Chapter 83: Living Conditions

Mina was still unwilling to look at President Lee because she did not want him to see her red rimmed eyes. She kept her back toward him so she would not give him the pleasure of seeing her in a vulnerable state. There was carpeting in the portion of the guest room where she stood, so she did not hear his footsteps approaching, but when Mina felt his nearness she moved to the side, allowing him a wide girth. President Lee, however, did not even look in her direction. He passed by her and opened the double doors of the room. In the hall stood Mr. Zane and Miss Luna. The man playfully asked president Lee what took him so long and Luna shot him a look of disapproval. Mina was numb to all of it. She only had one thing on her mind, she needed to get out.

Luna walked inside of the room and sympathetically rubbed Mina's shoulders. She could tell the girl had cried, and although she could not hear what her brother had said, she knew that it was most likely the news that she would neither be killed or set free.

"Miss Luna, President Lee says I have to stay here, is there any way you can change his mind? This wasn't the deal," she recalled.

"Mina, we still need you for something," Luna said, "and don't worry, I'll be moving into this place too, so you won't be alone."

''Won't be alone?' Weren't those the exact words said when you left me in the Lee mansion weeks ago?' Mina thought, and she was not convinced. She would have to put her own plan in place.

----

President Lee arrived at Mina's apartment at the same time as the moving vehicle. His subordinate had yet to touch anything. After a quick and honest inspection, the man saw nothing worth moving. Not wanting to assume he called his boss before touching anything and to his surprise, President Lee said he would come to inspect the items personally. Ian knew from Mina that she had an emotional attachment to her things, and he wanted to personally ensure they were carefully packaged. Even if they were useless.

Once Ian entered the tiny living space, he could nearly feel the hardship seeping out of the walls. Everything was neat and tidy, but the conditions were depressing. The shower head was directly above the sink and toilet and there was only a glass door that separated the washroom from the sleeping area. Above the bed, which was no bigger than a camping cot, were shelves that contained several notebooks. Under the bed, were plastic drawers that contained Mina's personal items. Unaware, Ian opened one of the containers, only to come face to face with the girl's undergarments. They were all clean, but she clearly needed replacements. Directly to the left of the bed, was a shelf with a mini fridge built into the wall beneath it. The shelf held an electric stove, one small pot, one bowl and one set of utensils. Next to it were several small packets of condiments from various fast-food places. There was no food in the fridge.

When Ian opened the small built in closet, he was not at all shocked to see that the girl had only a handful of clothing, none of it worth taking. Still he ordered his subordinates to pack everything and send it to the Lee mansion.

While his men were busy, President Lee reached up and pulled out one of the notebooks from above the bed. When he sat on the hard bed, the girl's scent wafted through the air and he was momentarily reminded of their once forgotten night. He was filled with the impulse to lay down and so he did; it felt awful. He immediately sat up and pulled back the sheets. The bed was made up of blankets piled on a wooden board. Ian shook his head at the thought of Mina living in these conditions for the last three years. No wonder she slept so soundly in the room he reserved for prisoners, it was in fact, much better than her living conditions at the place she called home.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Ian opened the notebook he had taken down, he was expecting to find a diary. He thought he would get a glimpse into Mina's inner thoughts, but he had no such luck. The notebook was filled with pages upon pages of mathematical equations and scribbled notes. Reaching up for another book, he found it to contain the same type of information. He had already confirmed that Mina's education was genuine, although very well hidden, but he had not realized how much effort she put into her studies. Not even he could understand the meaning behind the numbers. He found himself lost in her notes, but he couldn't make head or tails of what was written.

After only a few minutes, the room was left completely bare. Satisfied that his subordinates had carefully packed everything, Ian headed to his office to collect a few files. He knew he would be working from home for the next few days.

----

With everyone gone, Mina sat in the sitting area of the guest room and examined her surroundings. The space she was in now was at least four times bigger than her current apartment, and it did not even make up half of the room. The sofa she sat on had a camelback design with button tufts along it's back and arms. It's wine red color, combined with the soft velvet of the material gave it a regal feel. The plush cushions were so soft it could rival that of a bed. Mina suddenly felt uncomfortable sitting on such a luxurious piece of furniture and stood up to explore the rest of the room.

As Mina expected, the bathroom was unnecessarily big. There was a changing area, immediately followed by a powder room before you even saw the toilet or shower. Mina was surprised to see there was a bathtub. She had not taken a bath since she grew out of the metal basin her mother used to bathe her as a child. She decided that she would put it to good use later. After fully exploring her new room, Mina cautiously opened the double doors and took a single step out. Her heart raced as if she were walking a tight rope, but she could not contain her curiosity. Mina casually walked down the stairs and down a narrow hall and somehow ended up in the kitchen.

The staff in the kitchen were so busy that they failed to immediately notice her arrival. Before he left, President Lee had informed them that they should prepare dinner for four. As it was already nearing dinner time and they were unprepared, the staff had to rush to meet the unexpected conditions.

Mina did not speak; she just watched the men and women in the kitchen hurry back and forth and the normalcy of their actions comforted her. Seeing real people after such a long time nearly brought tears to her eyes. Suddenly a familiar figure entered her line of sight.

"Mina!" the person exclaimed, and she rushed to give Mina a hug. It was Tara!