Chapter 40: For Family's Sake
When Ian saw his sister calling, he was immediately reminded of Mina, which then made him think about Lisa. He was trying to keep the women off his mind, but now he could not stop his brain from stringing together that both of their names ended with the same letter. He then realized that Luna's name also ended the same. He figured that the vowel must have been popular around the time they were born, since they were all similar ages, it is the only thing that made sense. He immediately took a disliking to it. Ian made a mental note that if he ever had a daughter in the future, he would avoid names that ended in the letter 'A' for the sake of his sanity.
Ian answered his phone. His sister always skipped the pleasantries and jumped straight to the point. She asked him where he was, and he told her that he was in the office handling yet another problem. He did not tell her that it was a minor issue, he did not feel like the information was relevant.
Luna did not want to distract her brother, so she hung up the phone without telling him why she was calling. She could always tell Dr. Bell that she would not be able to get the samples for at least another week.
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Not seeing a point in waiting, Luna immediately called Dr. Bell. She was surprised when he picked up on the first ring, almost as if he were expecting her call. She stayed silent on the phone for a while. She could hear that he was out somewhere like a bar or restaurant. A strange feeling overtook her, and her mind told her that she had called him in the middle of a date. The familiar uneasiness she felt toward him engulfed her and she quickly updated him on the status of the samples. Luna hung up before he could reply. He did not call back.
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Dr. Tavin Bell had been feeling like Luna had been pulling away from him more and more lately. He had been forcing himself to attend gatherings where he knew he would see her and had even gone as far as to have one of their mutual friends call him anytime Luna attended a graduate gathering. Normally, she would receive him well, but right now, she was treating him as nothing more than a business associate. Tavin did not want to make her uncomfortable around him, so he decided to give her some space. When his friends invited him out for drinks, he did not really want to go but thought it would help curb his urge to randomly call Luna to the lab.
Tavin had been calling Luna to the lab often the last few days. He just wanted to see her as much as possible, but the last time he saw her, there was a look of weariness in her eyes that did not suit her perfect face. Instantly, he was brought back to their days in college when she was faced with a problem she could not solve. He had stayed awake with her and helped her study for days. Only when she was finally satisfied with her progress, would she fall asleep. There were many times when he watched her for a few hours before leaving. To this day, those are some of his favorite memories of her. Each time, she slept soundly while he gently stroked her hair made him realize how much she meant to him. Those moments are the ones that made him realize he was in love with her and he was still in love with her now. So, when he saw her name display on his phone, he could not hold back his anticipation and answered before he could move to a quiet place. She blurted out a few words and hung up, leaving him confused as to what he had done wrong, yet again.
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Earlier in the day, Lisa had a private meeting with her brother. After careful deliberation, they both agreed not to sell Lisa's failed businesses and to work together to repurpose and stabilize them instead. For the sake of the family, it was better not to look like they were facing hardship, even though they were. As Lisa listened to Kace speak, her mind kept drifting off. She wondered what Ian was doing; she wondered if he were thinking about her the way she was thinking about him. She desperately wanted to be by his side right now.
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Kace could tell that his sister's mind was elsewhere, but she had put aside her pride and come to him humbly. Since he loved his sister, he ignored the fact that she was distracted. She did not even notice the facial expression he was making toward her, as he spoke. If she did, she would have realized that she had caused herself a huge injustice. Her brother had never liked Ian and now, he hated him for brainwashing Lisa from such a young age.
After ten years, President Lee still had a spell over his little sister. No matter what he tried, he was not able to break it. He knew Ian was only holding onto Lisa to prevent the Anders Corp. from directly going against the Lee group, but with his father now in retirement; Kace was free to do as he pleased.
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Back in the Lee Mansion, Mina was asleep. She had already placed her spoon and bowl at the door. Her dreams were becoming more and more vivid and almost played out like memories. Even when she was awake, she was beginning to imagine herself being touched all over by that handsome fantasy man. Tonight, the dream was so vivid that she woke up in embarrassment.
Mina could almost make out the man's face and it was so familiar. She wanted to know who the man of her dreams was. Of course, she would never meet him, but she was genuinely curious about what actor or model was bringing her imaginary comfort during her final days.