Chapter 409: Insecure
Oric could not blame Connor for being interested in Mina, and if he were telling the truth, he was surprised that only Brayden and Bastien had been bold enough to try their luck with the woman, however he felt that would soon change.
When Mina had cooked dinner the night before, she was gone before anyone who ate got to see who had made the meal they were having. When she had come back, she changed into the most unflattering outfit Oric had ever seen her wear. While Mina was beautiful, compared to the scantily dressed women around, she was drowned out, and Oric had a feeling she did it on purpose.
"If Cylus said he doesn't care, I won't stop you, but Mina is different." Connor nodded, because he knew. He had not spent much time with Mina, but he knew she was kind, modest, beautiful and brilliant. In his opinion, her only flaw was how flustered she became. It was not that it made her look ugly, but it made people pay attention to her, and no man wanted a woman they were afraid to lose.
"Are you going to try and patch things up with Willow?" Oric shook his head.
"She won't even talk to me." Connor looked at his friend in pity.
"I told her everything I did and why, but she told me she never cared about people finding out." Oric turned his face to look at Connor who was sitting in a nearby chair. He propped himself up on his elbows as a sign that he wanted his friend to keep talking. "She didn't tell me anything, but there must be something we don't know." Oric had felt that Olivia had overreacted back then, but he was not a fourteen-year-old girl, and he could not place himself in her shoes, so he simply determined her actions to be justified.
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Willow and Olivia teased Mina who had once again padded her body with thick layers of clothing. Willow was scrolling through her phone when she cursed loudly. Olivia jumped, not yet used to Willow's sudden outburst. She scooted her body closer to the woman, hoping to see what the girl was looking at, and Olivia made a noise that made Mina worry.
"What?" she asked, sensing that the women were looking at something serious.
"Someone took a picture of you and my cousin hugging," Olivia said. In truth, the picture did not bother her because she liked Mina, and while Vanya was not bad, Mina was better. Mina quickly made her way to the bed and looked down at the phone.
"Vanya is going to kill me," she said knowingly.
"Just go explain it to her. Tell her the truth." Mina knew that Willow was referring to the idea that she and Cylus were related, but it was a far stretch without proof, and she did not want the woman to use it against her. Something like that was huge, and paternity scandals were a common way to take advantage of the rich.
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Cylus had left the room to make a few emergency calls. He had been notified about a photo of him and Mina spreading on social media, and he wanted to have it taken care of before Vanya could make a big deal about it. More than that, he did not want people to think Mina was the kind of person she was being made to appear.
When Cylus had hugged Mina after finding her, it was not love or passion that drove him, but it was fear; fear that he had lost someone who had been nothing but kind to him. Mina was always honest and most importantly, she knew about his indiscretions, and did not judge him for it or utter a word to anyone else. She was a rare breed of person who did not see people as tools she could gain from, and Cylus owed it to Mina, to help clear her name while she was still relatively unknown.
In the absences of Cylus, Bastien approached Vanya, and showed her the photos of Cylus and Mina. He told her that he had seen Mina sneak into Cylus' room late in the evening and offered to help her push Mina out of the picture, claiming that he knew that the woman was using Cylus and Olivia for success. Insecure, Vanya agreed, but Bastien had his own conditions.
When Cylus returned to the room, Vanya did not look good and he assumed she had seen the photos before he could have them disputed. He went to explain but Vanya cut him off, telling him that she trusted him, when in reality, she believed Bastien's words because she did not believe Mina was all that people made her out to be.
"If you want me to feel better kiss me," Vanya said. "Kiss me right here, where everyone can see us." She knew there was a chance Cylus would refuse, because Pan was a conservative country, and he would be risking a lot by putting his private life on display, but contrary to her belief, Cylus leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Better?" He questioned, his face still close to hers. Vanya reached out and held his hand, pulling it into her lap before speaking again.
"Is this real?" She asked in a whisper, and Cylus pulled her in close.
"It is," he said, as he kissed her again.
Cylus did not care who was looking because Vanya belonged to him, and he was making it clear that she was the woman he was with. Anyone who was interested needed to take a step back, and anyone who assumed he was with Mina needed to realign their thinking. What Cylus had failed to consider was what he was telling others about the woman he had invited.
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Bastien had taken several photos of Vanya and Cylus, and although her face could not be seen it was clear to him who was in the photos. He sent them to one of his tabloid sources and instructed the person to distribute the images.
Not being a detailed oriented person, Bastien did not realize that people would mistake the woman in the pictures for Mina, who had already been captured intimately hugging the man. All Bastien cared about was how Vanya agreed to help him get Olivia alone so he could 'confess' his love for her.
It was easy for Bastien to convince Vanya that he had been too afraid to say anything to Olivia because Cylus was overprotective of the girl. The jealous idiot agreed without taking time to consider that Bastien and Olivia had been alone with one another several times, and if he wanted to confess, he had many opportunities to do so. Satisfied with himself, Bastien rejoined the guests, a sense of glee overtaking him.
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Mina, Willow, and Olivia had somehow managed to hijack the women at the cabin again. They played outside in the freshly fallen snow, with absolutely no men around. After a while, a staff member came and helped the women light the bonfire. They sat outdoors roasting marshmallows and other finger foods, while they discussed what they would wear for Connor's actual birthday party the next day.
Mina let it slip from her lips that she had not brought any party clothing. When she had been invited to go camping, she packed warm and comfortable clothes, things like thick sweaters and insulated pants. Willow chimed in by saying that she also had nothing to wear.
Having been invited by Mina, she only packed basic clothing items as well. The women around exchanged looks and paraded both ladies inside, pulling out 'spare' dresses they had brought, as most of them had already settled on an outfit for the event.