Chapter 636: Drugged

The people who had acted in the mini-series meant to explain away the leaked surveillance footage of Mina were called to gather at a private dining room to celebrate the end of filming. Mina had hoped for Olivia to come, but Peter sent word that his 'fiancé' was not up for meeting new people, so he also would not be participating, and according to Mills, Emma had 'better' plans. Brayden's manager had also indicated that he would not be coming to the wrap dinner, so it left Mina and a small group to celebrate.

Light chatter could be heard throughout the room, as many of the women were small actresses who struggled just as Mina had. They had been exchanging hardship stories with Director Porter, who had similar experiences, until the very person who Mina had been specifically told would not be around, and did not want to see, walked in.

The women at the table instinctively looked to either side of themselves, wanting to check if there was room for a chair next to them. They were friendly with one another, but when it came to Brayden, manners often disappeared within the group. The man approached Mina directly, making some of the women pull long faces while Mina rolled her eyes at Brayden's audacity.

"Mina, please don't treat me that way. It's not like you to be so cold."

"You are working with Cylus, right? Ask him if it's like me; he will tell you." Mina was no longer fascinated by the man who had once consumed her romantic thoughts. She had naively believed that the flowers and candy stage was just the beginning, but his reaction to having her return unharmed after a serious mishap was all about him, and Mina could not look past that flaw. "Director Porter, I've eaten enough. Would you mind if I went home early?" Mina saw her boss frown before nodding. She knew it was obvious that she had been enjoying herself before Brayden arrived, and even to her, it was sad that she felt the need to cut things short because the man had come.

"Mina, please. I reacted like a jerk; I know, but you have to understand that I-"

"I understand completely," Mina interjected. "I too have people who depend on me; not that you care."

"Mina I care more than you think. I was just caught off guard."

"By the fact that I was still alive?" Mina did not wait for a response. She bid goodnight to those around her and left the private dining room with Brayden close behind. She did not even have to signal to anyone that she was ready to leave, because, by President Lee's arrangement, Dom was already standing outside waiting for her to finish.

"Mina," Brayden said pleadingly. "Please; I don't want to lose you as a friend, but I seriously thought those men were going to kill me." Mina could not tell if the man before her was expressing genuine remorse, but she felt as though he deserved a second chance, not as a love interest, but as someone easy to talk to. She too would have been scared if she were in his shoes, but her reaction would not have been to lash out at the victim.

"To be honest Brayden, everyone makes mistakes, but yours hurt me in a way I was not expecting. I just feel like you could have shown more concern, but I'll consider your words. I won't make any promises, but I will try to be civil." With that, Mina climbed into Dom's car and left.

----

Ian had pulled Mina's old desk into the area of his home meant for general car maintenance. He had stripped the varnish, buffed the surface, and had begun to etch diagonal lines along its parameter. He was so far pleased with his work, and he could not wait to show Mina that he was capable of more than destroying; he could create and make new, and he hoped it would help her see him in a better light.

With their recent interactions, Ian could tell that Mina was warming up to him in a way that his sister and best friend had told him would be impossible. He had slept next to her twice, and while it was not sexual, it was gratifying for Ian, who had concluded that he needed Mina. Even if she were just a friend, she was helping him to express himself in ways he had not been able to since he was a child, and he liked that he could be himself in front of someone other than his nan.

Satisfied with his progress for the day, Ian retreated into his mansion, where he found Mina standing behind his bar comparing two bottles of whiskey. He recognized the brands as the ones that she had stopped him from drinking, and he felt guilty for giving her the impression that it was a cure-all. She did not hear him enter the room, so he was able to crawl up behind her, stretching his arms on either side of her body to remove both bottles from her hands. She was startled, so she backed into his chest ready to run before she realized who it was.

"What makes us different?" Mina asked, understanding that the man was telling her not to drink. She had only stopped him from drinking too much, but she never stopped him completely.

"I just don't want you to get used to drowning your troubles in a bottle. You would end up an alcoholic." Mina snorted. She knew the man was right, but she desperately wanted something to take her mind off Brayden.

"Were you working?" Mina asked, taking in the relaxed clothing that President Lee wore and finding it refreshing. She had gotten used to him always being dressed up, and he looked friendlier in plain clothes.

