Chapter 506: Arrangement-2

At first, Mina did not understand why Cylus was kicking Connor. She had assumed it was because he had held her hand, but after he released it, Cylus still looked angry. She was replaying Connor's words in her mind but could not see anything wrong until he followed up by asking her if he could teach her to use her 'hands.' She intuitively knew he was being dirty, and Cylus responded accordingly. Mina melted in her seat as Connor confronted Cylus. She could not tell if the man was being loud on purpose, but he certainly did an excellent job with catching everyone's attention.

"Mina has agreed to marry me if neither of us get into a relationship or fall in love within a year's time." Everyone at the table stared at Mina, who was staring at Connor. The man had managed to twist her words, but he was not exactly lying. She agreed to a relationship; and a marriage was a relationship. Mina cast her eyes toward Ash, who raised an eyebrow as she chewed whatever she was eating.

"It seems our bachelorette has many suitors; including those who are already taken." Mina's face contorted, and when Vanya's eyes travelled to meet Miss Lisa, she knew the women had spoken about her.

"Vanya, be respectful." Cylus said and Connor chimed in proudly.

"It can't be helped if my future wife is well liked. She is by far the best looking and most talented woman in this room." Mina's face turned red, and she cast her eyes toward Ash, who wore a sinister grin.

"Congratulations Madam," Ash said from the other side of the table, and Connor beamed, shifting his body closer to Mina's with a smile that would have irritated her had it not been so perfect. There was suddenly a loud commotion at the end of the room, and a few people made startled noises as men in black suits filled the hall.

A large screen rolled down from the side of the venue and everyone's attention was pulled in its direction. An ominous feeling overtook Mina, as she watched the screen flash to the presidential seal of Pan Country. She thought that the man recorded a message for her, but after hearing several shocked gasps, her attention was pulled to the entrance of the room, where President Cameron Lee was making his way into the venue dressed immaculately.

"Miss Harlow. Sorry I am late, but I wanted to let you know that you are still on my mind." Mina slid into her seat and covered her face, she knew exactly what the man was talking about, but it was not what people would think. She could not tell how, but his voice was booming as though he had a microphone. "I have heard the unfortunate story of the neglectfulness of this university, but I am glad that a rare beauty and talent such as yourself has finally been recognized by your former institution." Mina rolled her eyes, but everyone else was beside themselves and she could hear the excitement in their murmurings.

The President stepped toward Mina and extended his hand. She knew better than to deny the man who was still suspicious of her, and as soon as she put her palm on his, he pulled her up with such force that she crashed into his chest. Mina glared at him and he chuckled before whispering something in her ear that made her eyes go wide in fear. She looked back at the table, lined with people she loved and cared about, and she forced herself not to pull away.

"I knew you were beautiful, but seeing you dressed this way has my heart racing." Mina turned red from a mixture of embarrassment and shame, while President Cameron pulled her in closer, making her stiffen in obvious discomfort. "Have you considered my offer?"

"I have already said no, and I do not appreciate you making it seem like you and I are intimately involved." Cam chuckled and leaned in to speak into Mina's ear. He had started to dance with her, although no music was playing. "Would you rather my cousin?" he asked mockingly, and Mina glared at the man. "So cute when you are angry." The president stopped swaying and stared into her eyes. "Be careful, I know what you are trying to do, but no matter what, if I want to get to you; I will."

President Cameron released Mina, made a gesture and within seconds, a black velvet box was placed in his hand. He opened the box and revealed the Presidential Mark of achievement. The screen also displayed the golden broach, making everyone in the room gasped and loud chatter could be heard ringing around the room. The mark of achievement was the highest honor a civilian could receive from the president, and some people were no doubt regretting not being nicer to their former classmate.

"I award to Mina Harlow the Presidential Mark of Achievement as a form of acknowledgement for the years of hardship she endured." He turned to face the crowd, obviously campaigning for himself. "Born into poverty, Miss Harlow worked hard to get into Wayvair University and was rewarded unkindly in return. Years later, she was still being suppressed by an outside influence, but today marks the end of her struggle." The president removed the mark from the box and Mina saw it was custom made to clip rather than pin. He stepped forward and placed it over one of the clips in her hair while whispering to her. With his unheard words, the president kissed the back of Mina's hand and left the hall.

The chancellor of Wayvair was not familiar with Mina when she was a student, and from the stories he had gathered from her professors, she was a quiet girl without many friends, but he did not need their accounts to know how uncomfortable Mina was around the President of the country. He could also see the concerned looks on the faces of many of the people at the high table, but it was the face of Ian Lee of the Lee group that startled him. The chancellor took a gamble and called for the MC to take to the center of the room to usher in the last segment of the event.

With the president and his men gone, Connor was the first to react. He pulled Mina away and toward an area where they could speak freely. He questioned her about the president, and she told him that she had nothing to do with the man. Connor knew that Mina would not lie, because they had an agreement, but he found himself feeling a bit pathetic compared to President Cameron Lee and he knew Mina could sense it.

"Connor, can I trust you?" The man nodded while staring at Mina's beautiful face. Her tan suited her well, and her slightly lightened hair made her eyes appear more striking, not that they were not already breathtaking. "This mark is not a gift, it's a warning." The man stiffened but was unable to reply because Cylus appeared behind him.

"We need to wrap up and get you out of here." Cylus looked at Connor who was holding onto Mina's hands and grabbed the man's arm while pulling him away. "Mina is off limits. We will talk about it later." Mina was not angry with Cylus, but she did not appreciate the way he spoke to Connor, who despite being a pervert was kind to her. She followed the man, but was pulled to the side again, this time by President Lee. Cylus went to pull her back, but his wrist was caught by Zane, who shook his head as warning. Mina submitted to the man who pulled her into yet another corridor.

"Why didn't you just listen to me?" he questioned with a hurt expression. Mina did not know why, but she felt like she had to explain.

"I was afraid," she admitted, and President Lee shook his head.

"Now, you should be." The man walked past her, and Mina felt the room spin.