Baby Genius: Looking For Daddy

Lightning struck and thunder clapped, both were signaling an approaching storm.

Audrey Yang lay like a broken puppet on the dusty cement ground. She slowly opened her eyes that were immediately greeted by the dark.

The moment she moved a muscle, sharp pain surged throughout her entire body. She bit back her scream.

There were dark stains on the floor, which she guessed were blood. It was then that she felt the cold rattle her bones.

Was she about to die? It certainly felt like it. But it was a feeling that she was not ready to accept.

She bit her lip and flinched at the fresh wave of pain. She had not found her mother yet. She still had a lot to live for, a lot of things to do. She could not die in a dark, dirty room in the middle of nowhere.

As she struggled to breathe through the pain, she heard some footsteps approaching followed by a deep male voice that she would never forget.

"She's inside, Miss Yang. I've been standing guard so that she couldn't run away. I've contacted Mr. Bai again. We won't fail this time."

"We better not, because if things go south again, you can kiss your money goodbye," said a familiar female voice.

Audrey's eyes widened as adrenaline coursed through her veins and drowned out the pain. Gritting her teeth, she climbed to her feet and walked as quietly as she could to the door. She looked out through the crack.

Lightning struck once again followed by explosive, resounding thunder. The brief flash of light revealed the man and woman's faces in the dark.

What was Alia Yang doing with the man who kidnapped her and planned to sell her to a brothel owner?

Was she responsible for all of this?

Before Audrey could step back, Alia was already staring at the door as if she had sensed her presence behind it. The woman suddenly took a step forward and pushed the door open.

Rage flared in Audrey's chest and she snapped, "How could you do this to me, Alia? I've always regarded you as my sister and given you whatever you wanted. Why did you hurt me like this? You're so heartless!"

As her eyes burned with furious tears, she watched Alia put on an amused smile that made her eyes flicker with satisfaction.

"Your sister?" Alia retorted and then burst into laughter. She looked at her like she was talking to an idiot.

"You still don't know that we're only half-sisters? I tolerated you because I wanted to replace you, Audrey. I want your life as the eldest daughter of the Yang family and your man-Kase."

Audrey was stunned and then thought of all her previous interactions with her half-sister. She glared at her and said, "So you lied about Mom being in M Country just to get me to come here? You... You can't win, Alia. Even if you succeed in taking me out of the picture, Kase will never love you."

"You are so damn naive! I'm more beautiful than you are, and I can please him better than you can. Once you disappear and I take your place, he will be mine." Alia smiled complacently.

"You bitch!" That was her last nerve. Audrey charged toward her with every last ounce of her remaining strength, but before she could touch her, she was already on the ground. Alia had slapped her so forcefully that she tripped out of balance.

"Ah!"

Alia jammed the heel of her stiletto into the back of her right hand, and she let out a reverberating scream.

"By the way, I have some good news. I'm pregnant with Kase's baby who he adores with all his heart. When I return home, we will get married. I will become the Feng Group's CEO's wife, and our child will be Feng Group's heir. You will never see Kase again in your life," Alia mused.

"You're lying. I'm the one Kase wants to marry. He promised he'd marry me as soon as I graduated from college. He doesn't love you. All you are to him is a sister," Audrey retorted.

She did not believe a word that came out of her mouth. Kase would never betray her like that.

Her last sentence pissed her half-sister off so much that she rolled her over and tore off her collar, exposing the striking marks on her neck. Alia smiled down at her with contempt.

"So what if he doesn't love me now? I'm more than capable of making him fall in love with me. You no longer have a chance because you're already stained. Kase will never want a woman another man has already played with."

As she spoke, she raised her mobile phone and started taking photos of Audrey.

"Stop taking photos of me! Give me that phone!"

Audrey struggled to snatch the phone from Alia's hand, but she had no strength left. She could only watch from the ground as Alia walked over to the man she hired to kidnap and assault her.

Alia turned her head toward her one last time and then ordered her henchman, "Change of plans. Toss her into the ocean and let whatever lives there take care of her. I can't have potential complications walking around. Be careful and cover your tracks."

"Consider it done, Miss Yang."

"Alia!" Audrey screamed after her, but her half-sister never looked back. Next thing she knew, she was floating in the open sea. She was incredibly tired, and as she closed her eyes, the cold, salty water slowly swallowed her.

