Chapter 126: Like Family

Seeing her brother arrive at her table, Luna worriedly glanced in Mina's direction. She had forgotten to keep an eye on the girl.

Thanks to Lisa, the table they were sitting at had become the focal point of the evening as she charged everyone's drinks to her account. Luna did not know that Lisa was intentionally trying to distract her from watching over Mina. Lisa believed that if CEO Rue left with Mina, Ian would look at her differently.

When Lisa saw Ian, she threw herself at him. She was doing her best to pretend to be a little tipsy and the fact that she was exhausted made her performance more realistic.

"Ian look," Lisa said as she pointed to Mina. "Two dates in two days. Your sister's friend is very capable." Ian's face darkened at the awareness that Lisa must have had something to do with Mina's current situation. He shot a look at Zane, and the man went to fetch the girl. He knew Ian was ready to go.

----

Mina giggled a lot while she was drunk. It wasn't the sloppy kind of drunk that turned men off, but it was the kind of drunk that looked blissful. Her amber eyes glistened slightly as they became filled with water, and her nose and cheeks took on a pink hue. She looked as if she were in a perpetual state of bashfulness and it was adorable. Cylus, could picture the woman before him being signed to his company. She would be a perfect model for any of the fashion lines they worked with. Be it eyewear or evening wear, he knew she could pull it off.

"Come, let me get you back to your friends," Cylus reluctantly said as he helped Mina stand. The girl gently pushed his hand away insisting that she was fine with a bright smile. He let her go, but he stayed close beside her, just in case she lost her footing.

Feeling very good, Mina pretty much skipped her way down the small flight of stairs that led to the V.I.P. section.

Cylus was a bit sullen and he couldn't help but to compare Mina. He had been around several drunk women and many of them would try to use it as an excuse to crawl into his bed, but Mina acted as if he were not even there. It was like she was in her own world.

Cylus stopped when Mina bumped into a man's chest. The man cleared his throat and Mina looked up guiltily.

"Mr. Zane," she said nervously.

"You're drunk," Zane said. His tone reflected his anger.

"No, No. Ask Mr. Rue, I only tasted the alcohol. I didn't drink it." Zane pinched the bridge of his nose as he had a flashback to the night before. Cylus possessively wrapped his arm around Mina who gently shrugged it off.

"CEO Walsh," Cylus said condescendingly. "Do you know this woman?" There was a clear hidden meaning in his question. When Cylus said 'know' he did not mean in terms of her name and birthdate.

"She's like family," Zane said, his meaning also clear. It was a warning; he was telling Cylus to tread lightly.

"I was just bringing her back to Miss Luna. Care to join us?" Cylus asked.

As the men spoke, the music in the room seemed to grow louder. Mina, who never danced, felt the sudden urge to move with the music, but she didn't know how. So, she just allowed her body to sway. Her twirling caught Zane's attention and he rubbed his temples. The skirt she was wearing flared up, and although nothing could be seen, it was seductive.

Zane glanced over at Ian whose eyes had not left Mina since she stood up from the table. His anger was oozing through his expression and those around him subconsciously moved away. Luna was too busy trying to feed her ex-boyfriend water to recognize what was going on, while Lisa was drunkenly clinging to Ian's arm. Zane walked up to Mina and tried to grab her arm, but Cylus immediately stopped him.

"I will bring her back to the person she came with," he declared, and Zane backed off. He could tell that Cylus was very interested in Mina.

Mina playfully hopped through the crowd inviting the stares of many. Had it not been for Zane and Cylus trailing behind her, she would have found herself accosted by several men and even a few women in the bar. Cylus turned to Zane to speak.

"When she told me she had a low tolerance, I didn't realize it was this bad." Zane shrugged.

"She shouldn't have had anything to drink," Zane said. He tried to make his response sound nonchalant, but he was worried for Mina, who had yet to realize the demon staring at her.

----

When Mina saw Luna, she wrapped her arms around the girl and gave her a big hug.

"Tonight was fun," she said, and Luna turned to face the girl.

"Mina did you drink?" she asked

"No, I only tasted a few drinks." Cylus who was now standing next to Mina looked at Luna and spoke loud enough for everyone around to hear.

"I am handing her over to you. Make sure she gets home safe." Luna nodded. She did not expect the man to return Mina to her side himself. She felt guilty for not keeping a closer eye on Mina, and she was scared that the girl was turning to alcohol to deal with her anxiety, but she was too busy to address her concerns.

Luna looked at Zane and as if Cylus had not just spoken to her, she asked him to bring Mina to the Lee mansion. She let him know that she was going to see Dr. Bell home. The man suffered from alcohol intolerance which made him more susceptible to alcohol poisoning. So, Luna wanted to make sure Tavin did not need to go to the hospital.

Zane was extremely angry with Luna. Had CEO Rue been any other man, Mina would have already disappeared. He wanted to berate her then and there, but he had a feeling that there was more to the story, so he forcibly calmed himself down.

"Ian and I will make sure she is okay," he said. He would definitely have to let her know how wrong she was for what she was doing, but being that her only example of a friend was Lisa, he could see how she could have no idea how real friends were supposed to behave. Ian had yet to say a word.

Mina was smiling and laughing with Stephanie as Cylus watched from a distance. Stephanie liked Mina and hoped to be able to hang out with her more. She asked the girl for her contact information, but Mina frowned.

"I don't have a phone," Mina said, as she showed Stephanie the inside of her empty bag. The girl thought Mina had lost her device, so she rubbed her shoulders affectionately.

"Don't worry, you can buy a new one." Mina laughed at that. She hadn't gotten a new phone in over four years. Cylus who was listening, knew that Mina meant it literally. After assuring Mina was in safe hands, he left the bar. President Ian Lee's glare did not escape him.