Chapter 709: Always an Uncle

Luna finding out through Ellie and her nan that Mina was still alive was shocking to her, but to also find out that the woman was Madam Aych, was like a slap in the face. She had given the woman thirty percent equity of her compatibility app in exchange for data that she still had to pay for. When Ian kicked her out, he did not take away her access to the family money, so in theory, the Lee's had been funding the woman who they believed was ruining their success. She was terrified of what her parents would think of her, so when she was called to the Lee building, she did so fully intending to accept being formally removed from the family's registry.

"We need everything you know about Ami Aych," Lucas said, and because her father did not look angry, Luna was confused.

"I didn't know..."

"None of us did, but we should have," Ian said. He thought back to the woman's Arlo Nimwa account, and it was reminiscent of Ashlyn's pseudonym Tanner Wilmin. It appeared that the woman may have had a role in Mina's 'death' especially since she was extremely good with prosthetics and false documents.

"I will send you the information right away, but understand; I didn't know it was her." Ian furrowed his brow, and his father handed him a folder which contained a detailed spreadsheet.

"108 Million?" Ian shouted. "On what?"

"That's what I want to know," Lucas seconded, and Luna forwarded her company details to her brother.

"It's an app I'm working on. A representative for Madam Aych approached me with a business deal, and I accepted. The initial buy in was fifty million; I had that amount in savings. After that, her businesses skyrocketed, and I found myself in a sinkhole."

"That doesn't explain why you were paying her with our money."

"You wouldn't understand Ian. She has several restaurants with compatibility themes. She first set them up in vacation spots, but several people applied for a franchise and before I knew what was happening, I had this huge data pool, and I couldn't help myself."

"Yes Luna, but for what?"

"It's something I've been working on."

"And that is?"

"A matchmaking tool." Luna felt her face go red, but her father approached her and kissed her forehead before squeezing her shoulders affectionately.

"I was disappointed in you, but now, you're going to redeem yourself by giving us access to everything."

----

When Mills called, Mina was afraid to show up, but she could hear her friends demanding a meeting, and already out of hiding, she decided against her better judgement to show up. They agreed to meet at Cylus' bar, but Mina checked in with her parents before having them sent to her home with guards. They were otherwise okay, and now that President Lee knew she was alive, all they had to do was pack, and move in with her; something they were eager to do.

With her parents taken care of, Mina made her way to the restaurant with Sadie and Cylus, who refused to leave her side. She was immediately crushed in a group hug that lasted for a long time before someone pulled Mills away, breaking the group's hold. Drax wagged his finger at Mina, who shot him a wink before chuckling.

"You are not just a poor girl," he said, and Mina shrugged.

"Not anymore, but I was."

"You're the judge…"

"The who?" Mina asked, pretending to be confused, but Drax just narrowed his eyes at her.

"That's enough," Willow said, pulling Mina into another hug. "I guess I should have looked at the documents before giving them to you," she whispered.

The meeting was filled with tears and laughter, but when significant others started to show up, Mina felt uncomfortable, so she made up an excuse to leave early. There was a loud 'aww' of protest, but Mina promised to meet them again, much to the ire of Sadie, who was quiet the entire night. Mina did not know what was wrong with her sister, but she decided it would be better to ask in private.

----

Sadie did not like the way the women in the room were staring at her, and if it were not for wanting to ensure the safety of Mina, she would have already left. She knew they were judging her, and Cylus' constant reassurances toward the women told her that they did not trust, or like her. She knew what she had done to her sister was cruel, but she forced herself to believe that Mina would be fine without her.

In Sadie's mind, she was an unneeded member of her family, one who cost more than she earned. She struggled to find and keep employment, while Mina would hold and keep two or three jobs at a time, without even sacrificing her grades in the process. Then there was the fact that her sister kept getting prettier, and Sadie felt it was just a matter of time before, like Lennard, Troy started liking her sister as well. Mina, however, seemed oblivious to the glares, and when she introduced her, she did so with pride.

That was how it always was between them, Mina always looked at her like a hero, but Sadie felt like that was her sister's way of coddling her for being useless. However, since she had spoken to Cylus, Sadie knew that for Mina, she really was invaluable. Mina credited her for things that she had not even done; like pulling her out of her shell, or encouraging her to be more expressive. Her sister had accomplished those things on her own, and Sadie just helped boost her confidence by praising her when she did.

"We have to go," Mina said, making her friends sigh loudly.

