Chapter 133: Can You Even Cook?

President Lee took his place at the head of the table. It just so happened that it was the spot closest to Mina. Before he even sat down, the girl was squirming in her seat. She was obviously uncomfortable around him, and he wondered how much willpower it took for her to pretend to be 'normal' back in his study.

"President Lee; Mr. Zane," Mina said politely but her face looked worried.

"I don't know why, but I'm starving. What about you?" Zane asked, he wanted to calm the girl down, but his attempt failed. She looked even more devastated by his statement.

As if to add insult to injury, Luna entered the room while speaking.

"Am I the only one that feels like they haven't eaten in days?" Mina sank in her chair. Everyone could tell that she was behaving oddly but they all assumed it was caused by her earlier conversation with Ian, and they were doing their best to try and make her feel as if nothing had changed.

"Are you okay?" President Lee asked and Mina straitened.

"I'm fine, I just suddenly had the urge to eat fast food," She lied. Zane leaned in close to Mina and whispered,

"You're a bad liar." Mina held her head and whispered back.

"I know."

As the weight of what was about to happen started to grow on Mina, she began to pick at her fingers. Ian knew that the girl did this when she was nervous, and he thought back to when he saw the chef caressing Mina's shoulders. He recognized the man as the same one who was captivated by her just a few days before.

"Is something going on between you and that cook?" Ian asked suspiciously, and Mina's denial was so strong that he knew she was offended. Mina found herself wishing that Miss Ruby were there to help ease the tension in the room, but the woman had gone to spend the week with her husband.

President Lee was still staring at Mina, waiting for her to explain her conduct.

"It's just that…" Mina was cut off by the arrival of the serving staff. She rubbed her temples and took a deep breath.

The food was plated beautifully, but she had not tasted the finished product and did not want to feed her concoction to anyone else. In the kitchen, she acted based on her own preference. She had originally thought she was cooking for the kitchen crew when she was pulling ingredients together, as it was well past lunch time. Mina knew that her food would be gross to the rich, who she was told preferred their meals bland. With her hand over her eyes, Mina peaked at each person.

"What is with you?" Luna asked. At the same time her brother asked the staff. "What is this?" The staff answered first. "Sir, we don't know what this dish is called. It was personally prepared by Miss Mina." All eyes shifted to the girl who laughed nervously.

"I didn't know who I was cooking for. You don't have to eat it. You three should go out for lunch," she said. Zane smiled mischievously.

"Can you even cook?" he asked mockingly. Zane cautiously sniffed the dish before he lifted the spoon to his mouth, but Mina placed a hand over his.

"Don't," she said, almost begging the man. "You won't like it." Zane chuckled at how serious Mina had become.

"How do you know?" he asked but Mina was distracted by the clicking of someone else's fork. She nearly died when she saw President Lee placing a piece of meat in his mouth. She wanted to slap it away from him. If he fell sick, he would not believe it was an accident.

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Ian's expression was unreadable. He placed his utensils down and looked at those around him.

"She is right, we should go out to eat," he said. Mina deflated a little more and hung her head low.

"I warned you," she said. When Mina heard her so-called friend giggle at her brother's comment, she felt even worse. Zane was unperturbed by Ian's statement. He could not resist the chance to tease Mina about her bad cooking, so he tasted the food for himself. After a mouthful, he looked at Ian in confusion.

When Luna saw Zane's reaction, she also tried the dish. There was no way she would be the only one left out of this joke.

"Mina this… Did you really make this?" Luna asked.

"I really thought I was playing around in the kitchen. No one told me this was going to be served for lunch," Mina replied. Zane was still looking at his friend, trying to get a read on what the man was doing.

"Please don't eat anymore. You guys should go out for a meal," Mina said. Luna took another bite.

"No need, this food is delicious. There is nothing wrong with it." Mina looked up thinking she was being teased, but when she saw Luna enjoying the food, she looked at President Lee perplexed by his earlier critique.

"I just wanted to show you what it feels like to be blatantly lied to," Ian said.

Mina did not understand what lie President Lee was referring to. She had told many lies and had told many more back in the man's study and she did not want to out herself for the wrong one.

"When did I lie?" Mina asked.

"What was that act you put on upstairs?" Both women froze. Ian noticed his sister's reaction and questioned her as well.

"Did you put her up to it?" Ian asked Luna.

"All I did was explain to Mina that she should look at therapy from a different angle. You were the one who said she needed help." Luna was not exactly lying, but she was skirting on the edge of the truth. Mina was trying her best to keep a stone face. She could tell that Luna was good at twisting the story and Luna hoped her brother would take her words as fact. If they were found out now, Mina would never be able to leave the mansion.