Memories flashed before her eyes as she sank into the watery abyss. Then, somewhere deep inside her, the will to survive sparked to life. Using the last of her strength, she bit down on her tongue hard, and she began breaking for the surface.

She swam and swam, sinking again ever so often. She had just been beaten and raped and had not eaten or drank since she woke up.

She was on the verge of giving up when she heard the sound of a nearby cruise ship.

Her silent prayers had been heard!

She started madly flailing about in the water to get the attention of those onboard. She screamed for help until her throat became sore.

On the luxury cruise ship, a slender, pretty-faced man with short hair and a carefree temperament stood at the bow. He was enjoying the fresh ocean breeze when he heard a woman screaming. He looked overboard.

"Did you hear that? Someone's shouting for help."

"No, I didn't. Ah... Boss, there she is! I see her! Oh, my God, she's drowning! I'll go get help!"

Audrey had used up her last bit of strength. She closed her eyes and gave herself to the water.

Six years later

In a crowded international airport, two men were anxiously waiting for someone they had been tasked to pick up.

"I haven't seen them yet, Director Zhang. Are you sure they're supposed to fly in today?" the shorter man asked the taller one. As he spoke, he scanned his surroundings and particularly focused on women traveling with a boy of about five or six years old.

At this time, a beautiful young woman walked out with a boy of five following her closely.

The little boy was wearing a plaid shirt and a pair of short pants. Under his dark and neat bangs and above his pink, chubby cheeks was a pair of big, black eyes. He looked like a cute little doll that turned the head of every person rushing about in the airport.

The young woman, who was pushing their baggage cart, had a flawless face and was wearing a long white shirt over a pair of tight-fitting jeans. Her hair was tied into a low ponytail that rested on the nape of her neck. Her look was simple, but she carried herself elegantly.

"Look, Mom. The woman in the poster looks just like you." The boy pointed to the poster on their left.

Audrey turned her head to look.

On the poster was a long-haired woman in a long, strapless dress.

She did look similar to her, and she exuded an aura of confidence that some might find bordering on vanity. She must have been very busy during the past few years chasing after fame.

Alia had done well for herself.

Audrey's eyes flashed with hatred.

A few years ago, Alia claimed to know Audrey's mother's location and tricked her into going there. She then had her kidnapped and assaulted, occupied everything she owned in the Yang family and stole her fiance. She then threw her into the sea. Audrey almost died, but Graysen Su rescued her.

Now she was back, and it was time to settle some scores.

The noise ahead pulled Audrey out of her reverie.

A large group of people holding LED boards and colorful flags shouted excitedly, "Alia! Alia!" They rushed toward her and her son.

"Mom, why are they running toward us?"

At the sight of the approaching mob, she immediately instructed her son to keep walking and stay close. Thankfully, a few airport guards came to assist them, and they were able to walk through the crowd.

"Thank God that's over. Baby? Are you okay?" Audrey looked around and realized that she was now alone.

Her son was gone.

Where did he go?

Her heart leapt to her throat. She instantly thought about the news she had heard a few days back about children getting abducted in airports from right under their parents' noses.

"Baby! Harlan! Where are you?"

"Excuse me. Are you Miss Audrey Yang?" While she was busy looking around for her son and trying not to break down and cry in public, two men approached her.

"Yes, I am. Who are you?"

"I'm Joe Zhang. I work for He Group. We spoke on the phone yesterday. I'm here to pick you and your son up," the taller man answered. He flashed her a confused look. He must be wondering why she was alone.

"We got separated. He was just behind me, and then we walked through a mob of screaming Alia Yang fans. He was gone after we passed them. Please help me find him. I'm freaking out."

"Don't worry, Miss Yang. We'll find your son soon. He couldn't have gotten far."

The two men immediately went to search for Harlan Yang while Audrey sought help from airport security. On the other side of the airport, two handsome men with figures and looks comparable to that of international models were strolling out of the airport hall.

"What a trip! If it weren't for that woman who was playing tricks, I would've stayed for a few more days. It's such a shame. I spent a lot of time chasing after that blonde girl,"

the one in the white suit said, smiling playfully.

