Chapter 612: Girlfriends

When Mina left the Lee mansion, she was not prepared to see President Lee waiting for her in front of his home. The man opened the passenger side door to his car, telling her that he would also be the person to pick her up. He had said he was not suspicious of her, but his actions said otherwise and Mina believed the man was lying. She climbed into the car, feeling as though it had become suddenly cold despite the warm weather.

"Are you cold?" President Lee asked, noticing that Mina had wrapped her arms around herself. She shook her head no, but the man adjusted the thermostat anyway. "After filming, I want to take you to visit my nan again. Ellie doesn't do anything but pout unless you and Mills are around."

"Do we make her happy?" Mina asked incredulously, and Ian chuckled at the question. They did not make his sister happy, but they distracted her in a healthy way.

"She likes you both, but she won't say anything because she doesn't know how." Mina scoffed, and Ian realized that Ellie was a lot like him in that aspect.

"What about Miss Luna? Is she going to come to the hospital blaming me again?" Ian winced. That had been his fault. His sister's information was outdated, and by the time Ian thought to brief her, she had already accused Mina. Zane had to physically pull her out of the ward, not that she was being physically aggressive, but her words were emotionally charged and if overheard could have spelled disaster.

Mina alighted from the vehicle, letting the conversation end where it had, and walked into the filming location that accounted for ninety percent of her scenes. Her character doesn't not have much, but the small amount of kindness she offers people who are having a tough time makes her well-loved and well liked.

A love interest develops between herself and a young man who spends his free time at the restaurant to get away from the pressure of running the family business.

Mina's character notices that he is not in the best mood, so she tries to cheer him up with small talk as she passes the table. She does not realize the man's feelings for her until the very end of the show, when the love rival has the woman killed. The character had to die to avoid requests for more episodes, but the bulk of the show is not about the woman. It is about the people she touches with her kindness, and the effect, however small, she had in their lives.

"Good morning, have we found a male lead yet?" Mina asked, holding a clipboard in her hands because she was acting as the film manager as well.

"Good morning my lucky charm," Director Porter said playfully. "You will never guess who auditioned for the role." Mina raised a brow because the director's statement insinuated that she knew the person or was at least familiar with him. "Brayden Thomas."

"What?" Mina asked. "When? Is he here?"

"He had a prior engagement, but he will dedicate a full week to filming." Mina pulled out her phone and director Porter intrusively stood beside her. His eyes lit up when he saw who she was calling, and although he could not hear the man's side of the conversation, he could tell that Mina's relationship with Brayden was more than friendly. When she hung up, director Porter could not hold back his curiosity. "You didn't tell me you were dating anyone."

"That is because I am not," she answered.

"So, you think that a man who has never acted or expressed interest in acting went out of his way to audition for a role in a small daytime drama with a completely unknown cast?" Mina considered Director Porter's words for a while, and he laughed at her, making her face go red with the realization that he was doing it for her.

"How do I get out of it?" Mina asked, a hint of panic in her tone. She did not want to pull any more people into the mess she was in. Especially not someone who was as kind as Brayden. Director Porter stared at the strange woman, and he felt the need to confirm something he had always been tempted to ask.

"Mina, what is your relationship with President Ian Lee?"

"I work for the Lee group," she replied nonchalantly.

"And nothing else?" The man raised an eyebrow trying to make Mina think he was onto her, but the woman seemed oblivious.

"If it's about this production; it benefits us both. He doesn't want my sullied image to impact his company." Matthew's mouth hung open. Mina was a smart woman, but he could not believe that she could not recognize how President Lee felt about her when it was as obvious as day to him.

"And you really believe that?"

"What else would there be?" She asked innocently, and then her face took on a look of what Matthew thought was understanding, but her follow-up was just as dense.

"Well, it's good that you have friends you can lean on in tough times," the man replied, choosing to let Mina come to the realization on her own. For all he knew, the fact that she was ignorant to the subtle pursuits of the men may be the reason they were still chasing her, which benefited him greatly.

----

When Mina concluded filming, she rushed out to President Lee's car. The man had texted her, telling her that his nan had woken up, and after she was told all that happened while she had been asleep, she insisted for him to bring Mina to her at once. When the pair arrived at the hospital, Mina held a strange sense of giddiness and fearfulness which only grew worse as they neared the recovery ward that Miss Ruby was staying in. She struggled to remain calm, and President Lee gently rubbed at her back, seeming to have noticed her apprehension. The interaction was caught by Miss Luna, who was smiling as she carried a bouquet of flowers toward her nans ward. The woman's smile faltered, and the man who had been following her stopped to make sure she was okay.

