Chapter 131: Help

Ian had told Zane that Mina was having mood swings, but it was the first time he was seeing her angry. He couldn't blame her though; he knew she was being forced into a difficult position. In his opinion, most people wouldn't be as calm as Mina had been. In fact, he commended her resolve. After allowing her time to calm down, Zane spoke to Mina again.

"I want to talk to you about your psych eval," he said, and Mina looked at him in surprise.

"How do you know about that?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

Zane spent the next several minutes telling Mina that the evaluation results suggested that she needed to seek therapy. He told her that if she got help early, her panic attacks may end. He did not expect her to start laughing as if he had told her a joke.

"I started to have panic attacks almost ten years ago," Mina said. "They may have gotten worse, but they did not start with President Lee. If he feels guilty, he should let me go." Mina took another sip of the soup and she had to admit to herself that her stomach felt a lot better. Her calm was interrupted by a sickening voice.

"Mina, I still think you should try." Mina jumped up from her seat and shouted.

"For what? What do I tell them? Will you prepare a story for me or do I tell them the truth? Tell me your real motive, if you want me gone, there are several options. Don't try to use kindness as a ruse to have me locked away in some facility. Just send me to my parents or be gone with me. It's that simple." Both men had to concede to Mina. How could she be treated for trauma she couldn't remember or openly speak about?

----

By the time Lisa and Luna finished with the soup Zane bought, the two men were locked inside of Ian's study. Lisa, who had a meeting with her brother, could not wait for Ian, so she asked Luna to send her home. Now that Lisa was gone, Luna went to find Mina. When she entered the room, she found the girl lazily lounging on the sofa. She had tied up her hair and propped her feet on the coffee table. She glanced up at Luna once, then cast her eyes back out of the window.

"You broke the rule," Mina said. Luna sat beside her curious.

"What rule?" she asked.

"You left me when you knew I was drunk. It's against friend code."

"I know, Zane already told me off. I don't have many friends. So, can you forgive me just this once?" Luna asked.

"Only if you tell me who that man was. Then I will consider it," Mina said. She was joking, but she was curious.

Luna told Mina everything about Dr. Bell, past and present. To her surprise, it was refreshing to have a woman she could talk to.

"So, does he know?" Mina asked.

"Does he know what?"

"Does he know that you thought he was your boyfriend?"

"How could he not have known?" Mina bunched up her face at Luna.

"How does your brother not know what his girlfriend thinks?" Mina asked in a sardonic tone. Luna thought for a while.

"Wasn't it obvious?" Luna asked.

"That depends on the person. If I were him, I wouldn't be able to tell. I'm bad at that sort of thing." Luna believed Mina. She seemed oblivious to the difference between being nice and flirting.

"Anyway, don't take my word for it. Ask him yourself. You obviously still love him."

"I do not," Luna squealed. This made Mina laugh.

When the conversation about Dr. Bell came to an end, Mina brought up a more sensitive subject.

"I think your brother wants to have me committed," she said. Luna tried to see if Mina was joking, but there was no trace of a smile on the girl's face.

"Why do you think that?"

"He and Zane just tried to convince me to seek therapy. Do you know what would happen if I told my story to any professional?" Luna was quiet. She knew. "They would think I was delusional. They would think I was paranoid and ultimately, they would classify me as a danger to myself and others," Mina said. Luna was shocked that Mina could accurately predict a very possible outcome.

"Mina, what if I can get you out of this house? Will you promise me that you won't run away from me?" Mina's attention was grabbed.

"Out like how?" she asked.

"Out like, come stay with me at my place or I'll rent you a nearby apartment." Mina sat up.

"How long?" Luna was confused. "How long do you need?" Mina clarified.

"Two weeks. Give me two weeks to convince my brother. In the meantime, try to work with him. I know you don't like him, but I think he holds a certain amount of guilt toward you. If we can convince him that you are not a risk, I think he will have no problem letting you go." Mina rolled her eyes.

"What do I have to do?" She asked, and Luna laid out a plan.

----

Mina was absolutely disgusted by the idea of befriending President Lee, but if what Luna said was true, Lisa's jealousy was her ticket to freedom. Since the woman seemed to have some sway when it came to President Lee, she would use it to her advantage. According to Luna, Lisa was irritated by her presence at the Lee mansion. All Mina had to do was convince president Lee that her staying in the Lee mansion was detrimental to his relationship with his girlfriend and a hindrance to her ability to 'heal,' but in order for her to do that, she had to be in a position where they could speak freely to one another. With Luna watching from a distance, Mina stood outside the doors of the study and cautiously knocked. Zane opened the door and did a double take when he saw who was standing in front of him.

"May I come in?" Mina asked. Zane nodded his head and stepped to the side.

"I've reconsidered your suggestion, and I agree to seek treatment." Both men could not believe their ears and Zane immediately became suspicious.

"Why?" Ian asked. He also suspected something was off.

"I was wrong yesterday. I can see that now," Mina said. It was killing her to bow this low, but Luna's plan depended on it.