Chapter 3: Unrealistically Convincing

Ian opened his mouth to speak again but the woman who was standing before him held up her hands and stopped him; again.

"No, no never mind, I don't want to know. Don't tell me, don't tell me." At this point, he was no longer amused, instead he was angry. The woman kept cutting him off and he was beginning to think she was doing it on purpose.

As the woman continued to chastise herself, one of Ian's guards let out a faint chuckle and the other cleared his throat suppressing a laugh. He flashed a quick glance in their direction and the two men became stoic once again. The woman did not even notice; she was sitting on the edge of the chair with one hand gripped tightly to the seat and the other picking at her lip. Ian found her antics interesting but, he nonetheless perceived her as a threat.

Seeing that the woman in front of him had made no attempt to harm him, Ian ordered his guards to leave the room. The two men looked at each other in concern, but their boss did not look frightened at all. Both men turned to take their leave.

Ian picked up a chair and placed it a few feet away from the woman. He sat right in front of her and wondered what kind of training she received to become such a convincing actress.

Looking at her now, she almost looked innocent, but she was smart enough to sneak into one of the most secure hotels in the country. On top of that he was sure he had seen her enter one of his buildings before.

"Tell me, what are you doing here?" Ian asked in a commanding, yet gentle tone. Mina did not even know that was possible. She looked up at the man again and quickly looked down. His bathrobe had opened, and she could see the muscles on his chest. She knew he was handsome based on his photos, but now that she was up close and personal, she could see much more.

President Lee snapped his fingers and the action pulled Mina out of her daze. As if in a trance, she began to recount the entire situation in full detail. Mina went back to the first day she stepped foot in Scal city. She did this because she didn't want him to suspect her of hiding anything. She thought it was better for her to get it all out in the open.

Ian listened to the woman recount her life story, but he only started to pay attention when she got to the parts that concerned him. She told him about Mr. Mark, Adley and even Miss Maggie. She figured that the more honest she was, the less likely he would be to torture her. Sure, he would still kill her, but she did not want to be tortured.

When Mina finally finished speaking, President Lee looked at her in utter disbelief. She did not dare to look at his face, as she was afraid that he might hit her for her stupidity. She picked at her fingers and kept her eyes on the ground. She kept in mind that the president was not dressed, and she did not dare to make him misunderstand her further.

If Mina saw something she should not have, he might poke her eyes out. Although thinking about it, her mind was telling her that she should take a good look if she were going to die anyway. Her mind kept wandering, and she really felt like she was going to have a heart attack. She began to panic again, hyperventilating, until she felt like she was going to be sick.

"It's so hot in here," She said as she removed her sweater. President Lee raised his eyebrow in suspicion. Mina still could not breathe. Her chest heaved heavily, but she could not take in enough air. She patted at her chest. "I think I'm going to be sick. Oh gosh, I'm really going to be sick." Mina wanted to stand up, but she did not want to make any quick movements while President Lee's guards were gone.

"If you are hot, open the window." Mina nodded her head and slowly walked toward the window. She opened it and felt the chilly air wash over her body, making her shiver. "Now jump," the man said. She turned around; her eyes wide in with shock.

"Jump?" She asked.

"Yes, since you are going to die anyway, just jump," he replied.

"I would really rather you kill me," She said. "Kill me and leave my body for the police to find."

"What?" Ian was honestly intrigued by the woman. "Why would I do that?" He asked.

"When I first moved to Scal, I used a sizable portion of my living expenses grant to put life insurance on myself. The money will go directly to my parents, but there is a clause in the policy. If I kill myself, the contract becomes void." Mina was feeling a little better and she went back to the chair she had been ordered to sit in, letting her head rest in her hands. "My death will already cause my parents to suffer. I do not want them to think that caring for them pushed me to take my life. I'm okay with dying, but I just don't want them to think it's their fault." Mina was still looking at the ground when President Lee walked over to the door and opened it.

Ian gave direct orders to his guards, he told them that no one should under any circumstance enter the room for any reason. He turned back to see that Mina had not moved an inch. The woman must have been trained from young. It was a skill to be able to tell such an unrealistically convincing story without breaking character once.

Ian shut the door and slid the bolt lock into place. If the woman was not working alone, he wanted to make sure he had enough time to react before her accomplice showed up. He stood by the door and stared at the woman in the chair. Her posture was terrible, and she really looked pitiful. He was definitely going to figure out who trained her. If he had people like her under his control, he was sure the Lee family would take over Pan and no one would even notice. She was that good.