Chapter 597: Done in The Dark

Mina and Mills were already on their way to surprise their friends with lunch when Olivia called. They were both panicked on the woman's behalf, and with Dom driving, they were able to make it to her location faster than she expected them.

Mina stayed behind to help Willow, while Mills and Dom took Olivia home. They texted a cover story within their group chat and when Mr. Morgan asked where their friend had gone, Mina and Willow had the same response. The man was at first annoyed, but Mina was able to placate him by telling him that she would be filling in for her friend until she returned.

Mina knew that the man was fond of her work efficiency, and while she still had commitments to the Lamar family to handle, she could not see a way out for Olivia other than volunteering her time. The man explained what he needed, and Mina was glad that it was something with which she was familiar.

Director Porter and director Twan had come to take over for the previous one, who while skilled was not as well known. Mina had a first felt bad for the man, knowing that it was her issue that had caused the shake up, but he assured her that he was very well compensated for his time. Mr. Morgan must have reached out to Matthew Porter for help, and with him came the reason for eighty percent of Olivia's troubles.

"I have memorized the scenes and I am familiar with the selection process. I can definitely help the director go through the completed shots without Olivia's help." Mina flashed a kind smile at Mr. Morgan, and he patted her shoulder affectionately.

"I really wish you would come work for me full time. Director Porter was just telling me that you were once his assistant. One man's trash-"

"Mina isn't trash," Willow interjected, clearly eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Of course not. Isn't that a common saying in this country?"

"Yes, but you are from The Four Cities, where we say one man's loss is another man's gain." Willow winked at Mr. Morgan, who shook his head in defeat.

"Did Mina and her friends beat up on you too?" He asked director Porter.

"Not me, but my co-director here has had his own experience." Mina watched as director Porter squeezed Peter's shoulder in a way that did not look friendly to her.

"Anyway, Mina knows where the laptops for editing are. If she doesn't know, ask Willow, and if Willow doesn't know, it can wait until Olivia returns." Chance extended his hand to both men, shaking them before turning back to Mina. "Are you sure Olivia is fine? It isn't like her to just up and leave without letting me know first."

"She is fine. You know her family life is complicated right now. She just had a bit of an emergency." Chance nodded, releasing a deep sigh before he walked to where Willow was still working.

With the man busy with her friend, Mina escorted the two directors to where she had organized the digital cards in the order of which they occurred. They had not gone through selection, so there were multiple shots of the same scene, but she had arranged them in a way that would make the process quick and simple when the time came.

"Come back to me," Matthew blurted out, catching Mina off guard. "I was a fool to have let you go." Mina shook her head.

"I have my hands full already, and I would likely hurt any project you work on right now." Matthew pointed to the array of digital cards complete with labels situated neatly at the well-maintained station clearly arranged with editing in mind.

"You call this hurt? Mina, Chance would not have even allowed you back onto his set if any of that mattered. Please don't make me beg you." Mina's eyes looked briefly to Peter, who looked as though he had not quite gotten over whatever sickness he had, and Mina believed Matthew was looking for a replacement for the man.

"I don't think that is a good idea, but I will think about it. In the meantime, is there anything I can do?"

Mina found herself seated with the two directors, going over the scenes, pointing out things that were out of place and making detailed notes for the men to follow. She took notice of how director Porter bickered with director Twan about unimportant shots, and how he kept throwing jabs at the man's intelligence, making Peter glare at her accusingly.

Eventually, Peter started to make rude comments toward her, and although Mina ignored most of them, she could not ignore all of them. Before she knew what was happening, she and Peter were going back and forth in passive aggressive tones, that while calm sounding, were anything but.

"Well, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that what's done in the dark will eventually come to light," the man mocked. Director Porter tried to intervene but Mina disliked Peter almost as much as, if not more than she disliked President Lee, so she was not easily calmed.

"Then you should take my advice as an expert on the subject; change the locks on your doors if you can't remember who is coming over and when." Peter narrowed his eyes and Mina rolled hers.

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, unable to ignore Mina's statement.

