Chapter 700: Invited

David did not understand why President Lee had spontaneously come to visit them again, but just like any other night, he denied the man entry. Unfortunately, their 'visitor' did not take no for an answer this time and pushed his way inside.

"I'm not here to apologize again. I just want to make sure you are doing well. I heard that you've retired."

"Yes, I did, and thanks to Mina's life insurance, my wife and I will be well taken care of into old age. The checks are more than enough for us to live on, so you can stop 'worrying.'"

"I've been told that you and your wife have been travelling more lately. Is there anything you need from me?"

"We would like for you to stop having us followed."

"I can't do that. Mina would have wanted you safe," the man replied, and David found himself growing angry.

"And will you continue to monitor us after you're married?" David could see that his words had an impact on the man, so he kept talking. "President Lee, you are a young man. It's not healthy for you to concern yourself with your dead ex-girlfriend's parents."

"I just want to make sure your brother isn't trying to take the house back from you," Ian said.

"No, he isn't. We travel because we are following advice from a grief counselor, and visiting places that our daughters would have liked to go when they were around." David felt guilty for lying to President Lee, but his daughters meant more to him now that he had experienced life without them.

"David, please ask him to leave," Anne whispered. She did so in a way that was loud enough for President Lee to hear because she wanted to give him a hint. "He hurt my daughter, I don't want him in this house."

"Mrs. Harlow, one day, I will make things up to you."

Relief washed over the couple when the man left, but just like Mina had instructed, they did not immediately speak about her. Instead, they turned on a machine she had given them which was supposed to create background noise to mask the sounds of whispering.

"David, are we sure this is the right thing to do? That poor boy-"

"Stop it Anne, you heard what Mina said. She gave him days to show up and explain, but he never did. Haven't you looked at the pictures she showed you?"

"Then why is he still bothering with us?"

"Mina already told you. That man is afraid she may have shared his secrets with us. He just wants to keep us happy so we aren't tempted to talk."

"But we don't have the power to-"

"Do you trust him over our daughter?" David interrupted his wife because once again, she was doubting Mina and he hated that.

"No! Of course not, it's just that he seemed so… broken."

"And how do you think our daughter felt when she walked in on him and his current fiancé? Have you already forgotten what he did to her?" Anne frowned as she nodded at her husband, but she felt like a storm was brewing all around them, one that would eventually destroy them all.

"I just hope we survive this," she whispered, prompting the man to pull her into a hug.

"We will; but only if we continue to work as a family."

----

Olivia woke in one of the best moods she had experienced in a long time. Somehow, she was able to secure the bid to organize and decorate Madam Aych's invite-only event, and the theme was absolutely fitting. The woman was often criticized for her reclusiveness and for what people called antisocial behavior, so she brilliantly responded by throwing a banquet with anonymity as the theme.

The woman claimed to have experienced discrimination due to her physical appearance and she wanted to give people who may be easily intimidated the ability to network with confidence. Of course, the masks were optional, but they were encouraged. Willow, who was still in the honeymoon phases of her marriage, was excited about the event because it was the first project she really wanted to work on since Mina's passing. It also did not hurt that it was being held at their venue, which was often overlooked due to its underrated status.

After kissing her husband and son, Olivia dashed out of her home, and met Willow at the venue. All the tables and coverings were arranged the night before, so the women were only doing a last-minute walk through while simultaneously making sure that flowers were scheduled to arrive ontime, and checking in with their caterers who were hired to cook for the exclusive event; also a rarity.

Before the women knew it, everything was in place, apart from the cornflowers specifically requested by Madam Aych. Her liaisons did most of the leg work, and they were careful to meet their boss's standards. The chatty young women reminded Olivia of herself at that age, and despite not being much older than them she looked at them as girls who needed nurturing and protecting.

Whoever Madam Aych was, she was definitely a hero in Olivia's eyes because judging from the behavior of the girls alone, they would likely struggle to find employment elsewhere. Madam Aych was giving them an opportunity to build their resume before they even completed school, and if the woman's success continued in the trend it was going, they would have no trouble finding work; if they were stupid enough to leave their current position.

"Do you have the guest list?" Olivia asked, feeling nervous because she was about to go back home and get ready for the evening. She could tell that Willow was also afraid to leave, and both women stood staring at the venue as if it were their last lifeline. Neither of them realized how much work Mina put into them behind the scenes. Had it not been for Olivia's rekindled relationship with her family, and Willow's marriage to Oric, they would have lost everything.

