Chapter 11: Isn’t it embarrassing?

While Ian was gone, Luna had gone back into Mina's room. She had personally given the woman a contraceptive pill and Mina hastily took it. She watched the girl move without question and thought that if she was a spy, she was literally the worst one ever. She ate and drank anything that was given to her without question.

Curious Luna asked Mina about her personal life, but Mina said she did not have one; she was always either working or studying. Mina must have been able to tell that Luna was trying to get something out of her, so she asked her to speak freely.

"Mina, the doctor who came to see you. She said that you had not slept with anyone before. I just want to know if that's true." Mina only nodded her head a little and Luna could not shake the feeling that something was still off, so she followed up with another question. "In my field, I have encountered many women who have experienced this sort of trauma. Those women are always emotionally unstable, but you haven't shed a single tear." Mina opened her mouth and then closed it again. She did that several times before answering.

"I want to cry. I want to cry, but I cannot. The truth is that I know I was wrong for sneaking into your brother's room. Do you want to know something funny? When I first reunited with Adley and she told me about Mr. Mike and his high paying jobs, I initially refused. I knew that money that was too good probably involved me giving up my body, and this is where I ended up." Mina chuckled. "I am not crying because I do not remember what happened. I do not know if I asked your brother to do this to me. I don't even know if it was actually him who did it." Luna squinted her eyes at the woman.

"Mina, if I am being honest with you, there is a hole in your story. Something is off about it." Mina shook her head and agreed.

"I haven't told you the whole story, it's true. It's just that I keep thinking about Mr. Mike's words and the way he phrased things back when he first explained them to me. Somehow, I had gotten the impression that there would be another person in the room with President Lee. I had gotten the impression that the two people were going to be in bed with one another. Adley was supposed to sneak me out in a linen cart using a room service disguise, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that I was probably always supposed to be the other person in the bed."

While Mina was speaking, tears fell down her cheeks, but both she and Luna pretended not to notice them. Ian was slowly approaching the room, but when he heard the two women speaking, he stopped to listen to what they were saying.

"Isn't it embarrassing?" Mina asked. "I struggled to graduate from a top university with several degrees only to end up dead in a ditch somewhere after selling myself for $50,000. The worst part of this is I knew. I knew what I was getting myself into was dangerous, but I still went along with it." Mina continuously mocked herself for her stupidity.

Each word seemed to push out another set of tears until she began to earnestly cry, and Luna knew it was because she felt like she had failed herself more than anything else. She watched as Mina pushed her face deep into her palms, trying to stifle the noise she was making.

"Please, do not tell your brother that part of the story, until after I am dead. If he does not already know it was my first time, please do not tell him. I do not want him to keep me alive out of pity. I just want him to kill me like he said he would. At this point, I'll even jump if it's easier for him." Luna did not press any further.

Mina's true feelings had finally been poured out and Luna believed her. She also knew things that Mina did not know, which caused a strange sense of pity for the woman in front of her. She had omitted an important part of the story simply because she was embarrassed by her own actions. She already knew she was going to die, and she still wanted to hold on to a little dignity while doing so. Mina did not blame anyone else for what was happening, and she did not beg for forgiveness. She did not even think twice about taking a contraceptive; she just wanted to get it all over with.

Luna found herself wondering why good people had to suffer for others, she had no doubts that Mina was a nice person, a foolish, but essentially decent person. It was a shame they had not met in their everyday lives.

With just the few short conversations they had, Luna could tell that Mina was both rational and intelligent. They probably could have been friends, but Luna knew it was a thought brought out of sympathy, and a small part of her was still afraid that Mina was being untruthful.

The Lee group was not a company that people willingly offended. If someone else drugged both Ian and Mina, it would mean that the person did not fear the consequences of being caught. It was more likely that Mina saw an opportunity at blackmail and took it. She had already admitted to being in the room to take photos of Ian, but what if it was just her cover story?

What if she were planning to make it look like she was in the shower with Ian?

Photos like that would be worth a couple of millions at least, but they would also carry a death sentence with them. Luna was unaware that her brother had been listening in on their conversation, and she did not know that his line of thought mirrored hers. She was too busy trying to decipher whether she could trust the woman before her or not.