Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 182

Rex shook his head quickly. "I just think Mr. Wilson treats you really well."

That scene in the hallway was still bothering him. But bringing it up felt... wrong. Invasive, maybe.

After turning it over in his head a few times, he decided to drop it.

Besides, the evidence was everywhere. Dante had picked up abandoned projects at Wilson Corp just to help Sienna build her career. He’d introduced her family to all the right people. He’d even opened an entire new project at Wilson Group and handed parts of it to her and the Browns.

The man was bending over backward for her.

Rex could see it clear as day.

Honestly, if Rex were in Dante’s position, he didn’t think he could do half as much.

There was no question about how Dante felt about Sienna.

So yeah. That thing in the hallway? Probably just a misunderstanding.

---

Friday morning, Elodie had barely gotten out of bed when her phone rang.

Her grandmother.

"Sweetheart, there’s a Master Hall exhibition on Sunday morning. Would you come with me?"

Elodie smiled. Her grandmother was obsessed with Master Hall’s work. The guy was a legendary painter, and he hadn’t held an exhibition in over a decade. This was a big deal.

"Of course, Grandma. I’ll go with you."

She hung up.

Two seconds later, her phone rang again.

And it was with Liora’s line.

It was the first time her daughter had called since the parent-child event on Monday.

Elodie stared at the screen.

Then let it go to voicemail.

---

Saturday afternoon, she went back to the Miller house for dinner. Sunday morning, she left early with her grandmother to head to the exhibition.

When they pulled up to the venue, Elodie was getting out of the car when she spotted another familiar vehicle.

Johnny’s.

She blinked. "Johnny?"

He looked just as surprised to see her. "El? Grandma Miller? You’re here too?"

"Yeah."

Old Madam Miller smiled warmly. "Mr. Gray, I didn’t know you were interested in paintings."

Johnny scratched the back of his neck. "Not really. I’m just here to drop off a gift for my family. For Master Hall."

Master Hall wasn’t just a famous painter—he came from the *Hall* family. Old money. Serious influence.

Every time he held an exhibition, it was a whole event. People from their circle showed up to support him. Others showed up to kiss ass and try to get in good with the family.

Rumor had it that between the paintings sold and the "gifts" people brought to curry favor, Master Hall’s exhibitions pulled in eight figures easy.

Not that the Hall family needed the money. That’s actually why Master Hall had stopped doing exhibitions for so long that he got sick of all the fake smiles and brown-nosing.

Johnny’s family didn’t need to suck up to the Halls. The relationship had cooled over the years, though the two patriarchs were still friends.

Now that Master Hall was holding an exhibition again after all this time, Johnny’s dad couldn’t be bothered to show up. So he’d sent Johnny to deliver a gift on his behalf.

He definitely hadn’t expected to run into Elodie and her grandmother here.

Back when Master Hall used to hold exhibitions, the place would be packed wall-to-wall. And now, after more than ten years? With the Hall family still as powerful as ever? Johnny knew this place was going to be a zoo.

Which meant people like Dante, Sienna, and the whole Brown family crew were probably going to be here too.

Elodie had been too young to attend the last Master Hall exhibition. Over the years, she’d heard he rarely showed his work publicly anymore, so she didn’t really know what to expect from events like this.

She noticed Johnny’s expression shift... just slightly and frowned. "What’s wrong?"

He smiled quickly. "Nothing. Wait here. Let me park the car and we’ll go in together."

"Okay."

---

After Johnny parked, the three of them walked into the exhibition hall together.

Just like Johnny predicted, the place was absolutely mobbed. Three floors, all of them packed with well-dressed people holding champagne glasses and pretending to care about art.

But before they could even look at a single painting or pay their respects to the Hall family, they ran smack into the Brown and Green family entourage.

Grandmother Brown, Grandmother Green, and a few others were all standing near the entrance, smiling and chatting with various guests like they owned the place.

When they spotted Elodie and her grandmother, they didn’t even look surprised.

Of course they’d known Old Madam Miller would be here. The woman was obsessed with Master Hall’s work. No way she’d miss this.

Elodie’s hand tightened on her grandmother’s arm.

Old Madam Miller calmly patted her hand. "It’s fine, dear."

