Chapter 524: The Right Thing

Mina returned from her stay in the hospital feeling refreshed. With Mills constantly by her side, she felt safe and was able to catch up on much needed sleep. President Cameron had even sent a few of his men to guard her door, which while unnerving, only made Mina feel much more at ease. She disliked the man, but if he was willing to send his people to protect her, she was okay with it.

Sadly, Mills could not follow Mina home, because she had to finish preparing for her formal engagement announcement. It was sandwiched in with Drax's father's birthday party and was meant to be a gift to the man. According to Mills, her presence was mandatory, and not wanting to let her friend down, Mina agreed to spend her time working from home so she could fully recover and show her support.

Willow and Olivia had already left the country, but because of their group chat, they knew what had happened. Everyone believed it was Vanya who had locked Mina in the room, because she was the only one who knew about Mina's condition, but Mina herself was reluctant to point fingers. She knew from Dom that President Lee did not have a vacation planned for the person who had done it.

A lot of gossip had flown around concerning President Lee, who was being suspected of physically assaulting Mina when she refused his advances. Mina felt a little bad for the man because he had stopped her from killing herself. Wanting to pay him back for the kindness he did not have to show, especially since there was unreleased footage to prove his innocence, Mina did the unthinkable. She called President Cameron and had the man arrange for her to make a formal statement addressing what happened.

The President was quick, and efficient, and before Mina knew it, a video of herself disputing the claims of violence had made its way across the country. She made sure to plug information about some of the female targeted nonprofits that she had become familiar with. One thing Mina did not want to do was give the impression that it was okay to cover for an abuser, and she made that clear in her interview.

----

Ian was taken aback by Mina's decision to help clear his name. It was unnecessary but the fact that she had done it without being asked made him feel like they were finally heading in the right direction. He wanted to visit her, but he also did not want to show up at her apartment unannounced and reset all the progress he felt had been made. So, after a few days of allowing the woman to rest, Ian asked her to come to his office.

When Mina arrived, Ian noticed she looked much better than she had previously, her eyes were back to their original luster, and she seemed much more energetic. He watched her plop onto the couch in his office, before asking him why he needed to see her. Unable to come up with a valid excuse, Ian told her that he needed her help with something.

"Make an investment into Willow and Olivia and I will gladly help." Ian picked up his phone, did what Mina had asked and showed her the proof. The woman got up to review the files he pointed to, and without permission, she sat down at his desk, pouring over the information.

"Don't memorize this," Ian warned, and Mina chuckled before whispering 'too late' in a voice so faint that Ian could not tell if he had heard it or imagined it.

"Where is this data stored?" she asked, looking up at the man as if she had truly found something odd. Humoring her, Ian told Mina that the finance department handled the data and he reviewed it quarterly. "I won't be able to tell from just this, but either someone made a mistake in the formula they used, or someone is embezzling." Ian chuckled, but Mina was staring up at him unsmiling.

"You're serious. How can you tell?" Ian could sense that Mina was reluctant to share, but eventually she did.

"I don't want to get anyone in trouble, but I saw a report on someone's desk, and I remember reading that thirteen thousand inverters were purchased from the Lee group last quarter. I also know from the time our phones were linked that the rate of sale was 320. Doing basic math for that product alone, I can tell that ten units were not counted in the final sum."

"Damaged goods happen, and we refund them. The numbers are reflected at the end" Mina shook her head.

"Reliably?" Ian picked up the report and saw that Mina was right. The numbers were too even to be random accidents. "I'm guessing that the person rounds the damaged items to the nearest whole number then passes the information to the accounting department. Likewise, they could be working together." Mina shrugged. "Don't take my word for it though, I could be wrong. Without the original spread I will not know, and even if you took inventory, assuming the person is smart enough, there will not be any extra units. The trucks are probably overloaded and offloaded midway through delivery."

"How do you know this?" Mina smiled and twisted around in Ian's chair. She stood up and strolled over to the giant window.

"Is that all you needed me for?" Ian nodded, knowing the woman could see his reflection in the glass. She turned away from the window and walked out of the office, arousing Ian's suspicions.

----

Mina walked into the Staton family home alone. Dom was supposed to go with her, but Rebecca had called and told him she found abnormalities in his blood work, and she needed him to report to the Lee facility for a full body workup. Mina expected Mills to be busy entertaining, but the woman was anxiously waiting at the door.

As soon as the women made eye contact, it was like Mills came back to life and Mina could not understand why the woman was going through with her marriage. With arms linked, they made their way onto a private balcony, where Mills proceeded to complain to Mina about how unhappy she was.

"Then why marry him? It's not too late to change your mind." Mills sighed as if the weight of the world was resting on her shoulders.

"He and I have already… been together." Mina laughed at the woman, finding it odd that someone as tough as Mills would be sensitive about physical intimacy.

"By that logic, I should also be married by now, and as you can see." Mina splayed her fingers. "I am completely single." Mina kept to herself that she also did not choose who she had slept with, but she just wanted to make sure her friend knew she was a free woman, able to do as she pleased. Mills stayed silent, and it was not long before Drax came to find her. "Remember what I said," Mina called out.

Not seeing a need to go inside just yet, Mina stayed on the balcony, and positioned herself closer to the outdoor heating unit. She relaxed in the chair, and stared up at the night sky, pulling out her phone to respond to Paul's last text.

[Of course I remember. I am surprised you do. That is one of my favorite memories.] She did not wait long for a response.

[I thought you said you had a party to go to.] Mina smiled at her phone. Paul had used frowning face emoticons to make his feelings clear.

[I am, but I am alone right now.]

[Where is your date?]

[Something came up and he had to cancel.]

[Sorry Mina, I wish I had known on time.] Mina did not send a response. She was still at war with herself as to what she wanted. Everyone was against her reaching out to Paul, telling her she was wrong, but Mina was tired of doing the right thing.