Chapter 668: Comfortable

The Lee group shut its doors for three days. No business went in or out as Ian overhauled his company using a proposal he had found hidden in Mina's desk. She never showed them to him, but she was very specific. Mina wanted him to move into his father's old office and allow Zane to move into his old one. She wanted him to delegate more tasks to his friend, and she wanted him to stop micromanaging everything so he could spend more time with 'family.' Reading that nearly threatened to shatter Ian's heart all over again, but he knew Mina would not have wanted that.

To deepen the overhaul, Ian was also scanning through evaluations of his staff. He was aware that some people used family connections to get their positions, but because they were not bad at what they did, he overlooked it. Now, Ian wanted to give those who had gotten into his company on their own merit the opportunity to excel by putting three or four people on the same project to see which one produced a better result.

So far, there had been many title transfers and it was causing a lot of grief for his parents. His mother had already rejoined his father in The Four Cities, and they called often. Not just because they were worried about the state of their company's headquarters, but because he had threatened his sister.

While Ian did not say it, he implied that if he saw Luna again, he would kill her. His resolve on it wavered, but he genuinely did not want to see his sister. In their current situation, Lisa was the victor, and Ian was the loser, but Luna was even lower than him. It even caused issues within her relationship with Tavin, which Ian instigated by telling the man exactly what his sister had done.

There was also Ian's mother, who encouraged Luna to discourage Mina. However, she was not working with complete facts the way her daughter was. She did not know what Lisa had done, and when she found out, she too became disgusted by Luna, who she accused of choosing the Anders' over the Lees'. There was also the unconfirmed theory that Mina was pregnant at the time of her death. That did not just hit their mother hard, but it also hurt their father who was afraid he would die before having grandchildren.

Still, Ian's parents expected him to do right by Lisa, whose family had gathered enough 'emotional support' among other prominent families to be considered a threat. The Anders were actively working with the Loams now, and he could not wait for them to let their guard down so he could wipe them off the face of the planet.

Cam was one hundred percent behind Ian in that aspect and they were already in the process of flooding the legal system with ties to either branch of the family. They had never wanted the scope of their reach to be so obvious in the past, but things were different now. Cameron had Camille, who he was serious about, and in his mind, what happened to Ian could happen to him.

An investigation revealed that Ian's last liquor delivery was completely tainted. Anything he drank that night would have had the same effect, if not worse. Doctor Bell explained that the alcohol content in his whiskey also affected its composition, which is why Ian could feel its unnatural effects as they occurred. That, sadly, could not stop him from doing what he had done, but Ian genuinely believed he was innocent. He wished he could shift the blame to the person who had restocked his bar, but that man was already dead.

----

Mina shook in horror as the woman who lied to her about Nael's birthday was led to a portion of the ship that had removable railings. She knew that if the woman were tossed overboard near the boat's propellers, she would not stand a chance; not that she had one anyway. The woman begged and pleaded, but Nael gave her the finger, and two men grabbed the woman by the arms and legs, tossing her into the deep sea.

Mina covered her mouth in shock, but she did not move. She had also been called to the back of the ship and it was not just for her to be a witness. The woman had lied, and even when she was caught, she kept lying. The only thing that saved Mina from joining the woman was Shani, who risked her own safety by reminding Nael that Mina rarely initiated conversation with anyone. That seemed to work for the man, who gave the blonde one last chance to confess. The woman dropped to her knees, telling Nael that she thought 'Ami' was 'just another girl;' that was when he made the gesture for death.

"Next," Nael shouted, and Mina watched as another individual was dragged to the edge of the ship. He was not even given time to speak, he was simply spat on and thrown over. MIna did not know what that man had done, but she hoped she could find out to avoid making the same mistake.

The process continued as one by one, seven people were thrown over the ship's edge. By the time it was all over with, Mina was not sure she wanted to remain on board, and she wondered if she would drown before being shredded by the rotating blades if she jumped.

"Everyone leave this area," Leal roared, and Mina fled the scene, shutting the door to her suite as she sank down behind it. She had once believed President Lee was scary, but now she knew true fear. There were men and women in the world who were beyond ruthless, and Mina was trapped on a boat working for one of them.

----

Mina stared at her reflection; after the incident with the cake and executions, the verbal abuse she was subject to tripled, and she rarely left her suite. Shani had also pulled away from her, and when Mina asked, the woman said that it was dangerous to continue to be her friend. She made sure to add that she would never hurt her, but she also insinuated that she would not help her if the need arose.

