Chapter 440: 'Maybe' Sister

Despite the late hour, Cylus had not left Mina's apartment. He wanted to hear everything about her life; the good and the bad. After seeing the photo of Sadie, he had no doubt in his mind that Mina was his sister, and a part of him wanted to take the risk and confirm it, but Mina had too many enemies.

Cylus hated that for most of Mina's life she lived in fear of other people, and when she told him about the man who had stalked and harassed her before she came to Scal, he felt like he owed it to Mina to make sure she never felt so helpless again.

"I feel like I owe you twenty-four years," Cylus said and Mina winced.

"About that," she said scratching the back of her head. "My family uses the life calendar." Cylus looked confused, but he was familiar with the practice. His maternal line also followed the life calendar until his mother married his father, and it only added to the connections that Cylus was beginning to make between his mother and Mina's father. "I am legally twenty-two." Cylus tilted his head to the side because he was beginning to dislike Mina's parents.

"You moved out at fourteen?" Cylus could not imagine it. Olivia was fourteen when she had come to live with his family, and he could not picture her out on her own. Cylus knew that Mina was smart, maybe even genius, but to him, she was just a little girl when her parents let her leave. "I cannot even explain to you how angry that makes me."

"I was in more danger at home, and nothing ever happened to me until-" Mina cut her words off because Cylus was already burgundy.

"I will f*cking kill him," he shouted as he stood, and Mina cowered from the sudden outburst. "What is wrong with you?" Cylus asked. He noticed that Mina had been behaving abnormally from the moment he dropped off her bag, and although she had started showing some emotion again, something was not right.

"I'm scared," she confessed, and Cylus thought back to her trashed apartment. He had not asked about it, because he was afraid she would not answer, but now that she was his sister, he felt like he had weight to throw around.

"Mina, was it President Lee who made all the mess from earlier?" Mina nodded making Cylus' nostril flare. "What was he looking for?" Mina flashed a fake smile.

"I kind of lost him millions of dollars," she lied. Mina needed to give Cylus an understandable reason so that he would not do anything stupid on her behalf.

Cylus knew Mina was into finance, and that she was a triple master's degree holder from a prestigious university. He was silently praying that she was exaggerating, because a mistake like that could be deadly when it involved someone from the Lee family.

"On purpose?" He asked anxiously.

"I arranged it, but I already fixed it." Cylus felt relief rush into him. He could not imagine either of his parents allowing him to give the Lee family millions for his 'maybe' sister. There was no proof she was his mother's daughter, but his grandmother had no other children, and the facts kept lining up.

Male children were so coveted in Pan that if his mother gave birth to a son, Cylus could see his father accepting responsibility, even if he had doubts. However, a daughter would mean nothing. If Mina's father made any sort of noise, it was possible that something was worked out to pacify the man.

Cylus' parents were always rumored to be in a loveless relationship, and truthfully it was why he insisted on marrying the woman he chose; he did not want to end up in a marriage of convenience. It was highly probable that either of them were having an affair, and the fact that they had no other children lent to the idea that they did not even touch one another.

Mina had already confessed that her mother treated her differently than she treated her sister, and to Cylus it was another push in the direction that Mina was not the woman's biological child. The issue was if Cylus' mother knew, because his grandmother seemed to be able to notice it right away.

"I want you to spend more time with gran," Cylus blurted out, and Mina felt apprehension. She did not know if she was ready to fully commit to a new family, because to her, it meant a new set of problems.

"I will try," she replied as an excuse that Cylus saw right through.

"Also, you cannot tell Olivia. She is my father's niece, and while I do not think she would say anything, I can't be sure." Mina understood that, but she had no plans to tell anyone ever. She would take their assumption to her grave and if it revealed itself after her death, it would have nothing to do with her.

----

It was early, and Olivia awoke to the light snoring of a person deep in sleep. She sat up slowly, feeling soreness in the part of her body that Peter had thoroughly explored. She crept out of the bed and toward the restroom, where she cleaned herself up before checking her phone.

[Introduction party planning for Mina today at 8AM.]

Olivia panicked after reading the text from Willow, who she planned to use as her cover story. Fortunately, she had packed clothing for work with her, and Peter seemed to be a heavy sleeper, so she was able to shower without waking him. She quickly dressed and left his apartment in silence.

Olivia made it to the address sent to her half hour after the said time, which was not bad considering that she was always late. She walked into the building and noticed that her ankle did not feel as bad as it had the day before.

"Finally," Willow shouted. "I need your help. I managed to convince Wayvair to allow me to handle the event decor, but I have no idea what I am doing." Olivia looked around the hall and realized they were at a party rental showroom.

"Is Mina okay with this?" Olivia could tell from the things Willow was looking at that it was not to Mina's taste at all.

"She said we could do whatever we want. Wayvair is paying for it, and you have no idea what that school did to her."

"Just me and you?" Olivia asked, wanting to make sure that she was correct in her assumption that other people were involved.

"Connor is around here somewhere."

"Connor too?" Olivia questioned.

"Yup. He said he refuses to let his future wife's party be anything less than she deserves." Olivia burst into laughter because those words coming from Connor were beyond odd.

"Does he not know that marriage requires mutual consent?" Willow shrugged.

"Who says Mina wouldn't agree?" Olivia found herself staring at Willow who smiled at the girl's thoughtful expression. "Mina is a good girl, but that does not mean she wants her husband to be the same. She just wants someone faithful, who loves and respects her."

"You think Connor could be faithful to Mina?" Olivia asked skeptically.

"Absolutely," Connor said. He had walked into the room just in time to hear Olivia's question, and he could not blame her for it. Connor showed Willow a fabric sample that he was holding before continuing to answer Olivia's question. "Just because I don't hold out does not mean I can't."

Olivia stopped talking because Connor's words were worrying her. She had never seen the man put any effort into any woman, and the fact that he was picking out party decorations for Mina spoke volumes. The problem was that he was not the only man with strong feelings toward Mina, and she could see the so-called 'coming out' party going bad fast.