Chapter 626: Visiting

Mina's father was discharged from the hospital with an activated charcoal prescription as well as strict orders to stay away from aspirin. He had not gotten to the point of needing his stomach pumped, or needing strong medications to help his kidneys function, but he was well on his way, and a follow-up appointment was scheduled so that he could address the problem that had led to the issue: chronic back pain.

Because Mina's parents did not own a vehicle, President Lee offered to drive them home, but they refused, saying that they did not want to waste anymore of his time. Mina was the one who convinced them to at least allow Dom, who she introduced as her bodyguard, to drive them home, and the couple very reluctantly agreed.

That left Ian to take Mina back to his mansion, not that he would have it any other way, but unlike Dom who would have been given strict orders to take her back immediately, Ian found himself swayed by Mina's downcast expression when she watched her parents drive away from the hospital without her.

"Do you want to visit them?" He asked, and Mina looked at him with expectant eyes.

"Can I?" She questioned, and the man nodded. He knew it was a bad idea, but the damage had already been done the minute he rushed out to help the couple and Mina followed.

In hindsight, Ian would have sent someone else to deal with the Harlow situation, but the way Mina had thanked him when she found out that he was the one who had gotten her father into the hospital made it worth the risk. Even if he had to move the couple into his home to keep them safe, he would, and as he considered the idea, it became less horrible to him.

The pair climbed into his car, and Ian searched the nearest grocery store in his GPS, making Mina question him.

"There is no way that I am visiting your familial home without bringing gifts; it's rude." Mina narrowed her eyes at the man, not sure if he realized that her family was nothing like his. Bringing gifts was considered romantic for the poor, but since the man was giving her something she had craved for years, she would let him do as he pleased and explain it to her parents later.

Mina watched President Lee walk up and down the supermarket aisles, picking up this thing or that thing, and when he had a full basket of seasonings, grains, and poultries, she stopped him. She told him that he was spending too much, but he simply shrugged off her warning, and brought the cart to the register where he watched the total come to just under four hundred dollars. She could tell the man was unsatisfied with the amount, but before he could go back into the store to buy more, Mina stopped him, by reminding him that her parents did not have two kitchens.

Ian was surprised when he and Mina were left to push the groceries out of the store on their own, and he was even more surprised when the store demanded to hold his car key until he returned the cart they were using. He made a mental note of the store's name and address, telling himself that he would either buy it or shut it down, but with Mina's calm demeanor as she casually took his keys, gave them to the security, and walked toward his car, made Ian realized that it was a normal request and she seemed to be happy about it.

When they finally arrived at Mina's family home, Ian felt his stomach tighten. He did not know why he was so nervous to visit the girl's parents. He had already met them, but somehow, showing up at their home felt more intimate. Back at the hospital, meeting the Harlows' felt like work, but now, Ian felt as though he was taking a step toward something he was not sure he would ever have with Mina, which was why he insisted on bringing gifts.

Mina knocked on the door, and when her mother opened it, she flashed a bright smile at the woman, who looked as though she had been crying. She pulled Mina into a hug, and Ian wondered if it were the stress of her husband's illness that had caused her to react more harshly toward Mina at the hospital.

"I thought it was going to be another two years before I got to see you again," the woman said, roughly wiping at her face the way Ian had seen Mina do many times.

As he stared between mother and daughter, Ian could not see any real similarities, but he knew that age and poverty could take its toll on anyone, and while Mina's mother was a very pretty older woman, it was obvious that Mina had not inherited her looks from the woman. Anne quickly invited them inside, and Ian told her that there were items that needed to be brought in from her car.

Ian was shocked when Anne pushed Mina out of the home, and pulled him inside, ordering her daughter to bring whatever her 'boss' needed. Not wanting Mina to have to make several trips alone in a neighborhood where she had previously been stalked and nearly abducted, Ian told Ms. Harlow that he did not feel comfortable with the arrangement. The woman nodded before putting on her own shoes and she joined her daughter, who was already lugging some of the bags back into the home. Mina's mother refused to allow him to help, and only after everything was inside did she finally take in what it was she was carrying.

"Mina, why did you allow him to buy these things? Do you want your boss to think we don't have food?" Ian did not let Mina suffer for his actions. She had tried to explain it to him, but he only saw not bringing gifts as rude.

