The Manipulated Villainess

As soon as he reached his workplace, the first thing Leon heard was that the assistant of the First Lady called to asked about the porcelain that was scheduled to deliver to the residence of the President.

The potter had completely forgotten about it because he was busy visiting the Minister of Justice with his fiancee after they left his museum yesterday evening.

In fact, he despised the Minister because he knew very well that the woman was nothing but a fake. He only went along for the sake of Nicole.

"Young Master, what will we do? I still cannot say anything to the First Lady's assistant." Shara Lee walked towards his desk and inform him.

Leon rubbed his forehead and narrowed his eyes at the desk. How could he completely forget about it?

The First Lady was a huge fan of his work. As such, most of the rooms in the President's residence was decorated with his porcelains. So, he didn't want to let her down.

"I'll pay her a visit and talk to her. The First Lady is a kind woman. I'll explain to her so that she would understand."

"I understand." Shara bowed and turned around to leave the Director's office. But when she heard his voice, she paused her movement.

"I'm sorry about that night." Leon placed his hand on his desk and scratched the glass desk with his fingers. He raised his head that was once glued to the desk and look at the woman. "I know you didn't mean any harm, but I was so sensitive that time." He said to her.

Shara turned around and gazed at him for a while with a blank face. But when she saw him scratching his desk, she smiled. That's what he always did when he was nervous.

"It's fine, Young Master. No one knows you better than me." She replied with a reassuring smile.

"Thanks for always believing me, Shara. You're always a great friend. Do you want to have dinner together tonight? I think it's been a while." He withdrew his hand from his desk and matched with his other hand. He then looked at her with a smile.

Little did Leon know his single word made the woman's smile fade away. 'Friend.' Maybe that's what they will always be.

Shara forced a smile and said, "Okay. Let's do that." She turned around and left Leon's office right away.

* * *

It was around 1 in the afternoon when Nicole received a call from Jerome Min, her secret right-hand man.

"Jerome, what's the matter?" She asked right away as she answered the call.

"I finally got the chance to meet Director Lee and he asked to meet you. Chairwoman, will you be able to do it?" The man asked her from the other line.

Nicole gave a quick thought and figure out some solution. "I'll try to do that. But what about you? Are you safe?" She was afraid that her only trusted ally would end up in the hands of the devil.

One wrong move and both of them will surely die in the devil hands!

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'll wait for your call then." Jerome ended the call and Nicole started debating with her ideas.

She didn't want to put anyone in trouble. She had witnessed the fall of many of her followers within a short span of two years!

To make things worse, every one of them met their downfall in her own hands, controlled by Garcia Han. She would do anything to make sure that the number of victims doesn't increase.

If she wanted to ensure the safety of the Lee family and Jerome, she needs to play safe. So, she reluctantly called the devil and braced herself.

"Mother." She was always the first one to greet her.

"What does my daughter want this time?" Garcia Han's voice could be heard from the other line.

"Can you let me meet Director Lee? I really wish to meet him one last time." She nervously asked though she was not hoping much.

"Why would you want to meet him?" The step-mother bluntly asked, which actually surprised Nicole. She thought that she would refuse her right away.

"He helped me a lot when I take over the company. I want to meet him just once as a courtesy." She replied, hiding the fact it was the man who wished to meet her. The devil was a suspicious woman, so she never trusted anyone. It was the reason why Nicole must be more careful.

"How will you look after the company with such a feeble mindset?" Garcia Han scowled. She wanted her step-daughter to be weak only before her. In the case of others, she must be strong enough so that no one would dare to look down on her.

If there was anyone who could step on Nicole, then it must be her and only her! She didn't want her step-daughter to be troubled by useless emotions. As such, if Nicole ever entangled herself in love, she won't tolerate it.

It was the same reason why she chose Leon Jung. But Leon's action during their lunch keeps on troubling her. Did he have a soft spot for her daughter? That must not happen!

"Mother, I will give my all to live up to your expectations but... permit me just this one. I won't disappoint you in the future." Nicole pleaded as she nervously clenched her fingers. She must make the devil believe in her, no matter what it takes.

Garcia Han thought for a while and said, "Fine. But the meeting must not be too long. You know what you shouldn't do, right?"

"Yes. Please trust me." Nicole reassured her.

"Fine then. You can meet him. I sent my assistant to deliver something to you. He'll be there soon." Garcia Han ended the call, not even waiting for Nicole's response.

Deliver something? Nicole put down her phone as she wondered what would it be. The devil was a master in surprising people and she could never know what was on the devil's mind. Maybe that's the reason why she becomes one of the most powerful politicians in such a short period. Even her rival politicians were scared of her!

Well, people said the same thing about her. But it was because they didn't know that Garcia Han was behind her every move. So, it's understandable that people often said they look alike. But Nicole truly hated to hear that.

Not even ten minutes had passed when her secretary informed her that she was having a guest.

The door of her office was opened and the devil's assistant made his way to her. A refined young man who was in his late 20s. He was older than her by three years.

Nicole didn't even bother to glance at the assistant even when he bowed to show his respect. She flipped through some files and focus on her work.

She was disgusted by the sight of this man!

"Chairwoman, this is the gift that the Minister told me to deliver to you." Alex Jo said in a respectful tone as he placed a wrapped gift on her desk but... the Chairwoman still doesn't spare him even a single glance.

Unfazed by the cold treatment he received from his boss daughter, Alex Jo bowed again. "I'll take my leave then."

He turned around and walked to the door. He could only take three steps when he finally heard her voice.

"Are you happy?" The Chairwoman asked but still, she didn't look at the man.

"I'm not, but it doesn't matter." The assistant stood still, not making any efforts to face her again.

"I'm glad to hear that. I hope you live that way forever." She simply said as if it was a casual talk. But still, her eyes were fixated on the files.

Alex Jo clenched his fist and stood still for seconds. He slowly let loose his hand and turned around to look at Nicole. He didn't utter any single word but bowed once again and left the office at once.

The moment Alex Jo left her office, Nicole put down the files, stared at the door for a while and muttered to herself, "What a despicable being."