Chapter 630: Dowry

Mina entered her home and immediately felt dread. There were neighbors inside, but what drew her eye was her uncle, who would only make the two-hour drive if he wanted something. Her cousin Lenard was the first person to greet her, pulling her into the kind of hug that made her hate being touched.

"Long time no see beautiful," Lenard said, casually lifting her face by the chin to press a kiss on her cheek. "I've been following you," he continued. "You've made quite a name for yourself."

Mina pulled her face away, but she was careful not to add too much aggression into her actions. The last time she had rejected her cousin's unwanted contact her uncle had insinuated that she was insulting his family with her 'extreme' reaction. Her parents tried to defend her, and it ended in the man ignoring them for two months straight, which made them late on their payments to him.

"And you must be President Lee." Lenard extended his hand and Ian reluctantly shook it. "Mina, can I talk to you in private?" The man asked and Ian could see her tense as if she were afraid to be alone with her cousin.

"Come now, Mina hasn't introduced me to everyone. Surely whatever it is can wait until she returns."

"Yes, yes," said a middle aged woman who eagerly approached and pulled a younger woman forward with her. She looked at Mina meaningfully, obviously expecting an introduction.

"President Lee this is Margo, my uncle's sister-in-law and Linette his niece." Ian politely tilted his head to the women, but he did not kiss their hands, showing them he was not interested in even a causal relationship. Mina then walked him further into the sitting room, introducing him to her uncle and some of her neighbors who had visited.

"May I ask what the occasion is?" Mina questioned, she was working hard not to make eye contact with Lenard, who was staring at her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable.

"Don't mind us nosey neighbors Mina. We thought we saw your dowry being paid. Your parents denied it, so we contacted your uncle, but he didn't know so we decided to add a little pressure." Mina opened her mouth to speak, but Lenard interrupted her.

"Mina's dowry should be more than a few bags of groceries. If she accepts me, her parents would be given this house and a car." Mina could see her neighbor's eyes light up with Lenard's words. He was not an unattractive man, in fact, he was handsome. Mina just did not like the person he had become. When they were younger, he was kind, gentle and sweet, but over the years, he had become just as heartless as his parents.

"I agree," President Lee responded. He cast Lenard a glance that carried his irritation with it. "Sorry for the confusion. The things I bought yesterday were just to offset the awkwardness of my unexpected visit. If I were sending a dowry, it would not be under the cover of night."

Ian did not try to compete with Lenard's admission of what Mina's parents would get by allowing their daughter to marry him. If he and Mina ever got to that stage, they would get their home, a car and they would never have to worry about money or work ever again. He would give them exactly what Mina had been working toward for most of her life; relief.

"So, you are single?" Margo asked, slightly pushing her daughter forward. Ian did not answer the question, instead he looked to Mina.

"When do you want to leave?" He asked, but before Mina could respond, Lenard interrupted her again, reminding her that they 'needed' to speak.

Mina followed the man toward her bedroom, and Ian followed them with her eyes. He was fine until the door was closed behind them, but Mina's father acted faster than him, opening the door, and shaking his head at who he hoped was Lenard.

----

Mina felt relieved when her father opened her bedroom door. While he shook his head at her, she knew he was actually rebuking her cousin. With the door open, and her mind at ease, she listened to the man speak and decided to take President Lee up on his offer. Her father's family had gone too far, and she was not willing to sell herself again.

"You've changed so much," Mina whispered, making her cousin step closer to her.

"So have you," Lenard retorted. "But I'm willing to overlook everything. I can tell that deep down you are the same girl I love, just like I'm the same person who was always kind to you." It was not a lie, Lenard had always been kind to her, even after her father had denied him her hand the first time.

"What do you want from me?" Mina asked, feeling like she was in a difficult situation that was only being made more complicated by the fact that she could not react the way she wanted. She was tired, not just physically but mentally and every time she felt as though she could take a step forward, there was always someone or something poised to knock her two steps back.

"I want everything I know you have been giving him," Lenard replied, he was pointing at the open door, but his face paled when he saw President Lee step into the room.

"And what is that?" Ian demanded. He had only just approached when he heard Mina's question, but he had gotten the gist of the conversation based on her cousin's response.

"This is a private matter," Lenard replied, feeling as though the rumors about President Ian Lee were just that: rumors.

