The Manipulated Villainess

Aston keeps on staring at Nicole who was now turning around to face him. He immediately noticed the coldness in her eyes which aroused his pain once more.

Nicole locked eyes with Aston for a while before she looked at Jerome. "Please leave us, Jerome. I will call you if I have a question with the report." She instructed him which the man obliged right away.

As soon as Jerome left, she looked at Aston once again. She keeps on staring at him impassively until she noticed the wounds on his face that were not healed yet. It was evident that he didn\'t receive any more treatment ever since he was discharged last night! Then she thought about the wounds on other parts of his body. Did he leave those untreated too? She instantly scowled at the thought of it!

Aston was tight-lipped. Just an hour ago, he desperately called her, hoping to have a conversation with her. But now that he was given the chance, he couldn\'t utter a word! Maybe it was because of her cold gaze and her expressionless face; he didn\'t know what made him stood there, failed to say anything as if he was a fool!

"I can see that you didn\'t even make an effort to take care of yourself." She calmly remarked with a nonchalant face which made him observed himself right away.

Damn! He was too blown away by his broken heart that he didn\'t even treat his wounds for the whole day and... he knows how much she hated that!

What will happen? Will it drive her away more than before?! No. That can\'t be.

He wanted to say something but before he could even utter a single word, the words that were coming out from her lips the next second put him in a daze!

"Have a seat. Let me look for some ointments and bandages." She hated to feel this way but whenever she saw someone with wounds, it made herself related to them.

Growing up, she was often wounded while suffering in her step-mother\'s hands. It was never a serious injury but she used to wish to have someone who would treat her wounds with love and care. But that alone was too much to ask for her. As such, she always finds it hard to see others being injured.

Was that why she always lose control and offered to treat him? Was it just a way of relating to him or was this a part of her feeling which made her life imbalanced? Maybe it was both.

With a first aid kit in her hands, she walked to him while he was standing still, dazed. "Sit down." She instructed.

Hearing her words again, Aston was snapped out of his stupor and gradually sat next to her.

"Face me." She said and he obediently complied.

Feeling her warm touch in his face which he longed more than anything else, he can\'t help but stare at her being so close to him. He could feel the rapid thumping of his heartbeat which always happened when he was with her and only her. He couldn\'t take his eyes off her.

"Must you be so stubborn? Why do you keep on making things difficult for me?" She said as she applied an ointment on his face. Her voice was very calm in contrast to the cold gaze earlier but it only made his heart beating faster! But he still didn\'t say anything. All he did was staring at her.

"Take off your T-shirt." She said which almost made him blinked. "I need to apply the ointments to your other wounds too." She clarified.

He nodded in understanding and slowly take his shirt off. She then removed the bandage and first cleaned the wound before applying ointments again.

"What will you do if your wound gets worse because you neglected them?" She said, much more like a scolding yet her voice was still calm. Her fingers moved around the wounds while her gaze was keenly focused on it.

"I never care about myself. I think I have gotten used to it." He finally spoke up for the first time but she was not pleased with his words. Her fingers even paused for a while at the unexpected response.

"If you don\'t care for yourself, then who will? She scowled but deep inside, she knows very well that she was no better. Why were they so similar?

"Then what about you, Nicole?" He asked. "Do you prioritize yourself?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

She was looking down to treat the wound on his left abdomen. She clearly heard the rapid thumping of his heartbeat which was just above the part she treated yet she feigned ignorance and keep going on. "I at least don\'t neglect myself as much as you did." She responded.

Ever since she was 10, she lose the rights to live the way she wanted. Since then, she had never once lived for herself! She lived, trying her best to keep up with her step-mother\'s expectation and trying to protect the innocent from the devil despite her little power and strength.

She sacrificed herself and give in to the devil again and again so that others won\'t suffer. She avoided many tragedies but sometimes things get out of hand when someone committed suicide. When that happens, she won\'t stop blaming herself. That\'s the life of Nicole Yang.

Aston didn\'t response. Instead, he keeps on staring at her and his heart won\'t stop beating loud as a drum! Well, that\'s what he thought. Besides, her soft touch on his body almost made him stiffened!

"You should learn to value yourself when you still have time, Aston Kang." She muttered. Even herself finds it strange that she was saying such things! Who was she to said these to him? She\'s just a pathetic woman with a messed up life! At least, he didn\'t know that and maybe that made her brazen.

"If that\'s what you want, then I will try. But I can\'t promise anything." He mumbled. He had spent so many years without even thinking about himself and he didn\'t know if he could do what she said. But he could still try.

"Not for me, for you. I don\'t want you to -"

"You\'re driving me crazy, Nicole." He suddenly said, pausing whatever she was doing. Her unfinished words, her fingers rubbing around his wounds, the movement of her eyes; everything was put to a halt.....