Chapter 166: Blessed with Indifference

When Lisa returned to Pan, the first person she sought out was her beloved Ian. Before her flight, she had adorned a simple outfit that was more to his taste, or so she thought. She arrived at the Lee building not long after her plane landed and went straight up to his office.

As usual, Lisa did not bother with knocking. She cracked the door and peeped inside so not to disturb her hard-working man. Lisa paused as she overheard the last of what was most likely a private conversation.

"Have you decided what you are going to do yet?" Zane asked.

"What is there to decide? Hasn't it already been chosen for me?" Ian replied.

"Are you happy with the decision?"

"I won't regret it. From now on, I will work hard to keep her happy," Ian said. He paused as he noticed his office door had been pushed ajar.

"Who is there?" He said sternly.

Lisa entered the office and beamed. He was talking about her, he had to be. Who else would he be working hard to keep happy? She knew from her contact that Ian and Mina had not spoken to one another since Luna left, and she was beginning to think that she had read too deeply into their relationship. Perhaps the girl was just a friend of his sisters.

----

A very tired and jet lagged looking Lisa had entered Ian's office and a pitying smile crossed his face. Because Luna had told him, Ian knew that Lisa's brother was already struggling to keep the Anders Corp stable.

Of course, Ian did not know that it was because of Lisa's wild and reckless acquisition practices. As far as he was concerned, the person before him was a shrewd businesswoman who had successfully taken over and integrated several companies into her own.

However, Ian was unaware of the hard work Lisa's brother and father had to put in to make those accomplishments a reality. Lisa herself was also in the dark about most of it. She knew that she had cost her family hundreds of millions of dollars, but she was unaware of just how involved her family had been in plugging the sinkholes she called enterprises.

"You're Back," Ian said. He was visibly surprised. Luna was not scheduled to return to the country for another day or two, and Ian assumed that Lisa would stay to keep her company.

"I have an urgent family matter to attend to. I just wanted to come and see you first," Lisa replied.

Zane having taken his cue, left the office. He and Ian were just discussing Lisa before she walked in. After being confused about Lisa due to his complicated emotions toward Mina, Ian finally made his decision, and Zane knew it was one he would grow to regret in the future.

Zane was unlike other men who considered women useless after they had been with someone else. In his opinion, it was poor judgement on the man's behalf and even a bit archaic. He wished that their society was more like the east, where men and women tread on equal footing.

Zane had always been taught by his mother to treat those around him with the respect he wished to be given, and in turn it influenced his opinion of their society's culture. Zane's thoughts were interrupted by the familiar vibration of his phone. It was a text from Ellie.

[In the country soon. Any developments?]

Zane swallowed hard as images of Ellie flooded his mind. He shook off the thoughts and ignored the message. He would avoid the girl at all cost. She was far too young for him and he would not walk down a path he saw no future in.

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Lisa left Ian's office with an ear to ear smile. He seemed genuinely happy to see her. She stopped at the desk of the familiar face of her past savior and tapped the wooden surface to get the woman's attention. The woman looked up at the intruder and struggled to keep her composure. She was in the middle of writing a report that was due in ten minutes and was clearly hard at work, yet Miss Lisa had interrupted.

"Can I help you?" Camille asked. She did not mean to sound rude, but she was aware that her tone was anything but friendly.

"It's nothing. I just wanted to thank you for saving my butt the other day," Lisa said. Camille forced her eyes not to roll. Did the conniving woman really think she had done her a favor?

"Oh, that? Don't mention it," Camille said, and what she meant was 'please do not talk to me again.'

"Since you have helped me, I would like to help you," Lisa said but her sentence was interrupted as president Lee strode out of his office and approached a young woman, who was sitting in a far corner of the office space. He was exchanging words with the secretary, while smiling.

Lisa's brow creased. Was Ian's smile not meant for her, or was he simply in a good mood? Oblivious, Camille followed Lisa's line of sight and spoke first.

"Weird isn't it?" Lisa found herself slowly nodding in agreement. "For the last few days, he has been putting on this friendly act. We experienced it once before," Camille said. "It's just a matter of time before he snaps." Lisa was confused.

"What happened to put him in this state the last time?"

"It was when he found out about…" Camille trailed off. She realized that she was not just talking to her boss's girlfriend, but she was also talking to a competitor. "Actually, it's not my place to tell you," she replied instead.

Feeling aggrieved Lisa stared at her lover for a long time, he did not even notice her or look in her direction once. It had always been like that between them. Anytime he entered the room, her eyes were instantly attracted to him, it was like he demanded her full attention, but it was not the same for Ian and sometimes, Lisa felt there were times that he didn't even notice her standing right in front of him. Ian's indifference toward women had always been a blessing in disguise for Lisa, but for right now; It was a curse she was still trying to overcome.