Chapter 592: Expecting More

Ian watched the recordings of Mina eating leftover food more times than he wanted to. No matter how hard he tried to get it removed, the videos kept popping up, and once it was aired on television his hands were tied.

Although 'retired' Mina had been a part of the entertainment world, and because of her sudden rise in popularity and abrupt retreat, people were still intrigued by her.

The first person to reach out to Ian was Luna, and it shocked him that she even cared. His sister asked if Mina was mentally okay, but Ian had not seen her, and she was not answering her phone. He relayed the information to Luna, who reminded him that he and Mina were in 'emotionally fragile states and needed to approach the situation professionally.'

It was not until photos of Mina walking through a rundown part of Scal started to appear online that Ian realized something other than a person looking for a scandal was happening. The woman looked agitated in the photos, and when the videos started to follow, it was clear she was at the edge of panic. She kept pleading with the group following her to leave her alone, but their job was to do the exact opposite, and no one was sympathetic.

Ian's office door was swung open by Zane, and Ian immediately rushed out with his best friend following close behind. He contacted various people, hoping that someone could get to Mina before him, but there was no one in the area.

"What the hell is going on Ian?"

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Mina was not embarrassed by her actions, nor was she ashamed of them, but she was put off by the people following her and made more uncomfortable by the crowd they were drawing. What started off as five or six paparazzi had grown into a large group that were recording her with their phones as they whispered about her.

It was something Mina could not stand, but no matter how she pleaded with the group to sit and talk with her in an orderly manner, they seemed set on antagonizing her to the brink of tears.

Mina's whole body began to shake, and she felt the onset of a panic attack. Mr. Walsh had taken her phone, so she could call no one to help, and the closest safe place she could think to go was likely another trap of some sort.

Without options, Mina continued to walk, hoping that Dom or someone else who cared about her would show up, even President Lee.

The loud roar of a motorcycle did not at first startle Mina until it became so close that she knew it was no longer driving on the road, and instead was driving toward her and the group of about twenty plus that had gathered. She instinctively moved out of the way, but the cyclist stopped and extended an extra helmet to her.

Mina knew it was Brayden by his clothing, and wanting to get out of the situation she was in, she pushed aside her fear, put the helmet on and climbed onto the bike. The man positioned her hands around his waist in the proper manner and revved the engine before peeling away from the crowd.

With her eye tightly shut Mina clung to the man, holding onto him as if she would be blown away, and anytime the motorcycle leaned or made a turn she held him tighter. At a point, her mind told her that she was interfering with the man's breathing and driving so she slightly loosened her grip, and over time, opened her eyes.

Brayden kept driving, zig zagging through cars and breaking almost all the traffic laws that Mina knew. She was afraid, but she was no longer as terrified and as her body relaxed, so did Brayden's. He had driven them to a place that she could tell he visited frequently based on the ease at which he came to a spot where he could park his motorcycle.

"Try our date again?" The man said while taking off his helmet. He ruffled his hair before moving to help Mina remove the clunky and heavy helmet off her own head.

"Where are we?"

"This used to be my mother's favorite place to get away when she was depressed." Mina looked down at her hands, but Brayden lifted her face up by the chin. "I don't like the expression you are wearing," he said.

"Sorry, I just-" Brayden used a finger to stop Mina from speaking and her face morphed into an annoyed expression.

"You don't have to explain anything to me. I don't care." Mina resisted the urge to nod, because she knew that Brayden would stop her, but she had nothing to say. "You want to nod, don't you?" One of Mina's brows raised, and the man let out a tickled laughter that made her heart race.

Brayden was taller than her, but not in the way that made her crane her neck. His dark eyes were deep set, and his jawline was strong enough to appear masculine without making him look intimidating. His hair was slightly longer than it was when they first met, but the sides were still cut low with neat and sharp edges.

"You're staring," Mina flinched and averted her eyes. She apologized and Brayden groaned. "You know, if I apologized every time I found myself staring at you, I'd be saying sorry all day." Mina felt her face go red and just as she expected, Brayden stopped her from looking away. "Connor is an idiot," he said as he started to move his face closer to hers, obviously closing in for a kiss that she was surprised she wanted.

Mina's eyes focused on his lips, which were thin and slightly wet. They were not as pink as Connors, or smooth looking like president Lee's, but they were lips, and she did not expect much from them in terms of appearance. Mina relaxed her face, expecting to have her first kiss, but Brayden surprised her by kissing her cheek instead. She pulled back to stare at the man who wore a satisfied expression.

"Expecting more?" Mina turned red in shame because she was expecting a lot more.

"Am I supposed to answer that?" Brayden laughed and Mina found herself staring at the man's shoulders to stop herself from staring at his face.

"If you want to," he finally said. Mina went to shake her head, not trusting the right words to come out of her mouth, and as expected, Brayden stopped her. "Use your words, beautiful." Mina hands lifted to Brayden's, and she gently pulled it away from her chin.

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I like confident women." Brayden was used to that line working on whoever he used it on, but it seemed to have the opposite effect with Mina.

"So, in other words, you are trying to change who I am to suit your personal preferences?" The man flinched and took a step back.

"Well, when you say it like that it makes me sound like an *sshole." Mina giggled at the man's shocked expression. She knew she was being dramatic, but she wanted to show him what it was like to be made to second guess actions with which he was comfortable. "How about we come to a compromise? If you don't know what you should say, tell me." Mina once again resisted the urge to nod and verbally agreed.

Brayden went to lead the woman into the restaurant, but Mina pulled against his hand, telling him that she was not in the mood to eat. It was still early, so the sun was high in the sky and with after school hours nearing, Mina did not want to be outside.

Understanding that the day was done before it began, Brayden handed his phone to Mina and asked her to input her address. When she was done, he slid the helmet back onto her head, then did the same to himself. He had heard rumors that she lived with President Ian Lee of the Lee Group, but when he tried to ask CEO Rue for more information, the man always dismissed it as work related misinformation.

"Hold on tight," he said, knocking on the woman's helmet when she nodded instead of speaking.

"That's not fair," Mina whined playfully.