Chapter 593: Choose the Money

Mina walked into the apartment, not prepared to see Mills, Willow, and Olivia already waiting in the sitting room with worried expressions on their faces. She started to ask how her breathing class went, but the woman did not answer. Olivia rushed to Mina's side and pulled her into a bone crushing hug that felt driven by overwhelming emotion.

When Mina pulled away, she was shocked to see that her friend was crying, and she reminded her that it was no good for the baby's development, but that only seemed to make Olivia cry harder. She tried making jokes to lighten the mood in the room, but no one seemed to want to smile with her, which was not what she wanted or needed.

Mina had specifically gone to the apartment to take her mind off how terrible she felt by reminding herself of why she worked so hard; not so that she could be made to feel pitiful. She started to make playful comments about the little baby bump that was beginning to show, and wanting to change the subject, she began to throw out names she liked for little boys.

"Did you feel that? I think he likes the name I choose." Olivia wiped away her tears, she knew Mina was trying to divert the conversation, and she had indeed felt her baby kick.

"I like the name Ollie too," Olivia said, trying to be supportive, but she was still depressed on behalf of her friend.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Willow asked sorrowfully. Mina's smile fell, and when she saw the pleading look Olivia was giving her, she decided that she could not just ignore what was happening the way she had planned.

"I know that for most people talking about certain issues can help, but in this case, I do not have anything I want to say. I was starving and I did what I had to do. If anyone is going to judge me for it then let them, and that includes all of you."

"Judge you?" Olivia asked, clearly offended. "Do you think I am in any position to judge you? I am sad because you are my friend and I had to find out something important about you from a gossip channel. Do you not trust me enough to tell me about your past?" Mina sighed and flopped her body down on the couch next to Mills, who looked angry.

"I trust all of you, but no one likes to bring up unpleasant memories." Mina sighed heavily. "I will tell you whatever you want to know." Mills wrapped her arms around Mina and hugged her even more tightly than Olivia had.

"I want to know if you have ever eaten worms." Mina chuckled. She knew that she and Mills had similar life experiences, so she was probably not shocked by the footage that was revealed.

"They taste like dirt," Mina whined, hugging Mills a little more tightly.

"Don't make jokes now Mills, we seriously want to know why Mina didn't reach out."

"No, you don't. You want to make yourself feel better by hearing her say she didn't need help when she clearly did," Mills quipped. Willow's face twisted into an angry expression, and she stood up excitedly. Mina had to hold Mills in place to stop the women from getting into a fight that she could predict the outcome to.

"You don't know what you are talking about; none of you have any idea. You've only just met Mina, but I have known her for years and this…" Willow paused and pointed to the television, which had been switched off. "It doesn't just make me angry, but it shows me how little faith my friend has in me." Willow stared meaningfully at Mina, who she could tell was holding Mills down.

"I didn't ask for help because I already owed you enough and I didn't want to get your family involved in my issues. Having you as my friend was enough."

"But-"

"No buts Willow. I needed your friendship more than I needed your help; the same goes for all of you. If you had to choose, would you not prefer to be able to talk to me whenever you want or would you prefer money?" Willow wanted to press further, but she knew Mina had a point. There was no way she would choose her business over her friendship with her, and she hoped the other women in the room felt the same.

"Of course I would choose the money." Willow said sarcastically. She plopped herself next to Mina, pushing Mills' arms away so that she could hug the woman instead.

"Did you really eat worms?" Olivia asked as she crawled beside Mills, whose angry expression had softened. Mina reached over and rubbed the woman's belly, only to have her hand replaced by Mills'.

"I did, but not because I was hungry."

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Ian and Zane looked all over Mina's old neighborhood, but they could not find her. They had been calling her phone repeatedly without answer, and knowing the woman, there was no need to try and track her device. It felt like time was moving in slow motion as the men searched, but they soon realized they were not going to find her because video and images of her climbing onto the back of a motorcycle had been uploaded online.

"See if you can figure out who the bike is registered to."

"I don't have to," Zane replied, "People are saying the man is Brayden Thomas of Hansen."

"What the hell is she doing with him?" Zane shrugged. He knew from his mother that Brayden had shown up at the Free building to take Mina on a breakfast date, but he had not told Ian because he did not find it relevant.

"I think they have been communicating for some time." Ian cast a glance at his friend; one that carried his question with it. "Don't look at me like that. Mina is single and can do whatever she wants, having a crush on her doesn't change that, not even for me." Ian rolled his eyes.

"You still should have told me so that I could run a background check on the man. How convenient is it that he showed up when she needed help most?" Ian had many times in the past considered being Mina's knight in shining armor, but he had resisted the urge because he did not want to put her in a stressful situation in order to make himself look better.

Instead, Ian had helped spread rumors about Mina, hoping that she would turn to him for support, but in the end that only worked in favor of CEO Cylus Rue. He could not help but to think that Brayden was doing the same thing to the woman, and he was not sure it would not work for the man, who was not contending with the woman's hatred.

Ignoring his friend's silence, Ian called Dom, who confirmed that he had heard from Olivia Kent and Mina was safe with her friends. He then called Ellie, who claimed to have been inside of the restaurant where the leaked surveillance footage was shot. She told him that the restaurant's owner was still conducting interviews regarding the matter, making both Ian and Zane look at one another knowingly.

"Send me the location; Zane and I are a bit hungry."

----

Dom came rushing into the apartment like a mad man, checking Mina for injuries before pulling her into a tight hug. She coughed as if he were strangling her, and he released his hold. He knew that Mina struggled to survive, but he had no clue how far she had to go. It was no wonder she was tricked into President Lee's bed and considering how easy it would have been for her to make her body her profession, he found himself admiring her even more.

"What's for dinner?" he asked, knowing that Mina would not want to dwell on whatever happened. He knew enough about the woman to know that she would not want to get into the past unless it was necessary.

"You see," Mills said to Willow. "That is how you and Olivia should have reacted. Mina is safe, and our job as her friends is to make sure she never has to revisit those memories again.