Let's Play A Dirty Ass Game, Mr. CEO

Chapter 67: TWO AGAINST ONE

Thankfully, we were at Eli’s kindergarten in less than ten minutes.

But the speed at which Tristan had driven this thing...it left my eyes watery, and my legs shaky, feeling like jelly and not very cooperative.

I practically limped up to Eli’s homeroom, my manners overridden by my worry for my son—without a word of ’thank you’ to Ren. I realized this as soon as I arrived at the door of Eli’s homeroom. But I pushed the door in anyway. I would have plenty more opportunities to thank him in the future. That is if we kept working together.

Eli’s homeroom teacher was nowhere to be found. Just a room full of kids Eli’s age wailing and running around, some glued and strapped to their seats, watching others quietly.

There was a young woman in the room, trying to get some of the more active kids to stay quiet. She was not Eli’s homeroom teacher.

"Excuse me? Where’s my son, please?"

Or did I stumble into the wrong room in my agitation?

The woman looked up and immediately hurried over to me.

"Hello, I’m Payne."

Who is she? Where is Eli’s teacher? So many questions ran through my mind, and I struggled to remain focused on the important thing.

I couldnt even call Eli’s teacher because I left my phone in the fucking car.

God!

"I’m Laura Hayes, Eli’s mother." I glanced around the room frantically. "The kid who suffered the allergic reaction? Where is he, please?"

"Oh...I’m sorry about the inconvenience, ma’am. Eli is currently at the school clinic with his permanent teacher. I’ll get someone to take you there."

"Please, thank you." I paced restlessly as she got on the phone, rubbing my hands together in agitation. Shortly, another teacher arrived and led the way to the clinic.

We bumped into Tristan in the corridor, and I was shocked to see he hadn’t left yet. "What are you...?"

He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding my gaze. "I just thought you might need a ride back to your car. I can stick around. I’ve got some free time."

Everything warmed my heart. The gesture, the heat of his gaze when he finally looked at me, and the thoughtfulness.

Why was he being so nice to me all of a sudden? I mean, apart from the fact that he wanted to fuck me, could there be another reason why he seemed to care these days?

We were at the clinic now and the strong scent of disinfectant already hit my nostrils from the entrance.

"This way," the teacher gestured towards another corridor, and as soon as we walked into it, I was met with another surprise. Harlan was coming out of a room, closing the door behind him, dragging a hand over his face.

"Harlan?" What in God’s name was he doing here? How did he know to be here? Not that I was not grateful but...strange.

He glanced up and his eyes widened pleasantly, the tiredness instantly dropping from his face. "Hey!" He hurried over, and the light in his eyes seemed to dim upon seeing Tristan.

"Hey man," he acknowledged Tristan with a nod before returning his gaze to me. "I got here as quickly as I could."

I cocked a brow in silent question. He stared at me in confusion for a moment. "Uh... his teacher called me. Said she could no longer reach you. Thankfully, I was close by so I hurried over and held him down for the shots."

My insides collapsed with relief and my knees buckled slightly. Harlan was instantly at my side, holding me.

"Come on, it’s okay. He’s fine now."

"Can I see him?" I asked his teacher who had just appeared from the ward. "Sure. He’s sleeping, but you can just pop in."

"Thank you, thank you." I grabbed her hand and squeezed momentarily before dashing into the ward.

Eli was sleeping soundly on the clinic bed, white sheets pulled up to his chin. I hurried over and collapsed beside him, stroking his hair and feeling real relief for the first time since I got the call from his teacher.

"Mommy is sorry, sweetheart," I murmured, brushing his hair back softly. "She’s very sorry for getting here quite later than she planned."

I dropped a light kiss on his forehead and stayed with him for a few more minutes before I finally decided I was satisfied enough.

Then I stepped out to find Harland and Tristan still in the hallway, facing each other, their gazes locked on each other in an intense stare down.

"Hey guys." I joined Harlan on his own side, sliding my gaze towards Tristan at the same time. "Still here?"

Harlan reached over and gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder...something that pushed towards slightly territorial. "I’ll always be here for you, Laura." A wry smile tugged on his lips. "If you let me, of course."

Meanwhile, Tristan watched me with a possessive, obsessive look in his eyes.

Both men had me shuddering with confusion for a moment. There was undoubtedly something going on between them. The tension in the air was too tight.

Harlan cleared his throat, and I finally snapped my gaze away from Tristan’s. "T-Thank you." I flashed Harlan a smile. "I appreciate your concern and help."

"Anytime, Laura."

"Would you like me to take you back now?" Tristan asked in a tight voice. I turned to see him watching me with the same tightness in his eyes.

Harlan intervened when I didn’t ask him to. "Don’t worry about it, buddy. I’ll take it from here."

Tristan turned a sharp glare on him, making me draw in a sharp breath.

"I brought her here," he fired back at Harlan. "You know nothing about how she got here, so you should not bother with stepping in."

Was there some kind of competition happening between them? God. This was the last thing I needed at the moment.

I stepped forward, brain whirring fast to think of something to put an end to the awkwardness among us three.

"I think I’m going to take Eli home. He’s had enough learning for the day."

They both turned towards me with looks of concern, their argument forgotten.

"If that’s what you want, I’ll take you both," Harlan offered.

Another deep scowl hung over Tristan’s features. But I beat him to it before he could voice whatever was going through his mind.

"I really appreciate the help, Harlan. But I’ll go with Tristan."

Harlan’s lips tightened and his eyes narrowed on Tristan. "Are you sure about that, Laura?"

"He has to take me somewhere," I added quickly, "so I can pick up my car and get home." My voice softened. "Can you do me another favour instead?"

Defeated by whatever it was he felt for me that made him want to fuck me, he nodded weakly. "Whatever you want."

I took his hand in mine, feeling Tristan’s gaze turn to acid opposite us. "Please help me get Eli back to my apartment.I’ll meet you back there."