Chapter 554: Intrusion

Ian knew that Mina was telling her truth. She was probably tired of surprises and mentally unprepared for another shift in perspective. It was also as Zane had said, Ian had defended Lisa because he did not want her to retaliate, but that small interaction would be all Mina needed to think his words were a lie.

"Mina, I get that you are tired, but you are not confused." Ian walked closer to her and kneeled to meet her eyes. "You just don't want to accept it because it is coming from me, but you still trust Dom, right?" It was not Ian's proudest moment, but he could not use himself as an example of trust and Zane was only Mina's confidant from lack of options. The mention of Dom however, always made Mina feel safe. It had once bothered him, but now he was glad for it.

"What will happen to them?" Mina whispered, but Ian remained silent. He did not want to lie to her, and he had no intention of letting either woman walk out of his mansion unscathed. Lisa would live, but Carmen would not. Mina must have picked up on what his silence was telling her, and terror crossed her face. "Can't you turn the other way just this once?"

Mina's request was within reason, but Ian could not agree. He knew she would be sympathetic to Carmen, but he had hoped that after slapping Lisa with as much force as she had slapped him, she would have been unfazed by whatever he did to the women. Unfortunately, that was not who Mina was, and he knew it. He pleaded with her to reconsider, but as much as her voice trembled, she was solid in her request.

"President Lee, you may think you hold no fault in this situation, but you do. You moved an unmarried and unrelated woman into your home when you still had Miss Lisa hanging onto hope. I don't know how you expected her to react." Ian shifted closer to Mina, not caring that Zane, Lisa, or anyone else was in the room. His chest was now flush against her knees and he rested his hands on the sides of her wheelchair.

"I tried to make things clear with Lisa, but she threatened me with her life. Regardless, she has sabotaged my company, and I cannot look the other way. It's only a matter of time before someone else in my family finds out." Ian knew that Cameron had grown to dislike Lisa, but he was never clear about why. If Cam got his hands on the information Ian had, Lisa was as good as dead, and being cruel to her now was her best chance of survival.

"Please, I am not asking you-" Mina was startled by the sound of a door slamming, and Dom came barging into the study, scooping her out of her chair without even bothering to speak. She was shocked into silence, but once she saw guns drawn, she kept her questions to herself. Mina was brought to her room and was surprised to see Rebecca already waiting. "What-"

"I will tell you in a second, but the door has to be locked." Mina sucked in a sharp breath, but Rebecca was already walking her through anxiety exercises. "You cannot pass out right now." Mina nodded and kept her eyes focused on the adjourning door between her room and President Lee's. She told herself that it was unlocked, and that President Lee's room entrance was unlocked, so she was not really locked in. It was likely a lie, but she had been practicing, and her adrenaline rush was no doubt, giving her a boost.

----

As soon as Mina was taken out of the room, Lisa stood up and ran out of the study and toward the front doors of Ian's home. Ian followed her as she stumbled down the stairs, and he believed in his mind that she was the cause of the commotion.

Instead of allowing Lisa to run through the exit, Ian pulled her back toward him and used her like a shield while Zane opened the door slowly. Standing in front of his door was a man that looked like Ren Loam, so Ian guessed it was Drew; the older brother.

"What brings you crashing through my front gates?" Ian asked. He was not being sarcastic, the gate to his estate was literally hanging off the hinges.

"Oh that?" Drew said. "I didn't have the code."

"You killed some of my men," Ian said as a fact. He had guards at his gates, and they would have opened fire on anyone charging.

"I'll pay you back later," the man said coldly. "We have an important matter to discuss."

"I don't think you are in a position to negotiate right now." Ian tightened his grip on Lisa's arm, but she turned to look at him with an expression that told him she was not expecting a Loam.

"I am not here for her. I want the yellow eyed b*tch." Ian shoved Lisa back into his mansion. There was no reason to get her killed if Drew or his men opened fire. He was angry with her, but he did not want her dead, yet.

"There are no b*tches in this house." Ian rarely cursed, but when he did, it was almost always when he was too angry to hold it back.

"Fair enough. I will rephrase then. I want the girl who is torturing my brother."

"She isn't here either." Drew snarled before he snorted. "Just give me Mina Harlow. We both know that our families are evenly matched, and she isn't worth the fight."

"If she isn't worth it then why are you here?" Ian was not thrilled about the conversation he was having, but right now, the Lee family was pretty much on par with the Loam family so he could not just kill the man before him, nor could the man kill him.

"I made my brother a promise, and I intend to keep it. The girl has to go." Ian was seconds from shooting Drew in the kneecap when another car revved through the gates. Lisa must have recognized it because she rushed forward, only to be stopped by Zane. Kace Anders jumped out of the vehicle, seeming to have only just noticed the standoff that was happening. He ignored it and got straight to his point.

"President Lee, we both know that you do not want to hurt Lisa. I am just here to take her home." Ian intuitively knew that the woman must have called or texted her brother while he was speaking to Mina, and he wondered if the Anders and Loam families were working together; so he tested the waters.

"I don't? So should I just overlook corporate espionage?" Kace's eyes went wide before he responded. He seemed genuinely shocked.

"Lisa is an idiot and if I had known everything she was doing, I would have stopped her. You should know that." It was not entirely true, but Kace could not lose his little sister because he was too weak to take charge and stop her from pursuing Ian Lee. He blamed himself, because he secretly hoped his sister would get what she wanted and lift the Anders family's status.

"And you show up at my home with a rival to prove your sincerity?" Kace looked baffled, but he took a step away from Drew, who chuckled.

"You know that is not what I am doing; I don't even know that man. Just imagine if your sister were in this situation." Ian did not like to hear the mention of Luna from a potentially hostile party, but he was calmed when Zane flashed him the sign that meant his sister was safe.

"I hate to be rude, but I couldn't give a sh*t about his sister," Drew interrupted.

"Yet you have ideal timing," Ian mocked. He was no idiot, and he knew something was behind the spontaneous intrusion.