Chapter 146: Are You Single
Mina made her way back to the living room and sat down. Zane had coincidentally joined them a few seconds later. Mrs. Meagan was still making a fuss over Mina's injury, and she was becoming irritated that her son seemed not to care. She told Zane that she wanted Mina to stay at their home for the night. She said she did not feel comfortable sending the young woman on her way without someone to watch over her. In their previous conversation, Mina had alluded to the fact that she did not have money, which in turn meant that she would not have caretakers. Turning to Ian, Mrs. Meagan tried to gain his support.
"Don't you agree Ian?" but Ian did not look like he agreed. "What is wrong with you two? Don't you care about your friend at all?" The old woman scolded. "No wonder you are both single," she chastised. Both men flinched at her words and Mina tried to disappear. Ian cleared his throat in response.
"Mrs. Mom, it's not that I don't care. It's just that Mina lives in the Lee mansion," he replied. He did his best to flash an innocent smile at both the women, while Zane's mother shifted her eyes from her son to Ian.
"Is she your…" Mina cut the woman off mid-sentence.
"NO!" She said. Realizing her reaction was a little strong, Mina chuckled. "I am just staying with him and his sister for now," she said.
"Oh," Mrs. Meagan replied, confused by the unusual living arrangement. "That is good. At least I will not be too worried. If I remember correctly, little Luna is a nice girl."
----
Only after pestering Mina with ice packs and massaging her neck in a method she claimed would help alleviate a headache, did Mrs. Meagan truly relax. When she saw that the girl was fine, she tried to continue teaching Mina how to knit. Meagan did not have any nieces or daughters and Zane was uninterested in her craft. His only involvement was having the supplies delivered monthly. Mina had made the mistake of voluntarily asking to be taught, but she was not getting any better. Meagan felt that it was her duty to insist that she keep at it.
"I am telling you, a hobby will help with the nightmares," she said in a hushed tone. Ian and Zane were sitting at the nearby bar and she did not want to put Mina off if the two men were not already aware of her condition.
"Maybe I need a different Hobby?" Mina suggested trying to reign in her frustration with the mess on her lap.
Then, as if sent by a divine entity, the butler returned to the room and announced dinner. Mina threw down the knitting needles and sprang out of her seat. Zane's mother chuckled; she knew that girl had become frustrated. She had been the same way in the beginning.
----
Mina was yet again surprised by the subdued and calm decor.
"Mrs. Meagan, are you the one who decorated this home?" She asked curiously.
"How did you guess?" The woman asked.
"It's not flashy enough to have been decorated by your son," Mina joked.
Ian smiled; it was the truth. Zane was a very showy person, but when he purchased the home, he allowed his mother to make it her own. He even registered the property under her name, that way it would in no way belong to the Walsh family. Zane cleared his throat.
"Mom, are you going to allow her to keep insulting me like that?" He asked.
"You should consider yourself lucky that you have a friend who will tell you the truth," she said. Ian agreed with the woman.
"I've told him several times," Ian said, and Zane felt attacked.
----
Zane listened as his mother recalled several embarrassing stories from his youth. Because he had met Ian when they were in their teens, his friend was unaware of many of the tales his mother was telling now. He was not sure why she was bringing them up, but he enjoyed seeing her smiling face, so he did not complain. Soon enough he realized the direction his mother was heading with her sudden trip down memory lane. She was trying to set him up with Mina.
"Mina, are you single?" She asked the girl, who stiffened. She too realized where the conversation was heading. Mina laughed awkwardly.
"I am," she said. The old woman shot a look at her son, who then darted his eyes toward Ian. Mina was oblivious to the exchange, and only looked up when she heard Mrs. Meagan sigh in defeat. Surprisingly, it was President Lee who came to Mina's rescue.
"She probably won't be single for much longer," he said. Zane raised an eyebrow at the man, he knew exactly what he meant but Mina just thought he was quoting her earlier outburst. She turned red in embarrassment.
"I told you I was joking," Mina said.
----
The night passed by quickly and as the time grew late, Mina became anxious. She had seen the way president Lee looked at her when she was sitting with Zane's mother. Mina was so scared that he was planning to drag her away at that moment, that she could not control her own actions and backed away before falling. She seriously hoped that her frightened display had not ruined Luna's delicate plan to help her escape.
When it was time to go, Mrs. Meagan made Mina promise to visit her often. Now that she knew the girl was a guest of the Lee family, she pressed Ian to make sure that Mina would keep to her word and practice knitting. Mina wore a mortified expression the entire time the old woman was speaking.
If president Lee suddenly purchased tons of knitting supplies for her, she would not be able to refuse, nor would she want to use them. She had only been trying to make Zane's mother happy before, now she regretted ever opening her mouth in curiosity. It was not that the hobby was a bad one, it seemed rewarding. It's just that Mina no longer had the willpower to push herself into learning something she deemed useless. Really it could have been anything and she would have felt the exact same way.