2 Chapter 2: What Did I Do?

Adley had only been staying with Mina for a few days before she came back singing praises of a man named Mr. Mark. He was the loan shark that the woman mentioned while being acquainted with one another. The woman said that she took the high paying job she talked about, and it turned out that all she had to do was take a picture.

Apparently, Mr. Mark was a man of many trades; so, on top of being a 'private lender,' he was also a private investigator. He claimed that because he had become well known, it was difficult for him to satisfy his clients as men began to recognize him.

Many of Mr. Mark's clients were trying to get a divorce, a taboo in Pan, and wanted a bigger share of the marital assets. All Adley had to do was get a picture of a man and woman kissing and send it to him. Once Mr. Mark received the photo, $100,000 was transferred directly into Adley's bank account.

Adley showed Mina the money transfer by using her mobile banking app. $100,000 was no small sum and it was enough for Adley to live on for two or three years if she budgeted well. Mina's curiosity piqued and, of course, the next time Adley told Mina about an opportunity from Mr. Mark, she was undoubtedly interested.

Now, here she was hiding in a closet, waiting for the person in the hotel suite to reveal his true self, but the man sounded like he was alone. She could hear him removing his clothing and then she heard him start the shower. She quickly texted Mr. Mark asking him to clarify what sort of picture she should take, but he did not respond.

Worried that she may have misunderstood, Mina started to panic. Did Mr. Mark want an extortion photo of her target in the shower? She heard the person pull back the shower curtain and close the bathroom door, and nervous that she would miss her chance, Mina waited a few minutes, then opened the closet. 

Mina could hear the shower running and then she heard the shower curtains being pulled shut. So, she walked up to the bathroom door holding her breath. She got the camera of her phone ready, and slowly opened the door, but before she could even stick her arm inside, a huge hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. There was not just one man in the bathroom, but three!

The man holding her twisted her arm, and Mina was sure he was trying to break it. She immediately dropped her phone and cried out in pain. The person then grabbed a fist full of her hair and pushed her further into the suite. Mina tried to fight back, but it was pointless. It was clear that the man holding her was no ordinary person.

The man spun her to face him, while still twisting her wrist and pulling her hair. Mina winced in pain but did not cry out. She thought he was being kind of gentle considering the situation, and she bet that she could talk her way out of trouble. The man forced her to sit in a chair and suddenly let go of her wrist and hair while giving her head a shove, making her give him an annoyed expression.

'Did he really have to do all that?' She thought, and as if finally realizing the strength the man exuded, Mina complained.

"Ouch, that really hurt!" She rubbed her wrist, then massaged the part of her head where her hair was pulled. Her face was still twisted up, and she looked at the red mark left on her wrist, knowing it was going to leave a bruise.

The big man did not say a word to Mina; instead, he moved to stand behind another man who was dressed in a hotel bathrobe. Mina stared at the man's face for several seconds, thinking that he was very handsome, no, he was stunning. His dark eyes portrayed confidence and his body looked solid. She continued staring, wondering why she found him so familiar and then it hit her, making her gasp in realization before she began to panic.

"Your… I-I… What did I do?" Mina could not complete a single sentence. Her mind was running faster than her mouth could speak, and she stood, pacing back and forth while muttering to herself. "What did you do? How did this happen? What am I going to do now? Oh, I'm dead. I am dead. Oh my gosh. I just killed myself. What was I thinking? No, I'm over thinking, he can't be. It's not him, it can't be him." As she paced, Mina forgot all about the men watching her.

"Sit down now!" The man said in a low yet commanding voice. He was not shouting, but his words were resolute, and Mina froze. She immediately sat down and began to rock back and forth in her seat; clearly on the verge of a panic attack. She suddenly felt like she could not breathe and although she was terrified, she could not contain her emotions.

In a moment of panicked courage, Mina looked up with an apologetic smile.

"Mr. Lee, or should I call you President Lee? I mean sir, am I going to jail or are you going to kill me?" She stared at the man's face and could feel the coldness emanating from his eyes. It was just as the rumors said, his stare was murderous.

Mina held many degrees, including a degree in finance, and so she knew all about the man before her. President Ian Lee was a well-known figure within the business world, but she was only able to recognize him because he was featured in a news article she read about four months prior.

The article included several pictures of President Lee and although they were not clear, she had cut them out and saved them because he was literally her idol. She had researched everything about him, and from what she could tell, anyone who went against him either fell to ruin or disappeared.

Even if no one dared to say anything, Mina was smart enough to understand what that meant, so, with eyes wide with worry, she asked about her fate, but ended up answering her own question.

"Of course you're going to kill me, but will you torture me? Don't torture me, I will tell you everything you want to know. Oh my gosh, my parents, oh, I'm so young. Why? What was I thinking?" Mina was still rocking in her seat while speaking to herself, but she finally faced the man and spoke. "Sir, tell me straight, how are you going to kill me?" Ian prepared to speak but Mina interrupted him. "Noooo... don't tell me, I changed my mind. I don't want to know, but are you going to torture me? I can't breathe, oh goodness. I cannot breathe." 

Mina stood up again, pacing back and forth while picking at her lip. She was as good as dead, she knew that, but she had to protect her family, so she took a deep breath to calm herself, and sat. 

Ian was slightly amused, the woman in front of him was a very convincing actress, and after her performance she spoke again.

"Okay, give it to me straight, what are you going to do to me? I think I can handle it."