Chapter 171: Her 'Go To' Guy

Before long, there were happy shouts of laughter coming from the area in the bar where the group chose to sit. Mina was red faced from the alcohol she drank and from trying to hold back her laughs at some of the humiliating stories the men told about each other. It seemed that now that they knew she was not into women; they were attempting to destroy each other's reputation.

Only Jessica remained silent as she took in the comical scene. She monitored Mina's level of intoxication and found that, amazingly after a few sips of a mixed cocktail, she had to stop the giggling Mina from drinking altogether. Unfortunately, it also meant that she, too, could not take another sip. It was basic girl code, and the sentiment did not go unnoticed.

After a while, everyone who had stayed at the bar made their way to a nearby diner. They relaxed and ate what seemed like an unreal amount of food. Mina let herself enjoy the moment. She wondered if the experience was what normal life was like. Slowly her face began to darken again. It was Dom who noticed first, and Dom who spoke.

"Mina, we don't blame you for what happened to our colleagues. You know that, right?" Mina was unconvinced, but she nodded anyway.

"That's right," a very drunk James said. "We knew what we signed up for when we sold our souls to the devil." A satisfied smile crossed Mina's face.

'So, there are people who knew the real president Lee after all?' She thought.

----

By the time Mina was dropped at the Lee mansion it was well past 11PM. It was by far the latest she had stayed out, and she was afraid to knock at the door. She stood outside in the cold for what felt like forever. She would occasionally blow on her hands trying to keep warm as she struggled to muster her courage.

Dom was no gentleman and he never stayed to watch her make it inside safely, so there was nowhere she could turn to for warmth and she did not have a phone to call Miss Ruby.

Mina finally choked back her fear and rang the doorbell. Within a second it was flung open. She hurried herself inside, trying to get away from the cold. She was about to thank the person who let her in, but she was struck dumb by the sight in front of her.

"I thought you were my sister," President Lee said. "She returns tonight, so be prepared to have breakfast with her in the morning." Mina nodded in understanding before dashing up to her room.

----

Mina leaned against the closed door of her 'guest prison' and breathed deeply. For a second, she had thought President Lee had been waiting for her return. She could tell by the scowl on his face that he was angry, but perhaps she had misread his reaction. Maybe he was just upset that he had to stay awake and wait for his sister.

With those thoughts in mind, Mina prepared a bath. She wanted to soak her body for a while. It had been hours since she had left the bar, but she could still smell the alcohol and cigarette smell on her body and she wanted to make sure all traces of it were gone before she climbed into her clean bed.

----

When Ian saw Mina alight from Dom's vehicle, he wanted to immediately greet her, but he was distracted by the man's sudden departure. He could not believe that Dom could not be bothered to wait for Mina to safely enter the home before driving off, even he waited for Lisa and she lived on gated property. Ian was angry, but he was more disappointed in Mina for choosing such a careless person. Still, he promised himself he would not get involved so he chose not to open the door immediately.

Ian could hear Mina lightly tapping the wood on the other side of the door, but he had already instructed his servants to take the rest of the night off, so it was only him and his sleeping nan in his mansion. Ian found himself in a conundrum. If he opened the door to the light tapping, Mina would know he was waiting for her to return, yet if he waited for her to ring the bell, the girl was so stubborn that she might actually allow herself to freeze to death.

Ian peered through the side window and watched the difficult Mina do everything to keep warm except, drop her pride, and ring the bell. Feeling anxious, Ian placed his hand on the doorknob, and just as Mina rang, he pulled the door open and the girl flew inside. The unmistakable scent of a dingy bar wafted through the air and Ian's face soured. He had almost become addicted to Mina's scent, but right now there was nothing fresh or sweet about it. He was instantly put in a bad mood which only darkened further when he caught sight of what she was wearing. It was a Lee soldier training suit. He could only imagine where she got it or why she was wearing it. Images from his recurring nightmare surfaced and he gritted his teeth. Not wanting to be discovered, he forced out a lie about his sister's return and watched as the frightened girl fled from sight.

----

The entire ten-hour flight Luna had to listen to Zane lecture her about, basically, everything. He went on and on and on without letting her get a word in. He only stopped talking when he noticed she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Had Luna known she would have started to sleep immediately.

By the time the plane landed, Zane had already prepared a car. Both of them were well aware of the fact that they had been followed and Zane's irritation at the situation caused him to once again berate the stupid girl for trusting Lisa, who had many times in the past, done the very same thing, albeit on a smaller scale. Silence befell the pair once more and Luna, aware that she had thoroughly messed up, tried to make small talk.

"Did anything good happen while I was gone?" She asked.

"Well sort of…"

"Like what?"

"Mina has definitely gotten better," Zane said.

"That's good. Has she found a hobby?"

"In a way, yes," Zane replied

"What activity did she pick up?"

"A sort of exercise."

"Exercise is good, it can release natural endorphins," Luna said.

"I'm sure she's releasing more than endorphins," Zane mumbled.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Luna asked.

"Do you not know?"

"Know what?" Luna questioned. She was clearly in the dark and Zane was suddenly wondering why Mina had opted to tell Ian in the first place.

"Dom is now her 'go to' guy" Luna sucked down a huge breath of air.

"Her what?!" She shouted.