Chapter 392: Actress-2

After a surprisingly pleasant conversation with her mother, Mina felt relieved. There was nothing that needed her to quickly throw money at to fix, and her mother was genuinely checking in on her to make sure she was okay. It was a surprise that Mina was not expecting, and she wondered if the old saying were true; everything was perfect before you died.

Mina assured her mother that acting was a hobby she had taken up to make extra money, and her mother warned her about putting too much emphasis on the ends and not the means. It was advice that Mina would have appreciated a few months prior, but right now, it was in one ear and out the other. She let her mother in on her plans to pay off the family home, but she was completely blindsided by the amount of money they owed. While Mina thought it was near $200,000, it was closer to $300,000.

"How?" Mina shouted into the phone.

"Some things in the house went bad, and when we couldn't reach you, we had to lean on your uncle to help. Immediately after he told us that the foundation had to be repaired, the roofing needed to be replaced, and the plumping needed an overhaul." Mina listened to her mother's words with narrowed eyes. Those were the repairs a person made when they were planning to sell a home.

"Did uncle charge you interest on the money he spent?" Mina asked, already knowing the answer to the question.

"Never mind him, he has always been a money minded person, but the important thing was that he was willing to help us."

"Mommy..." Mina sang the word, trying to let her mother know something was wrong.

"Mina, you don't have to caution your mother. I know exactly what your uncle is trying to do. It's your father I can't convince." She knew her mother was right, but the small amount of relief Mina felt before had dissolved.

Although her mother had not specifically called to ask for money, the conversation had come up, and Mina was only at the halfway mark of what was needed. Still, it was crucial information to have, but it was stressful. Mina needed to meet with her uncle soon, otherwise, her parents might find themselves homeless.

----

James dropped Mina off at the Rouge Entertainment headquarters and Cylus met her at the main entrance. There were many attractive men and women walking in and out, and each one of them stared at her, wondering who the woman with their boss was. Cylus personally showed her around, and she was thrilled.

Curious by nature, Mina loved experiencing new things, especially when she felt safe doing so. Although she received strange looks from the people around her, she knew it was because Cylus was a notorious playboy, and they were probably trying to figure out how long she would last.

Mina was still peeking her head into different training rooms, where some people were working on acting, and others were working on singing. The set up was more like an academy than an entertainment headquarters, and Cylus told Mina that it was a requirement for his artists to take enrichment classes when they were not actively working. The class schedules were available months in advance, and anyone signed under the label could register for any class.

Mina darted in the halls and quieted her excited questioning when they reached an area that had red quiet signs. Mina was intrigued, and she wanted to take a look, so Cylus opened the door for her. She tiptoes down the hall, realizing that they had entered the recording wing for singers.

"Do you want to record the demo for my mother? You are already here."

"After we take the photos." Mina said and Cylus nodded. She followed the man into an elevator and to another floor that was literally one huge closet.

"Find anything you want to wear, and I will get someone to work on your hair and makeup. Mina felt her heart leap, she had never seen so many distinctive styles of clothing in one place, and the fact that it was arranged by color made it satisfying to look at.

Mina shot Cylus a wide grin and she began to rummage through the racks and racks of clothing. He found himself laughing at the girl, who he had not noticed before, was picky. She made a face at everything Cylus picked for her to try, and eventually he felt like she was doing it on purpose.

"Mina, why won't you try my suggestions?" He asked.

"It's not every day that I get to pick anything I want," she replied. "So, I want to choose." Sensing that choosing was important to Mina, Cylus left her alone; only giving his opinion on the pieces she picked without criticism.

When Cylus thought he could follow Mina around no more, he hung back and wished that he had chosen his words better. Half of the level they were on had been converted to a wardrobe, and the other half a photography studio.

Usually, models were not allowed into the area where Mina was wandering, but Cylus had allowed her to do it because he had not realized that she would become so indecisive. Eventually, Mina's pace slowed and Cylus caught up to her.

"Do you like it?" He asked, referring to the burgundy lace mermaid dress that Mina was staring at. The woman nodded with her mouth slightly open.

"It's beautiful. Did you make it?" She asked, fully aware of what Cylus was capable of and how talented the man was when it came to designing.

"I did not; my grandmother made it for her coming out party." Mina looked at the man, wanting to hear more of the story. "She met my grandfather in this dress." Mina pouted, knowing that Cylus had skipped the romantic parts she wanted to hear, and the man laughed. "She made the dress herself because at the time, women weren't allowed to or expected to become entrepreneurs. She believed that this dress would be the last thing she would be able to make with her own hands."

At the time when Cylus' grandmother was born, it was more likely that she would be engaged shortly after her coming out party, and from there she would have been expected to make the home, doing nothing more than cooking, cleaning and having children.

It was ironic to Mina; years ago, women fought for the right to take care of themselves, and yet in the current time, there were so many women who wanted to be taken care of that patriarchism was still the governing force in the Pan.

Even Mina's dream was to raise her family while her husband worked, but it was not because she did not want to contribute to society. It was because she wanted to work from home, enjoying watching her children grow inch by inch, much in the way that her parents often told her they wished they could have done.

"Do you want to try it on?" Cylus asked in a deep voice that snapped Mina's eyes away from the gown.

"Can I Mina?" she whispered back. Unsure if what she was doing was proper, improper, normal or not.