Chapter 147: Let's Make a Bet

Mina and Ian sat in his car. Most of the ride was spent in complete silence. Mina could sense the man look at her through the rearview mirror several times, but she did not know what he was expecting from her. Unable to cope with the stress she found herself apologizing.

"I'm sorry I left the Lee building. I didn't think you would mind since I had Dom with me," she said. Ian screwed his face into a confused expression. He did not know that she and the guard had engaged in any conversation. The man had failed to mention that they exchanged names.

"I'm not angry about that," Ian said. Mina thought hard.

"Then, I am sorry about spending so much of your money. I'll be able to pay you back soon," she said. Ian chuckled.

"That is not necessary."

Mina was beginning to find herself being flustered. She could not figure out what she had done wrong and President Lee seemed not to want to tell her. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep for the rest of the drive. If he was not going to tell her what was wrong, she was not going to guess. It was not like she cared anyway.

----

Ian watched Mina pretend to sleep in the backseat and he thought about Mrs. Meagan's comments regarding Mina finding a hobby, but he could not think of anything off hand. He knew that if he asked, Mina would lie, so he decided to tease her into telling him what he wanted to know.

"I'll have someone bring you knitting supplies in the morning," he said. Mina's 'sleeping' eyes shot open.

"Don't," she said.

"Why not? You seemed to enjoy it." Mina shook her head.

"I do not."

"Then what do you like to do? If Zane's mother finds out I did not help you find something to do, she might go back to hating me." Mina was curious about that. She noticed that the woman seemed a bit off around President Lee, but she figured she could ask Zane later. Still she could not stop herself from being snotty.

"Did you torture her too?" Mina asked sarcastically, but President Lee's face took on a bitter expression and she knew she hit too close to home. Mina quickly tried to change the subject.

"I've been thinking about exercising," she said. "Dom gave me a routine to follow. If it's okay, I would like to try that for now." Ian nodded in consent. He knew how therapeutic a good workout could be.

"There is a gym on the sublevel of my home," he said. "I'll show you how to get there."

----

Luna was worried when she came home only to find that both Ian and Mina were still out. She had made a call to the doctor who was treating Mina and as she expected, the woman wanted to prescribe a medication that had an effect similar to a sedative. Not only was it highly addictive, but it was known to make underlying issues worse. It was the prescribed equivalent to 'drowning your sorrows in a bottle.'

Luna had tried to convince the woman to give Mina more time before pushing such a harsh line of treatment, but no professional liked to be checked or corrected, especially by someone who was legally unqualified to make such a suggestion. She planned to ask her brother to pull Mina out of therapy, but she was afraid that Mina may misunderstand, so she wanted to speak with her first.

When Luna heard someone enter the home, she rushed to the front door, but it was not Ian or Mina. It was her nan.

"Why don't you look happy to see me?" Ruby asked.

"Nan, I'm always happy to see you. I'm just worried about Mina."

"Oh, where did she go?"

"I think she went to the office with Ian today."

"Then why are you worried?" It was a good question considering the fact that their nan was oblivious to the sort of tension between the two.

"They haven't stayed out this late before," Luna said, and her nan smiled while leading her away from the door.

"They are both adults. You cannot control what happens between them." Luna knew what her nan was insinuating but she quickly reminded the woman of Lisa.

"Nan, you know my brother has a girlfriend."

"Did I say something wrong?" The woman asked.

"No, it's just that the two women don't like each other very much. Lisa already thinks that Mina is interested in Ian." Her nan nodded.

"What was it that Mina said that day?" Her nan asked. "I think she said, 'she is not and will never be interested in Ian.' If Miss Lisa does not believe that, what does it have to do with you? This is a problem for your brother to handle," Ruby said.

"Yes, but Lisa is my friend."

"Your friend? It's a pity she doesn't know that." Ruby said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Luna asked.

"Let's make a bet," the old woman replied.

----

Mina was gazing out of the window when they rolled onto the Lee property. She tried to open her door, but it was locked. She flipped the switch and tried again but the door did not move. President Lee alighted from the vehicle and opened her door from the outside.

"I didn't break it," Mina said.

"I know," the man replied. He pressed a button that only became exposed once the door was opened and Mina realized that he had engaged the child safety lock again.

"Did you think I was going to jump out of a moving car?" She asked incredulously.

"With the way you reacted to the sight of me earlier, anything is possible." Mina's mouth fell open.

"You scared me," she exclaimed.

"Better safe than sorry," he said as he entered his home.

Mina stood outside for a while, she was not sure if President Lee was joking with her or planning to retaliate. A familiar figure came to the door and beckoned for her to come inside.

"Nan!" Mina shouted, realizing that she was beginning to toggle between the woman's given name and pet name. "Oh, thank goodness you're back," She said, as she rushed toward the woman. "Can you come to my room with me? I want to ask you about something personal." A thousand thoughts went through Ruby's mind, and she was not sure she was ready for a peek into her little Ian's love life.

"Is it about Ian?" she asked, and Mina shot her a perplexed look before answering in the affirmative. Mina watched the old woman shudder.