Chapter 710: Drawn

[Previously]

After the incident at Madam Aych's banquet, the first thing Lisa went to do was fine Shai. She was quick to fall into the man's arms, uncaring that they were in his office. She explained what happened the night before, and while he was quiet, she assumed it was because he was doubtful. In fact, if Lisa had not witnessed it herself, she also would have believed that Ian lost his mind, but based on his reaction alone, she knew who Madam Aych was.

Lisa would never forget how white Ian's face had gone, and although she could not see the woman's features, she recognized her mannerisms. The way Madam Aych moved her hands when she spoke, and the way that she held her legs when she stood were all that let Lisa know that Ian was right. Mina was alive, and no matter how outlandish that theory had once been, it was now a fact.

Feeling free from the burden of being in a loveless marriage, Lisa allowed herself to be taken by Shai, only stopping when they were too tired and weak to continue. However, it had been many days since that encounter and although she had called the man several times and had texted him just as much, he had yet to get back to her.

Lisa feared that Shai did not want to be associated with her because he still believed that she was engaged to Ian, so wanting to ease his worries, she dressed herself up and boldly headed to the man's apartment. She knew that what she was doing could be considered rude, but she believed that their relationship was significant enough for her to do that without the man feeling like she crossed a line.

As soon as Shai opened his apartment door, Lisa flung herself at him, hugging him tightly as she asked him why he had not been answering her calls. She noticed that he was stiff, but she incorrectly assumed that it was because he was not expecting to see her. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"Who is she?" Lisa heard, and her eyes landed on the unknown female figure in shock. The woman was dressed comfortably, and it was obvious to Lisa that she had spent the night.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know Shai had company," Lisa replied. "My name is Lisa Anders. I'm Shai's friend.

"Oh! His business partner: my name is Crystal, I'm his fiancé." Lisa felt her heart sink with the woman's words.

"His fiancé? Of how long?"

"Five months," the woman replied, and Lisa slowly shut her eyes, hating that once again, she was in a situation where the man she wanted wanted someone else. This time though, she would walk away with her head held high. "What brings you around?" Crystal asked, and feeling uncomfortable, Lisa told a half-truth.

"I had been trying to reach him, and just wanted to make sure he was okay, but I see that he was just busy. Congratulations, by the way." Lisa forced a smile on her face and turned back to face Shai who seemed to have nothing to say. She bid the couple goodbye and gracefully left the apartment before breaking down in her car.

There was no one Lisa could blame except herself. It was not Mina's fault, and although he contributed to the situation, it was not Ian's fault either. She had walked herself right into the heartache she was feeling, and it was made worse by the fact that Shai made her a mistress. She once hated women who slept with taken men, never considering that like her, they may not have even known.

Without being conscious of her actions, Lisa arrived home and walked toward her room on autopilot. It was obvious that she had been crying, but she did not care, and she did not plan to hide it from anyone. Sadly, she encountered her father and brother arguing in the hall on her way, and both men incorrectly assumed she was crying over Ian. She did not even bother to speak to either person as they once again butted heads about her future.

"Don't forget the event tonight," her father called out. Lisa could not believe the man could see her walk in like a zombie and still expect her to perk up for a dinner party where she was supposed to 'reaffirm' her position by the side of someone who did not want her.

"Ignore that," Kace shouted just as her door shut, and she was relieved that her brother was still in her corner despite the horrible things she said to him, thinking that one day, she would not need him.

Lisa felt her phone vibrate, and out of habit, she checked to see who was texting and her chest burned when she saw it was Shai. Instead of reading the message, she threw her phone against the wall, this time, uncaring if she ever repaired it or got the numbers back. As she laid in bed, extreme hate engulfed Lisa who was bitter about everything and in a moment of broken anger, she vowed to avenge the years she lost to hope.

----

Mina stepped out the doors of her apartment building and was immediately stormed by photographers. She had no idea what was going on and disliked the fact that anyone was paying attention to her. As far as her neighbors were concerned, she was just a woman who lived in the building with her family, but obviously someone somewhere had recognized her and the fact that they were using both her names made her uncomfortable.

"Miss Harlow, are you planning to return to the acting industry?" Shouted one of the women in the crowd and Mina cringed that the memory. She had done certain things because she needed money, but now it was coming back to haunt her.

