Chapter 168: Dessert
Zane had been staring at his phone all day. Even now back in his own bedroom, he found himself opening and closing the message, trying to come up with something appropriate to send. He finally composed a response...
[When will you be arriving?]
Zane was about to press send, but a call from Luna came in and he hit answer instead. Relief washed over him. 'A sign from the heavens?' Zane thought, but his moment of calm was short lived.
"I'm in trouble," Luna said, the worry in her voice caused Zane to sit up abruptly.
"What's wrong? Where are you?"
"I'm still in Gespa, but I seem to have made a bit of a mess," Luna replied.
"You?" Zane asked.
"Well you see…" Luna chuckled nervously as she recalled the incident to Zane.
"LUNA LEE!" Zane said sternly. His voice was strong and unwavering. Luna suddenly had a mental image of him as a father in the future and she had to stifle her laugh as she thought of a flamboyant middle-aged man scolding two children.
"Is something funny?" Zane asked. He was honestly pissed. He already disliked Lisa for something that had occurred between them in the past, but more and more lately, he was finding himself hating the woman.
"I'm sorry older brother," Luna said, and Zane's tone softened a little. Anytime she pulled the older brother card he could no longer be mad at her. He, of course, was not her biological brother, but they had become as close as siblings over the years.
In a lot of ways, Ian was more like a brother to Ellie than his own flesh and blood sister. It was probably because he viewed Luna as level-headed and self-sufficient, while he viewed Ellie as wild and in need of constant redirection. Zane shook his head at the thought of Ellie. He could no longer picture her as that ten-year-old little girl who used to beat up the boys in school. She was someone else now.
"Okay, fine, speak. What do you need me to do?"
"Can you pretend to be my boyfriend?" Luna asked cautiously. Luna held the phone far away from her ear as a frustrated Zane rattled off at her through the line.
"Are you crazy?" He finally asked.
"I have no one else to turn to," Luna replied.
"Just tell Ian, he can handle your problem in an instant."
"And in the process, he might destroy his girlfriend's company and career," Luna quipped. Zane pinched his nose bridge.
"The best I can do is meet you in Gespa and return with you the same day."
"Is it really such a terrible thing for someone to think we are a couple?" Luna asked, almost offended.
"Absolutely," Zane quipped. Making Luna laugh out loud.
"It isn't funny. Anyway, that is my final offer and there are conditions, take it or leave it." Zane said.
"Fine, I will take it," Luna replied. "What are your conditions?"
----
Alone with Mina over the last few days, Ruby found that she and the girl possessed many similarities. The main difference was that Mina had no common sense at all and seemed to struggle with interpreting emotions that were not outright hostile or salacious. She remembered telling the girl about the heartbroken young man from the kitchen staff and Mina had no idea who or what she was talking about. Only after carefully explaining it, did Mina understand and since finding out, she visited the kitchen crew less often.
It was during one of those random conversations that Ruby learned that Mina was highly educated and a certified genius according to Pan's standard of measure. For fun, Miss Ruby shot a few numbers at Mina and the girl was able to make quick work of any equation thrown her way. When she probed her about why she wasn't much more successful, a forlorn and dejected look flashed across Mina's face and sensing she had touched on a sensitive subject, Ruby shifted the topic to Mina's parents, whom she had not heard much about.
Ruby was amazed by the girl's story and took pity on her. She once again resolved to take the girl under her protective wing, so when it was time for her to return to the Lee mansion, she did so with a little treat. Miss Ruby knew Mina needed a break from all the healthy foods she had been eating.
----
In the morning, Mina awoke to the pleasant aroma of a breakfast pastry and coffee. She opened her eyes to see Miss Ruby lovingly smiling down at her.
"My husband sent these for you," the old woman said.
Mina took one look at the dish and intuitively knew it was the yummy cake that Miss Ruby had once described to her. She remembered licking her lips at the woman's description and being laughed at as a glutton afterward.
Now that the real thing was in front of her, instinct took over and Mina greedily inhaled it. She had been following a clean diet to aid with her workouts, and the sweetness of the cake jump started her taste buds.
"Take a sip of the coffee," Miss Ruby instructed, and Mina let the perfectly heated liquid splash around her mouth. Her eyes lit up.
"Nan, this is…"
"I knew you would like it," the old woman cut her off in reply.
"What is the occasion?" Mina genuinely wanted to know; it was such a random surprise to be woken up with dessert.
"I felt bad for leaving you. I heard that you've been isolating yourself the last few days." Mina shrugged. She had been distant lately, but only because she now had the added responsibility of taking care of her own chores. She did not tell that to Miss Ruby, and she let the conversation end on its own.
----
Mina dashed out the front door and hopped into the passenger seat of Dom's car. She was more excited than usual, and she, herself did not know if it was because the two weeks were almost up or if it were because of her delicious breakfast. Dom noticed the change in her demeanor as well. If Mina were a man, he would have thought she had a particularly good night, or morning, but from what he could tell, Mina was not that type of girl.
Despite her stunning beauty and amazing physique, Mina was otherwise as dense as a rock when it came to relationships. He had watched several of his comrades attempt to woo Mina without progress or success. Each of them eventually concluded that Mina was only interested in getting to know women, which sparked a heated debate among the men.
Dom also could not ignore the possibility, and he wondered if it were her indifference toward men that caused Samuel and Bressaw to give up everything for her. He found himself feeling grateful he was not interested in women like Mina, otherwise her addictive and cheerful presence probably would have driven him to a similar fate.