Chapter 595: The First Act

Taking a break from her normal work schedule, Mina volunteered at the Free building by teaching a class on household budget management. Although the class was meant for the women who did not want to use crafts as an outlet, others had joined the lesson. Many of whom were struggling to survive on a limited income.

Mina was not expecting anyone to register for the class because the leaked surveillance video was still a hot topic, despite almost a full week having gone by. To her surprise, none of the women had even asked about it, nor did they express their sympathy, which Mina appreciated. It probably helped that they knew that she was working to secure funding for an onsite daycare. A free and secure childcare program would allow many of the women to work longer hours without fear.

In all her years of living, Mina had never, not even once, considered that she would find herself in the position of a lobbyist, but when she was not with Miss Meagan or working for Olivia and Willow, she found herself campaigning for funding and other law changes that would help the women she worked with.

Not exactly a political figure, Mina saw no harm in what she was doing, but it landed her right back on the radar of President Cam, who not so subtly told her to drop her efforts or face consequences. Reluctantly Mina agreed, she had already pushed too far, and her parents' safety was greatly dependent upon her usefulness to the Lee's.

Still, Mina created a calling list from numbers that Mrs. Jenkins had given her. She had not yet started to call the people on the list because she was able to get temporary assistance. President Lee was all too eager to help her and knowing there was no such thing as a free lunch, Mina was just waiting for him to tell her what he expected in return.

Mina's class had only just closed when a volunteer came to fetch her with a worried expression on her face. President Lee had sent James and Bressaw to work with her, so she knew whoever had shown up was not a threat, but the look on the young girl's face told her that it was someone she would not want to see.

Mina's mind immediately went to Tracy; the woman had gotten the marriage that she wanted and had completely forgotten about the promise she made about coming back to volunteer her time. Miss Meagan had warned her not to let her guard down, but since she had not come back, which was, in a way, good; Mina could only assume that the woman and her son were fine. However, Tracy was not the person waiting.

"Boss lady?" Mina said in a shocked tone. "What are you doing here?" The woman did not even bother to answer; she immediately rushed toward Mina, dropping to her knees when James stopped her from getting too close.

"Please Mina, I'm begging you to help me. I was not thinking when I sold that footage, I just saw it as a way to make a little extra money. I didn't think it would make trouble for you." Mina raised a brow at the woman. Either she was an idiot, or she was lying.

"You thought that selling footage of me rummaging through your kitchen for scraps of food wouldn't make trouble for me?" Jacqueline nodded her head vigorously, but Mina did not believe her. "What prompted you to even go back to that footage and why did you even keep it?" The woman's face changed into a guilty expression, and Mina went to walk away.

"Mina please, it wasn't me. It was my husband; you know he has a problem. He was the one who sold the footage." It was at that point that the hurt Mina felt disappeared. Her boss lady, who had been so kind to her, had changed for the worst, and it likely was driven by greed.

"Was he also the one who gave interviews? And the person who bought the footage, was he the one who explained in detail what was happening?" Mina quoted a line from the audio Mr. Walsh had let her hear, and Mrs. Jacqueline's face twisted into a bitter expression.

"You forgot all about us," the woman shouted angrily. "You used us, moved on, became rich and didn't even look back. I was angry." Mina's lip quivered as she stepped close to the woman and pulled her into a hug before releasing her with a sad smile.

"Do you remember when an employee from Leading came to sample your food?" The woman tensed and it was clear that she did. "I sent him." Mina walked away from the woman who continued to shout about needing help, something she could not ignore.

"Please Mina, I don't know what went wrong. The bureau of revenue sent me this letter. They say that their records indicate that we owe an additional seventy-five thousand in taxes. There has to be something you can do; you have helped us before-" Mina cut the woman off.

"Now you remember?"

