Chapter 29: Should Have Let Her Go

Zane had been friends with Ian for a little over ten years. As a result, he interacted with the Lee family often. He knew that Miss Ruby would never just go stay with Luna. Ian must have asked her to go, and if so why?

When Ian said he needed advice, Zane assumed it was work related, but now, he was not so sure.

Zane was older than Ian and had more life experience. Ian came to him for advice often, but it was almost always about social business matters. Ian had not been to the office in almost three days, he had not checked in with his secretaries, assistance, or anyone else. Knowing his best friend and brother well, he knew this was out of character. Even if Ian were sick, he would still come to work, and now he was day drinking? Zane looked at his best friend with approving eyes, he was sure there was a woman involved. His little brother was finally growing up.

Sensing Zane's constant gaze, Ian slightly flicked his wrist and dismissed the helpers in the room. Every man and woman waiting to wait on him fled the room and closed the door behind them. Ian really missed having his nan around. She would have known not to send anyone to wait on him right now. It would have been clear to her that he was not in a good mood.

Ian and Zane were seated at the personal bar in Ian's home. It was fully stocked with top shelf liquor. There were dim lights lining the edge of the bar and Ian could change their color to suit his mood. Today he felt like blue was a good color. He switched on the lights and grabbed two glasses. Zane raised his eyebrows just a little as he watched Ian grab one of the stronger liquors from behind the bar.

"Good thing I didn't drive today," Zane said. Ian only looked at him for a few seconds then realized he had chosen a strong whiskey as their conversation drink. He did not know he was that stressed.

Ian sat across from Zane and he took a sip of his whiskey. He let it swirl around in his mouth for a while, then took a large sip. Zane was not accustomed to Ian drinking during the day, and even more unaccustomed to him drinking quickly. It was almost as if he were trying to get drunk. Zane finally spoke up.

"Ian, did you call me here to watch you get drunk, or did you need to ask me something?" Ian had not forgotten why he called Zane; he just did not know how to approach the situation. Could he really just say, 'I was drugged. I took advantage of a woman I think is a spy. I have her locked in a secret room and I keep having lewd thoughts about her, no matter who I'm with or where I am. Also, I think I have a girlfriend now.' Ian decided against blurting it all out and started from the problem that he thought would have the simplest solution.

Ian danced with the truth and told Ian that he had blown Lisa off for a couple of days and felt guilty. He said he invited her out to make up for it, but she misinterpreted his friendly gesture as a date. He told Zane that he had been thinking about someone else a lot lately and he felt that it was wrong for him to continue with Lisa when he wished she were that someone else. His problem was that he did not know how to tell this to Lisa, and he was not willing to toss her aside for a girl in his dreams. When Zane heard Ian say 'girl in his dreams' his body tensed a little. He remembered that Ian had once asked about a girl in a tan skirt some months back and wondered if it was the same girl he was talking about.

Zane could tell that Ian was being less than forthcoming but decided that he would not force him to tell him everything. Instead, he would let Ian deal with the consequences of not being truthful with his best friend when asking for advice. Zane took a small sip of his drink and looked at the glass. It was whiskey, but it was smooth. He knew that every bottle of liquor was handpicked by Ian, and although he was not big on drinking, the man had good taste. Looking over at Ian, Zane coolly and confidently said.

"If you do not want to be with Lisa, tell her. You have allowed her to linger around for the last few years. If you had no intention of being with her, you should have let her go back then." Ian looked at Zane with a gloomy expression. This was not the advice he was looking for. He thought that Zane would tell him to 'follow his dreams' or some nonsense like that, but instead, the man told him to take responsibility for his actions. Is that not what he was already doing?

Ian briefly wondered if he should tell Zane about his experience with Mina but decided against it. He needed Zane to be totally impartial to the situation. He and his sister agreed that he would be the deciding factor in whether Mina died miserably or comfortably.

----

Alone in the dark room. Mina did not move. She talked to herself as she drifted in and out of sleep. She was not sure how much longer she could hold on to her sanity, let alone how much longer her body could go without food. She seriously considered eating the furniture, but she knew it would only cause her more pain in the future if President Lee kept her alive for long enough. Mina started to recall books she read in her past and dreamed about some of her favorite scenes.

With her eyes closed, Mina's mind had reached back into the furthest corner of her memories. She could see a man; his skin was pale and smooth. It looked as if it were as soft as snow and it contrasted drastically with his muscular physique. His face was blurry as he lowered his head to kiss a woman who was giggling underneath him. He spoke gently to her and her body wriggled underneath him. She sweetly told the man that his words were tickling her ears and she giggled again. The man let out a charming laugh as he gently pecked his lips on the woman's face. The woman in Mina's mind had brown hair and elegant features, her fingers were long and slender, and she caressed the man's masculine back. He shuddered from her touch and seemed to lose control. The man landed kiss after kiss on the woman's golden body as the pair let out sounds of pleasure.