"I started working on your desk, and don't ask, because you can't see it until I'm done." Mina smiled excitedly. She loved that the man was repurposing her old furniture, and she liked that it was something he could focus on while he was dealing with his father's health. "Now, what has upset you enough to want to drink?" Ian questioned, not forgetting that the woman had been in the middle of choosing a whiskey brand.

"I'm confused about Brayden." Ian felt his heart plummet as the woman mentioned another man's name in front of him, but he did not allow his emotions to show on his face.

"Please don't forgive him," Ian begged, hoping that Mina would heed his warning.

"President Lee, I'm not sure that I can. I have been thinking about what you told me and it's true. Brayden may not have known how serious a situation I was in." Ian's chest tightened. He had said those words to Mina because she looked as though she were going to cry when she found out that Brayden had continued his promotional events even after she had been taken by Maggie's 'cousins.'

"Mina when I said those words it was just to make you feel better. Please don't forget that you showed up at Drax's family home crying because of whatever that man said to you. I was just trying to cheer you up."

"Why?" Mina whispered, still unused to President Lee being upfront and honest with her.

"Because I felt like I could have handled the situation better. I do not like Brayden, so I treated him poorly, but had I known he was-" Mina cut President Lee off, telling him that he was not a mind reader. "Mina, do you understand how comical those words are coming from you?" Ian questioned.

----

President Lee would not allow her to see what he was doing, so Mina called Dom and asked him to take her somewhere to clear her mind. She was still confused about Brayden who had started to send her flowers and candy; not to her apartment, but President Lee's home, suggesting he had found out her living arrangement, and like Cylus had been when they first met, he was okay with it.

When Dom arrived, he suggested that they go to a Lee family gym rather than go somewhere that Brayden could potentially show up and further confuse her. Mina agreed, and she sank herself into the workout. There were people she had met in the past working out, including some of the men she had raced. She was shocked to hear that they still talked about her, and while she was almost certain she was slower than before, she agreed to help them embarrass some of the people who did not believe she could outrun them.

Using the elliptical, Mina drifted deep into her head. She tuned everything out, only returning her mind to the present when she noticed President Lee punching a bag in front of her. She watched the man intently, studying his movements and wondering if Dom was stronger than his boss.

Words were exchanged between President Lee and the man who had been holding the bag, and both men laughed in a way that made Mina stare. President Lee was a handsome man, and his smile was the kind that made others want to smile with him. Pulling her eyes away, Mina turned to Dom, who was staring at her wearing an odd expression.

"What?" She asked. She had not stopped moving, so in her mind, Dom had nothing to be annoyed about. He had been the one to suggest getting back into the gym, so she knew he wanted her to take it seriously, which she was.

"You're acting weird."

"I feel weird," Mina admitted. Dom chose to leave Mina alone. He knew she was having relationship issues, and since he was in an undefined situation of his own, he felt for her.

Mina continued her workout, closing her eyes to stop staring at President Lee, who she had not known worked out with some of his guards to keep camaraderie between them. When the equipment beeped, Mina moved to the treadmill as Dom had instructed. When she looked up, she had to do a double-take. President Lee had removed his shirt, and in some sort of weird manifestation of her improper thoughts the man must have poured water on himself because his hair was dripping wet, and she could barely pry her face away.

Mina increased the speed of the treadmill she was running on, unaware that her actions were being scrutinized and noted by the people around her. She tried not to look at President Lee, but her eyes were drawn to him, and when he took off his shirt to reveal his broad and muscular back to her, she nearly fell as she stumbled while running, stirring up a round of laughter from the men she had not noticed were watching.

Embarrassed, Mina got off the treadmill, ready to flee the gym, but she was stopped.

"What is wrong with you?" Dom asked. He had seen the way the woman was looking at his boss and he knew lust when he saw lust.

"I think I've been drugged," Mina whispered, and Dom's expression became serious. It was unlikely but possible.

"What are your symptoms," Dom questioned, suddenly concerned where he had once been amused.

Mina described what she was feeling in a low tone and every man within earshot dropped their jaws with the woman's words. A female guard also heard Mina's admission, and she quickly put an end to the woman's words, pulling her away in a manner that was warning to the men around, and alarming to President Lee, who had only started to pay attention when he noticed that Mina was no longer working out.

"What were you over there talking about?" Holly asked. They were not friendly because she had been jealous of Mina, but she could not listen to the woman out herself as being aroused.