Chapter 25: Skylight Café

The Lee mansion was quiet. Mina did not know the time but her internal clock was telling her that she had been locked inside this room for a little over half a day. She was bored so she found ways to entertain herself. She found that although she loved math, she did not like counting and would fall asleep around the three thousand mark. When she woke up, she was hungry and she needed to distract herself from the hunger. She filled up on water again, and then she sang every song she could remember.

When Mina exhausted her song list, she started to make up new songs. Mina had been hungry before, so she knew she could go another day before the stomach cramps became too painful. By then she hoped that president Lee would have caught Adley and Mr. Mike. She just prayed Luna would keep her promise and leave her parents out of the mess she created. Even Miss Maggie had enough compassion to leave her family out of their drama, so the Lee family should be no different. Mina couldn't imagine her sweet parents being forced into the same predicament she was in.

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Ian waited for Lisa at the Skylight Cafe. He sat in a private room that was usually reserved for business meetings. Since the establishment was owned by the Lee group, he did not need to make a reservation. He simply walked in and if the room were already scheduled for the day, that reservation would be rescheduled to another time at the cafe's expense. Fortunately the room had not been booked for the day. He planned to just spend time with Lisa, not because he was particularly interested in seeing her, but because he wanted to see how the drug in his system would react to her.

Lisa arrived at the cafe and she did not see Ian. Her heart sank a little as she thought about the countless times he abandoned their plans to handle one problem or another. She did not know why she thought this time would be different. Lisa almost did not go into the restaurant, but before she could make up her mind her phone rang. - "Why aren't you here?" Ian had called.

Ian's voice was smooth and deep. Sometimes it was reassuring but at other times it was unnerving. Today, the voice on the other end of the phone did not sound impatient or angry at all, he was calm and relaxed. His voice actually sounded like he was being sweet. Ian had never been sweet to her before. She could barely contain her emotions, for the first time ever, Ian was waiting for her without being reminded. Lisa could feel her face grow wide with a smile.

"I'm outside, but I don't see you," she said.

"Okay, give me a second." Ian ended the call and the smile on Lisa's face dropped. She looked down at her phone and wondered what he was going to do. In a few short seconds the doors for the cafe opened and Ian stepped outside. He flashed a smile in Lisa's direction and gestured for her to come inside. Lisa was literally on cloud nine. It seemed as if her years of waiting were finally starting to pay off. Soon, Ian would fulfill his promise and she would really become Mrs. Lisa Lee.

Ian pulled out a chair for Lisa to sit on. He knew she was angry with him and he was trying his best to pacify her. He could not tell her what happened because he did not know how she would react. Ian loved Lisa in his own way, and he thought he would feel empty if she left. He would eventually tell her, but he wanted to give her the complete story, not just a fragments. He wanted to be able to answer any question she may have without hesitation. He trusted her and he wanted her to continue to trust him. They had built their relationship up over ten years and he would not allow a stranger to break them apart in a day.

Ian sat across from Lisa and took a good look at her. She had dressed simply and it reflected her natural beauty. Her nose was smaller than he remembered but it was well proportioned to the rest of her face. Lisa's hair and eyes were very dark in color, but somehow they did not make her look as intimidating as his sister. She smiled invitingly and her face blushed a little when she realized he was looking at her. Lisa was a business woman by nature, she always wore her hair pinned to the back of her head, but today, she had let her hair down in a relaxed manner. It reminded Ian of Mina. Ian shut his eyes forcefully, and chuckled.

"Are you okay?" Lisa asked.

"Li Lee, don't worry about me. I just have a lot on my mind right now." Ians tone was apologetic and it made Lisa feel uncomfortable. She liked that he was with her, but she was beginning to feel like something was really wrong.

"Lisa," Ian said. "I heard you were angry with me. Please understand me these next few weeks, and I will explain everything to you soon. Okay?" Lisa nodded, she suddenly did not feel good. Ian must have noticed her reaction because the next thing she knew he had placed his hand on top of hers.

"Lisa, you have nothing to worry about. I am just under a lot of stress right now. I promise I will make this up to you." Lisa's cheeks lifted into a smile, but she was still worried.

The meeting room of the cafe was dimly lit, and the small lights lined the sides of the walls. Ian was making an attempt to be gentle and it made Lisa feel like their relationship was finally starting to bloom. She made a mental note of the date. In the future, they would celebrate the anniversary of their first date in the private room of the Skylight Cafe.