Chapter 453: Back

Mina found herself in President Lee's office with a secure laptop sitting in front of her. The 'Arlo' account she had handed over to President Lee was doing well, and her investments were growing in the way she had predicted, but he still wanted her to review the charts and make changes if needed. She did not want to do anything for the man who had made her believe she had limited time, and Mina told herself that she would force his hand if she had to. She pushed the laptop away, refusing to work until she was given the cash she was promised.

"I cannot just produce $500,000 in cash. It'll raise flags." Ian was well off, but for the security of the rich, large cash withdrawals were automatically flagged to governmental law enforcement. It was meant to deter families from trying to negotiate ransoms on their own, but it also tracked large sums of money moving in and out of the country.

"and keeping a person locked in a room for three weeks wouldn't?"

"Can you stop bringing that up? Put yourself in my shoes for once." Mina's mouth hung open as if President Lee's words had slapped her. She did not even bother to answer before she walked away from the man.

It was late into the night, or early into the morning depending on how one looked at things, and all Mina wanted to do was sleep. She had to work in the morning, and she still needed to replace her phone. Like a zombie she stepped into the lift of the Lee building, but before she could push any of the buttons, President Lee used his VIP key to make the elevator go straight to the ground level.

----

Mina found herself back in the guest bedroom of President Lee's mansion. It had been several days since she had been brought to the man's home, but she had not spoken to him since entering. She had tried to go to work the very first day and was stopped by guards at every door. Zane had come to visit her once, and he claimed to be trying to talk to his friend, but Mina did not know if she could trust him anymore.

The only plus side was that Mina could wander the house freely. She searched for staff all over the mansion, but the only other person around was chef Tan, who looked as bored as Mina felt. The two women chatted about random things, but eventually they ran out of topics and started to experiment with cooking.

Mina was no good at baking, but it was mostly because she rarely did. Chef Tan on the other hand was also trained as a pastry chef, and she showed Mina how to make an 'anything' cake. Basically, the starting ingredients were all the same, but the add ins were different. According to chef Tan, once you perfected the base, everything else would follow.

Mina looked depressed as she mixed the ingredients and chef Tan was worried about Mina's reaction toward baking. She had only mentioned the idea because her boss had instructed her to make something that Mina would like. The woman's birthday was approaching, and he was planning to surprise her, but so far Mina was indifferent to even the idea of celebrating herself.

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Zane sat in Ian's office, wondering what his friend was thinking by not allowing Mina to leave his mansion. The two men had argued over it so many times, that Ian eventually blocked Zane from entering his home, and the man refused to give Mina a device to communicate with the outside world. Now that Mina's birthday was just one night away, Zane hoped his friend would cut the woman some slack, but there was no change.

"If I let her leave now, she will never come back," Ian said. He had been scared that Mina was going to disappear since she found out that he was not planning to kill her. He just wanted to show her his sincerity by fulfilling some of the things she had told him she always wanted to do.

Ian told Zane that when he and Mina were back in that hotel room, she told him things she always dreamed of doing. They were all mundane activities that he could have done for her at any time, but Ian wanted them to be special. The most difficult thing to coordinate was introducing Mina to his cousin, the President of Pan.

"So, you are holding Mina hostage to introduce her to your cousin?" Ian shook his head.

"She is not a hostage. If she would just talk to me, I would not be afraid to let her leave." Zane knew his friend was lying. Mina was like a drug to Ian, and no matter how many times he said he was going to quit, he never did.

"Whatever, but what do you think will come out of you introducing the woman you are obsessed with to the most eligible bachelor in the country."

"First, I am not obsessed, I just don't like that Mina and I have such a complicated relationship and I want to fix it, and second, Mina is not that type of woman."

"And you know this how? Did she tell you why she wanted to meet him? Maybe she had a crush on him too." Ian glared at his friend, but he would not allow the man's words to thwart his plans.

"It's just one dinner. You and I will be there, so it's not like I'm setting them up on a date." Zane shook his head.

"You are really an idiot if you think your cousin won't find interest in Mina."

"Are you done?" Ian asked, sensing that his friend was trying to convince him to let Mina go by not encouraging his plan to make her happy. Zane did not respond; he just slapped his palms on his knees and left, leaving Ian to wonder if he was right.

That night Ian returned to a quiet home. There was no staff, and only the guards who oversaw Mina were around. Instead of going straight to his study, he went to Mina's room, where he found the woman sitting in her usual spot. She did not look up at him, nor did she say a word before she stormed away.

Ian was fine with that reaction, it was more than she had given him in the last few days, and he wondered if she would be okay by the time her birthday rolled around. He had not told her, but he had been answering her incoming texts, telling her friends that she was busy with work. Since they were all engaged with celebratory preparations for Mina of their own, they did not question why she could only text. The only person who seemed to think it was unusual was Willow West, who called relentlessly, no matter what Ian replied.

----

Mina was starting to settle into the feeling of being unable to come and go as she pleased. She no longer felt like a prisoner and had started to feel more like a recluse. She found that she could go into the backyard for fresh air, and despite the cold, she had spent hours sitting in the grass.

When dinner time rolled around, chef Tan came to fetch Mina personally, and the woman made her way inside, only to be startled by the sight of President Lee at the table. She ignored him as she ate, and when she was done, she stood to leave. The man called out to her, and Mina rolled her eyes, but could not think of a way to avoid responding.

"And after I talk to this person, will you let me leave?" Mina could see President Lee nod through her peripheral vision. Without another word, she left.