Chapter 455: Mistaken

Ian watched Mina walk into the parlor and had to breathe slowly to stop his heart from racing. She was beautiful no matter what she wore, but the simplicity of what she had on brought out her natural beauty in a way that made it hard for Ian to look away. He had intended to introduce her to his cousin in a casual setting, but suddenly Zane's warning made sense to him.

Ian knew there was no way Cameron would not find Mina at least a little attractive, and although his cousin held an image of an upstanding single man who was looking for the right woman; Ian knew the man was anything but. Cameron Lee and Cade Staton had made history as the only bachelors to be voted into a political office. It was a strategic move on the part of the Lee family, who needed a strong female turnout to secure the presidency.

They played up the Cinderella story around the country, making single women everywhere believe that they had a chance at becoming the president or vice president's wife. That did not mean the men were not qualified, because they were, but their number had been called early because the election year was projected to be a tough one.

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When Zane entered the room, Ian could tell something was wrong at once, and he could not believe when his friend told him that Luna and Lisa were waiting in the foyer of his home. Ian's immediate thought was to send them away, but his sister had only just stopped moping around the Lee estate, and it was his nan who had suggested for her to join Ian for dinner.

As far as Lisa went, Ian was sure the woman had been with or around Luna at the time of the invitation, and so she tagged along, likely wanting to know why Ian had not invited her. It had not even been a full minute since the woman entered the room, and one of the first things she did was throw a jab at Mina, who Ian noticed was struggling to rebound.

Fortunately, Zane came to Mina's rescue, and Lisa began to bicker with him, giving Mina the opportunity to step away from the trio, and find her own space to occupy. Ian could tell that Mina's mood had plummeted with Lisa's comment, and he wondered if he should have invited at least one of her friends to dinner.

It was then that Ian realized his plan was already on the road to failure, and he started to move towards Mina, wanting to apologize in advance. Just as he got close enough to talk to her, a loud voice boomed throughout the room. Ian smiled knowing exactly who it was, he had extended an invitation to Drax, but the man's attendance was uncertain until that very moment.

Ian heard Mina gasp and his attention was once again pulled in her direction. She was looking at Drax as if she were watching an animal in a zoo. It made sense to Ian, Drax was an extremely tall man with a muscular build who made people of average height appear short. Mina was still staring with wide eyes when Drax approached her. Unlike how she reacted with other men, she kept staring without a word. He took Mina's hand and she let out an audible 'wow' as she looked at how tiny her hand appeared in his.

"My name is Drax Staton, and you must be Miss Lisa," Drax said as he kissed the back of Mina's hand, and she instantly withdrew it.

"Oh sh!t," Zane said in a mumble, making Mina realize the seriousness of the mistake.

"I'm sorry sir, but you flatter me. Miss Lisa is over there," Mina bowed her head in a humble gesture as she took a few steps backward revealing the glaring Lisa to the man.

Drax did not even miss a beat, he walked up to Lisa and repeated the same greeting. He then explained that because he had never met her, he took a fifty-fifty guess. He then joked about how she needed to come around more often, and it was then that Ian stopped his friend, who was making the situation worse.

Ian looked over at Mina, thinking she would be offended, but she was once again staring, not at Drax but at Mills. He watched her mouth the word 'beautiful,' as Drax took Mills' hand in his, bringing it up to his lips in a way that made Mina blush. Seeing that she could not take her eyes off of him, Drax properly introduced himself to Mina, who once again bowed in greeting. Mills was not from Pan, and although the languages of Pan and Sani were similar, the cultural differences were vast, and she felt like Drax was belittling the woman.

"Don't treat her that way," Mills said, and Mina cupped her cheeks. Mills' accent was beautiful to Mina, unlike her own country accent which she had worked hard to correct the minute she realized she had one.

"I'm not treating her rudely. That is the culture here." Mills pouted and Drax pulled her in for a hug before planting a kiss on the top of her head. Mina turned away, not wanting to be rude by staring at the beautiful couple.

"Do you not speak?" The woman asked. "I am Mills Baker." She extended her hand to Mina who timidly shook it before whispering her own name. She was intimidated by the woman in front of her, but she could not understand why. "Isn't she beautiful?" Mills asked, and Mina heard Drax respond.

"She is," he said, and for a second Mina thought Mills would be offended but she instead smiled.

"Is President Lee your-" Zane cleared his throat to interrupt. Mills was speaking loud enough for everyone to hear, and he knew Drax had already stirred the pot, and Mills was threatening to tip it over.

"Should we go into the dining room?" He asked, and everyone agreed.

Mina walked slowly and Zane fell in pace beside her. He tried to ease her mind regarding Drax's mistake, but it was no use. Mina had seen the way Lisa looked at her, and she knew the woman was offended. Even though the man had explained, it was not enough to make Lisa stop glaring at her and Mina knew why. Aside from Luna, there were two women in the room, Drax should have asked, instead he assumed, and the reason he assumed incorrectly was what Mina knew Lisa was angry about.

By the time Mina and Zane made it into the dining room, President Lee was already standing at the head of the table. There was staff still working to expand it, which confused Mina. She could tell that two more place settings had been added, and she incorrectly assumed it was to accommodate Drax and Mills. She watched Lisa take the spot to the right of President Lee, and Luna take the spot closest to Lisa. Zane had already chosen a seat, which left Mina no choice but to either sit next to Luna or the spot closest to President Lee. Wanting to stay close to Zane, she chose the latter.

"This is interesting," said Drax, who was making eye contact with President Lee, who remained silent as his friend stared at him.

"Are we waiting for someone?" Luna asked her brother. Small talk went around the table when Ian was vague with his response, but then a voice that Mina recognized started to reverberate around the room.

"Sorry I'm late!" Shouted President Cameron Lee. Zane, Drax and Ian stood at attention, and the women followed suit. "Sit, sit. This is a casual dinner. Tonight, I am just cousin Cam." Mina cut her eyes toward Zane, who she could feel was looking at her.

"What is going on?" she mouthed.