mean that you expect me to look after you in the set?" Aston blurted out.

Anna simply nodded her head. "Of course. You don't want to do?" She tilted her head and glanced at him with a seemingly confused face.

"Okay. Okay. I will do that." He sighed in defeat and took the towel from her. "Come, let's get you home."

Leaving his apartment, Aston drove his car towards Anna's home. He had been there twice and he was always very welcomed there. However, all through the road, his meeting with Nicole was on his mind.

He recalled himself running out in the middle of them having a tea. He was in a hurry because Anna was very unpredictable these days. He can't take the risk of letting her being alone!

The Chairwoman wouldn't get the wrong idea, right?