Chapter 190: Following Orders
Mina shifted her body away from President Lee who was sitting at the edge of her bed. It took every ounce of her mental strength to stay calm. If she reacted too harshly, there was no one around to save her from the repercussions. She had already tested the waters by slapping him, but she was almost positive that he was biding his time for his pay back.
"You can go now," she said, hoping the man would actually leave, but instead he walked over to the small breakfast nook near her bed and took a seat.
"Why are you still so afraid of me?" President Lee asked.
"I'm not," Mina lied. 'Isn't it obvious?' She thought.
"The panic attacks…?"
"Happen anytime I overthink a situation," Mina continued.
"About Wayvair, why don't you seem happy with the news?"
"I signed a nondisclosure agreement. I don't know what Maggie has planned, but for her to make it look like I violated the terms means she wants me to pay her damages for the rest of my life," Mina answered while curled in a ball on top of her quilt, because her eyes were closed, Ian could stare as much as he wanted.
Their discussion regarding the details of the NDA Mina signed was interrupted by the entrance of Carmen, who was pushing a small cart with their dinner on it. She served the meals without a sound, but internally she was paranoid that President Lee would ask her why Mina's meal was different from his.
When the woman left, President Lee called for Mina to join him at the table. Pulled by the aroma of something other than grass, Mina obeyed. However, she was disappointed by what she saw.
On her plate was a single chicken breast placed on top of a garden salad, garnished with decorative lemon slices. The other plate was all savory style foods; stuffed mushrooms, butter seared steak, mixed vegetables, and a beautifully baked sweet potato. Mina instantly realized that it was another form of torture. She sat down and poked at her bland meal, but her eyes could not stop glancing at those yummy looking mushrooms.
"Do you want one?" The sudden question sent chills down Mina's spine. Saying yes was likely to result in some sort of deal to pay him back. She shook her head in the negative and focused her eyes on her own plate. Mina did not look away again.
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Ian was confused by the simplicity of Mina's meal, but she had been working on her figure and controlling her dietary intake, so he did not comment on it. When she flatly refused his offer to share, despite her longing stare, he suddenly felt wrong for eating in front of her. Ian pushed his plate aside, unable to stomach the guilt. As he did so, the corners of his eyes caught a glimpse of a small paperback book under Mina's bed. Curiosity got the best of him, and he stood up to collect the hidden item.
"I didn't know you like to read things like this," President Lee said.
Mina turned to look and choked on her salad. She reached up to snatch the book, but President Lee held it high above his head. Even if she were to stand up, the man was probably six foot two or three inches in height compared to Mina's five foot six, she did not even bother with trying.
President Lee returned to his seat, opened to a random page of the romance novel and he began to read out loud. With each word he uttered, Mina sank another few centimeters into her seat. Trying to overcome her embarrassment, she spoke up for herself.
"I don't have anything else to do when I am in here. I asked Carmen to get me something to read and well, that is one of the books she gave me," Mina admitted.
President Lee could not resist the urge to tease Mina and he continued to read until he got to a more explicit chapter that made his own face flush. Mina lightly chuckled in fulfillment when she noticed that the tables had turned, but when she opened her mouth to jeer at the evil man, his phone rang. He mumbled something under his breath, but after looking at the screen, he composed himself.
"I have to go," he announced and Mina, assuming it was Lisa who called, nodded. She was actually relieved he was leaving.
As soon as President Lee shut her door, Mina pulled his plate towards her and gobbled up the untouched food on it. She was sure it was some sort of test, but she was hungry enough not to care. All she had to do was eat quickly, clean up the plates herself and President Lee would never know. He was the one who suggested for her to do her own chores, so she would only be following orders.
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Ian stood in front of his sister with an annoyed expression plastered on his face. Her conversation with Dr. Bell was brief, but he could tell that they planned to meet regarding whatever matter was so urgent that it required the man to interrupt his meal with Mina. Not that he expected Dr. Bell to have known that, but Ian was still angry.
When Luna handed Ian back his phone, he left her room with a snort. She knew he was irritated, but she, like Mina, assumed it had something to do with Lisa.
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When Ian returned to Mina's room, the girl was gone. He frowned at the sight of a bare table where they had just been sharing a meal. A few minutes ago, they were in the middle of the most normal conversation they had ever had. He was aware that she could not stand to be around him, but he did not think that she would be so quick to get rid of any trace of him the moment he stepped out of the room. He sat down and waited for Mina to return. He knew she could not have gone far, and he knew she was not with Dom, who Ian had handling other matters.