182 Chapter 182: Unblocked
Rachel had come to work in the morning and as she expected, Mina was nowhere to be found. Her uncle had asked her to inform Mina to bring her identity documents to the shoot. They would need it to make sure that she was legally eligible to work in the country and to ensure that she was properly credited for her role. She did not feel comfortable asking her boss to relay a message for her but being that the shoot was the next day and Mina did not have a phone, Rachel did not really have a choice. Reluctantly, Secretary Kim knocked on the door to her boss's office. She had already turned in her favor, and she knew they were back to square one.
"Sir, if possible, could you please hand this letter to Mina?" Rachel asked. President Lee did not respond to her, instead he pointed to an empty space on his desk, indicating for her to drop the item in her hand. Rachel scurried out of the office; she could tell that President Lee was not in a great mood.
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Ian had been feeling depressed since his last conversation with Mina. He could tell by her facial expressions that she did not want to stay in his home, and he knew that the choice he had given her, was no real choice at all. He had only just received word that Samuel and Bressaw had been safely airlifted out of 'the camp' and both men were not in good condition.
'Camp' was just a fancy word the Lee family used to abandon troops in the middle of a remote jungle with a knife, but no other survival gear. If the men could survive the trial, not only were they given a clean slate, but they were given a month recovery period and a huge bonus to help aid them. Becoming a Lee guard had its ups and downs, but the Lee family always took care of its own.
Ian did not know if he were depressed because Mina may have traded her freedom for dead men, or because he was sure that if the men did not recover, she would hate him more than she already did.
Ian had thought he had made a resolute decision in sticking with Lisa, but the closer he came to losing Mina, the more he wanted to hold onto her. The amount of relief that had washed over him when he found out that everything, he believed was going on between Mina and Dom was one of the worst misunderstandings that could possibly happen, was indescribable. It was only that sharp slap she had given him that told him he wasn't dreaming and it was the warmth of her body against his, that made him realize he was not ready to let her go.
Still, Ian's well thought out plan had backfired on him and Mina instead had chosen to keep herself isolated. He hoped that with time, she would forgive him, but for now, he would distract himself by focusing on work.
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Ian's concentration had been broken by the light tapping of fingers at his office door. When the very timid looking Rachel placed the sealed envelope on his desk, his eyes scanned over the letter, once, then twice. From the moment his secretary left his office, Ian had been waging a silent battle with himself. He desperately needed to know what was written inside.
Convincing himself that it was for his personal wellbeing, Ian opened the letter. Inside was a handwritten note that referred to Mina's identification documents and a copy of her resume. Ian knew that Mina's resume was useless, and she would likely be laughed out of whatever job interview Rachel had lined up for her. He vaguely remembered Secretary Kim telling him that the job had something to do with Mina working with Rachel's uncle for one day. Ian picked up the phone on his desk and made a few calls. It did not take long for his intended target to reach out to him.
"President Lee, to what do I owe the pleasure of your voice?" Said the chancellor of Wayvair University. The man on the line was clearly nervous.
"Do you know why I asked you to call?" Ian asked.
"I do not," the man admitted. "Perhaps it has something to do with the generosity of the Lee Group to our university over the years?" he guessed.
"In a way, yes," President Lee said. "There was a student in your university, surnamed Harlow, Mina. I would like to take her under my employ, but I cannot confirm her education," Ian continued, his tone was flat.
The man on the other end of the phone swallowed hard. That name was familiar, but he did not know a Mina Harlow. With the press of a few keys, he was able to pull up the woman's student profile and realization hit him. He had been paid a hefty sum to omit the woman from all mention on the university's website.
"About Miss Harlow," the man said, but he could not finish his statement before a cold voice cut him off.
"I trust that you will undo the 'mistake' that someone among you has made. I would like to be able to confirm her details within the hour." The statement was made as a request, but it was really a command.
"Sir, about that," the chancellor said, but he was cut off again.
"Oh? Did she not graduate from your university? I see. Then I should make haste in figuring out which university produced such a woman. I would like to reward them for the service they have done for the Lee group," President Lee said.
If greed were a sound, it could be heard resounding through the phone in the chancellor's voice.
"Ah, Mina Harlow," the chancellor said as if he had only just heard the name. "Yes, yes she is one of ours. Top of her class as well. I am not sure how this mistake was made, but I will see to it personally that it is corrected." President Lee hummed his content over the line and ended the call.
On his end, he had already unblocked all of Mina's information, and now, the girl would get the credit she deserved for her hard work.
Feeling proud of himself for doing something selfless for Mina, President Lee placed the note into a fresh envelope and headed home for the day. He was eager to see the girl's reaction when she searched for her name on the official website of her alma mater.
