The Manipulated Villainess

"It\'s an honour to have the chance to work with Yang Group on this project." Carson Jun reached out his hand to Nicole Yang. Several executives of the two groups were sitting on the left and right with many reporters gathering there, snapping the pictures of two influential figures in the business field.

"Thank you, Chairman Jun. I\'m glad that we will be fulfilling our dreams together." Nicole holds the Chairman\'s hand and gave him a handshake.

On a wall behind the two Chairpersons, there was a large banner that reads \'The joining hands of Yang Group and JK Group to build the biggest non-profit hospital in the country.\'

Building a hospital, to be more precise, a non-profit hospital; it\'s the lifelong dream of Zachary Yang, Nicole\'s father. It was originally the wish of her late mother but after her death, her father made it his dream. But before he could achieve this dream, he died due to a disease.

Ever since she took over Yang Group, Nicole started planning to build the non-profit hospital on behalf of her father. However, due to the fact that it\'s a non-profit hospital, it was not easy to gather funds and investment.

Three months ago, Carson Jun of JK Group talked to her about this and said that he was interested. As such, they just signed a deal to build the biggest non-profit hospital in the country, mostly for the poor.

After they signed the deal, they sat down to answer the questions of the reporters. With her broken engagement being announced just the day before yesterday, Nicole wasn\'t comfortable facing the reporters. What if her personal life was brought up? Besides, some reporters loved to go beyond limits.

"Chairwoman Yang, you just signed a deal that will fulfil the lifelong dream of your father, the late Chairman and founder of Yang Group. How do you feel?"

Bending a little forward to the mic, Nicole replied, "I\'m thrilled. I feel like I have finally repaid a debt that lasts for years."

At her response, laughter erupted throughout the whole room.

"Chairman Jun, what makes you interested in this project? You\'re a businessman and this is about a non-profit hospital."

Carson Jun\'s appearance was neat and smart like always. He smiled before he answered, "This is my dream too. As you all know, I\'m an orphan and I hailed from a very poor family. I was raised by my grandmother who always struggled due to poor health. During those times, we never had enough money to see a doctor." He paused and looked at Nicole.

"When I read Chairwoman Yang\'s interview in a magazine three months ago, I was very touched. So, hoping that I can be of help to people who used to struggle just like me, I decided to work on this project with her."

Then another question came for Nicole. "People used to say that Chairman Jun is similar to your late father, Zachary Yang in his prime. What are your thoughts on this?"

Nicole slightly smiled. "Chairman Jun is a great businessman. So, if people said that he is similar to my father, I think it\'s a great compliment."

"Chairman Jun, it\'s strange how Yang Group and JK Group has so much resemblance. Because JK Group is established much later than Yang Group, rumours are saying that you must be a fan of the late Chairman Yang. What are your thoughts on this?"

Carson Jun remained quiet for a while as if he finds it hard to answer the question. Then he finally spoke up. "The late Chairman Yang was a legend in the business field. Who won\'t look up at him?" If only he was a decent person! He wished to say these too but refrained himself from saying so. 

The interview was about to over after another bunch of questions and both the Chairpersons were about to rose from their seat until... one reporter suddenly spoke up, asking Nicole an unexpected question.

"One last question, Chairwoman Yang." The reporter said, raising his hand. Then all attention was on him. "Your engagement with Leon Jung was broken off the day before yesterday. But some strange rumours are going around. The engagement was just a political tool arranged by your step-mother who is the current Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister. Is this true?"

The moment the question was asked, Carson Jun immediately darted his eyes to Nicole and saw her puzzled face. Then the whole room was filled with the murmuring and questions of the reporters.

"Is what he said true, Chairwoman?"

"You and Leon Jung were known for being a sweet couple. Does this mean it was all an act?"

"Please say something, Chairwoman."

Carson Jun was gazing at Nicole the whole time. He was starting to be impatient.

"I don\'t know where you heard such a rumour but... " Nicole spoke up, straightly glancing at the reporter who brought up the issue. "That\'s a complete lie. My step-mother won\'t force me into such a thing. One more. This is a press conference regarding business. Please refrain from asking questions that are unrelated to this event."

With that said, she rose from her seat and Carson Jun did the same. Then they left the conference room and sat down to have a conversation in Nicole\'s office. The meeting and press conference was held in Yang Group anyway.

"I\'m sorry that my personal life creates trouble in the press conference, Chairman Jun. I\'m ashamed." Nicole apologized to Carson Jun as soon as they entered the office.

"It\'s fine, Chairwoman Yang. It\'s the reporter\'s fault, not yours. Besides, I have many experiences in that kind of intrusion." The Chairman jokingly said.

"What intrusion?" Nicole mused.

"Why are you still unmarried? Are you gay? Why do you never date anyone?" Carson Jun mimicked the questions that were asked to him and lightly chuckled. "Being a successful business person means being a public figure. We need to endure such silly questions."

"Now that you say about it, I\'m quite curious, Chairman Jun. You are successful and a true gentleman. Why didn\'t you still get married? Are you really gay?" She asked without thinking much. But she regretted the very next second. "I apologize. I shouldn\'t have said that."

Carson Jun laughed at her words. "You are just like what they said, Chairwoman Yang. You are very frank but I like that. You might not know but that pure nature is very rare in the business field. I wonder what makes you this frank. Whom do you take after?"

Nicole never thought much about this but now that she was asked, she gave a thought. "I think it\'s the effect of my step-mother on me. She hates it when I lie and I always ended up telling the truth. That required frankness."

Carson Jun was in a dazed. Throughout his life, Garcia Han was always the most complicated person in his eyes. He can easily read her all the time but whenever it concerned about the step-daughter, he always failed to do that. That\'s the same now with Nicole.

She was frank and pure but whenever she talked about her step-mother, he finds it difficult to read her. It was like that during the press conference and also now.

"I think your step-mother has a huge influence on your life. You seem to have a good relationship with her." He commented, carefully observing her the whole time.

"Well, she raised me, so she\'s supposed to influence me. About having a good relationship, I think we can also call it that." Nicole smiled and looked at Carson Jun. "I ended up telling you many things. I think it\'s fair that you answer my question too. After all, we are business partners now."

"Are you talking about marriage and whether I\'m gay or not?" Carson Jun jokingly said. An amusing smile plastered his face.

"Yes. I\'m as curious as the reporters." Nicole slightly chuckled.

"Then I will answer you." Carson Jun straightened his posture as if he was in an important meeting. This makes Nicole smiled. "First of all, I\'m not gay. For more than two decades, I stayed loyal to one woman. Even now, it\'s the same."

Nicole blinked at the unexpected response. "Two decades? Why don\'t you just marry her?"

Carson Jun smiled. "I would love to do that. She\'s the centre of my universe for more than two decades but... I\'m not her number one priority in life. She won\'t marry me because she has more important things to do."

Nicole was more confused. "You are okay with that?"

"I have to."

"Why?" She couldn\'t understand. Why would a successful businessman like him stick to a woman who can\'t give him the same as he did?!

Carson Jun chuckled. "You are really curious, Chairwoman Yang. It\'s because I don\'t want to lose her. If I started to be more greedy and want more value in her life, she would end up leaving me because she couldn\'t do it. I don\'t want that to happen."

Nicole nodded though his words make no sense to her. She understood his story but not his feeling. "I don\'t know this woman but she is truly lucky, Chairman Jun. She has someone like you to rely on." She remarked with a small smile.

"I wish she thinks that way too." Carson Jun promptly said. He wondered if Nicole would still think the same when she knew that the one they were talking about was her step-mother.....