Chapter 9 She Is My Girlfriend

"Here's your room key, and the room's been cleaned. You're all set. The place is yours. If you run into any problems, just call me."

"Thank you, Rylee. I really appreciate it." Audrey took the key card and smiled at Rylee.

She asked her friend to get her and Harlan some place to stay while they were here, and Rylee instantly came through with a decent house that was big enough for both of them.

After chatting with her for a while, Audrey excused herself to go to the bathroom in the VIP room. Rylee simply nodded after her.

"Harlan? What's wrong, sweetie?" A few moments later, Rylee noticed that the little boy was covering his stomach with his hands.

"I need to go to the bathroom." The boy looked a little embarrassed. He glanced at the closed bathroom door and then at her. She immediately understood.

"Let's go find a washroom in the restaurant. Come with me." Then, she stood up and took his hand, and they left the VIP room together. When they arrived at the communal washroom of the restaurant, he suddenly stopped.

"Aunt Rylee, I'm a grown-up. I can go to the men's room by myself." Rylee wanted to take him to the ladies' room so that she could make sure that he was all right, but since he refused, she just gestured him to proceed.

"Fine. I'll wait for you here."

The little guy nodded and ran into the men's room.

When Audrey came out of the bathroom in their VIP room, she found it empty. Rylee and Harlan were gone, but she was not worried. Rylee would take care of her little angel.

Moments later, the door swung open and Rylee came in.

"Where have you been?" Audrey asked. She looked behind her and found nobody there.

"Where's Harlan?" Her heart instantly leapt to her throat. She asked again, "Didn't he go out with you?"

"Hasn't Harlan come back here? Well, you were using the bathroom earlier, and he needed to go. So I took him outside to use the communal washroom of the restaurant. While he was in the men's room, I went to the ladies' room to relieve myself. He never came out, so I assumed he already went back here. Anyway, your baby's really smart. I'm sure he's fine. Let's just go ask the restaurant staff if they saw him."

Before Rylee could finish her suggestion, Audrey was already out the door and asking the first waiter she saw about her son.

"Oh, yeah, I've seen him. He went into another VIP room with a handsome man just now," the waiter answered.

She had no idea who that handsome man could be, and it worried her more about her son's safety.

"Thank you." After asking for directions to that man's VIP room, she rushed there to look for Harlan.

She was a few inches from the VIP room door when she heard the sound of a child's laughter. She instantly recognized it as her son's.

She almost collapsed in relief. Although she could not be sure who took him away, he sounded like he was all right and nothing bad had happened.

When she was about to enter the room, she heard a woman speak from the inside.

"What a lovely kid! He looks a lot like you."

"He's my son, and he takes after me."

"It really shows. What's your name, my dear?"

"My name is Harlan. Mommy calls me baby, but you can't call me baby. Only Mommy and Daddy can call me baby."

"And who is your mommy?"

"My mommy is the smartest, and the most beautiful and capable woman in the world. I will introduce you to her when she arrives. Daddy, why hasn't Mommy come yet? I'm a little hungry."

"Wait a minute. His mother is coming here?"

Hearing this, Audrey frowned. What was going on?

The man's voice was a little familiar, but she could not place it. And Harlan had been calling him Daddy. How the hell did he convince her clever, slightly skeptical son to call him Daddy?

It was useless to stand there and speculate. She took a deep breath, raised her hand, and knocked on the door.

"Harlan? Baby? Are you in there?"

In the room

"Mommy's here!" Harlan chirped. He looked at the man sitting opposite him and smiled.

The man stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.

"You..." Audrey's jaw dropped when the door swung open and she saw Kyler's cold, striking face. She suddenly understood why her son got lured away and was now chatting with a strange woman about his daddy.

"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend right now. I will owe you a big one, I promise." Kyler's dark eyes were full of tempting charm, which made her words trapped in her throat.

They looked at each other for a few moments, and she thought long and hard about his abrupt request. She surmised that he wanted her to masquerade as his girlfriend to send the woman inside away.

Audrey curled her lips mischievously. Wasn't he afraid that she would spoil his plan?

"Don't try to play tricks, or I will make you regret it hard." As if he had seen through her mind, he flashed her a warning look.

She almost giggled. Undeterred, she stared back at him provocatively.

For a moment, the atmosphere around them became tense.

Right then, Harlan rushed to her with a big smile on his face. He looked up at her and grabbed her hand. He said, "I'm so happy you're finally here, Mommy. Daddy and I have been waiting for you for a while."

He also grabbed Kyler's hand and positioned himself between them.

The three of them looked like such a perfect family that anyone who saw them would feel envious.

Sensing a hostile gaze, Audrey looked up at the charming young woman sitting at the table. She was wearing a red suit and light makeup.

"Who is she?" Audrey asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the woman. The woman flashed her a bright smile, but the viciousness in her eyes was unmistakable.

Kyler led Audrey and her son forward and introduced them. "Let me introduce you. This is Edith Qu, a friend of mine. Edith, this is Audrey Yang, my girlfriend."

She almost rolled her eyes but stopped herself. She just smiled at Edith, shook her hand, and thought about all the ways she wanted to make Kyler pay for this little show.

Edith Qu felt a pang of jealousy in her chest as she watched Kyler. He look at the woman named Audrey Yang with so much love and affection.

'Audrey probably found out that Kyler agreed to meet me on a blind date and then sent her little brat to sabotage it. And now she is here, messing things up further. She is one crafty little bitch, but she can never win against me!' Edith thought angrily.

Adjusting her mood, Edith chuckled and said, "Another one of your girlfriends, Kyler? I guess I can't blame you. I mean, what woman wouldn't throw herself at you, right? You're so charming."

She praised Kyler and belittled Audrey in one breath. It was one of the things she excelled in.

"She's not 'one of my girlfriends.' She's the mother of my son, and she will be my companion for the rest of my life." Kyler emphasized his last sentence. He was obviously trying to drive her away.

Edith just put on a crooked, knowing smile. Clearly, Kyler had no idea who he was dealing with. She was Edith Qu, and she had always gotten whatever and whoever she wanted. Blatant rejection only challenged and excited her, and no woman with a kid could ever stop her from becoming Mrs. He.