The Manipulated Villainess

Mathias walked inside the Jung family mansion for the first time though this wasn't his plan. It's just that... he couldn't reject the mother who asked him with a kind smile and a warm voice.

People were rarely nice to someone like him.

Inside the house, he was greeted by a young woman. He knew who she was but it's his first time meeting her.

"This is my wife, Aria Min," Leon said to him and Aria welcomed him with a smile.

"I always want to meet you," she said. "I'm glad that you finally came."

The warm smile of Norina Lee, this young woman who welcomed him with sincerity and Leon Jung who refused to give up on him though they were not even blood related... it was beyond Mathias's understanding.

It even made him wondered how his life would turn out if people were all kind like these three people around him. Will his childhood be less miserable? Will his life be less complicated? He can't help but wonder these questions.

"Dinner will be ready soon. You can rest for a while," Aria spoke up again, snapping Mathias's out of his thoughts. "You just got discharged, so you should still be careful."

"I'm okay," he said, composing a small yet unconvincing smile. He was never good at pretending.

"Why don't you continue with your cooking, Aria? I have to show something to Mathias," Leon chimed in to which Aria nodded. Then Leon pulled the unwilling Mathias up to the second floor.

"Where are you trying to take me?"

"Stop sulking and just follow me."

Mathias sighed at the potter's response. "I'm a few months older than you. Why did you always older me around?"

"It's the same. We were born in the same year," Leon Jung simply replied and halted. "We're here," he said and opened one door for Mathias. Then he pushed him inside the room.

"What is this?" Mathias Jung asked.

"Your room. It's big enough, right?"

Slightly raising a brow, Mathias glanced around the big room. A king-sized bed, wardrobe, drawers, a huge closet and a wide space still left unused; it was clear that everything was newly bought and arranged. Still, it troubled Mathias. 

"I never said that -"

"I know," Mathias said before he could speak his mind. "I have no intention to pressure you on this matter. I also know that you have your own house but... if you need a home, you will be welcomed anytime. I just want you to know that."

"Leon -"

"It's better to live with a family than living alone, Mathias. I really hope for you to experience that. If you accept this room, you will soon know that I'm telling the truth," Leon Jung said in an assuring voice. "You can take a look," he added and walked out of the room.

All Mathias could do was staring at Leon until he was out of his sight. Then he stood alone in the big room, unsure of what to do. After what his uncle did to Leon's mother, he didn't think he could accept this.

Soon, it was dinner time. Mathias joined the family for dinner as it was his purpose for coming here. However, he wasn't used to eating with these many people. Three was a big number for him in this case.

Ever since his uncle looked after him, he mostly ate alone unless his uncle came to eat with him that didn't happen often. As such, he had grown accustomed to eating alone at a huge table. He was just 7 back then. Twenty years was such a long time.

"We don't know what you would like, so we just prepared many dishes," Aria explained to him when he looked at all the dishes served on the table. "I hope you like at least some of them," she added with a little smile.

"I'm not a picky eater," Mathias promptly said and just when he was about to start eating, Norina Lee filled his bowl with some dishes.

"You should only eat healthy foods for the time being," the mother said to him with her usual warm voice.

For a few seconds, Mathias stared at the filled bowl in front of him and he couldn't even lift his hand anymore. "I don't think I deserve this," he finally said in a low voice and looked at Norina Lee. "After everything that my uncle did to you, accepting this kindness will be so shameless of me."

"Leon told me everything," Norina Lee said to him. "You saved his life that night. I'm a mother, Mathias. For a mother, her child is always her priority. So, by saving my son's life, you already repaid every debt that you think you owed us.

"But this is the truth. You have never done any harm to us. You have no reason to feel guilty."

"Not every mother is like you, Mrs. Lee," Mathias stated. "Many mothers gave up on their child."

He was reminded of how his mother left him under his uncle's care. He always tried to understand her, telling himself that it must be so hard for her, trying to convince himself that she did it for him but... it still hurt.

Norina Lee understood what the young man was thinking. However, she knew that saying will only torment him more. So, she smiled. "Please remember what I said. We don't blame you just because you're his nephew.

"Leon still maintained a good relationship with him as a father and son. That means you're Leon's cousin, a family. You will always be welcomed here and I know that Leon already showed you the room. We will be very happy to have one more family member in this house."

Mathias didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. His mind completely went blank. However, Norina Lee urged him and he slowly started eating the dishes.

Despite struggling to eat much due to his troubled mind, Mathias gets to understand what it felt like to have 'family' members to eat with. It was a warm feeling which he never felt before and having someone filled his bowl for him with genuine affection was the thing which never dared to dream.

"Is there anything you're interested in?" Leon asked him, curious. He didn't know much about Mathias as he rarely talked about himself.

Mathias thought of the thing he did aside from helping his uncle from time to time. Ever since he became an adult, he spent most of his time doing what he liked as his uncle didn't want him to get involved much in his business.

"I'm an investor," he confessed. "I already entered the circle when I was 16."

"Then how good are you in that?" Leon asked with a small yet playful smile on his face. If he started at the age of 16, he will be pretty good, right?

"99 per cent of the project I invested in are a success," Mathias simply said without even much thinking.

99 per cent? The handsome number made the potter blinked! That means he was more than smart! Not to mention that he will be very rich with that success rate!

"Then what about education?" he asked again. He had no idea about it too.

"I studied business and got my degree when I was 24," Mathias replied.

"From which university?"

"Kleve School of Business."

That's the top business school in the country that had a 0.1 per cent acceptance rate!

"Don't tell me that you graduated at the top of your class."

For the first time in the day, Mathias flashed a convincing smile. "I was busy helping my uncle. So, I came second."

Staring at Mathias as if he was a ghost, Leon shook his head and let out a sigh. "I just realized that you will be able to achieve anything if you put your mind to it," he remarked, somewhat feeling defeated.

Seemed like his cousin was a lot smarter than him.....