"Madam Aych, what's next for your company? People say that the services your businesses offer have stopped them from making horrible mistakes; what do you say to that?"

As Mina Harlow, Ami Aych or Madam Aych, Mina was uninterested in being in the limelight. She wanted to stay under the radar as the unknown rich woman. Most of her success was built on the fact that many people, for whatever reason, believe that she was the wife of some distinguished businessman somewhere, and that she was using her husband's 'influence' to further her career.

It was something that benefited Mina on multiple platforms, so she never corrected it. She did not have to worry about men trying to figure out if she was single, she did not have to worry about women thinking that she was after their husband or boyfriend, and no one overstepped because they found her attractive.

Once upon a time Mina told herself that living the life of a beautiful person or a person who was considered beautiful was a hard one, but then when she lived on Nael's ship, she realized that the grass was not greener. She was only just learning to accept the fact that physically she was eye-catching to people. It was the fault of her genetics and there was nothing she could do about it.

The only thing that concerned Mina was changing the way people determined her value. She did not mind being beautiful, but she wanted people to understand that it was not all she had to offer, just like Nael had overlooked her scars, she wanted everyone to respect her because she was capable, not because she was kind and pretty. There was also the fact that her looks would make it easier for her to achieve her future goal.

At first, she was not sure if it was the life she wanted, but now Mina knew she was going to get married and have children. She did not really care what her significant other looked like, or what field they worked in as long as they treated her better than she had been treated in the past. In a man, she wanted the eagerness of Connor, the thoughtfulness of Oric, the faithfulness of Troy, the friendliness of Cylus, and the dedication of Drax. She knew it was a lot to ask for in a person, but she was only twenty-four and with her horizon broadened, she had plenty of time to find a suitable partner.

Mina quickly made it to her waiting car and instructed the driver to speed off. Sadly, it was much more difficult than she imagined it to be because the people who were trying to capture a photo of her had positioned themselves in front of the vehicle. She felt annoyed by the situation, but because they were just doing their job, Mina really could not be angry with them.

However, the disturbance reminded her of the time when Harvey Walsh used the same tactic to embarrass her. Mina wondered if the man, or someone else, was trying to do something similar just on a reverse scale. They were not trying to embarrass her, but they wanted to draw attention to her, and Mina was not sure which one was worse. She did not care if the links were drawn between Mina Harlow and Ami Aych, but she did worry that too many people paying attention to her would hinder her movements.

Mina had not given up on her plan to overthrow the Sani government, and while she would dial back her plan to oust the Lee family; there was still a lot of money to be made by taking over the country. Especially if she were able to remove the Lee group without them figuring out that it had anything to do with her. Strategic attacks had already begun in the country, and while they had not been targeted, they would soon aim for specific individuals and corporations.

By the time Mina's driver made it around the people, she was already on track to be late to pick up Sunhari, who called her after being released from President Cam's custody. As the man assumed, they looked at all the underground hospitals they knew of, found him, and took him to the Lee facility for treatment. The man did not give her many details, but he claimed that he was treated kindly during his stay, which to a criminal, probably only meant that he was not tortured.

Arriving at the facility brought up painful memories for Mina, but there were people who helped to make those memories a little brighter. Dom, Bressaw, James, Terrence, and even Doctor Witt. She pulled out her phone and called the number that Sunhari reached out from, but President Lee answered, and insisted for her to come inside and 'claim' the man herself. Her driver was immediately put off by the request, but Mina revealed the small bomb strapped to her chest and the man relaxed.

Mina waited at the gate and was escorted inside by armed men who she had never met. They took her through the various levels of security, but instead of being walked to where the recovery rooms were located, she was brought to a lab that looked new. She immediately spotted Doctor Rebecca who was quietly working on something, and although they had never been friendly, she felt the urge to say hello. Mina approached the woman, but was grabbed from behind, and she used what she had learned from her time away to free herself from the man's grip, before pushing a small knife to just under his chin.

"Dom!?" Mina said, dropping her weapon and hugging the man tightly.

"You're alive?" Dom replied, but it sounded like a question to her.

"I am."

"I mourned you, Mina. I was really hurt."

"Didn't I tell you that nothing bad would happen?" Mina responded. "You were the only person I assured." Dom scooped Mina into a hug, hating that he did not realize what she meant.

"I've missed you."