Chapter 497: Influence

When Mina alighted from the plane, her phone started to vibrate and chime at an abnormal rate. She looked at the device and saw hundreds of missed calls and messages pouring in. The sounds it was making were so irregular that both Drax and Mills wanted her to get rid of it, forcing Mina to place the device on the curb until it stopped behaving strangely.

Only president Lee remained unconcerned, he had even gotten inside of his car and lounged back in the seat while watching the three people in a mocking fashion. There was nothing wrong with Mina's device. He had blocked certain numbers through the carrier and had pre-arranged for the block to lift as soon as their flight landed in Pan. What he had not considered was how many calls Mina was going to miss, but he quickly thought up a convincing lie.

"Cam blocked service to your phone from anyone who is not with the Lee family. I just confirmed with him." Mina looked shocked, but Drax looked at Ian with narrowed eyes. If Cameron wanted to isolate Mina, he would have done it physically, not socially, and he also knew that the men were not on speaking terms.

"I guess he still suspects me of something," Mina said while fetching her Device.

"I don't know, but I will talk to him. In the meantime, keep a low profile," President Lee added.

----

As Mina expected President Lee went straight to his mansion, not even mentioning her apartment during the drive. She was glad to see Cylus sitting outside the gates when they arrived. Mina rushed out the car and toward the man, who inspected her for injuries before pulling her into a hug.

"Who is he?" Mills asked in Sani, and Cylus responded fluently, making Mills smirk, while Drax pulled her behind his back as if shielding her from view. "There are more people who speak my language in this country than I was led to believe," Mills said while looking up at Drax. Cylus ignored the woman and refocused on Mina.

"Are you ready?" Without waiting for a reply, he pulled her toward his car, but President Lee stood in his way.

"Make sure you take her someplace safe," he said, before stepping out of the path. Mina was confused by the behavior. She was almost sure President Lee was going to try to stop her, but he yielded instead.

"See you later Mina!" Mills called out. "I am very interested in finding out who that man is," she continued and Drax glared at her. Mina crawled into the front seat of Cylus' car, thinking that she had briefly escaped danger, but she did not see the darkening expression on the man's face as they drove.

"I have a question for you," he said while pulling his car to the side of the road. Mina took in Cylus' tone and sat up straight.

"Are you angry with me?"

"I am beyond angry. Do you know how terrified I was thinking you were in danger? Imagine my shock when I found out that you went on vacation with someone who hurt you." Mina blinked rapidly.

"I had to, his cousin had me arrested, he even blocked my incoming calls. Your girlfriend wouldn't let me talk to you, and President Lee said that it was best for me to leave the country."

"His cousin? Please tell me you don't mean…" Mina looked down and Cylus punched the steering wheel. "No wonder I couldn't reach you. Do you know how much damage control I have had to do?" Cylus handed Mina his phone and she flipped through screen shots in it before shooting her watery eyes back to him.

"I promise it was not what it looks like."

"I know it isn't because I know you, but Lisa is going to be harder to convince." Mina sank into the seat of the car and Cylus patted her shoulder. "I still have to ask though, that woman, are you two?"

"What? No! Why do people think that? We were just playing."

"I was only asking. I had to pay a lot of money to stop an article about you going on a romantic getaway with your boyfriend 'and' girlfriend. Didn't president Lee tell you what's been going on over here?"

"No. What happened? What's been going on?" Cylus flinched before telling Mina to search for her name online, but nothing came up except her general information.

"Sh!t!" He had it removed. "You are extremely popular right now. Willow is going crazy trying to choose who to kick off the guest list and Wayvair has already increased the size of the banquet for you. Also, why didn't you tell me you are a genius?"

----

When Mina walked into her apartment Cylus had to physically stop Willow, who had literally removed her belt, from spanking her. She kept yelling about cuddling up to a monster and only when Mina started to cry did her friend stop screaming at her. Willow calmed down, but not fully, so when she pulled Mina into a hug it was not a gentle one.

"Mina, are we still on the same page?" She whispered, not wanting Cylus to overhear and object.

"We are, I promise. It is not what it looks like. My top came off, I had no choice."

"Your what?!" Cylus shouted. It was Willow's turn to play mediator.

"Mina why did you go with him? Why would you put yourself out there like that?"

"Because he had me locked in his house for days and I couldn't reach any of you. He invited his cousin to 'celebrate' my 'birthday' and now I am being suspected of sabotage."

"Do you mean President Cameron Lee?" Mina sobbed her response.

"He handcuffed me and put a bag over my head."

"How do you keep getting mixed up with the Lee family, and what do you mean locked up for days? I thought you were working; Connor said he saw you."

"You're a terrible friend," Willow growled. She pulled out her phone and showed Cylus the many hundreds of text messages she sent. "And this was after I tried to file a police report.'

"Willow, what if they come after you?" Mina asked, hugging her friend tighter. "They showed up at my uncle's apartment an hour after I filed the report. My father almost had a heart attack when he found out." Cylus frowned because he was not just Mina's friend, he was almost positive she was his half-sister, and he had failed her.

"How do we help you?" He asked. If Mina went missing and he could not even file a police report about it without government interference, he feared that she would soon disappear from his life, and he was not ready to let go of the sister he had just found.

"Just behave normally. I am sure my apartment is bugged. I don't need you guys to get involved, let's just enjoy the peace while we have it." Mina squeezed Willow's hand letting the woman know that she still wanted to go ahead with their escape plan.

"I can do that." Cylus pulled out his phone and typed.

[We also need to boost your influence so that they cannot just take you when they feel like it.] Mina read the screen and typed a response.

[How do I do that?] Her facial expression was innocent, and Cylus hated that he could not just openly claim her as his relation. He did not like the idea of putting Mina out in the world the same way he would a starving artist, but he needed more people curious about her. He typed his plan on his phone and showed it to Mina, who shook her head.

[But President Lee asked me to keep a low profile.] Both Cylus and Willow were shocked by the response and both looked at the woman as if she were sick.

[How do you know he is not working with his cousin?] Mina looked at the screen and her face paled, but she just knew he wasn't, or was getting her to think that way part of his plan?