Chapter 188: Have You Heard?
When Maggie glanced away from the chat and up at Paul, she saw him concentrating hard on his phone's display. Worried that he had connected the rumors about Mina to her, Maggie inched closer to the man and peered at his device. Upon closer inspection, she saw that he was carefully reading the notice from their old university. It was very vague, but it was referring to Maggie and Mina, and what shocked Paul the most was the reference to 'someone being omitted' from the school's records.
Paul had always thought something was off about having two commencement speeches, and he knew that Mina had been left off the school's website, but he thought it was by choice. As for Maggie, he knew the Arden family could pull enough strings to get their daughter a top spot, but he thought they just took advantage of Mina's camera-shy personality. Now it seemed more sinister to him.
"Don't worry about it too much," Maggie said as she clung to Paul's arm.
"It's terrible," Paul said. "All this time, Mina was probably laughed out of every job interview she ever walked into." As he spoke, he got up, and absent-mindedly began to put on his shoes.
"Where are you going?" Maggie asked.
"To the Lee Mansion. Mina is not in our group chat. I wonder if she knows about it," Paul said.
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Lisa narrowed her eyes at Ian. She was fuming. A second ago, he was making a big deal out of Mina's small injury and now, he acted as if he were too busy to look up. She had specifically dressed in her preferred style to see if Ian took notice, but there was nothing. It was only when he became distracted by her tapping foot that he finally looked her up and down.
"Did we have plans?" Ian asked, his voice was so casual that it was almost mocking.
"NO!" Lisa shouted and she turned to run away. She was surprised when Ian stopped her from leaving.
"Just tell me what I did wrong," he said. His eyes bore down on her as if he were genuinely concerned, but something in his voice told her otherwise.
"Are you sure there is nothing between you and that girl?" Lisa asked. She was not prepared for Ian's response.
"I told you I wanted to take things slowly," he said. "There is a lot going on, and a lot I still have to tell you." Lisa never thought she would feel anything other than loving adoration for the man in front of her, but right now, she felt something foreign.
"How much longer do you expect me to wait for you?" She asked, hoping to pull on the heartstrings of the man she loved. In the past, a good guilt trip always worked.
"I don't," he said simply. Lisa blanched.
"What are you saying?"
"I am saying you are right. You should not have to wait on me. I won't stop you from moving on," Ian said.
"That is not what I meant," Lisa replied, she grabbed Ian sleeves as she spoke.
"Lisa, I won't ask you to wait for me to be ready to commit to you," Ian said. "Nothing has been fair to you. Especially me." Ian rubbed the woman's face. Cutting ties with her was harder than he thought, and he stopped himself from being too harsh. "I won't blame you if you choose to move on."
Lisa stared into the eyes of the man she loved. She wanted to ask him if he was breaking up with her, but he had not actually ever told her that she was his girlfriend.
"Can we just go back to the way things were?" She whispered, and Ian nodded. He loved Lisa, but he was slow to realize that he loved her the same way he loved his sisters. He hated himself for breaking her heart, but he knew he had to make things clear before it was too late.
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Lisa was driven home by Ian. In the end, they decided to let things occur naturally and not force a relationship. Their closeness would remain, but they would not have any intimate contact. Lisa would have been more upset if she had not had a backup plan or two. Besides, the sudden change in dynamic made her feel less guilty about Shai. Not to mention that she planned to make a fool out of Mina for the next few weeks. She would not let anyone have what she had waited and plotted on for years. All the wealth and power of the Lee family belonged to her. She had complete confidence in Ian and knew he would never betray her. Whatever was happening with him right now, Lisa was sure it had something to do with Mina's false identity.
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When Ian arrived at his mansion, he felt beaten. He was right when he said that women were a distraction to success, and the situation he found himself in now was proof. Lisa seemed okay enough, but he felt like he had trampled on her heart. It was a tough spot to be in. To want someone so badly only to have them not even notice you. He was experiencing it firsthand and he sympathized with Lisa, but if he were being honest with himself, he already knew he could never love Lisa in any way other than a friend.
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Paul pulled up to the Lee mansion and confidently strode up to the front doors. He was surprised when he was let through the front gates, and even more surprised when President Lee greeted him in the visitors' room instead of Mina. The two men did not speak as they waited for the woman to make her way down.
When Mina finally showed up, Paul's face creased into a frown. She was limping and she looked to be in pain. There were traces of bruises on her arms and he could tell by the slow pace at which she approached that it took great effort for her to meet him. All the good news he wanted to share with her was suddenly unimportant.
"Are you okay?" Paul asked.
"I am fine," Mina said as she shot a quick glance at the angry man standing behind Paul. "What brings you here this evening?" Mina asked, her tone more formal than it had ever been while she was addressing him.
"Oh, right. Have you heard? Wayvair had some sort of system error and finally corrected it. You're recognized as the top of the class now," Paul said excitedly. "Now you don't have to do…" he paused, not knowing how he should phrase his next sentence. "Now you can move on with your life." Paul walked up to Mina and cupped her shoulders.