----

Mina returned to the Lee mansion in search of President Lee, who she suspected had a role to play in whatever problem Mrs. Jacqueline was having with her taxes. The man was not home, so she opted to work on their joint venture while she waited. Terrence had already created an app for her, and all that was left for Mina to do was reach out to Cylus for designs.

She dialed Cylus' number, and he answered in a panicked tone. Mina felt guilty for not having updated the man sooner, but she was still angry with him for his treatment of Olivia, and no matter how she tried to forgive him, she could not and would not until her friend indicated that she was no longer hurt by his words and actions.

"Why didn't you call me sooner? Do you know how worried I've been?" Guilt settled in Mina's chest, and instead of talking business, she found herself crying into the phone. "Mina? Where are you? Did he hurt you again? Tell me where you are, I will get you." Mina shook her head, knowing that Cylus could not see her, but she was unable to form words. "Please talk to me. I do not know how many times I have to apologize to you and Olivia. At least tell me what to do."

"You know I haven't forgotten about everything you've done for me, right?"

"Mina…" Cylus said, knowing that her words held more meaning than she was letting on. "Talk to me."

----

Ian came home to find Mina sulking in his sitting room. He had already been updated on what happened earlier in the day, and from what James told him, the woman showed uncharacteristic coldness, so he expected to find her in a bad mood. What he did not expect was the bottle of wine situated in front of the woman, who he knew could not drink.

"I should have warned you," Ian said, making the woman's head snap up as if she had not heard him enter the room.

"Did you arrange it?" Mina asked, not sure if she wanted to know the truth or be told a lie.

"I did not. That woman made Cam look bad by making you look bad. Anything that is happening to her now is out of my hands." Ian chose not to tell Mina that he and Zane had visited the woman because it was irrelevant, by the time they reached the restaurant Cam was already working on his end.

"She was someone I would never have forgotten. I don't know why she didn't just call me." Ian dropped his blazer and sat next to Mina, who did not flinch or shy away from him. "Do you know who she sold the footage to?" The woman asked.

"She doesn't even know who she sold it to. She was given a check and she gave full access to her security backups. I'm not even certain she cared what the person wanted. Have you spoken to your parents yet?" Mina shook her head, and Ian nudged her shoulder with his own. "Don't you think that they would want to hear from you?" The woman shook her head again.

"I know my parents. They are probably embarrassed right now. I will call them when I have good news." Ian disliked the fact that Mina's parents had not reached out to their daughter, but he was really in the dark about their relationship. Mina always made it seem like they were perfect, but as time passed, he was beginning to think the woman was living in a dream.

"And Brayden?" Ian asked, hoping to hear from Mina's lips that the man was just her friend.

"He says he doesn't care, but a part of me has trouble believing him. What about Dari? Is she still in the picture?" Ian shrugged. His father volunteered his presence on a few dates with the woman and while she was nice, she was boring. He felt like he could predict everything she was going to say, and had it not been for the fact that his father was sick, Ian would have ignored the woman completely. "Give her time, she is probably intimidated by your reputation."

Once again Ian regretted his actions. No matter how he tried to explain, Mina did not buy his claims that every woman he 'cheated' on Lisa with was paid for their time without expectation. He reached for Mina's hand and gently held it in a way that he could tell shocked her, but she did not pull it away.

"Mina, I know what you think, but can you give me a chance to prove myself to you?" Mina stiffened before she gingerly pulled her hand away.

"President Lee, anything you feel right now can be directly attributed to guilt." Ian resisted the urge to protest. His mind was telling him that Luna had said something to Mina, but he would use her own words against her.

"Then help me feel less guilt by being my friend. I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot but give me the chance to make it up to you." The woman sighed while shaking her head, but she eventually agreed.

"Don't expect special treatment."

"I would never," Ian teased. "Now, why is this wine here?" Mina looked at President Lee like he was an idiot.

"Obviously, I planned to drink it."

"Then…" Ian stood removing the wine and glass and putting them back behind his bar. "My first act as your new friend will be to stop you."