Chapter 68: Don't Ask Too Much

Minutes later, Mina's figure was once again in a camera frame Ian could see. She was wearing a long pink dress that was a little too tight at the top. The dress was shaped like an extra-long t-shirt and while Ian did not know this, it was not meant to be form fitting. She looked very alluring to Ian, but Mina's face looked like she was extremely uncomfortable, as she looked through the other clothes that Tara had given her. She obviously wanted to change, but she was distracted by Tara's return.

----

Tara gushed over Mina's appearance. She circled the girl several times before letting out an audible wow. Mina slapped at the air a few times, but Tara just laughed. Without thinking, Tara asked Mina if she had a boyfriend and Mina dropped her head. She shook her head no, but Tara did not know when to stop talking.

"How did you breakup?" She asked.

"Breakup? No, I actually have never had a boyfriend."

"Don't lie to me. A girl as pretty as you, surely you've had a man or two." Tara playfully bantered with Mina unaware that their conversation was being listened to, and Mina denied it once again.

"So, you mean to tell me that you never dated?"

"Hey, don't make fun of me. I was interested in people but whenever they would speak, I would lose interest. I wasn't shallow, I wanted more than good looks."

Tara caught the use of the past tense in Mina's reply and she realized her folly. Mina was a prisoner, and she would most likely never leave this room again. As for Tara, her future was also not certain. Once Mina was gone, what would become of her? Mina read Tara's expression and spoke out her concerns.

"Don't worry, I'm not angry with you and I am sorry about earlier; I was just overwhelmed. I will not let anything happen to you. I will negotiate with your boss for your safety, okay?" Tara nodded. She had been thinking about her future just now, and she was worried, but there was a calmness in Mina's words that comforted her.

"Mina, how do you know he will listen to you?" Tara asked.

"I haven't lied to him. Once he finds out the truth, I'm sure he will be benevolent. If not him, I'm sure Miss Luna will help me." Mina got up and walked to the table where she began to lightly sip the cooled soup. Her expression became serious before she spoke again. "Tara, don't ask questions anymore. Let us go back to how it was before, okay?" Tara felt a slight twitch in her heart, her guilt had become so palpable that she wanted to stay by Mina's side until the very end, but she could tell by Mina's pleading stare that this was the first step in protecting her. Tara silently agreed and left the room.

Mina watched Tara leave. The girl was smart enough to pick up on Mina's cue and thankfully she did not protest. The less she knew, the better her chances of being spared. It would be best for them to keep their distance. Only then would Mina feel confident asking President Lee to spare the girl's life.

It was late into the afternoon and Tara's shift was coming to an end. She thought carefully about Mina's words and thought they were for the best. Tara resumed her work as if nothing had happened.

----

From his study, Ian eavesdropped on the girl's conversation and believed that Mina had to be lying. According to her file, she held degrees in finance, business, and mathematics. A woman with this sort of education combined with her looks would be a top prospect for any of the low-level wealthy families. Either she was a liar, or her education had to be utter bull.

On the other hand, Ian knew he was the first man she had been with. Thinking about it now, he realized that she probably lost a lot of her value because of him. Even though it was only once, in a patriarchy such as pan, she was as good as useless if she had been touched by another man. Even Ian himself had an aversion to being with a woman who had previously been with another man. Mostly because he did not like the idea of someone knowing what the person he was with looked like naked. In all other aspects, he was completely confident with himself.

Somehow, Ian's mind drifted to Lisa and his heart sank a little. He knew he had no right to ask, but he wanted to know when and why she had given herself away. Wasn't she in love with him? She had even tampered with the protection they were supposed to use. Would she do that if she were not desperate to make him hers? Looking at his phone, he realized that he had not heard from her in a few days, so he sent her a text.

[Almost done. Pick a place and we will go.]

Regret engulfed Ian immediately after sending the text. He knew he was being selfish right now; he did not have any real feelings for Lisa and yet, he could not bear to push her away. He thought about the times when she would show up to his office with food he was craving, and he wondered if she could read his thoughts. She always just told him it was because they were in sync with one another and he believed it. Ten years of knowing each other and six years of something undefined, how could someone he did not know come in and seem to make those last six years feel like nothing? Standing up from his desk, Ian decided he would go pay Dr. Bell a visit. He did not forget to lock Mina's door before he left.

----

Dr. Bell was sitting on a lab stool with a pair of gold framed glasses perched at the tip of his nose. He had been staring at his computer screen a lot lately, so he had taken to wearing his glasses to protect his eyes from the glare of the monitor. The unmistakable sound of proud footsteps filled Dr. Bell's ears and he already knew who it was without looking.

"President Lee." He said. Ian only paused for a second before continuing to walk into the office. Maybe this doctor was more capable than he thought.

"Dr. Bell, do you know why I am here?" Without looking up the man shook his head.

"Not really." He still had not looked at President Lee. Dr. Bell was not in the mood for people, Luna had been ignoring him all day.

"Dr. Bell, do you recall our previous conversation regarding this drug?"

"Mhmmm." Dr. Bell's reply this time was barely audible, and Ian lost his patience.

"I see. Since Dr. Bell has decided not to take my matters seriously, I suppose there is no reason to continue with this research." At that Dr. Bell finally looked up.

"President Lee, what a nice surprise. What brings you into the lab today?" – 'That's better' Ian thought.

"Our conversation last time, do you remember it."

"Vaguely." Dr. Bell was too honest.

"I need more clarification."

"Oh, about that. I cannot help you. I cannot work with just half of the story. Otherwise, I'm afraid I can only give you incomplete information."

Usually Ian would have just forcibly made the man before him speak, but this was his sister's colleague and friend. He also saw the way the two interacted and he knew there was something more between them, but that was something he would only get involved with if he had to.

"Fine. Dr. Bell, please sit and pay close attention."