Chapter 130: The Wrong Man
Zane had just pulled onto the Lee mansion property when he noticed a Porsche parked out front. It was not Ian's, who preferred boxy cars, usual style. When he saw CEO Rue walking toward the vehicle, Zane knew there would be trouble later. The man, noticing Zane's car stopped, and waited for him to alight from his Lamborghini. Zane spoke as he exited.
"You shouldn't have come," he said.
"I only realized it too late," Cylus replied. "Tell me, is she actually a guest in the Lee household or a prop?" Cylus' insulation was clear, and Zane saw no need to lie.
"You don't need to worry about who she is."
"I think I want to," Cylus said. He looked into the front passenger seat of Zane's vehicle and saw what looked like carryout. "Is that for Mina?" Cylus asked while pointing to it through the front windshield.
"So, what if it is?" Zane asked.
"Why would a guest in the Lee household need you to bring her food?" Zane did not speak. "I see you can't answer. At least tell me this then; will Mina be okay?" Cylus tried to read Zane's expression but there was none. When he realized that Zane was not going to answer him, he spoke instead. "Tell president Lee I won't stop looking for Mina unless she asks me to." With that, the man left.
----
Ian watched Mina make her way up the stairs and realized that her mood swings were getting worse. She really needed to get help before she did something drastic. He was about to stop her from walking away when he noticed a hand shaped bruise on her upper arm. It was too small to have been left by a man, and from what he knew, his sister and Mina had been separated for most of the night. The mark had to have been left by someone else.
Wanting to know where it came from, Ian followed Mina a few paces, but he was stopped by Lisa.
"Ian, what's going on with you today?" she asked. "Can't you see she isn't in a good mood? Leave her alone." Luna had to agree with Lisa. Although she was unsure if her friend meant well for Mina, she thought her brother was being too pushy. If he was sincere about his apology, he should be willing to wait for Mina to accept it. Luna's interjection was interrupted by the sound of someone entering.
----
Zane made his way into the Lee mansion and saw Lisa trying to convince Ian to leave Mina alone. Confused, he spoke up and the new voice caught Ian's attention.
"I don't know what is going on right now, but I think everyone needs to calm down," he said. Lisa noticed that Zane was holding takeaway and she saw an opportunity to strike.
"Is that for Mina? You are too late; someone already beat you to it." Zane looked at Lisa and smiled.
"I actually bought this for you," he said while pushing the food into her hands. Lisa was hungry. Earlier, Ian had insisted that everyone wait for Mina before they could eat, but the girl had refused to come down for the last hour. Feeling awkward she nodded her head toward Zane and thanked him. She did not want to refuse Zane's kindness. The two of them had been at odds for years and it was the first time he had done something nice for her in a long time. Lisa felt an arm wrap around hers.
"Let's go eat in the dining room," Luna said. Not wanting to make a fuss, Lisa was unable to refuse.
----
Mina was long gone by now; she had already retreated into her room and she probably would not come out again today. Ian heard his friend ask what was going on and he gave him a quick recap of what happened the night before.
"Ian, Mina is 22. She is younger than your sister. She did nothing wrong last night and for you to accuse her of being…" Zane cut off his speech before continuing. "Let's focus on getting her help for now," he said. He badly wanted to tell his friend that he didn't deserve Mina's forgiveness but that was a conversation for another day.
Zane followed Ian up the stairs and they both knocked on Mina's door.
"Mina, it's me Zane, can I come in?" he asked.
"Sure," he heard the girl say. He stepped inside and saw that Mina was quietly sipping on a bowl of what looked like tomato soup. Zane could tell that the food was prepared outside of the Lee mansion and he thought back to Lisa's comment.
"Did CEO Rue bring that for you?" he asked. Mina did not look at him.
"I said you could enter, not him," Mina said without turning to look at either man.
Zane heard Mina's statement and found himself in a tight spot. This was his friend's home and even if this were the room that they had put Mina in, ultimately, Ian could enter if he wanted.
"Mina, we are both here to talk to you about something." Mina still did not look at him when she spoke.
"I have nothing to say," she replied.
"Mina what happened last night?" Zane asked.
"Why?" Mina asked, and Zane pointed to the bruising on her arm. "Oh, this? I ran into an old friend," she said sarcastically. It was not a complete lie. If she had not run into Paul last night, she would not have run into Miss Maggie.
Sensing Mina's unwillingness to speak, Zane gestured for Ian to leave and to his surprise the man left without a word.
"Mina, I want to talk to you about something private." Before he could say another word, Mina shot him a glare.
"I am not what you and your friend think. I would not have left with Mr. Rue. I knew I was drunk, and when you showed up, I was already looking for Luna." Mina paused briefly, "Not that I have to explain myself to any of you."
Ian was outside listening to Mina and he knew she was being truthful. He had seen CEO Rue put his arm around the girl and he watched her brush him off just as quickly. Still, he could not help but to feel that Mina was interested in the wrong man.