Chapter 364: Fine

Lisa did not speak for a long time, she just stood there feeling the hands against her shoulders and wondering why they could not always be there. She loved Ian; he was handsome, powerful and smart. He was the type of man she had always dreamt of marrying, and for a long time, she thought she would, but hope was slowly slipping away from her.

"Do you want me to take you to a doctor? They can tell you if you are pregnant with a simple test." Lisa shook her head, not only would the doctor be able to tell whether she was pregnant or not, but he or she would also be able to tell she was no longer a virgin.

Lisa knew there was truth behind Ian's words because she had actually gone home feeling disappointed after their encounter. She had seen his naked body, and she knew she should have felt something, but other than a bit of pressure, there was no other sensation while they were together.

"Then what is wrong with me?" Lisa asked. It has been months. Ian did not hate Lisa, and he disliked seeing her so broken up, so he called his personal physician to schedule an appointment for her. He then gestured for her to follow him out of his office.

Before she left, Lisa went into the restroom and washed her face. She reapplied her makeup and although she did not look as fresh as she did when she walked in, she looked decent. Ian stared at her when she exited his restroom and stopped to confirm she was okay before opening the door.

"I will be fine," Lisa said. She flashed a smile, and Ian felt horrible that it made him wonder how many of Mina's smiles were a mask to hide her pain.

----

The car ride to the Lee hospital was an awkward one, but only in the sense that Ian was once again having conflicting feelings toward Lisa. He had done this to her. He had not listened when Zane told him to sever ties with the woman, but he refused on the grounds that she would get over him.

Later in life, Ian tried to cut ties with Lisa, and he thought he had succeeded, but after more than a year, she made her way back to his side, and at that time, he told himself that she deserved a title. Back then, Ian viewed women as all the same, but after he had met Mina, he knew he was wrong.

"Li Lee, Dr. Juan is one of the best. He will only examine you, but it will not be invasive." Lisa felt numb as she nodded. The nickname Li Lee used to fill her with pride, but now it was like a mocking reminder of the past.

----

Lisa and Ian waited together for her blood work results, and when Dr. Juan returned. He did not look happy. He asked Lisa if she was on birth control and she denied it without pause. He then asked her about her diet, and she told him that she had recently started an herbal tea regime.

"Miss Lisa, your blood work shows considerable amounts of the hormones found in birth control. If you are not on the pill, I suggest you stop drinking whatever tea you were given. If your cycle does not return within a month, come back to see me at once." Lisa felt her heart rate quicken. She had been warned not to overdose herself on the herbs she was given or, they could have the opposite effect and she had obviously failed.

----

Mina thought that she would be returning to an uncomfortable and grim work environment, but Director Porter was always so excited to see her that it made her feel as if Jay had exaggerated. The only proof Mina had that her friend's claims were true, was the fact that Jay was no longer on set, and there were not many smiling faces around.

Over the few days since her return, Mina had tried to resuscitate the friendly work environment, but absolutely no one was willing to take the risk. She was sure it had something to do with what happened with Jay, but no one would confirm her suspicions, as if they were too afraid to even speak.

With Chris around, Mina was absolutely useless, and she found herself wandering around aimlessly, trying to see if she could be of help, but there was literally nothing. As a result, Director Porter arranged for her to attend a few promotional gatherings on his behalf.

Mina was in no way interested, but her boss was under the impression that she was a networking expert, who had landed him a project that he had put a bid in to direct weeks prior. Mina was also comforted in the fact that the event was the same one that Cylus had invited her to.

Without delay, Mina called the man and agreed to accompany him, but she made sure he knew that her change of heart was linked to work. Minutes later Mina received a text from Olivia who wanted to confirm her cousin's words. Mina sent a reply of affirmation, and in response, Olivia decided to attend as well.

Mina was aware that Olivia had become antisocial since her experience with Peter and Bastien, and she was happy that she could offer the woman a little comfort as she recovered.

In another text, Mina asked Olivia if she would be bringing a date, and Olivia responded with Jay's name. It was not unusual for unwed women to bring other unwed women as companions and vice versa for men, but for some reason, Mina felt that the two ladies would become the talk of the evening.

Mina was still compiling her response to Olivia when her boss started to read the conversation over her shoulder. He did not comment on what she had been discussing, or what she was typing. Instead, he handed her an invitation to the grand opening ceremony of a studio that had not been named.

"Is this for me?" Mina asked, although it clearly had her name on it.

"That is Miss Lisa's event. She sent the invitation directly to you. It seems that she wants to impress somebody." Mina chuckled awkwardly.

"Mr. Peter is still coming with me, right?" She asked, already guessing that he was no longer invited due to the incident with Olivia.

"That would not be a promising idea, but you don't have to worry. There will be many people in attendance. If Miss Lisa wants her studio to be successful, it would be in her best interest not to try and embarrass you." Director Porter had heard many rumors about Mina circulating, but one that he knew was too specific to be made up, was the one that claimed she took part in a bachelorette auction with a blank card. Knowing Mina, Matthew intuitively felt that if it were true, she had been set up.

"What about Chris?" Mina asked, and she could have sworn she saw her boss roll his eyes.

Mina had heard from Jay that director Porter accused her of having a relationship with Chris many times, and it was easy to see why the man would feel insecure.

Director Matthew Porter was an average man in appearance. He was of average height, of average build and compared to Chris, he was not prize. That was not to say that the man was ugly, but in Mina's opinion, men with darker features were more attractive.

Chris, although only slightly taller than her boss, had a charm about him that made him approachable. He was extremely detail orientated, and when he noticed mistakes, he had a way of getting people to correct them without sounding as if he were being condescending. It was almost as if he and Director Porter were opposites.