Chapter 485: One Percent

In the love or lie - couple compatibility booth, Ian, Mina, Drax and Mills had just seen a couple nearly break up before the man was able to convince the woman that the operator was only trying to squeeze more money out of him. The woman accepted it as truth and hugged her boyfriend before scolding the operator and leaving in her boyfriend's embrace. The operator said something in Bali to another man in the booth, who Ian was sure was a guard, before turning his attention to Drax and Mills.

Ian had noticed and already confirmed the operator's credentials, and he was sure the man had given correct results, but he allowed his name to be sullied to avoid an issue. The vendor first discussed pricing before introducing himself as Linus, and after laughing at his name, Mills picked the deluxe package, where she could create or choose from up to fifty questions.

After Linus strapped Drax to the machine, he used the basic details page from Drax's travel document to get base readings for the man. First asking him to answer yes to all the questions, then no to the same questions repeated. Ian and Mina were extremely familiar with the process, as it served as a dark reminder of how their relationship began; captor and captive.

Mills finished with her questions and she handed them over to Linus who was surprised with how little she wanted to know. The first question was if Drax trusted her; he answered truthfully, and Mills smiled in response. She then asked him if he trusted her around members of the opposite sex, and Drax told the truth. However, when it came to whether he trusted her with Mina, he paused, before answering with a flat 'no' but Mills was pleased that he did not lie. The last question was one she had picked from the stock, and when Drax told the truth, she rushed into his arms and kissed him.

Mina was starting to get used to the couple's public displays of affection, but the booth operator was not, and he quickly reminded the pair that there were hotels all along the beach, making Mills chuckled before she stood. Drax freed himself of the machine and walked toward his girlfriend who suddenly had the idea to hook Mina to the lie detector.

Mina declined, but Linus said that Mills had paid for fifty questions, but only used four, and he claimed it would reflect poorly on him if he did not allow her to use the remaining questions. After all, he had not said that all fifty questions had to be asked to one person, and it was something that he told himself he would later add to his terms and conditions.

Mina submitted to the testing, not seeing any harm it could do because she knew Mills would not ask her anything about being a spy, assassin, or any sort of criminal. President Lee handed over her travel documents and she answered the base questions before Mills, not Linus, started to question her. Apparently, the person asking the questions did not matter.

"Are you really single?" Mills asked, making Drax snort in irritation.

"Yes," Mina replied.

"True," the operator added.

"Are you interested in anyone?"

"Yes."

"True"

"Have I met the person?"

"Yes."

"True." Getting excited, Mills went ahead with the line of questioning until she was confident about narrowing the answer down.

"Do you like President Lee?"

"No."

"True." Mills looked at Linus, visibly confused.

"Are you sure?" she asked, because while at the beach, she had noticed Mina staring at President Lee's body, and Mills had asked her if she was attracted to the man. Mina admitted it back then, and she was almost positive that she was going to be caught for lying with her answer of no.

"Yes."

"True." Mills had been asking Linus the question, but Mina answered, and it further confused her that the woman's secondary response was also true.

"Mina, when did your opinion change? You told me yesterday that you found him attractive." Mina's face turned red in embarrassment, but that information had already been revealed to President Lee long ago, so the shame was short lived.

"I do, but you asked me if I like him; I do not." Linus looked at his guard and spoke in Bali and Mina shot the man a quick and menacing glare that did not escape the watchful eye of President Lee, no matter how fleeting it was.

"What did you say?" Ian asked the operator. "What did you say to your man just now before she looked at you like that." Linus gulped, he had seen the Lee Family seal on Drax's travel document, and he felt like he needed to comply or die.

"I said that she can fool the machine." Mina snapped her head toward the man, wanting to defend herself.

"No I cannot. She asked me if I liked him, not if I was attracted to him. Those are two different things."

"Miss, I hear you, but I went to school for this. The human mind usually does not account for the tiny difference between those two words. It is a matter of semantics. Those two questions should not have different answers. You are in the one percent." Hearing enough, President Lee ordered Drax to guard the door, and gestured for Mills to leave the booth so that he could ask the next set of questions in private. Mills felt terrible, she had not meant to get Mina in trouble, but she was ready to help her out of it, even if it meant fighting the man who she now knew loved her.

"Do you speak Sani?"

"Yes."

"True."

"Do you speak Bali?"

"Yes."

"True."

"Do you speak languages other than the two I just asked you?" Mina scrunched her face before answering with reluctance.

"Yes."

"True."

"Mina, are you who you say you are?"

"Yes."

"True." Not knowing how to continue, Ian asked Mina a question that she did not know he already knew the answer to, and when she was caught lying, he felt relieved. She might have been able to fool the test, but she did not know how and was not doing it actively. At least that's what Ian wanted to believe, but he could not shake the feelings of mistrust he had toward her.

"Mina, are you a spy?"

"No."

"True."

"Are you an enemy of the Lee family?"

"Yes."

"Lie." Mina looked shocked by that, but she shrugged.

"Are you still hiding things from me?"

"Yes."

"True."

"Are the things you are hiding things I will not like?"

"Yes.

"True."

"Are you a danger to me?"

"Yes."

"True."

"Can I trust you?"

"Yes."

"True." Ian looked at the operator who shrugged. He looked just as stumped as Ian felt.

"How do you expect me to trust you when your answers are all over the place? I mean, was I even really the first man to be with you?" As soon as Ian asked the question, he regretted it. He knew the answer, he only asked because he felt hurt and confused.

"No," Mina shouted.

"Lie," the operator replied, slightly embarrassed on Mina's behalf. She did not wait for another question to be asked, she simply tore the straps of the machine free of her body and left.

Ian ordered the operator to keep everything he heard to himself or face consequences before he ran to follow Mina, but the woman was gone, and had taken Mills with her. Drax patted Ian on the back and clapped in mock congratulations.

"You really outdid yourself. You and I both know that last question was out of line." He started to walk away, but then turned to face Ian with a look of pity on his face. "One more thing, don't even think of crawling into bed with me tonight." Ian palmed his forehead, completely forgetting that his friend had been painstakingly trying to set up a romantic evening and had even pulled Mina in to help. Now, thanks to him, the night was going to be an awkward one.