Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 197

Elodie didn’t say anything.

Liora suddenly perked up, like she’d just remembered something. "Oh! I haven’t told Dad yet. I should call him."

Dante picked up on the first ring.

When Liora told him she was staying at Grandma Miller’s for a week, he didn’t hesitate. "Dad knows. If you need anything, just call me and I’ll send it over."

"Okay!"

She hung up, grinning.

Old Madam Miller had been bracing herself for a fight. She’d even considered stopping Liora from calling him at all.

But common sense told her that would be wrong.

Now, seeing Liora hang up so cheerfully, she couldn’t help but ask, "Your dad agreed? Just like that?"

Liora looked confused. "Yeah! Why wouldn’t he?"

She tilted her head. "Dad’s really good to me. He pretty much agrees to whatever I want to do."

Old Madam Miller opened her mouth. Then closed it.

She had no idea what to say to that.

Elodie stayed quiet.

After a bit, she took Liora’s hand and led her upstairs for a bath.

---

Cole had already locked in partnerships with Rex, Harry, and a few others. But there were still some projects that didn’t have the right fit yet.

To speed up the process and to boost the company’s visibility, Cole had spent months preparing for a promotional conference. It was officially scheduled for Monday morning.

After dropping Liora off at school that morning, Elodie drove to the hotel where the event was being held. By the time she arrived, Johnny and the others were already there.

She was slated to give a speech as one of the company’s core technical leads and field questions from the media.

Elodie and Johnny went over the rundown backstage. Around that time, Harry and Rex both showed up.

About twenty minutes later, Johnny and Elodie took the stage.

Johnny spoke first. Rex listened closely, his arms crossed, and his expression neutral.

But the second Elodie stepped up to the podium, his face shifted. He frowned.

Wasn’t product introduction, especially the technical side, too important to leave to someone like her? Shouldn’t Johnny be handling this?

Elodie didn’t pay Rex any attention. Her voice was calm, clear, and more than steady. Whether she was walking through the company’s product line or answering technical questions from the press, she handled it smoothly with no hesitation.

Rex had zoned out the moment she started talking. He wasn’t listening to a word she said. When he heard her answering technical questions, he just assumed Cole had prepped her with a script.

As his mind wandered, he noticed something.

Harry was leaning forward slightly, completely focused. His eyes were locked on Elodie, and he looked genuinely engaged, like he was actually listening.

Rex blinked.

He didn’t think much of it. Figured Harry was just putting on a good show for appearances.

Rex just stared.

---

After the press conference, Elodie and Johnny were swamped. Rex had a meeting at Wilson Corp that afternoon, so after a quick word with Johnny, he headed out.

When he got to Wilson, Dante hadn’t arrived yet. Rex made his way to the area where Sienna and her team were working. The second he reached the door, he could hear the buzz of excited voices inside.

Seeing him, the General Manager immediately walked over. "Mr. Hardin."

Rex nodded.

Sienna looked up from her desk. "Dante’s probably still about ten minutes out. Can you wait a bit?"

Hearing her say that, Rex thought to himself that they must be pretty close. Otherwise, Dante wouldn’t keep her updated on his every move.

"I know," Rex said. "His secretary already filled me in."

Then he shifted gears, glancing around the room. "Seems like everyone’s in a good mood. Did something happen?"

The General Manager jumped in immediately. "Our project hit a technical wall over a week ago. We were completely stuck. But just now, Director Brown solved the whole thing. So now we can actually move forward. Everyone’s thrilled."

Someone else chimed in from across the room. "We really owe it all to Director Brown. A PhD from a world-class university just knows so much more than the rest of us."

Rex already knew Sienna was talented. But now he was seeing it firsthand that people genuinely respected her. Hearing all the praise, he couldn’t help but feel proud on her behalf.

"Congratulations," he said.

Sienna smiled. "Thank you."

Then she added, modestly, "But it’s not all me. Dante’s taught me a lot over the past few months. That’s what helped me grow so quickly."

She meant it. But everyone just thought she was being humble.

After a bit more chatter, the team went back to work.

Sienna had known about the Cole press conference that morning but had been too buried in work to check it out. Now, she pulled out her phone and searched for the video.

She glanced at Rex. "Mr. Hardin, did you go to Cole’s event this morning?"

"Yeah."

She started watching the video. On screen, Elodie was explaining Cole’s products and tech, calmly and articulated.

Rex watched Sienna’s face carefully.

She looked completely unbothered. No irritation. No jealousy being displayed. Just had a calm focus on her face.

Thinking back to Christmas when Elodie had practically radiated hostility toward Sienna, Rex felt even more convinced that Sienna’s mindset was leagues above hers.

He was about to say something when the General Manager leaned over.

"I watched Cole’s conference too," he said. "Have to admit, their tech is seriously impressive."

Sienna nodded. "It is."

Rex didn’t know much about the technical side, but even he could tell Cole’s work was top-tier. Watching Sienna scroll to the part where Johnny was speaking, he said,

"With you here at Wilson, it probably won’t be long before we develop something even more advanced."

Sienna gave a small smile. "You’re being too kind, Mr. Hardin. Compared to Mr. Gray, I still have a long way to go."

Rex thought she was just being humble. "There’s no need to be modest, Miss Brown—"

"It’s not modesty," Sienna cut in. "It’s always been my dream to study under Professor Nolan. I met him a while back, but I didn’t meet his standards to become his student."

She was being completely honest.

Rex listened and felt like she was genuinely sincere. Driven, but humble about where she stood.

It also clicked for him, why Sienna was so interested in Johnny. Not just because he was brilliant in AI, but because he was one of Nolan’s students.

"If you didn’t meet the standard, then you just keep working," Rex said. "I believe with your abilities, Miss Brown, you’ll get there one day."

Sienna smiled, about to respond, when Dante walked in.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Hardin."

Rex stood. "No need to apologize, Mr. Wilson. I got here early."

After a quick exchange, Dante smiled at Sienna, then headed upstairs with Rex to talk business.

Sienna was about to dive back into work when her phone rang.

It was Logan.

Of course he’d watched the press conference. The buzz Cole had generated caught his attention and made him anxious. He’d done the math. Those two projects Cole was launching would probably bring in billions.

And that ate at him.

The Brown family ran a tech company too. But without any real core technology, their products had zero competitive edge. They’d been bleeding money for years.

They’d been limping along, barely keeping the lights on, with nothing to show for it.

If losing money brought results, fine. But after all this time, their tech division hadn’t improved at all. Every day they delayed was more money down the drain. How could he not be anxious?

He’d called Sienna hoping she could help. He knew Dante had been mentoring her lately, teaching her, helping her grow. So he wanted to know if was she good enough now to catch Professor Nolan’s eye?

After hanging up, Logan set his phone down.

He rubbed his temples, staring at the large screen in the living room where the Cole press conference was still playing.

Sophia sat nearby, munching on fruit, watching as Elodie took the stage at such a formal, high-profile event. Talking so confidently. So smoothly.

It grated on her.

She grabbed the remote and shut the TV off with a huff. "Why does she get to speak on stage? She’s stealing all the attention."

Logan shook her head. "That’s not the point."

In his view, Elodie speaking at the press conference wasn’t a big deal. She was only up there because Johnny was propping her up anyway.