"You were the one who mentioned things done in the dark; I'm simply reminding you that your words apply to your own actions as well."

"Mina," Matthew said, successfully drawing the woman's attention to him by physically standing in between her and Peter. "Ignore him, he is in a bad mood." Mina nodded and went back to work, but Peter was not done. They were discussing a scene where the side character discovered that her first love has been unfaithful, and the man jumped in with a jab that forced Mina to stand in anger.

"How dare you accuse my friend when you were the one too dumb to space your 'visitors' out?" Peter also stood, facing Mina down as she took on a defensive posture.

"That is the second time you have implied something of that nature. Tell me what you are talking about." Mina chuckled disbelievingly.

"Really?" she asked. "Are there so many incidents that you can't even remember them?" Matthew pulled Peter away from Mina, but she did not lower her guard.

"Stop acting like I'm going to hurt you."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Mina retorted, recalling the time Peter had grabbed her in anger, and once again Mathew tried to intervene.

"Mina can you just be clear about what you are saying? Even I can sense the weight in your words, and it's obviously causing animosity between you two." Mina crossed her arms.

"I don't have a problem working with director Twan, but I will not allow him to belittle me or Olivia."

"Olivia has already moved on," Peter said, making Mina laugh mockingly.

"So what? Did you expect to keep her and your fiancé?" Peter's face went red, and Mina stormed out of the room, angry that she had let the man get to her.

----

Mina was awakened by a phone call from Brayden. She answered in a sleepy voice that the man replied to with silence. Afraid that something was wrong, she repeated her greeting, and was relieved when he replied.

"Did I wake you?" He asked in a tone Mina could not place.

"Yes, but my alarm rang a few minutes ago. I don't have anything planned for the morning, so I was going to sleep in."

"Want to have breakfast with me?" The man asked, and Mina could hear the hopefulness in his voice.

"Only if we do takeout," she replied with a playful chuckle that was mirrored by the man she was speaking with.

"Done. Your place or mine?" Mina did not have to think long because the answer was neither.

There was no way Mina would willingly walk into Brayden's home regardless of how patient and polite he had been with her. She was not a complete idiot, and she knew going to his house, even for breakfast, was like saying she was ready to take their relationship to the next level and she was not. She was also unwilling to invite the man over to President Lee's home. She had not told Brayden that she lived with the man, and she did not want the hassle of having to explain just yet.

Not wanting to let Brayden in on her thoughts, Mina hummed loudly, pretending to think before she asked him if he would be willing to meet her somewhere. The man agreed, and Mina sprang out of bed, rushing to get ready. There was a small patio area at the back of the Free building, and Mina had invited the man to have breakfast with her there. It was private property, and because it was sandwiched in between two other buildings, they would have a decent level of privacy.

The only people who would be able to see them were the people who were employed in the buildings, and Mina had a feeling that none of the people who worked at the twenty-four-hour call center would spend their limited lunch breaks looking peeking at their work neighbors.

As Mina passed President Lee's study, she noticed the man working, and she stuck her head inside of the room, telling him where she was planning to go. She did not think he would care, but a strange look crossed his face that made her question him.

"It's not my place," Ian said, knowing that Mina would press him until he told her what caused his expression to sour.

"Is it about Brayden?" Ian gave Mina a telling look and she sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Why?"

"I just think it's suspicious that he showed up where you needed him, when you needed him." Now it was Mina's turn to make a face, and it was one that told Ian he was not working with complete facts. "You're hiding something."

"Not really, it's just that, he and I were kind of on a date before I got into that crazy driver's taxi. Connor showed up when we were leaving, and I had gotten upset and left without Brayden. I don't know how he got to me when he did, but he already had someone of a clue as to which direction I went." Ian rolled his eyes.

"And he just so happened to know where the taxi took you?" Ian leaned back in his chair and folded his fingers, leaving the pointers extended as he spoke. "Mina, either there is something you aren't telling me, or you are blinded by whatever it is you have with that man, but the more you say, the less your story makes sense."