Chapter 94: Intimidating
Not wanting to interrupt a good cat fight, Zane walked up to a man who was watching the scene with absolute adoration in his eyes and asked the man what was going on. Someone overheard the question and handed the acting CEO a copy of the same book the risk manager had previously claimed was classified. The book, of course, was not classified, in fact, there were several copies of it in the office. They were mostly for decorative purposes, as the author was noted as a top financial advisor.
"She's currently on page six," the man said. Zane flipped to the page that was specified, and it took him a second to realize that Mina was quoting the book verbatim.
With each passing line, the risk manager's face turned a shade darker, but Mina was not even looking in the woman's direction. She was lazily leaning against the wall, while examining her hands. At around page nine, Mina yawned.
"Shall I continue?" Mina asked and the risk manager lifted her hand high in the air. She was going to smack sense into the girl who was out to embarrass her.
'Does she not know who my father is?' The woman thought, as her hand swung down, but Mina caught her wrist. Her eye became sinister and she coldly smiled at the rude woman. She mumbled something that only the woman could hear before she let her arm go. It was obvious that whatever Mina said was frightening.
Seeing how serious Mina's face had become, Zane cleared his throat and both women shot up straight. When Zane looked at the two women, Mina's smile was as beautiful and innocent as ever, while the risk manager struggled to keep her composure. Zane did not know what Mina had said, but he could tell it was something significant.
"What's going on here?" Zane asked, and Mina answered first.
"We were just testing each other's knowledge," Mina said. It was not exactly a lie, the woman, although rude, did not look at the book once but she seemed to catch on to what Mina was doing quickly. Even if she didn't memorize the content, she was familiar with it enough to recognize Mina's words before anyone else. With Mina's words, Zane's face went flat.
'Is that how women tested each other's knowledge?' He thought before speaking again.
"President Lee needs to see you," he said.
Mina waved to the risk manager and walked toward the office. The move was petty, but Zane loved every bit of it. He did not follow Mina, instead he stayed behind to talk to the risk manager. Her name was Camille Emming, and she was the eldest daughter of a prominent member of the board. Zane wanted to know what exactly Mina had said to her, that forced the woman to calm down and not lash out. Camille gave him her version of events and then quickly apologized. Apparently, Mina had convinced the woman that she was there to inspect the work environment. She warned Camille that with one word, she could have her replaced. Zane did not allow his amusement to show on his face, but he did warn Camille to stay away from Mina. The less workplace drama the better. Zane's watch buzzed; it was time for the meeting.
----
Inside president Lee's office, Mina was told that she would be accompanying him into the meeting. He told her that she did not need to speak, she just had to sit in the back of the room and look intimidating. He didn't really need her to do anything, but he thought it would be fun to watch. Zane came back only to find Mina looking excited. She sat in a chair and struck various poses. She raised one eyebrow and asked Zane if she looked scary, but he laughed at her antics.
"You look like a seductress," he said, and Mina widened her eyes.
"Hey! Be nice to me," she said, and Zane apologized with an affectionate smile on his face. Ian hated the fact that these two seemed to flirt with one another anytime they were in the same room. He was okay with them being together, but he wished they could be more private about it.
"We're late," Ian said as he walked out, and the flirtatious pair followed him.
----
True to her word, Mina behaved while in the meeting. Catching the bad guy possibly meant gaining her freedom. She was not dumb enough to let the opportunity slide. Even if it put a hold on her plans for revenge, she was more willing than ever to just get back to her family and take care of them into old age. She no longer cared about working dead end jobs, so long as the money was honest, she would be fine.
In her boredom Mina analyzed the faces of each person in the room. Besides a handful, every man looked older than her father and, in the group, there was only one woman, who seemed contented by the mere fact that she was invited. There were many women like that in Pan Country. Sometimes getting to the top and staying there was enough for them. Those types of women often went through great lengths to make it harder for other women to achieve the same goal. Mina was surprised the woman had not made a fuss about her being in the meeting when their eyes met, but alas the lady was just patient.
"Young President," the woman said. "Is it suitable for us to be discussing business matters in front of outsiders?" A chorus of male voices sounded in the background. They also did not feel comfortable with Mina in the room.
They did not know that the feeling was mutual. Mina also did not want to be there. Several of the men had been staring at her since their arrival. The suggestiveness of their eyes made her feel dirty and if she were not trying to seem intimidating, she would have fled long ago. Zane seemed to sense this tension and when Mina's eyes met his, he winked. The playful gesture helped to calm her nerves a bit. It was as if he were saying 'don't worry, I'm here.' Mina had a strange feeling that she had misjudged Zane's character. Perhaps he wasn't as bad as his appearance suggested. She did not know why, but she trusted him. In a way, his personality was not unlike hers; he just had the easygoing nature of a rich person while she had the guarded nature of the poor.