"Ian, can we speak privately," Luna said, and he gently pushed Mina ahead of him, telling her that Zane and Ellie were in the room waiting.

Ian stood closer to his sister, who asked her 'fiancé' to give a second. The man kissed the side of her forehead and left, telling her that he was going to see if the nurses had a vase. Ian stared at his sister, who he knew was marrying just because. She did not like the man she was with, never had, and she only agreed to him because he had been interested in her since college, and she told Ian that if she were going to marry, she would rather the person like her more so that she did not have to deal with the pain of disappointment later. It was a sentiment that Ian could understand, but definitely not one he could agree with. After all, he knew Mina would never like him as much as he liked her, and he was okay with that.

"What?" Ian asked coldly. He had seen the way his sister looked at Mina, and he was still annoyed by their last interaction.

"Ian, I'm worried about you. Nothing you feel for her-"

"Haven't you said that before?" Ian interjected. "Maybe you should take your own advice," he quipped, pointing to where Luna's 'fiancé' had gone.

"That is different."

"Is it? You are using that man to clean up behind Doctor Bell, while whatever you think is going on between Mina and I is all in your mind." Luna looked down, feeling both sorry and scared for her brother. There was a time when he had been in love with Lisa, and she believed that with time he would forgive the woman and take her back.

"Ian, I just don't want to see you get hurt. Mina is a complicated girl and Lisa hasn't-" Ian cut his sister off again.

"Luna, stop it. I have been extremely clear about what I feel for Lisa, and with everything she has done, she is lucky that I haven't reacted more harshly." Luna nodded, knowing that she should not push her brother on the issue. What he said was true, Lisa had crossed many lines, and the only reason Ian and her cousin did not react harshly was because the woman exchanged herself for Mina.

Luna knew that her brother believed she did it out of self-preservation, but Lisa had drunkenly confessed to doing it because she knew she could not compete with the woman fairly. She felt as though Mina had come in and destroyed her relationship with Ian, and truthfully, Luna was not certain that was untrue. If Ian had never met Mina, he and Lisa would likely have gotten engaged by now, but because of the woman's interference, Lisa would never get her happy ending, just the way Luna would never get hers.

----

Olivia and Dom stared at the monitor, looking at the fuzzy shape of her baby. They were both overwhelmed with glee, and despite some concerns over the size of her belly, the baby was growing healthy and normally. When the doctor asked them if they were ready to hear the gender, Dom asked the woman to write it down and seal it in an envelope. She was used to such requests, so she left the room and did as asked. When the woman returned, she handed the envelope to Dom, telling him that he was going to be a great father. That clearly did not sit well with Olivia, who bolted from the room.

"It's her hormones," the doctor said. "I have noticed that she is a little tense; you two should increase the number of times you are intimate, it will help her relax." Dom blinked hard. He and Olivia were not really a thing, and if she need sex, he was not sure she would want it from him.

"Thanks Doc," Dom said, suddenly reminded of his promise to Rebecca. He had convinced the woman to wait, telling her that he should at least take her on one date, but now he regretted it.

Dom left the room and went straight to where he knew Olivia had gone to cry. She was not dumb enough to leave without him, and when they had confirmed her pregnancy, she had done the same thing.

"Crying isn't good for my nephew," Dom said as he opened the stall Olivia was hiding in. "We need to talk," He added.

"Your doctor says you need intimacy. I can help if you want." Olivia blinked several times at Dom before bursting into tears again. "Or not," he added, making the woman's tears turn into giggles.

"It's not that," Olivia said, still laughing as she wiped her tears. "It's just… How come you weren't this sweet before I got pregnant?" Dom shrugged. He had always been drawn to Olivia, but why he never tried anything was a mystery to him.

"I was stupid," Dom replied, genuinely meaning his words.

"Why are you here Cedrick?" The pair heard and Olivia looked behind a white-faced Dom to see a woman.

"Who are you?" Olivia asked, grateful that she had worn her layers before running away.

"I am Dom's girlfriend, and you?" Olivia looked at Dom, who had just offered to sleep with her with eyes that were cursing him out. "Are you also his girlfriend?" The woman asked, obviously seeing no problem with her own words.

"Absolutely not," she replied, grateful that she had not said yes to Dom.

"Olivia," Dom said, but Rebecca interrupted his sentence.

"Do you want him to be?" she asked, and Olivia chuckled.

"Not anymore," she growled.