Chapter 378: To Better Choices

Ian took one look in the direction his friend was pointing to and felt his blood boil. He did not have to see the woman's face to know who she was, he had stared at that body long enough to know who it belonged to; it was Mina. He had dreamed about her, he had held her in his arms, and he had seen her with nothing covering her persons.

Ian was not angry that Mina was at the event, he was angry with the attention she was getting from others. The black dress she was wearing wrapped her body so closely that Ian could clearly see how perfect her figure was. To Ian, it did little to hide what had been his before he threw it away, but that did not mean he wanted others to see. He had once felt that way about the white dress she wore to a charity event, but for some reason, the one she was wearing now seemed worse.

"What the f*ck is she wearing?" Ian asked more to himself than Zane. Zane looked at his friend's expression and realized that his anger could only mean one thing; the woman he pointed out was Mina.

Ian took a few aggressive steps forward with the drinks he had ordered still in his hands, but Zane stopped him. He reminded Ian who he came with and what Mina did for a living. Only then did the man calm down, but that did not stop him from moving closer.

It was only then that Ian saw Cylus return to Mina's side, eliciting a smile from the woman. Ian could only see her side profile, but it was enough to make his heart flutter. He made his way up to the couple and cleared his throat, making Mina turn around in one swift motion. He forgot all about why he had approached and found himself staring dumbly.

"You look stunning," Ian allowed to escape from his lips before his brain could process the implications. Mina's face turned bright red and she shifted slightly behind Cylus. He looked angered by the statement and Ian could not blame him.

"President Lee, are you here with your girlfriend?" Cylus asked mockingly. He was aware that Lisa had been invited to the event, so Cylus knew that could be the only reason a man as reclusive as Ian Lee would attend an entertainment gala.

Ian did not respond to Cylus' question. Instead, he cast him a warning glare that carried a promise. For the sake of Mina, Ian had not done anything to Cylus Rue or Rouge Entertainment, but if provoked, he had no qualms about retaliation. Even if it negatively affected Lisa, the man had been begging for it from the moment he showed up at Ian's home looking for a woman that he had no business in finding.

"I should go find Lisa," Ian corrected. He hoped that Mina had caught his meaning because he was sure that Cylus did. "Mina, you really do look breathtaking," Ian said with a slight bow, earning him a whisper of a thank you in response. He smiled and walked away.

----

Mina found herself reeling over her interaction with President Lee. He had complimented her, but it did not seem fake, it seemed more like he was surprised she could look decent. While being complimented by her idol would have been noteworthy to Mina in the past, it now felt wrong, especially because she believed the man was being sarcastic.

Mina also could not help but to feel like the animosity between President Lee and Cylus had increased to a point that was becoming dangerous. She questioned Cylus about it, but he denied their feud had anything to do with her. Still, Mina was unconvinced.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Worry was written all over her beautiful face, and in keeping with the trend of confiding in one another, Cylus told the truth.

"Lisa and I have a past, but I'm not sure if he knows all the details." Mina nodded in understanding and she affectionately tapped his shoulder.

"You were lucky," she said to the man, and she meant every word. "Lisa is not-"

"She wasn't always like that," Cylus interrupted.

"From what I have been told, she was." Mina stepped closer to Cylus and nudged him with her shoulder. "It's okay to have had your eye on the wrong person. I've done it too." Cylus smirked.

"President Lee?" he questioned as a joke, but Mina nodded.

"Before I met him, I used to think there could be no one better, but now that I know him…" Mina did not need to continue her sentence because what she was going to say was obvious. "Do you know that he kicked me out of his car in the middle of nowhere?" She asked, trying to put herself down to raise the man up, the way her sister used to do for her, but Mina failed.

"He did what?" Cylus nearly shouted, and Mina placed her small fingers over his lips, silencing him.

"Relax," she said with a laugh. "I took his keys and threw them. If I had to walk, so did he." Cylus smiled from behind Mina's fingers. He was glad that the woman had stood up for herself in that situation. He picked up two glasses of champagne from a serving table and handed one to Mina."

"A toast to a better future?" he asked, knowing that Mina was a poor drinker and preferred not to drink. He was surprised when the woman extended her hand to clink glasses.

"To better choices," Mina said. Although Cylus was referring to their personal life, Mina was referring to life in general.

----

Lisa spotted Ian returning to her and she smiled brightly. She had been worried that he had ducked away with a random woman, but once she saw the line at the bar, she realized that people, like Ian, were preferring to order drinks rather than to pick up the pre-poured glasses that were readily available.

"I thought you got lost," Lisa said cutely, and she was rewarded with a sexy smirk.

"Better to be safe," he said as he handed Lisa one of the glasses in his hands. It had been months since Lisa had a drink and she told herself she was going to enjoy the evening. She took a small sip, trying to get a gauge of the alcohol, and when she found the contents to be relatively sweet, she took another confident drink.

Ian extended his elbow to Lisa and she linked her arm in his, feeling as though he just needed to experience other women before he realized she was the best choice for him. The pair were making their way toward a nearby table when Lisa overheard a conversation that she was happy was happening without her instigation.

"Who is that woman with CEO Rue? I haven't seen her around."

"Her name is Mina Harlow. She is a low budget actress. I heard she got a small role in exchange for sleeping with Director Porter and Director Twan."

"Both?"

"At the same time," the woman said. She was the same woman who Cylus had seen earlier, and she had unknowingly sabotaged her career in the name of jealousy.

"How do you know?" The other woman asked skeptically.

"Mary told me. She said that she caught them red handed." The woman who was listening gasped, then chuckled.

'How bad does an actress have to be to prostitute herself for a low budget role?' She thought.