If they could guess she’d come, she could just as easily guess they’d be here too.

Johnny leaned in slightly. "Grandma Miller, let me go find Master Hall. You two can come with me. I’ll introduce you."

He was trying to give them an out. A reason to slip away from this awkward standoff.

But Old Madam Miller shook her head. "Just being able to see so many of his paintings in one place is more than enough. I don’t want to bother the man." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Johnny hesitated, clearly not wanting to leave them alone with the Browns and Greens lurking nearby.

Elodie gave him a small smile. "Go. We’ll be fine."

The Brown and Green families cared too much about appearances to cause a scene here. They wouldn’t dare.

Johnny reluctantly nodded and headed off.

Elodie turned to her grandmother. "Which painting do you want to see first?"

Old Madam Miller smiled. "Let’s just start with the ones nearby."

"Okay."

They were about to move when two more people walked in.

Rex and Yves.

Rex spotted Elodie immediately.

Yves, ever the opportunist, looked like he was about to walk over and say something, but Rex frowned and stayed put.

Elodie ignored them both and turned to leave.

Old Madam Miller glanced at them briefly. "Do you know those two?"

"Work," Elodie said flatly.

Her grandmother didn’t push.

Right then, Logan and his wife Janice arrived. They spotted Rex and started to head over, but Rex beat them to it.

"Mr. Brown, Mrs. Brown. Didn’t expect to see you here."

"Yes, well, wouldn’t miss it," Logan said smoothly.

Before he could say more, Grandmother Brown and Grandmother Green appeared, their eyes sharp and curious.

"Logan, Janice, who are these young men?" Grandmother Brown asked, though her gaze lingered on Elodie for just a beat too long.

She’d clearly noticed that Elodie and Rex seemed to know each other.

Logan smiled. "This is Mr. Hardin. A friend of Sienna and Dante."

"Ah. I see."

After some polite small talk with the Brown and Green families, Rex and Yves headed inside to drop off their gift.

When they spotted Johnny already there, they weren’t surprised.

"Mr. Gray. Didn’t know you’d be here."

They were all here on behalf of their families, so the usual formalities were toned down a bit.

Johnny barely glanced at them. "Yeah."

Right then, Jimmy walked out holding a cup of tea. He handed it to Johnny, then looked over at Rex. "Oh, you guys made it."

"Yeah," Rex said. "Where’s your grandfather?"

"Inside talking to someone. He’ll probably be out in a bit. You can wait here if you want."

Rex sat down. "Alright."

But Johnny kept glancing at his watch, clearly distracted.

Jimmy noticed. "Gray, you in a rush?"

Johnny hesitated. "Not really. Just... got some things I need to handle."

He’d shown up like he was supposed to. But leaving before actually seeing Master Hall felt rude. Still, his worry about Elodie was winning out.

"Sorry, Hall. I’ll step out for a minute."

Jimmy waved him off. "No worries. Go ahead."

Johnny left.

Rex watched him go, already guessing he was heading straight for Elodie.

Jimmy leaned back in his chair. "My grandfather’s probably gonna be tied up for a while. You guys want to step outside? Get some air?"

Rex thought about what Logan had mentioned earlier, that Sienna and Dante were supposed to show up too.

He stood. "Yeah. Text me when your grandfather’s free?"

"Will do."

Rex and Yves headed out.

Just as they stepped into the main hall, Harry and Levi walked in.

Members of the Brown and Green families immediately swarmed them.

Harry shook hands with Logan, all polite smiles.

Levi looked around. "Dante and Sienna aren’t here yet?"

Before anyone could answer, he spotted Elodie across the room.

"Holy shit."

He couldn’t believe it. Her? Here?

Harry, confused, followed his line of sight.

And saw Elodie.

His expression shifted. Just slightly.

Right then, Johnny was walking toward Elodie and Old Madam Miller.

Harry turned back to Levi and Logan. "Excuse me for a second. I’m gonna go say hi."

He left before anyone could respond.

"Mr. Gray. Miss Miller."

Johnny and Elodie both turned.

Johnny’s smile was tight. "Mr. Becker."

Hearing the name Becker, Old Madam Miller gave Harry a longer look, remembering what Hugo and Jason had mentioned before.