"They said it will be emailed by the secretary of her personal assistant."

"If you haven't received it by now, call and remind her. I do not want to waste this opportunity." Understanding Olivia's concern, Willow called the secretary, and the woman promptly sent her a guest list that was both impressive and nerve racking.

"We really can't afford to mess anything up tonight," Willow said, handing her device to her friend, who scrolled through the list before furrowing her brow in confusion.

"Why is my cousin's name on here?"

----

Mina carefully applied her scars to her face before adding a layer of makeup over them. She stared at herself in the mirror, terrified of what may happen. She and Sadie had toiled over the guestlist for weeks, making sure no one had a connection to the Lee group, and they had only just gotten it done. They forwarded it to Sadie's secretary, who promptly sent the list to Olivia and Willow.

Although she would be in disguise, and she would keep her distance, Mina could not wait to see the women. Even if it were just a small glance, she wanted to look at them, see them smile and interact with people who would probably never have given them a chance at success. It made Mina feel like her entire life was not a waste because those people who she had helped, were all doing well in life, even Brayden who was enjoying his career as a solo artist.

Mina had mixed feelings toward the man whose father had drugged her, but according to President Lee, the man's story checked out, and in a very uncharacteristic way, he allowed Brayden to live his life freely. In hindsight, Mina could see that it was probably President Lee's way of making her think he had 'changed,' but in her mind, he was just trying to make himself look better because he wanted to sleep with her again.

"I don't like this," Sadie said, lightly tugging on Mina's long blonde wig. "Your natural hair is just as long as this now and much prettier, and those contacts… Mina you-"

"I'm not Mina, I am Madam Ami Aych and truthfully, I like her better." Sadie frowned at her sister who, despite forcing a smile on her face, was clearly in a bad headspace. She no longer permitted anyone to call her Mina, and the only reason she had not bleached her hair was because she had several false identities that would be compromised if she did.

"Fine 'Ami' but Lady isn't calling you that."

"She can call me aunty then," Mina quipped, making her sister nudge her shoulder. "Am I still the second prettiest girl in the room?" she questioned sarcastically, and Sadie sighed before joining her sister who was staring into her reflection.

"No, you are by far the prettiest." Sadie turned Mina to face her, and gently rubbed her hand over the wax flesh that looked too real. "Isn't a mask enough?" She questioned.

----

Ian was in his office when his secretary arrived with an invitation to a banquet being held by one of his business rivals. He had heard of the event taking place, but neither he nor Lisa was invited, so he set the event aside in his mind to focus on finding Mina. However, he was now interested in attending because he needed to do something to get everyone off his back. His time to find Mina was up, and not just his parents, but his friends were pressuring him to move on.

While Ian did not want to forget the woman he loved, he knew it was the right thing to do, a year and a half was a long time, and if she were alive, she would have visited her parents at least once, but so far, the couple had not had any unexpected visitors. So, ignoring his feelings on the matter, Ian called Zane into his office.

"She invited us," he said, tossing the invitation to his friend whose eyes lit up in excitement.

"Maybe she's single," Zane replied, winking at Ian who could not even think of another woman.

"I'm bringing Lisa with me."

"Why?" Zane questioned with a scowl. "Ian, forget about what your father says. We haven't lost much; we can work together to build things back up."

"I know that, but in the meantime, I have to keep her happy."

"That means I won't be able to go. I don't want to be a third wheel."

"Take anyone with you."

"No thanks," Zane replied, and Ian raised a brow at his friend.

"Are you seeing someone?"

"What? No? Why would you suddenly ask that?"

"No reason." Thinking that his friend was trying to spare his feelings, Ian ignored the obvious guilt in the man's reaction, and dialed the number listed on the invitation as the event's contact. The woman on the phone seemed overly excited to hear that he accepted, and while it seemed odd to Ian, he overlooked it as the actions of an eager new arrival to the workforce.

"Why would you tell her plus three? Who am I going to bring?"

"Don't worry, Ellie can be your date. If the woman you are seeing says anything, I will personally explain that she is my little sister, and you are just doing me a favor." An uneasy expression crossed Zane's face and Ian misread the reaction. "You must really like this woman if even taking Ellie as a date scares you."

Zane smiled at his friend, unsure if he was being tested or if it were really just a coincidence. Since Ian and Luna were not on speaking terms, it made sense for the man to default to Ellie, but because Zane had been exclusively sleeping with Ellie for nearly a year, it made him feel as though the man had caught onto them.