"Sorry Ms. Harlow, Mina tried to warn me, but I was taught never to show up at a woman's family home empty handed." Ian watched Anne nod before pulling her daughter away. Whatever conversation they had left Mina red faced and clearly embarrassed when she returned.

Ian watched the two women work through the groceries he purchased and felt bad that he had bought so much. While the cabinets were mostly empty, the women were similar in the sense that they wanted everything to follow a logical order, so it took more time than he expected for them to clear the kitchen of bags.

In the time it took, Ian was joined by Mr. Harlow, who offered him a drink he did not refuse. The man did not speak at first, making Ian feel uncomfortable. He sat on a hard wooden chair in the small dining room as David Harlow stared at him at various angles. He knew the man was trying to read him, and while it might have worked on anyone else, Ian just found the old man's antic, commendable and nothing else.

"How did you meet my daughter?" David asked, and Ian could hear Mina answer from behind him. She and her mother were cooking but she was obviously paying closer attention to what her father was saying.

"Your father was not speaking to you," Anne said, and although Ian could not see her, he knew Mina had nodded with her apology.

"Mina came into my building, looking for work. From there the rest is history." Ian saw no need to get into a huge lie that would later become too much work to remember, so he kept it short and sweet, and he hoped that Mina would appreciate that he did not lie to her parents.

"And how is she as an employee?"

"One of the best," Ian replied.

"Do you chauffeur and medically assist the parents of all your best employees?" David asked with a raised eyebrow, and Mina who had been bringing plates to the table chimed in.

"Daddy, that isn't a fair question. This was an extreme situation. President Lee is a busy man, and we should be grateful." Ian watched Mr. Harlow glare at his daughter, who did not or pretended not to notice the look her father was giving her.

By the end of dinner, Ian and Mina had been interrogated by her parents in such a thorough way that it showed him how the girl acquired her skill of telling half-truths. David and Anne worked together asking the same questions in extremely different ways at different times, trying to produce a different response. They had almost caught him twice, but Mina successfully helped him avert a crisis when she reminded her parents that he was her boss, and she worked directly under him. She had even thrown Zane into the conversation, successfully making her parents focus on the added male name instead.

"Mina, it's late. Why don't you and your boss stay the night," Anne suggested, and Mina raised a brow at her mother. She knew that she was trying to gauge something but could not figure out what.

"It's fine Ms. Harlow, the drive from here is-"

"It's more than three hours to Scal from here. You have been drinking and I wouldn't want you to get hurt, so I insist," Anne interjected. Ian did not get a second chance to refuse because Mina's father was already handing him a set of clothes to change into, and it was at that moment he realized that he had been walked into some sort of trap.

"Where will I sleep?" Mina asked, curious because she knew that Sadie's room was off limits. Ian took the time to peer into the sitting room, which was bare of a couch, and instead held just two armchairs.

"You've never had a problem sleeping in the chairs before," Anne said, and Mina shrugged as if her mother had just reminded her of an undeniable truth.

The couple led Ian to Mina's old bedroom, and he paused before stepping inside. The room had locks on the outside, and when the door was opened, he saw that the windows were barred shut. Ian's eyes darted to Mina, who stepped inside of her room and gingerly ran her fingers over her things. She was snapped out of her daze when her mother told her that they planned to sell the furniture, and her once happy expression melted into one of confusion.

"Why?" she asked, clearly put off by the statement.

"We don't see you coming back this way, and the room is becoming difficult to maintain. It's burdensome for me to clean." Mina nodded at her mother, asking her for a little time to pick the things she wanted to keep. The couple left and Ian dropped the clothing he was holding onto the bed.

"Mina, why are there locks on the outside of the door?" He asked in a harsh whisper, but the woman just rolled her eyes at him.

"They aren't going to lock you in," she replied, but Ian noticed how she had deflected the question.

"There are bars on the windows," he added, making Mina chuckle. The man's expression was so frightened that she could not hold it in, and it drew the attention of her mother, who came back to the room to investigate.

"Is there a problem?" The woman asked, and not wanting to offend, Ian pulled a page out of Mina's book and told a half truth.

"I am a little uncomfortable sleeping outside of my home." Ian was surprised when the woman instructed her daughter to make him feel 'at home,' and he could tell that Mina had no idea what her mother meant.

"Use the floor mat to stay in this room with him. We will leave the door open though." With that Anne Harlow walked away, leaving Mina stunned.