Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 147

Elodie’s POV~

When I arrived at Floral Garden, I parked the car, texted Cara that I was here, and sent her my location.

She replied she’d be out soon.

I asked where she was because I wanted to use the restroom at the sales office.

She sent me a pin.

As I was about to get out of the car, I saw Old Madam Brown, my father Logan, and my stepmother Janice walking toward the parking lot.

They all had smiles on their faces, clearly in a good mood.

I stayed still for a moment, watching them.

Logan and the others entered from the other side of the parking lot and didn’t see me.

I exhaled slowly and got out of the car.

--- 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

A few minutes later, when I reached the sales office, I bumped into Dante and Sienna.

They were surrounded by seven or eight salespeople from the office, all hovering around them like they were royalty.

When Dante saw me, his eyes flicked over briefly, but he didn’t say anything.

Sienna, her arm looped through his, gave me a cold, dismissive glance.

I calmly averted my gaze and kept walking.

---

Once inside the sales office, I found Cara waiting near the entrance.

The moment she saw me, she leaned in close and muttered through gritted teeth, "The houses here start at three million. I just heard from the staff that the villa Dante bought for the Brown family is the highest-class one they have. Over six million."

I nodded. "Mm."

Cara studied my expression, then added carefully, "And... I also heard that Dante brought the Brown family here to look at houses because Sienna’s mother liked the style."

I stopped walking for just a second.

No wonder Janice had looked so happy earlier.

I swallowed the tightness building in my throat and said evenly, "I’m going to the restroom."

"Oh, okay..."

---

Once I was inside the restroom, I clenched my fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms.

I’d long lost any reaction to Dante’s kindness toward Sienna.

But hearing that he was fawning over Janice, the one who had destroyed my mom’s happiness, buying her a villa, making sure she was happy, catering to her every whim... I couldn’t... I just couldn’t—

Just then, I heard voices outside the restroom. Two women, probably sales staff, talking casually as they walked past.

"Dante Wilson has great taste. His girlfriend is so pretty."

"Right? And her mom is so elegant and classy. The best part is, her husband and mother-in-law clearly adore her. Everything’s done according to her wishes. When I compare that to my situation, my husband, my mother-in-law, it just makes me so frustrated!"

"I know! And Dante treats his girlfriend so well. Even though they’re not married yet, he already bought a six-million-dollar villa for her family. As a woman, his girlfriend is truly the winner in life."

I stood there, frozen, staring at my reflection in the mirror.

My face was calm. Composed as well.

But inside, something was cracking.

---

When I finally left the restroom, it was already ten minutes later.

I ate with Cara, though I barely tasted the food. My mind was somewhere else entirely.

Suddenly, I felt the urge to go to the nursing home. To see my mother, Sally. To sit with someone who understood what it felt like to be discarded by people who were supposed to care.

But then I remembered the director’s words, how she wasn’t allowed to meet with familiar people. How seeing me might set Sally back.

So I drove to the entrance of the nursing home and sat there in the parking lot, staring at the building.

But I didn’t go in. I couldn’t.

After a long while, I turned the car around and drove back home instead.

__________

When Elodie got home, she locked herself in her room and threw herself into her work.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when her phone started ringing.

It was Dante.

Elodie glanced at the screen, jotted down some data in her notebook, and let the call go to vooicemail.

The ringing stopped.

A few minutes later, it started again.

She still didn’t answer.

After a while, her phone buzzed with a text: Nonna wants us back at the estate for dinner tonight.

Elodie read it, then set her phone face-down on the desk and went back to her work.

---

Over at Dante’s place, he stared at his phone for a moment, waiting for the three little dots that never came.

"Dad, you’re back!"

Liora’s voice echoed from the top of the stairs. A second later, she came bounding down and launched herself into his arms.

Dante caught her easily, his hand steadying her as he gave a faint "Mm."

Seeing him still holding his phone like he was about to send another message, Liora tilted her head. "Dad, what are you doing?"

"Your mom isn’t answering," Dante said simply.

At the mention of Elodie, Liora’s expression soured. She turned her face away with a huff.

Dante let out a quiet breath, almost amused despite himself. He reached over and gently pinched her cheek. "Why are you upset with your mom? What did you do to make her mad?"

Liora’s eyes widened indignantly. "I didn’t do anything! She’s the one who made me mad!"

Dante raised an eyebrow, leaning back slightly with his hand propped under his chin, genuinely curious now. "Oh?"

Liora crossed her arms, still fuming. "Mom said she’d take me skiing, but when I called her today, she told me she was too busy and we’d have to go some other time!"

Dante’s lips twitched, fighting back a smile. He ruffled her hair with one large hand and stood. "Come on."

Liora blinked. "Where are we going?"

"Your grandmother wants us back for dinner."

"Oh..." Liora mumbled, scrambling to keep up as he headed for the door.

---

Elodie ordered takeout, and by seven that evening, she’d finished eating and was back at her desk when her phone rang again.

This time, it was Nonna.

She could ignore Dante’s calls. But Nonna had always been kind to her family, especially to Grandma Miller. She couldn’t ignore her.

"Hello, Nonna," Elodie answered, keeping her tone warm.

"Elodie, dear," Nonna’s voice was gentle but concerned. "Dante mentioned you’re busy with work. When do you think you’ll be finished?"

Elodie didn’t want to go back to the estate. Since Dante had already covered for her, she decided to lean into it. "I’m swamped these next few days, Nonna. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll have time to visit."

Nonna didn’t seem bothered. "That’s alright, sweetheart. I just worry about you working yourself too hard."

"I won’t, Nonna. I promise I’ll take care of myself."

"Good girl." Nonna paused, then added, "Dante’s coming back tomorrow. I’ll have him bring you some of Cook’s dishes, make sure you eat properly, alright?"

Elodie’s chest tightened, but she kept her voice steady. "Okay. Thank you, Nonna."

After they hung up, Nonna set her phone down and glanced across the sitting room at her grandson, who was seated on the sofa with a newspaper in hand, looking far too relaxed.

"Next time," Nonna said pointedly, "if Elodie still doesn’t come back with you, don’t bother coming back either."

Dante glanced up, one eyebrow lifting. "Should I leave now, then?"

Nonna shot him a look. "Don’t test me."

Dante smirked faintly but said nothing, returning his attention to the newspaper.