Chapter 89: Scars

Miss Ruby did not bother to knock on the door, she knew Mina was unlikely to open it. When she entered the room, she placed the tray of snacks on the coffee table in the sitting room. She could see Mina was still in bed and she announced herself several times, but Mina barely moved in response. Loudly speaking Miss Ruby tried to wake the sleeping girl, but when she walked closer, she saw that Mina was covered in sweat. She softly pat Mina's face a few times but the girl did not move.

Ian was in his study when his Nan came rushing in. He could tell by her face that she was worried.

"She won't wake up!" She blurted out, and Ian's mind imagined the worst possible scenario. He had not checked the room for sharp items before he moved Mina in, and each room was stocked with over the counter painkillers. It was an oversight he already regretted.

Before he knew it, Ian was already standing beside Mina's bed and other than her profuse sweating, she looked okay. Not waiting for any further explanation from his Nan. Ian roughly called out Mina's name. He did not believe that she could not hear him calling her. Grabbing Mina's arms, Ian tried to shake her awake.

"Stop pretending!" He said, "open your eyes!" He pinched her nose and her face wrinkled. Ian continued to poke her face roughly, until she finally opened her eyes.

The sound of President Lee's voice permeated through Mina's unconsciousness. She felt someone pinching and poking her face, so she forced herself to open her eyes. President Lee stood above her with a victorious expression that told her that it was him who was pinching her. Mina scowled at him coldly.

"President Lee, am I a guest in your home or not?" She said. "Let's be clear about it, a man coming into a woman's room while she is sleeping is unacceptable." President Lee's eyes widened. It seemed that he had thoroughly annoyed the girl to the point where she was talking back to him. Ruby was left speechless, not even Luna would have been brave enough to talk to her brother in that manner.

Trying to diffuse the situation, Miss Ruby sat beside Mina and used something cold to wipe the girl's face. Mina gently held the woman's hand and told her that she would be fine after a cold shower. Miss Ruby, who was still confused by the interaction between the two, helped Mina into the washroom. President Lee calmly escorted himself out.

In the past, something similar happened to Mina while he had her locked up. Just when he was about to get anxious, the girl woke up and acted as if nothing had happened and because of that experience, Ian knew she would be fine.

Sure enough, Mina was okay after her shower. She explained to Miss Ruby that she often fell ill when she did not eat properly. After all, she had only had consistent meals for the last day or two.

Miss Ruby brought Mina over to where she kept the tray of delicious snack cakes and Mina did not hesitate to try them all. The two women engaged in small talk for a while before Miss Ruby gently tried to pry.

"Mina, can you tell me exactly what happened between you and President Lee?" Mina froze. Miss Ruby knew that look well. It was the same look she had on her face when her parents asked her where she had been all night. She put two and two together and figured that Ian and Mina must have been intimate. Seeing the suggestive look Miss Ruby had in her eye, Mina corrected her.

"It's not what you are thinking," she said. "I just graduated from prisoner to unwelcome guest, that's all."

"Prisoner?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, I spent three weeks behind that bookshelf." Mina signed with regret. "I did something really stupid and that was the consequence," she said. "Nan, please don't ask any more questions, I've already told you more than I should." Ruby agreed and the two women refocused on the cakes. Just as she stuffed the last bite in her mouth, there was the sound of knocking at the door.

When Luna walked in, Mina was no longer happy to see her. The sudden change in reaction caught Luna off guard but she did not want to say anything while her Nan was around. Deciding to give the two ladies time to talk, Ruby excused herself from the room. Mina did not waste time.

"I know you do not like me," she said, "but can you please stop doing nice things for me then turning around to slap me later? Like you, I simply want to protect the people I care about." Luna knew she had gone overboard yesterday; even Zane ignored her for the rest of the evening, so she did not try to make excuses for herself. Mina spoke again. "In the future, I will take all meals in this room, so you don't have to worry about seeing me next to your brother." Standing up from the plush sofa, Mina walked toward the bed and did not say another word to Luna. She did not expect the woman to like her and she would not force it.

"Mina wait," Luna said, "I can explain my outburst, it's not what you think." Being a genuinely nice person, Mina stopped to listen to Luna's explanation.

"When I was in college, my boyfriend started dating another woman without even breaking up with me first. I just sympathize with Lisa, that's all," she said. Her explanation only made Mina feel bitter.

"Miss Luna, after your boyfriend left, you went on to finish school, and become successful. Soon you will get married and have children. You will probably forget all about him. Please remind yourself that you and I are not the same." Luna felt her chest tighten as she watched Mina crawl back into bed. The truth was that Mina would probably never live a normal life, even if she survived being used as bait, she would still have scars from the experience.