Seeing a way out from the awkward situation, Mina reminded President Lee of the nonexistent meeting he had to attend, and while the man's face took on an unpleasant expression, he went along with her lie, and in a way that was more aggressive than he had meant to, Ian ordered mina to follow him.

"I can take her," Lenard said, reaching out to grab Mina's arm possessively. The reaction was not one Ian could really blame the man for, but at the same time, it was unacceptable to him. Especially seeing how worried Mina appeared.

"Will you take monetary responsibility if you are unable to get her to the meeting on time?" Ian asked, seeing that Mina was caught in a position in which she felt hopeless, and on his own end, he did not want to give her parents reason to dislike him, so he continued with his lie.

"I will," Lenard said smugly, and Ian turned to leave.

From the minute he stepped into the sitting area Mina's uncle and aunt were in his face, and he not so subtly told them that their son offered to take economic responsibility for the money he would lose if Mina did not leave with him. The couple looked sick with Ian's words, and before he could even step out of the doors, they were shouting for him to wait, pulling Mina along, while a very disgruntled looking Lenard watched helplessly.

Mina hugged her parents, telling them to expect her call, and she darted out of the house, jumping into Ian's car at a speed he had never seen her move. Before he even walked around to the driver side, she was already seat belted in and eagerly waiting for him to drive, and Ian felt his blood run cold. He wondered how many men tried to force their affection onto her; more than that, he wondered how many more years of safety she would have enjoyed had she not met him.

"I don't want to pry but-" Ian was cut off.

"Please President Lee, Lenard doesn't mean any harm. He is confused. He was in love with Sadie, and I gave him the wrong impression. I had not realized it back then, but if I had, he wouldn't have behaved the way he did. His father has brainwashed him into thinking I am the only practical choice." Ian remained silent as he considered Mina's words, but the silence was short-lived as he spotted the holes in her logic.

"Even if that is true, which I highly doubt, his comment was rude and over the top." Mina just stared at the man, completely shocked that he could fix his lips to say such things.

"President Lee, when you and your sister believed that I was trying to destroy your relationship with Miss Lisa, you accused me of being loose. You said that I was embarrassing your family. I had done nothing but talk to Cylus Rue at that time." Ian glared at Mina because he had, on several occasions, asked her not to bring up Lisa around him.

"I have already apologized for that, and you said you accepted.

"That is not what I mean," Mina said.

"Then what is your point?" Ian asked dumbly. He knew why she was bringing it up.

"I'm just saying that he has the wrong understanding about the relationship between you and I. He is angry and confused, so he is acting out. He has never spoken to me in that way before." Ian rolled his eyes. He too had said terrible things to Mina that he did not mean, but she was making him jump through hoops to gain her forgiveness. "Lenard just needs to get away from his parents; they are toxic."

Ian really wanted to tell Mina that her own parents were equally as toxic, but they had come a long way and he did not want to destroy the little bubble of comfort that had been created between them. He wanted their relationship to continue to flourish, and he knew that being overly harsh concerning her relationship with her parents would set them back to square one. Resolving to lose the battle he was in, Ian agreed not to do anything to Lenard or his family, and he could see Mina visibly relax.

"Have you thought about my offer yet? I know it's a lot of pressure, but I would really like to eliminate your uncle and his son from your life as soon as possible." Ian meant his words in many ways, but Mina had only noticed one of them, which was good.

"Please," the woman said, shocking Ian who pulled his car to a stop to stare at her.

"What are you not telling me?"

"Lenard told me that his father had the house reappraised. The land it sits on is worth a sizable amount. He told me that developers are coming into the area, and most of our neighbors are selling their property. My uncle has tripled the asking price in anticipation, and he has told my parents that he will only sell them the home if they can beat the price that is being listed." Ian narrowed his eyes. He knew from the tabs he kept on Mina's family that the home was already overvalued, and while money was not an issue for him, wasting it was not a habit.

"Mina…"

"I know, I know. I can start by giving you back the 500k you gave me. The rest I will pay in installments."

"Fine, but you will negotiate the deal with your uncle. I don't want to meet that man or his niece ever again." Mina giggled and Ian scowled. "She asked me to follow her to the restroom." Mina's eyes went wide as she covered her mouth in shock. She knew from Sadie and Lenard that Linette was far from a saint, but she had not thought that the woman was so bold.

"Sorry," Mina said, but she kept giggling, not at Linette's actions, but at President Lee's facial expression. "She is not a bad person; she was just raised by bad people. She was taught that her beauty is her most important asset."