Chapter 142: Are You Expecting?

While driving Zane's phone rang. Even without looking he knew who it would be. It was no surprise to him that Ian was already calling. He and Mina had been gone for hours. After allowing the phone to ring a few times, Zane used a button on his steering wheel to answer the incoming call.

"You're connected to my car's audio," Zane said immediately after accepting the call. He wanted Ian to know that their conversation would not be private.

"Where are you?" Ian asked.

"Heading to my place." Zane no longer cared if it would bother Ian or anyone else. If people wanted to talk, he would let them talk. Perhaps Mina being associated with him was not such a bad thing.

In fact, he could no longer see himself advocating on his friend's behalf. He was unsure if Ian was trying to play both sides of the fence, by trying to keep two women at the same time. If he was, it was at Mina's expense and it had disproportionate consequences for the girl. She had been abused by Lisa and the Lee siblings, but somehow, she was still looking at herself as the one in the wrong. Zane knew that she would never be able to heal mentally if things continued in that way.

Mina could hear the conversation between the two men. President Lee did not sound happy over the line and when Zane told him where they were going, he was quiet for so long that she thought the call had dropped. Zane broke the silence first.

"What's up? Why did you call?" Zane asked. There was no reply, but there was the sound of movement and then the sound of a car engine turning over.

"I'm on my way," Ian said. Zane shook his head. He did not know what Ian was planning, and he would not actively stop him from pursuing Mina if that is what the man wanted to do, but Zane would not comply with his friend's wishes if it included a love triangle. He would only advise Ian to pick one or the other, and remind him that no matter who he was, he could not have both.

----

When Mina arrived at Zane's residence, she was immediately surprised by its subtle appearance. The man was usually flashy, and she expected exotic statues and fountains to line his property. Instead, the front of the home had a warm and welcoming garden on either side. There was a simple stone path, and the only decorative item was a swinging bench nestled under the canopy of a beautiful and huge tree. There were small yellow lights surrounding the swing, that it gave it a warm glow.

Although the swing looked like a movie set, Mina could tell that it was meant for actual use. She giggled at the thought of Zane wrapped in a blanket while reading a book on it.

"What's so funny?" Zane asked.

"I didn't peg you for the romantic type," Mina replied. Zane followed the woman's line of sight and shook his head.

"It's my mother's," he answered. Mina was surprised to hear that Zane still lived with his parents. She did not know why, but she thought of him as more independent than President Lee.

The pair alighted from the vehicle and they were greeted by a single butler. The sight was less intimidating than the one at the Lee mansion, and Mina started to think that Zane was not as rich as she thought.

"Where is my mother?" Zane asked the butler. "She hasn't left her craft room today," the man replied.

"Tell her we have a guest." The butler bowed and moved to complete his task.

"My mother doesn't like meeting new people," Zane said to Mina. He took Mina's jacket and hung it on a nearby hook himself.

"I didn't expect you to still live with your parents," Mina said.

"Just my mother," Zane corrected.

Mina felt like an idiot. Somehow, she had come to the assumption that Zane's father was a man of many mistresses, but she did not think that his parents were no longer together. Despite the shifting opinion in the country, divorce was still a taboo, and was often seen as the failure of the wife. In Pan, a woman divorced, for any reason, became a social outcast and often children born of the relationship rejected their maternal line. Zane was obviously an exception.

Mina followed Zane into a very cozy living room. It was so homely that the only indication she was in a mansion was its size.

"Make yourself at home," Zane said. He walked over to his personal bar and poured himself a drink.

Mina was worried about Zane, but if he wanted to talk about it, he would have done so back in his office. The sound of approaching footsteps caught both of their attention and the butler informed Zane that his mother was uninterested in coming down for the day. Mina understood that the woman was probably uncomfortable around people who had the potential to judge her. Since she did not know Mina or her background, she probably wanted to stay far away.

"Come with me," Zane said, and Mina followed the man upstairs.

----

Mina entered a room that was filled with several rolls of yarn. She had never been anywhere that was filled with so many colors. The girly part of her wished she could live in a place so lively, and she intuitively felt that Zane's mother probably felt comfort in the room because of its vibrancy. Pulling her eyes away from the stacks of yarn, Mina saw that there was an older woman who looked a lot like Zane sitting on a plush armchair. She had her feet resting on an ottoman in a position that said, 'I am unwilling to move'.

The woman glanced at them once and was irritated that Zane had brought someone into her personal space, but Mina did not catch the action. She, once again, had become too busy with admiring the beautiful works all over the room. She took interest in a large pile of tiny hats stacked in a basket. It was obvious that they were for newborns. Mina picked up one of the hats and smiled affectionately. She looked at Zane and could not help but to tease him.

"Why didn't you tell me you were expecting?" Mina asked, and Zane's eyes widened with shock before he realized that Mina was joking. He smacked her arm playfully in response.