Chapter 559: February

Ian received a notification that reminded him that Mina's life calendar birthday was in a few days. He did not have anything planned, but he did arrange to have her device replaced, and this time, he did not track or bug it. He wanted to make sure that anyone who wanted to see her or celebrate with her had the ability to do so.

Ian was working from home again, not because he wanted to be near Mina, but because he was embarrassed to show his face. He had given Lisa so much freedom within his home and his company and she had abused it in a way that he did not think she was capable of.

Over the course of a few days, twenty-five staff members had to be replaced, each one because they had in a way aided Lisa, either by releasing his schedule to her or by simply telling her where he was in the building.

Being fired from any Lee group business had a negative impact on future employment prospects, but since Ian felt partially responsible for what had occurred, he allowed most of the people who helped Lisa to resign. Others were not so lucky, as they had approached Lisa with offers to help and not vice versa.

Ian was distracted by the smallest sound he had ever heard, and when he looked up, Mina was standing in his doorway with a pensive expression on her face. She thanked him for the phone, and he gestured for her to sit.

As usual, she sat far away from him, but he did not mind. She was coming around to the fact that he was not purposefully trying to hurt her, and there had even been times where she specifically asked for clarification on things that she did not understand. One of the biggest sources of confusion for Mina was his reaction to her drinking with Cylus Rue.

Of course, Ian did not tell her he was jealous, and now more than ever he realized he had no right to be, so he made up a white lie that satisfied them both.

"Everything okay?" Ian asked, slightly put off by Mina's expression.

"My other birthday is coming up, but I don't want to do anything. Can you please take the fall for me?" Ian raised an eyebrow.

"You don't want to see your friends?"

"No," Mina said with a slight huff. "The last party they threw for me was over the top, and while I enjoyed myself for a part of it, the other part was spent trying to figure out how to escape." Mina paused, and looked up at President Lee with a slight grimace on her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a panic.

"My leg," Mina grunted out. She started to rub circles around the area, but Ian could tell it was not helping. "I have to go," she said in a haste, and she limp-ran out of the study, with Ian right behind her. Mina did not even bother closing the door as she half hopped into the restroom.

"Do you need help?" Ian asked, standing a respectable distance away.

"Can you hand me the ointment Doctor Witt prescribed for me? It's in the nightstand drawer." Ian did as he was asked and placed it down on the ground with a pair of shorts he collected from another draw before he knocked at the door and stepped away.

Mina took both items and stayed back in the rest room for a while, but when she reappeared, she did not look relieved. Ian asked her if she needed a doctor, but she told him that she needed his nan. Ian knew that Mina's injury was healing slowly, and while the skin had already fused, it was dry and itchy.

"Let me help you." Ian took the ointment from Mina and began to move small circles on her thigh the way he had seen his nan do. He was making sure to move carefully tugging at the wound slightly, while not actually overstretching the skin. Mina's hands balled into fists, as she clutched at the fabric on the sofa, and then she suddenly grabbed his wrists.

"Thank you," she whispered, her face a bright shade of red that made Ian confused until he realized that he had just been massaging her inner thigh. She was probably feeling conflicted.

"If that keeps happening, I may have to have Jeremy look at it. Mine only stayed itchy for a week or two." Ian was trying to make the conversation casual to help take away from the awkward atmosphere, and Mina seemed to appreciate it.

"I have already spoken to him, he told me that it is normal for people with sensitive skin, so there isn't much I can do." Ian nodded.

"I hope that isn't the reason you don't want to go out," he said, trying to spark a normal conversation up.

"No, nothing like that. I just, well, my parents…" Ian made a noise of understanding. Mina did not want to celebrate because she felt uncomfortable not being able to include her parents. It was not like before where she could not afford to see them, so she had no valid excuse as to why she did not visit.

"I will take the fall for you, but only if you promise to at least let Mills come over. Milo says she hasn't been doing well, and Drax hasn't been able to find her in days."

"But you know where she is right?" Mina seemed to grow anxious with the news.

"Well, I am her boss, so she keeps in touch."

----

Mills was surprised to see that Mina was calling her, and part of her knew that it was not Mina at all, but she still answered the phone, staying silent on the other end. She waited for a long time before she heard bickering between what sounded like Mina and President Lee.

"Mills? Are you there?" Her boss asked. "Mina says she won't speak until she hears your voice."

"Why?"

"Mills? Is that you?" Mills chuckled slightly. Mina sounded worried, but it was more like the worry of getting a friend in trouble, not the worry of a person in trouble."

"Is Drax with you?" Mills asked.

"Nope, and I hope I never have to live with him again."

"I could have warned you," Mills giggled.

"Mills, I am worried, I haven't seen you in a while and I was wondering if you would visit me,"

"I can't right now, but the Staton family is having a small gathering soon, you should be there." Mills ended the call, because the time trace indicator light was beginning to flash, and she found herself thanking some divine entity that Mina was smart enough to install it beforehand.

Since she had left, Mina had been taking care of her by transferring money into the account associated with the card she had given her. Every time Mills thought she would need to take a job, she would check the card balance, and another months' worth of living expenses would be available.

Mills had written down everything she spent and as soon as she could, she would pay Mina back with interest. She also planned to help the woman escape the Lee family, and while that would take a lot more time, Mills was committed to it.

Putting the phone back in her pocket, Mills stretched her arm. She had been shot in the shoulder a few days before, and she was almost positive the wound was becoming infected, but it was all worth it because before her laid two people she hated the most.

----

Mina and President Lee were left staring at the phone on the desk. Mills' closing statement almost sounded like a threat, but was it? Mina had hoped that Mills would have been curious about her saying that she 'lived' with Drax. She thought it was enough to bring the woman out of hiding, but Mills showed little interest in figuring out the backstory.

"President Lee?"

"I don't know." The pair just stared at each other, unsure what to expect.

"Mills wouldn't do anything too crazy, right?"