Chapter 555: Coincidences

Apart from meeting Mina, Ian did not believe in coincidences. He did not think that a series of events could just so happen to perfectly line up, and he was not naïve enough to believe that Drew Loam had shown up at his mansion when he was mere minutes away from putting Lisa in jail for enough time to show her family that he was serious, and to prevent his cousin from acting.

What Lisa had done crossed lines that only one other person had dared to do, and that man was now dead of a 'heart attack.' Of course, it was Zane's father who had put him up to it, but there was not enough evidence or proof, which was part of the reason the man was still alive.

Lisa on the other hand, seemed to believe she was beyond the reach of repercussions, especially where Mina was concerned. Ian wondered how many things the woman had done that was not in Dom's file, and part of him blamed himself for not paying more attention to Lisa's behavior. He had never thought of Lisa as a cruel woman, and while he knew she could be catty, he could not believe that she was scheming and vindictive.

"You truly cannot expect me to believe that you just so happen to stroll onto my property at the exact moment a serious revelation was made to me?" Drew laughed in a way that sounded impatient and annoyed. He shook his head as if the question had an obvious answer, which further served to irritate Ian.

"Your girlfriend; well, your ex-girlfriend now…" Drew stared at Lisa mockingly before continuing. "Has a compromised device. I couldn't help but to see the potential for me to rid you of one problematic woman, while you rid yourself of another." Those words struck Kace with an idea to get his sister out of the mess she was in, and apparently, Lisa as well, because she spoke before he could even fully formulate a sentence in his mind.

"Your brother has shown interest in my new studio. He is a good writer and director. I am willing to offer my facility to the Loam family free of charge for up to three productions in exchange for Mina's safety. I can assure you that she will stay out of your brother's path, as she is no longer employed in the industry." Drew smiled. It was tempting, but he did not need to make more money. In fact, he was the one who later approached Lisa to explain his brother's behavior, and to of course, get close enough for his men to hack into her phone.

"My family is financially stable; we can afford the cost of your studio for years without even blinking." As Drew thought about Lisa's offer, he became offended, but he calmed himself when he realized that she was trying to hide the fact that they had met in secret.

"What if the Anders family and the Loam family partner?" Kace added in haste, and that caught Drew's attention. He smiled inwardly because he did not want to seem desperate. His family's funds were mostly dark money and partnering with the Anders family could make it seem more legitimate.

"You would do that for a girl who holds no value to you or your family?" Lisa was once again faster than her brother.

"Right now, she does hold value. I'm doing this in exchange for my safety." Ian just watched the conversation play out, surprised that Lisa was even entertaining it, and wanting to see if he needed to add Kace Anders to the list of people who needed to go. "The Loam family will leave Mina in the charge of the Anders family in exchange for a partnership, and we give Mina to the Lee family in exchange for our continued safety." Ian smirked. Lisa was not foolish enough not to add the continuation as well as the 'our' which would include her brother.

"Why would you do that?" Ian asked, not trusting Lisa or Kace, no matter how good the offer seemed.

"Because I want to show you that we are not your enemy. I was so blinded by my feelings that I didn't realize how far I slipped. I am alone at fault." Ian was not buying Lisa's remorse, but he accepted it for the time being, and made a gesture for Zane to release her.

"Well, this has been a rewarding experience," Drew joked as he walked toward his car. "Also." He flashed a plastic vial before tossing it at Ian's feet. "Give that to your men and they will be fine. I would hurry though." Ian was literally shaking in anger, but without just cause, he could not and would not walk the Lee family into a full-on war over a woman who was not his to protect.

With as much restraint as there was in his whole body, Ian watched Drew Loam drive off his property. He could not even believe the man was bold enough to come with just three men, which meant they were watching his staff rotation, and knew he did not keep many people on patrol, which was probably why he was comfortable using poison instead of bullets.

Ian watched Kace Anders put Lisa into his car before turning around and nodding. He was aware that the man was trying to pull his sister away, and the nod was in a way saying that no matter what, the Anders family would not directly challenge the Lee family. It was a good thing for Kace to do, because Ian was seconds away from creating random ripples to bankrupt them, and he was still toying with the idea.

With the threat neutralized for the time, Ian called to have his mansion's guard detail increased and of course, medics for his men, and a crew to have his gate fixed and ram proofed. Ian then reached out to Cam, who seemed calm, but he knew it meant that his cousin was thinking, and if everyone thought he was the devil, they had not yet crossed Cameron Lee.

"Cam, Lisa is off limits for now. Without her, Mina would still be a target for the Loam family. We need to move slowly if we want this to work." Ian could hear something being thrown, and he knew his cousin was angry. "Do you still…?" Ian let the question hang.

"What do you think? I'm just waiting for you to mess up so I can take your place."

"I thought you were dating someone."

"And now I am not." Ian was weary, but he stayed silent because he needed Cam's help. Especially where the family was involved.

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Ian entered Mina's room to find the woman nervously picking at her nails. He had not seen her do that in a long time, and memories from when they first met flashed in his mind. She looked guilty, almost as if she had done something wrong and Ian found himself questioning why.

Ian cleared his throat and Mina looked up with watery eyes, shooting off a hundred questions that Rebecca was shaking her head for him not to answer, but keeping things from Mina was no longer an option. It gave her the impression that she too needed to keep things from him, and it allowed her to become a target to Lisa.

Ian was not ready to just jump in and tell Mina how he felt about her, but he was going to start doing things the right way. The first course of action was proving to her that she could trust him, because as things were, Mina was still apprehensive, and he knew she valued trust in a relationship more than anything else.

"Drew Loam came here to get you." Mina's eyes went wide, but she did not look shocked. "Mina, what are you not telling me?" She slumped her shoulders and breathed out heavily.

"Drew came back after Ren tried to take me. He gave me two options; marry his brother or stay away from him."