"We haven't spent enough time together. Let's go back to my place and sleep there." Sadie watched Mina shake her head at the woman named Willow, and she hugged her before telling her that she would meet with them soon. Sadie could not be more relieved by her sister's decision to leave, but Cylus chose to stay behind.

"Why?" Sadie questioned, feeling as though she did not want her maybe brother to start disliking her again. She knew that Mina's friends were going to gossip about her because she could see the discontent in their eyes.

"That woman over there risked her life for me, and I want to stay with her."

"She made that decision, and doesn't she work for those people? What if she is setting you up?" Sadie replied. "Think about your family, think about Lady, think about Mina."

"If we survive this, she will be my family," Cylus whispered, looking into Sadie's eyes in a way that meant the conversation was over. Her shoulders slumped because she intuitively knew that the woman was important to Cylus; special even, and no matter what she said, it would not stop the man from doing what he wanted.

"She better be worth it," Sadie replied, and Cylus winked suggestively before walking toward where the woman was hugging, and saying goodbye to Mina. Her sister waved her over, and Sadie was relieved the night was done.

----

Ian knew from Drax that Mina was at a group gathering, but by the time he arrived, she was gone. He was prepared to leave, but his eyes were drawn to Cylus Rue and Ashlyn Tanner who were cuddling at a back booth. He narrowed his eyes at the scene and approached in anger. There was definitely something more going on between them, and it was something he could not ignore. He was okay with Lady not being his, because he knew that Mina was heartbroken after what happened, and he wanted to believe that she made a mistake; one he was willing to forgive, but he did not want to lose her over Cylus' indiscretions.

"Wow… Does Mina know about you two?" Ian questioned, making Cylus furrow his brow.

"President Lee, if you go against your word and hurt any of us, Mina will do something stupid. You've met her, so you know what she is capable of."

"And how do you think she'll react when I tell her that the father of her child is seeing one of her closest friends behind her back?" Cylus flinched, and Ash narrowed her eyes at him.

"What is he talking about?"

"You haven't told her?" Cylus' nose flared, but he did not respond. He knew Mina wanted to keep President Lee believing that Lady was her daughter to protect Sadie and Troy, and the lines drawn between him and the little girl were justified since he shared extremely similar features with her mother.

"What is he talking about Cylus? You have a baby? And with Mina? How old?"

"She was likely conceived just before Mina went missing. I hoped she was mine, but Mina has told me several times that she isn't, and I don't think she would lie about that."

"She wouldn't," Ash replied, slowly standing from the table, as Cylus tried to pull her back toward him.

"I asked you if there was anything between you, and you said no; I believed you."

"I can explain."

"Explain what Cylus? That you were hiding a baby from me? No wonder you stayed away from me when she was here." Ash walked away, leaving Cylus to chase after her, but the woman pulled away from him. "Don't ever call me again," she said, and if Cylus had ever called her, he would have felt like he lost someone special, but that was not their arrangement. He could text, but he was never to call. It was at that moment he knew that Ash was the one. She did not doubt him for a second, she was acting to protect a secret she did not know but understood was important.

"I'm sorry," Cylus whispered, and Ashlyn ran out of the bar, leaving those who were still around staring at them in confusion. "Are you happy now?" He asked President Lee, who was wearing a satisfied smile before he responded to him.

"No, I'm not happy, but I will be when I get Mina back."

"Is that why you're here? Are you crazy? Mina will never-"

"She will," Ian interjected. "I don't know what you have or had with her, but it's over now. As for Lady, I will formally adopt her, so you will not have to do anything for her. She will be well cared for, so of that, you don't have to worry." Cylus stared at President Lee's face, both afraid and approving of the man's declaration.

"If you wanted her so badly, why did you cheat on her; and with Lisa of all people?"

"I was drugged; I'm sure you know that by now. Lisa and I have no memory of what happened, and I was in a coma for six days. By the time I woke up, Mina was already… Well… she had already left us... Do you know how she did it?" Ian suddenly asked, genuinely wanting to know.

"Even if she told me, I wouldn't tell you. What you did was-"

"Don't lecture me when you are willingly doing the same thing, which is worse. I made a mistake, and I will spend the rest of my life making up for it. All I ask is that you leave us to be a family without your interference."

"Do you really think Mina would go for that?"

"To be honest, I believe that Lady is mine, but I don't want to find out if I don't have to. You can leave willingly, or you can-" Ian paused, remembering that he needed Mina to love him again, not hate him more. No matter what, Cylus was someone she cared about, thus off limits. "I'm not asking for much, you can always be Lady's uncle."

'I probably am,' Cylus thought to himself.