Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 208

As they passed by, they overheard Landon’s loud and confident voice, completely unaware of how ridiculous he sounded.

"Treat my sister well!" he was saying to Dante, wagging his finger like he had any authority. "If you dare bully her, I won’t let you off, hmph!"

This was Landon’s first time meeting Dante in person.

Earlier, when he’d first walked into the private room and saw Dante sitting there, so calm, composed, radiating that quiet, unshakable power, Landon had been terrified. He’d barely been able to string two words together.

Dante had that effect on people. There was just something about him. The way he carried himself. The way he looked at you. It was clear he wasn’t someone you messed with.

But Dante had been kind to him. Patient, even. He’d smiled when Landon fumbled over his words, asked him questions about school, made him feel like he mattered.

By the end of the meal, Landon’s fear had melted away completely.

Now, full of food and confidence, he felt bold enough to make threats.

Not that he meant them, of course.

Landon was actually thrilled with Dante as a future brother-in-law. From every angle, Dante was perfect. Successful. Powerful. Respectful. And the way he treated Sienna? Like she was the most important person in the world.

Landon couldn’t have asked for better.

So even though his words sounded like a warning, everyone standing there knew what he really meant.

Dante smiled one of those rare, genuine smiles of his and nodded. "Got it."

Sienna laughed softly, her eyes warm as she looked at her little brother.

It was a sweet moment. Wholesome, even.

Johnny, standing a few feet away, let out a cold sneer.

Elodie’s expression didn’t change at all.

Mr. Taylor, however, was starting to piece things together. He glanced at Elodie, then back at Dante and Sienna.

"So," he said slowly, "you and Mr. Wislon really aren’t a couple?"

So the beautiful woman standing beside Dante... that was his girlfriend?

Elodie’s voice was flat. "No."

At that moment, Dante and Sienna noticed them.

Their eyes met across the parking lot.

Dante’s expression didn’t shift. Sienna’s smile stayed perfectly in place.

Johnny, on the other hand, had had enough.

"Mr. Taylor," he said sharply, already moving toward the car. "Please get in."

Mr. Taylor blinked, clearly picking up on the tension now. He didn’t ask any more questions. Just gave Dante a polite nod and climbed into the car.

Elodie and Johnny followed without another word.

Their car pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared into the afternoon traffic.

——————

Two Days Later.

The partnership with Mr. Taylor went smoothly.

The contract was signed. Hands were shaken. Mr. Taylor had other business to attend to, so he left shortly after.

Elodie and Johnny returned to the meeting room, both exhausted. They grabbed some hot drinks from the break area and collapsed into their chairs.

A few minutes later, the secretary walked in holding a thick stack of envelopes.

She set them down on the table with a soft thud.

"Here are the invitations for the year-end parties we’ve received over the past few days," she said.

Elodie glanced at the pile.

There had to be at least twenty or thirty of them.

She reached over and started flipping through. Invitations from Rex Hardin. Harry Becker. The Wilson Corporation. Wilson Tech.

Then she paused.

An invitation from the Brown family.

She pulled it out, her brows furrowing slightly.

Johnny’s name was on it.

And so was hers.

Johnny leaned back in his chair, holding up the Brown family’s invitation with a smirk.

"Well, well," he said, clearly amused. "Looks like our company is quite charming."

Elodie didn’t say anything, but she knew what he meant.

It wasn’t about charm. It was about leverage.

The Brown family wanted access to Cole’s latest projects. They wanted CUAP. They wanted to get close to the people behind the technology that had been making waves across the Pack territories.

So they swallowed their pride and put Elodie’s name on the invitation.

What they didn’t know, what none of them knew, was that the impressive technology they were all drooling over hadn’t come from Johnny at all.

It had come from her.

Johnny’s smirk widened as he tossed the invitation back onto the table.

"This is going to be fun," he said.

Elodie just stared at the invitation, her expression unreadable.

Fun wasn’t the word she would’ve used.

Actually, it wasn’t just the Brown family.

Hardin Group, Bellini Tech, and Bellini Corporation had all included Elodie’s name on their invitations too.

The only one who’d done things differently was Harry.

He’d sent two separate invitations. One for Johnny. One for Elodie.

Johnny let out a low whistle and smirked. "Harry’s not bad."

Elodie and Harry’s last real conversation had been that morning in the parking lot...when he’d cornered her and asked if she was Professor Nolan’s student.

Now, hearing Johnny’s comment, Elodie didn’t say anything.

Johnny leaned back in his chair, flipping through the stack of invitations with a casual air.

"Let’s pass on the ones from Hardin Group, Wilson Tech, Wilson Corporation, and the Brown family," he said. "We’ll just go to the ones from Becker Group and the other companies we’ve actually had decent partnerships with."

As for the others? Sending a polite gift would be more than enough.

And as for Bellini Corporation, Bellini Tech, and the Brown family? It would be best to avoid any dealings with them altogether.

"Okay," Elodie said simply.

Besides handling the core operations of the company, she and Johnny had been pouring most of their energy into the materials Professor Nolan had given them. So aside from the necessary socializing, they didn’t want to waste time dealing with people who didn’t matter.

Cole was also preparing for its own year-end party.

But they were swamped. The invitations wouldn’t be going out for another few days.

____________

As the end of the year approached, business at Bellini Tech also needed to be wrapped up before the New Year.

The next day, Elodie and a few others, including Sophia, headed over to Bellini Tech to finalize some deals.

When Elodie arrived, she happened to run into Sienna in the lobby.

Neither of them acknowledged the other. No glances. No nods sent in either of their directions. They were just like two people existing in the same space, pretending the other didn’t.

Elodie went straight to work.

After a while, she felt someone was staring at her.

She looked up and saw Landon.

He was standing a few feet away, hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on her with open curiosity.

Elodie immediately looked away and went back to her notes.

————-

Landon had been in the capital for three or four days now.

He’d spent the first two days sightseeing...checking out the landmarks, eating at fancy restaurants, taking a million photos to post online.

But by the third day, he was bored out of his mind.

So when he found out his sister was working at his future brother-in-law’s company, he got curious. Figured it’d be interesting to see what the place looked like.

He didn’t expect to run into her the second he walked through the door.

The beautiful woman from the airport.

Landon’s eyes widened slightly.

He’d thought about her a few times since that day. Wondered who she was. Why his family had gotten so tense when they saw her.

And now here she was. At Wilson Tech. Looking just as stunning as before, but also... distant. Focused. Like she didn’t want to be bothered.

Landon tilted his head, studying her.

She was dressed simply, nothing too flashy, but she carried herself with this confidence that made her stand out anyway.

He wanted to say something. Maybe introduce himself. Ask her name.

But something about the way she very deliberately didn’t look at him made him hesitate.

So he just stood there, watching her work, wondering what her deal was.