Chapter 417: Breakthrough

Cylus leaned against the closed door trying to coax his girlfriend out of the bathroom. He knocked lightly reminding the woman that Mina grew up in a poor household and learned to cook at an early age. He tried to tell her that it was not a contest, but Vanya found his words irritating, because to her, it was. She had overheard some of Connor's friends saying that Cylus was dumb for choosing her over Mina, and when she had made breakfast, she did so with the intention of winning people over, but she lost to Mina in that regard as well.

"You aren't acting like yourself," Cylus said through the doors, unsure if he was right or not. For as long as he knew Vanya, he had never seen her behave in such an irrational manner, but he had also not spent much time with her outside of a bed.

"She did that on purpose," Vanya whined, and Cylus found himself pinching the space between his brows.

"Are you trying to tell me that Mina knew you were going to accidentally add too much salt?" Vanya opened the bathroom door and looked at Cylus remorsefully.

"When you put it like that it does sound ridiculous," She paused, gathering her thoughts. "How could she even eat it?" Cylus shrugged.

"You would have to ask her." Cylus pulled Vanya into his chest and showered her neck in kisses. "Should we have some fun before the party tonight?" He had been spending most of his time with Vanya and little with his friends, and although she was unaware, they were beginning to dislike her newfound clingy behavior. He wanted to show them that things would not change, without making Vanya feel neglected.

----

Mina stared through the gaps of her fingers as Connor, Oric and Brayden treated Vanya's meal as a science experiment. They kept asking people to try the food without adjustments, then they would add honey and have the same person try it again. While the men may have seen their actions as one big game, Mina saw it as disrespectful, and she felt she should leave before she got pulled into the middle and Vanya tried to hit her again.

Unfortunately, Mina standing pulled the attention back towards her and Connor credited her with discovering the meal hack. All the men seemed to think it was some huge scientific breakthrough, but to Mina it was not anything new at all.

"Over salting is a common mistake. When I first started cooking, I over salted a few times, and my mother taught me to use honey or brown sugar to help cut down on the salty flavor." Mina meant for her words to kill the excitement, but instead Oric rushed to where the materials to make tea were kept and pulled out brown sugar. Mina shook her head knowing exactly what they were planning to do.

"Why do you know that?" One of the men Mina had not been introduced to asked.

"I started cooking when I was ten," Mina said, remembering to adjust her age a year back, as she had decided to abandon the life calendar for the time being.

"Why so early?" Brayden asked, still fascinated by the beautiful girl.

"I had to help my family."

"Where were the maids?" another man asked. Mina considered whether or not she should tell the truth; she was not embarrassed by her upbringing, but she knew people looked down on her because of it. Phrasing her words carefully, Mina replied.

"I'm not from an upper-class family, we did not have maids." Oric and Connor were well aware of Mina's humble background, but they did not know much else about her.

"How old are you?" Oric suddenly had the urge to ask.

"I am twenty-two." Connor's eyes widened.

"Wait, wait, wait. You told us you were going to be twenty-four when we first met."

"My family uses the life calendar, but it's been causing some confusion that I rather avoid, so I have chosen not to use it anymore."

"Does Cylus know?" Mina shrugged because her true age had not ever been brought up by the man.

"He might."

"Then, how old were you when you first attended Wayvair?" Oric asked, feeling as though the information would poke holes in a story that he was finding hard to believe.

"She was fourteen," said Willow who entered the kitchen dressed in oversized pajamas that clearly belonged to a man.

"What the f*ck are you wearing?" Oric demanded, forgetting all about Mina, and more upset that Willow had abandoned all sense of propriety by showing her face in a man's clothing.

"Clothes," Willow replied sarcastically. "They were a gift for my father, but they were too small, so I kept them. Jealous?" Willow asked, knowing that Oric had assumed just like the idiot that he was.

"No, you just look ridiculous," the man said, trying to salvage his dignity. He turned his attention back to Mina, as Connor showed Willow the 'breakfast trick'.

----

Evening came quickly for Mina, who like Willow and Olivia had chosen to go for a long walk before coming back to nap ahead of Connor's birthday party. When they awoke, they first went to the kitchen which was still deserted because models and actresses did not eat before events that required them to look their best. Mina felt bad cooking for just the three of them, so she once again made an easy pasta meal that both women helped her prepare.

After eating, the women decided to check out the main hall that had been decorated for the party and they were shocked to see how the room had been transformed. What used to be a rustic looking open space, was now a dance hall. The fireplaces and walls had been covered by large faux brick panels, and the floors now featured white tiles, that Mina was sure worked like puzzle pieces. The transformation reminded her of Cylus' bar, and she found herself worried about the kind of people who would attend.

"What kind of party is this supposed to be?" Mina asked, and Willow laughed at her friend.

"The kind you have never been to," Willow teased. "Stay close to me or Olivia tonight." Mina nodded vigorously. She did not need the warning, but it was good to have gotten it.

----

Olivia's room became the changing area for the three women, not just because they did not want to make her carry her things to their room, but because she had the makeup. Willow was dead set on turning heads, while Olivia just wanted to look decent in her flats. Mina had no idea what to do, so she opted to just pull her hair into a high pony and used Olivia's curling iron to add waves to the end.

When Mina decided that her hair looked good enough, she put on mascara and a bit of eyeliner. Mina was not shy in front of other women, so she stripped down to her underwear, and started to put on the dress she borrowed.

"Why are you putting it on backwards?" Olivia had been staring at Mina from the moment the woman's clothing came off, and she found herself pitying Cylus. Mina looked down, shifted the fabric and pulled up the sleeves in horror.

"I'm not going," she said flatly, and Willow, who was turning herself into a sultry goddess, turned to look at Mina with a gaping mouth.

"Sh*t Mina, I thought you said you wanted to blend in." Willow had begun to circle her friend; whose black dress featured a plunging neckline. She had always found Mina's body idealistic, but it was one of the first times she had seen her friend letting it all hang out; literally.