The other one kept walking as if he had not heard a word. His face was cold but impeccable like it was expertly carved out of marble. He seemed to be the quiet and aloof type, but his eyes said a lot, and he moved with a sort of restrained power that drew the attention of strangers. He was the kind of beauty that suggested a hint of danger, and he seemed to be magnetic. His name was Kyler He.

His friend, Malcolm Mo, turned his head toward him. Unlike him, Malcolm was all sunshine and playtime, and he did not like it when the person he was talking to ignored him.

"With that woman's nature, there must be a big surprise waiting for us. And since you're so calm, I suppose you've already thought of a way to win."

Kyler narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. He was about to say something when a small voice called out to him.

"Daddy?"

He turned his head and saw a pair of big, dark eyes staring up at him. Beside him, Malcolm gasped.

"Wow! When did you have a son?" The boy looked exactly like Kyler when he was a child. The resemblance was uncanny.

Harlan Yang looked at the tall, handsome man in front of him who carried himself like a noble emperor.

Was this him? Could this man possibly be his father?

Kyler stood there for a few moments with his mouth hanging open. He wanted to turn around and walk away, but the boy looked so cute that he felt the urge to hug him.

Finally, he smiled and crouched in front of the little stranger. He gently patted his head and asked, "Why are you out here alone, boy? Where are your mommy and daddy?"

"My name is Harlan. I've been looking for you for a long time, Daddy." The boy excitedly grabbed his sleeve, his eyes shining like a starry night sky.

"You must be mistaking me for someone else, kid. I'm not your daddy." Although he found the boy cute and adorable, he was not about to humor him.

"Yes, you are. My app said so. Look." The boy held up his phone and showed it to him.

On the screen were two photos side by side, one was his and the other was the little boy's. There was a line of words under the photos.

It read, "Paternity probability: ninety percent."

"What's this?"

"This is the app I designed and used to find you, Daddy." The boy raised his chin proudly as he introduced his software to him.

"It compares photos of two people and uses facial recognition technology to measure the probability of familial relation. Just now, I scanned your face with my mobile phone, and it gave me this result. So yes, you are my daddy."

"But the probability is only ninety percent. It means that there's still a ten-percent chance that we're not related," Kyler gently reminded him.

"This is the highest result I've ever gotten. The previous ones were all below eighty percent."

It was written in the little boy's big, black eyes that he really wanted him to be his daddy.

Malcolm suddenly burst into laughter and smacked him in the arm.

"Tell me the truth-since when did you start having unprotected sex, man? That is so irresponsible."

"What were you thinking? Stop talking nonsense," Kyler said as he pursed his lips with a serious expression. However, when he looked at the boy, his gaze became softer.

Malcolm couldn't help but laugh. "You haven't been close to any woman in the past few years. And there're even rumors spreading around that you and me love each other. But, the boy's resemblance to you is hard not to notice. Are you even sure that he is not a kid who was born after you accidentally got a woman pregnant?"

Looking at the boy, Kyler questioned with a puzzled look, "Does he really look like me?"

"I am betting that if your mother sees the two of you, even she would think that you are his father," Malcolm replied with certainty.

A gentle smile appeared on Kyler's lips as he lifted the boy and pinched his cheeks affectionately.

Seeing that, Malcolm stared at him in disbelief. Was he the same Kyler that Malcolm had always known to be cold and ruthless?

'He is scaring me!' Malcolm thought to himself.

Since he knew Kyler well, he was aware that whenever Kyler smiled, it meant that someone was in trouble.

"Who is your mom, boy? Did she send you to me?"

Kyler asked. The longer he looked at the boy, the more he adored him. He felt like there was no choice for him but to accept the kid, who had come to him on his own.

That moment, an announcement was made at the airport.

"Harlan Yang, your mother is waiting for you at the reception. Please come to the reception desk immediately..." a woman said.

After listening to the announcement, Harlan was anxious. He looked around, and said, "Could you please take me to the reception? My mother would be scared to death if she doesn't see me soon."

In fact, Harlan had been so eager to chase after Kyler that he had completely forgotten about his mother.

"Sure." When he saw Harlan's cute face filled with anxiety, Kyler's heart softened.

Harlan put his arms around Kyler and grinned proudly.

'Mission accomplished!' he thought to himself.