"Why aren't you preparing?" Mina looked up to see Nael standing in her doorway. He tapped the lock of her door, wanting to remind her to use it, but she could not no matter how hard she tried.

"I don't have anything to prepare," Mina admitted. "I boarded this ship with only a few items." Mina knew the man was referring to her gathering her bed linen and clothes to have them repaired or thoroughly washed, but she was actually going to buy replacements, not salvage what she had. Her original plan was to flee, but the island they stopped at was dangerous, even for Nael.

"What is this?" Nael asked, picking up the mask on the small table and putting it on his face. "Looks like some sort of prop for a play."

"Shani made it for me." Mina pointed to the 'scarred' part of her face, and Nael chuckled. He took the mask off and put it on her, stepping back to inspect how it looked.

"I wish that it only covered one side." Mina's eyes studied her feet and Nael chuckled. "You should wear it," he said. "It adds a hint of malice to your look." Mina shrugged, and Nael took a step closer. "Ami, I'm really sorry about the cake."

With those words the man left, and Mina found herself relaxing. After catching her breath, she went to push her bed in front of her door, but before she could it swung open. At first, Mina thought it was Nael or Leal, but terror consumed her when she saw two men who were among the rudest to her, and one of their friends.

"You sent my sister under," one of the men said, but before Mina could scream the door was shut, and he was using his hands to cover her mouth. She struggled against him, feeling him roughly dig something into her midsection before pulling away with a satisfied expression.

"I thought you just wanted to slap her around," one of the men said. He was staring at her with wide eyes before he bolted from the room.

Mina looked down at her stomach, realizing that the man had repeatedly stabbed her, but she was completely padded with cloth and money, so the sharp object never touched her skin. She decided to play dead, but the man who attacked her was not a complete idiot, and he noticed that there was no blood on his hands.

"What are you?" he asked in shock, and Mina quickly pulled the knife from her body, glaring at the man who threw his arms up in surrender.

The other man decided to launch himself at her, but Mina held the knife forward, and he impaled himself on the blade. He jerked away, stumbling backward before lifelessly dropping to the ground.

Frozen in place, Mina just stared at the man, who she knew was dying or close to death. Her daze was interrupted by a hard slap that caused her to fall and release the knife in the process. Her other attacker looked toward the weapon, and both made a dash toward it, grappling with one another on the ground before a familiar voice rang out and the piercing sound of a gunshot filled the room.

Mina looked up to see Leal staring at her in confusion, and when she followed his line of sight, she sucked in a deep breath of dread. Her shirt had giant holes from being stabbed, but it was obvious that there were no corresponding wounds. Leal pointed his weapon at her, walking slowly as he bent forward and lifted the front of her shirt. He patted her belly, tilting his head to the side before cocking his gun.

"Please," Mina whispered. "I need it to survive."

"What is it?" Leal asked, not fully believing the woman, but she was not like everyone else on their ship, and he knew that she was likely telling the truth.

"It's money," Mina said in a slight whimper. "Please," she added. "Don't tell Nael. He will kill me."

"Ami, you are a nice girl, but Nael is my family."

"I know," Mina said in a shaky tone. She curled up into a ball as she waited for the man to make a decision.

"Are you hiding anything else from us?" Mina nodded, and Leal sighed dramatically. "Will it hurt my brother and me?" She vigorously shook her head in the negative and Leal extended his hand to her. "At the first sign of trouble I will tell Nael."

"Thank you," Mina replied, feeling herself grow sick as the fear faded, and she took in the sight of the bodies around her. She scrambled to her feet in a panic, and Leal pulled the sheets off her bed, wrapping them around her.

"It's no longer safe for you to sleep here; follow me."

Mina made her way toward the captain's quarters, and she stiffened when Leal unlocked the door. He put his finger to his lips, gesturing for her to be quiet, and when the door was opened, Mina could hear the unmistakable sounds of an intimate act being committed. She closed her eyes, reaching out for Leal's arm, so he could guide her along safely.

After what felt like forever, Mina heard a door open and shut, and when she peeked, she was in a large bedroom within the captain's quarters.

"This room was our fathers. Neither Nael nor I can stand to sleep in here." Mina did not need to ask; she already knew why the men hated their father; Nael told her. "Don't get too comfortable though."