Chapter 495: Not a Trap

Mina started to tremble, and President Lee tightened his grip on her hand, forcing her to look down, seeming to have only just realized that he was still holding onto it. She gently shook his hand away, not wanting or needing the contact to become misread. The last thing Mina needed was for President Lee to think that she liked or wanted him in any way. It would set her all the way back with Lisa if she somehow caught wind of the fact that they were 'holding hands.'

Mina listened to President Lee tell her that communication had never been his strong suit. He went into details about other things that went in one ear and out the other, because she was struggling to figure out what was real and what was fake. He snapped his fingers in her face a few times and Mina looked down; guilty that she had just tuned the man out while trying to decide if she had time to flee.

At that point, Mina was willing to join the gang that she and Mills had chanced upon, because her mind told her, and she knew, that what she was experiencing was the calm before the storm. She tuned back in when President Lee apologized for making her feel uncomfortable while standing up. He walked away and came back with her cover up, reminding her that she wanted to buy souvenirs.

Mina could feel tears welling in her eyes, but every time President Lee asked her what was wrong, she shook her head. There was no reason to make him suspicious of her, and she doubted that whatever he had planned would be something to happen right away. She probably had days, maybe even weeks to prepare.

The pair stopped at a souvenir shop, and Mina absentmindedly picked up a few things, putting them back down without really looking at them. President Lee had fallen silent, and she could tell he was watching her. He reached out to touch her shoulder and she flinched in fear, making the man take a few steps back. He held up his hands and spoke softly from a comfortable distance.

"Whatever you are thinking, don't. This is not a trap, it is not a trick, and to prove it to you I will step outside and allow you to shop in peace." Mina's breath caught as the man left the shop. She could see him sit on a bench outside as he waited. Her heart was racing as she considered making a run for it, but her thought process was disrupted by a concerned clerk.

"Miss, is that man bothering you? Is there someone you can call?" Mina nodded vigorously, and the clerk let her borrow the store's phone. She dialed Cylus' number, and he picked it up on the first ring.

"Mina is that you? Are you okay? Whose number is this?" Mina quickly briefed the man on what was happening, and she heard Cylus curse loudly. "Why did you agree to go in the first place? You should have come to me. I would have kept you safe." Mina did not go into detail, but she told Cylus that she did call, and reached Vanya. She told him she would explain the rest later. In the meantime, she asked Cylus to be at the Lee mansion on a specific day and hour and Cylus agreed.

"Miss, are you sure there is no one in this country who can help you?" The clerk was still concerned. She had seen that expression on the faces of many women, and her boss, a survivor, told her that she should always take it seriously, but it was the first time the clerk had come across something that was not a couples spat.

"You've done enough. Can you help me pick a few souvenirs so that I don't make him suspicious?" The clerk nodded and she pulled together some mid-priced items; considering that the woman was young, and likely had spent most of her money. "Thank you," Mina said as she paid for the items and walked out.

----

Ian was nervous. Leaving Mina in the store alone was killing him, and he almost considered checking to see if they had a back door so that he could catch her if she tried to escape, but Mills' warning had been clear. He was not just backing Mina into a corner; he was pushing her toward someone else. When he saw Mina come out of the shop with a bag in her hands, he felt relieved, but still suspicious. He jogged up to her, taking the bag and inspecting what she bought, trying to make small talk.

"Where is mine?" he asked, making Mina freeze. "Sorry, I didn't expect you to get anything for me." Mina released a breath and Ian felt terrible for how nervous he was making her. "Do you still want to eat street foods?" He was hoping to shift the woman's thoughts.

"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" Ian moved his head from side to side.

"They are still celebrating their engagement. They already have their own plans." Ian had put it modestly, but Drax had already texted him in bold letters 'DO NOT DISTURB.'"

"Okay," Mina said in a weak voice, and Ian asked if he could hold onto her souvenirs so that she could walk freely, but she declined while shoving them into the beach bag she had with her instead. Wanting to give the girl freedom, Ian threw up his hands in surrender and then gestured for Mina to lead the way.

Now that she was not trying to hide the fact that she spoke Bali from him, Ian was amazed with how fluently Mina could speak. She moved from vendor to vendor, asking for specific items, and Ian allowed her to pay for them, knowing that it was important in keeping her comfortable around him. He asked her how she learned the language of Bal, and she told him a version of the truth, because he was almost positive she never told whole truths unless she had to.

"All the languages you know. Did you learn them from books?"

"And audio recordings of the pronunciations."

"Let me guess, Dr. Sancho?" Mina nodded and the worry on her face told Ian that she was still very much uncomfortable with what he was asking, so he changed the subject.

"Let's find a place to sit so you can eat comfortably." Mina followed the man to a nearby bench and they both sat; he had also bought food for himself, but it was comparably less than what Mina had gotten.

"Aren't you afraid to gain weight?"

"It wasn't too long ago when I was hungry every day. I have had to steal leftover foods from kitchens, and the truth is, I could end up right back where I started at any minute." Choosing not to respond the way he wanted, which was to let Mina know that he would never allow that to happen, Ian followed up with a question about stealing food.

"I thought you worked in a kitchen, why did you have to steal food?"

"I didn't 'work' there. I pretended to work there so I could eat, but I was caught and thrown out. The owner was kind though; she let me 'sneak' into her kitchen often." Ian suppressed a wave of rage, but not toward Mina.

"Did your friends never try to help you?" Mina chuckled while popping a breaded corn kernel into her mouth.

"I never told them. They all thought I was fine."

"Fine working in a kitchen with multiple degrees from Wayvair?" Mina stopped eating and looked him in his eyes before speaking.

"President Lee, you and I both know that my degree meant nothing until a couple of months ago. They had no clue because I did not tell them."

"But why? Were they not your friends?" Mina took a deep breath because she was afraid the man was going to use the information against the people she cared about.