Chapter 376: Owning It

Cylus waited in front of Mina's apartment complex. He could not understand why the woman had asked him not to come up, and he wrongly assumed it had something to do with President Lee.

As Cylus and Mina became closer, she confided in him, and one thing he knew for certain was that Mina and President Lee were not on truly friendly terms. For whatever reason, Mina was tied to the man, but she spoke as though the bindings would loosen with time.

Cylus had thought himself into a worry, and he went to call Mina again, but something glistened in the fading sunlight that caught his attention. The woman, who was making her way out of the complex gates, was not just beautiful, she was tempting. He watched her reach into a small black clutch and pull out a device.

"Hello," Mina said into the phone that Cylus had forgotten to hang up. "I don't see you," she continued when she did not get a response.

Cylus got out of his car, no longer needing to confirm that the woman he was looking at was Mina. He practically ran up to her in greeting, and he could tell she was taken by surprise. She questioned if he had waited for long, mistaking his haste as rush, but in reality Cylus was jealous.

Mina lived in a busy area with lots of foot traffic, and people were staring at her. Not just men, and not just passersby; even the gate security was staring at the woman, although she remained oblivious to it. She had been too distracted with looking for him.

"Mina, when I said I liked you as a person, I did not mean that I could not see you," Cylus said and Mina turned red. "Are you trying to torture me?" He asked in a whisper. He had taken Mina's hand and lightly brushed his lips across the dorsal, not wanting to intimidate her. Cylus had told the truth when he told Mina that he liked her as a person, but he was not blind.

Mina stared back at Cylus feeling conflicted over his words. She knew they were a compliment, but he was also telling her that he had not given up on the idea of them as a couple. In any other situation, with any other man, Mina would have felt pressured to cancel, but Cylus' words had another meaning; he was telling her that he respected her enough to set his desires aside for her comfort.

Still holding Mina's hand, Cylus gestured for her to make his way to his car, which she did not recognize because he had changed it. He still could not take his eyes off the woman who was wearing heavier makeup than he had seen previously, but it did not look like she was trying too hard. It just took her beauty to a level that he knew existed but had failed to capture in his imagination.

"I made the dress you are wearing," he said as he guided Mina to his car. Cylus opened the door and saw to it that she did not hit her head as she made her way inside.

"It's beautiful," Mina replied meekly. Cylus closed the door with a smile. He was absolutely positive he was going to outdo all the men at the event with Mina by his side.

----

When the pair pulled up at the Venue, Mina took more than three calming breaths, making Cylus chuckle. He assured her that she looked amazing, and not at all like a vixen like she said every time she caught sight of her reflection in the side view mirror.

Cylus usually found it annoying when women fished for compliments, but he was almost certain that Mina was not. She genuinely found her appearance over the top, while he found it alluring. Cylus made a mental note to thank his mother for unknowingly helping him.

Mina glanced out of the window and turned to look at Cylus with shock written all over her face. There was a literal red carpet and photographers of either side of it. She had been under the impression that the event was a small-scale gala, with just over one hundred participants, but she now realized that it was selective.

Cylus got out of his car, and before the valet could open the door for Mina, he glared at the man, warning him not to steal the opportunity from him. Mina was still inside readying herself for the stares she was about to receive. When Cylus opened the door, he noticed her unease at once.

"I will let you walk ahead of me," he said, thinking that Mina was embarrassed to be seen with him, but she grabbed on to his wrist and shook her head.

"Please don't," she begged, and it was then that he remembered that Mina disliked being stared at.

"The dress you are wearing; it's unreleased in my exclusive wear line. If you walk this carpet with confidence, I will consider it as three of the five full face photos you owe me." Mina's eyebrows arched comically, and Cylus chuckled. There was something so familiar about the woman that he could not help but to feel like he had known her forever.

----

Mina took a deep breath and surveyed the red carpet one last time. Cylus told her that it would be tacky for him to walk beside her while she was advertising him, meaning that she had to walk alone.

Mina could see how Cylus being next to her could come off as shameless self-promotion. So, she straightened her back and took confident steps forward, wanting to make sure Cylus' dress was captured well.

As she walked, men and women called out to her asking for her name, and the designer of her gown. Mina had seen events of the same nature on television, and she stopped to pose the way Willow had shown her earlier.

Still trying to do her best for Cylus, Mina answered all the questions that were tossed her way. One particularly funny woman asked her if men were too afraid to accompany her and Mina giggled out her response.

"Some people can't handle a challenge," she said. It was a line from her role as Madison, but since the web series had yet to be released, only Mina was aware.

Mina finally made her way inside of the venue and out of the view of the cameras, where she took several steadying breaths. She felt her whole body tingling from the adrenaline rush she received, and she was proud of herself for 'owning' the look.

Mina felt a hand on her lower back and jumped, not realizing it was Cylus, who had either rushed through the red carpet or did not stop to answer any questions. Mina assumed the latter, knowing that the man would not want her to wait for him.

"You look amazing," he said, looking down at her as if she were the most precious person in the room. Mina averted her gaze, but Cylus used his thumb and forefinger to make her look him in the eye. "Stay close to me tonight; okay?" Mina nodded, seeing that the man had something hidden in his eyes; something she could not place.

Cylus and Mina Linked arms and made their way further into the venue, which Mina was shocked to see was not as grand as the charity event. When Mina questioned Cylus about it, he told her that the decorators of his event donated their time and all the resources. He did not have to explain further, because Mina knew that under the laws of their country, charitable contributions over a certain amount counted as double payment of taxes.