Chapter 558: 'What am I doing?'

Zane stopped by Ian's mansion with four cups of coffee, and a box of pastries. He knew that Willow West was around, but he was only visiting to set things right with Ian, not to please anyone; he just did not want to leave the women out. He first dropped off the cakes and coffee, happy to see that Mina was at least mildly excited.

Zane teased Mina about gaining weight, but she shrugged with healthy indifference. Willow was not as friendly with him as Jay, but she accepted the coffee with a tight smile that made Zane feel uncomfortable. He knew that Mina's living arrangements were slightly better than a hostage situation, and apparently, so did Willow.

After briefly chatting with Mina, who was less downcast now that she had someone she trusted by her side, Zane went in search of Ian, who was working behind his desk. The man grunted as if seeing him was irritating, but Zane ignored it and slammed the coffee down on Ian's desk.

"I can accept if we have a fallout, but not over this. Mina is my friend, but you are my best friend and like a brother to me. While I do not agree with keeping her in your home as a souvenir, I can at least ignore it as I help you come to your senses."

"You just want her for yourself," Ian replied in a tone that told zane he was joking.

"And so does Cam, and Cylus Rue. There is Carl Mercer, that man named Carson, and I am sure Dom would not mind making Mina his, but that isn't the point. I told you that I would not pursue her, and I have not. Besides, Mina has been clear with me, and I can't imagine she is leading anyone else on."

"What am I doing?" Ian asked while rubbing his face. "I'm becoming a creep."

"You must've spent too much time with my father," Zane joked, and both men finally laughed.

"Truce?" Ian asked. He got the answer he wanted and shook Zane's hand. "I will work something out with Cam about letting Mina go, but I still think the safest place for her to be is in this mansion."

"I agree, but Mina does not want to be here, and it isn't healthy for you to force her." Ian nodded and both men sipped on their drinks in silence.

"Thank you for the bruises by the way." Zane narrowed his eyes at Ian.

"At least you live alone. I spent an hour trying to convince my mother that I didn't need to visit a hospital."

----

It had been a few days and Willow had to go back to work. It made Mina realize that she had not checked her company email since she had gotten shot. It had been over a month, and while she walked with a limp, she was confident that she could reenter the workforce, but she would only work for the Lamar's remotely.

Wanting to see how President Lee would react, Mina crept toward his study. He left the door open, so all she had to do was clear her throat to get his attention. When the man's gaze landed on her, she stepped into the room, and sat in the chair she often used to read.

"President Lee, I would like to go back to work." She expected a negative reaction but got nothing of the sort.

"That is good to hear. When do you plan to go back?"

"I haven't thought of that yet." Mina was staring at the man, who had since gone back to making notes. "How about after I finish the work I promised to do for you?"

"That sounds good. Are you going to stay here, or will you go to the apartment Cam bought for you?" Mina flinched and President Lee noticed it. "It isn't healthy for me to make you stay here. If you are uncomfortable, you can leave. This isn't a trick or a trap, but I still think this place is the safest place for you and staying here is the safest thing for the people you care about." Mina's eyes began to dart around the room and Ian had started to associate that action with the beginnings of panic. "Let's come back to this conversation when you are ready."

"Sorry," Mina whispered. She knew her distrust was obvious, but she was not doing it on purpose. She was genuinely afraid of the tide changing again because she was only just getting used to it. President Lee looked up at her, with a curious expression.

"It isn't your fault," he said.

"How long have you been inside?" He asked without warning. Mina answered literally and the man chuckled. "No, I mean; when was the last time you stepped foot off of this property?" Mina shifted as she thought about it.

"It has been some time; Zane hasn't been coming to get me the way he used to."

"Do you want to go somewhere? I can take you now; that way you can get used to being around people again." Mina stiffened, unsure how to answer. "Don't worry, I won't buy anything." A small smile flashed on Mina's face and Ian took it as a sign to push her a little.

"Come on," he said. Mina stood, but then she remembered the rumors that started the last time she and President Lee went shopping. She also remembered there was no more Miss Lisa to worry about.

Dom had given her a copy of what he had given President Lee, and the woman had outdone herself with schemes. Aside from having more than qualified women dropped from employment consideration and conspiring with Carmen, Miss Lisa had been using the Lee family name as a tool to open a line of credit that she used to finance some of her business ventures.

"You can always go with Dom if it makes you more comfortable." Mina nodded her head because it did make her more comfortable. Not even five minutes later, Dom was standing outside of the study doors.

----

Dom did not know what to do with Mina, who could barely walk without taking a break, so he took her to the set where Olivia was working.

Olivia was extremely busy, so she could not take much time to sit and chat, but Mina seemed to enjoy just watching her friend shuffle back and forth giving out instructions as she prepared the next shot.

"Do you miss being in entertainment?" Dom asked.

"I miss having something to do, but not that job in particular."

"What about that thing you were doing with CEO Zane's mother?"

"I guess I can delve into that full time, but I want to do something that I love." Realizing that he had no idea what Mina's dream job consisted of; Dom asked. "To be honest, I only studied finance to make money, but money cannot erase my problems."

"Then what are you going to do? I remember you saying you wanted to buy the house your parents live in; is that still your plan?"

"It is, but I have to move carefully. I brought it up to my uncle months ago, but he seemed more interested in wanting to know if I had changed my mind about his son. I will sit back and see how things play out. I will still help with the payments on the home, to avoid penalties, and if my uncle wants to sell the property, I will relocate my parents."

"Why don't you just do that now?" Mina shrugged.

"I don't know if I am in a position to do that yet," she lied. Mina's parents were reluctant to move because of Sadie's old bedroom. She had once broached the topic with them, but neither seemed thrilled about the idea, and when she inquired, they said the home held too many memories. "We should start heading out." Dom helped Mina to her feet.

"Want to go visit Terrence?" he asked.

"Bressaw and James too if that is okay with you."