Kyler walked towards the reception. As they neared the receptionist's desk, Harlan spotted his mother talking to a police officer and yelled, "Mommy, I'm here!"

Although it was quite noisy at the lobby area, Audrey heard her son's voice clearly.

She quickly turned around and saw Harlan on a stranger's arms. She rushed over to them and took Harlan from the man's arms, like an angry mother hen.

"Where did you go? How many times have I told you not to run around like that? You scared me to death, Harlan!" As Audrey said those words, tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I am so sorry, Mommy! I would never do such a thing again. I am fine, so please don't cry..." Harlan said in a soft voice, trying to comfort her. He was so anxious about making her frightened that he instantly reached out and wiped her tears away.

"Where did you go and why did you do that?"

The moment Audrey had found that her son was missing, she panicked. She had been so worried that she wanted to find him as quickly as she could. After seeing Harlan, she finally calmed down. However, she sensed that there was something wrong.

"I..." Harlan turned around and looked at Kyler as he blinked with joy. "I went to find Daddy. Mommy, is he my father?"

The moment Audrey and Kyler heard that, they were embarrassed.

Audrey was puzzled by Kyler's gaze. Who was this man and why was he staring at her breasts so hungrily?

"No! He is not your father, Harlan," Audrey denied with a calm expression.

"But the analysis results of the app..."

"Shut up!" Audrey knew what Harlan was about to say and interrupted him.

Harlan had never been yelled at by his mother before, so he sensed that she was angry and remained silent.

Harlan rested his head against his mother's shoulder as he looked at Kyler expectantly with his big black eyes.

Seeing his pitiful expression, Kyler felt sorry for him.

The more Kyler pitied Harlan, the more he became displeased with the boy's mother. 'What is wrong with her?' he wondered.

Even if Harlan had said something that he should not have, she had no right to treat him so harshly. Thinking of that, Kyler wanted to take Harlan away to his home so he could make him feel happy.

Audrey sensed that Kyler was against her methods and hugged Harlan even tighter as she looked at Kyler with a firm gaze.

"Thank you for bringing him back. I am sorry for any trouble that he might have caused you. Goodbye."

Saying that, Audrey held Harlan and was about to leave.

However, when she was about to cross Kyler's path, he grabbed her arm. Frightened, Audrey immediately pulled back her arm.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a frown.

"Mr. He."

Joe Zhang's voice came as he rushed to them in a hurry.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief, he gave Kyler a respectful nod.

Staring at him, Kyler lifted an eyebrow as he questioned, "Who are you?"

"Mr. He, my name is Joe Zhang, and I am the director of the sales department at He Group." Joe then proceeded to introduce Audrey and Harlan formally.

"This little boy, Harlan Yang, was hired by our company as a brand ambassador for this season's new products. And Audrey Yang is his mother. Miss Yang, this is the CEO of He Group, Mr. Kyler He."

Hearing that, Kyler narrowed his eyes at Audrey. He had been wondering if she was using her son for her own benefit, and after listening to the introduction, he was sure of his suspicion.

"Mr. Zhang, thank you for your help, but I need to reconsider our cooperation with your company. I have already made plans to meet with a friend, so I will be contacting you later."

With that, Audrey put down her son, held his hand as she walked towards Joe. She motioned for the shorter man behind Joe to put down her luggage and walked forward.

"Wait a minute," Kyler said. Audrey could not pretend like she had not heard Kyler's voice and wanted to know what he was about to say to her.

As Kyler walked closer to her, she was intimidated, looking at his handsome face, but she could not let him know that she was afraid so she had no choice but to stand there with a fearless expression.

She did not think that he would dare to do anything to hurt her in a public place.

"Why aren't you working with us?" Kyler asked, their faces merely a feet apart as they stared at each other.

Upon seeing how handsome he was, Audrey gulped. She could feel her heart race as she looked into his eyes.

Kyler was playing dirty. He wanted to use his looks to lure her into signing the contract, but Audrey would not let him fool her.

She bit her lower lip as she stared deep into his eyes, and said in a polite yet cold voice, "I am afraid that Harlan would not be able to comply with the rules of your company's publicity policy. I only refused because I don't want either of us to have a hard time later on. Anyway, I have to go now, so goodbye!"