Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 164

Elodie’s POV~

"Another potential partner?" I asked, watching Johnny stare at his phone like it had personally insulted him.

"Most likely." He tossed the device onto the desk, where it skidded across the surface. "Harry Becker. We don’t exactly run in the same circles, you know? And honestly, after everything with Dante, I’m not thrilled about dealing with his friends."

I understood what he wasn’t saying. Harry was the kind of man who looked at me and saw a problem to be solved—or worse, a puzzle to figure out. He’d always been polite enough to Sienna, but me? I’d never really registered on his radar as anything more than Dante’s wife.

"Take the call," I said, not looking up from the spreadsheet in front of me.

Johnny’s head snapped toward me. "What? Why would I—"

"Because ignoring him won’t make him go away. And honestly, that’s bad business." I pulled my reading glasses off and met his eyes. "I don’t want you acting out of spite. That’s how mistakes happen."

He stared at me for a moment, probably looking for signs of distress. Some indication that hearing from Harry’s circle would shake me. When he didn’t find it, he picked up the phone and swiped to answer.

"Mr. Becker," Johnny said, his voice dropping into that cool, professional register he used for people he didn’t like. "This is unexpected."

I could hear Harry’s voice through the speaker, calm, exactly the way I remembered it. Always so composed. So sure of himself.

"Johnny. I’ll get straight to the point. I hear Cole’s got some interesting developments coming down the pipeline. I’d like to discuss a partnership."

Of course he did. News in this world traveled faster than light. The He family had their fingers in every pie. They knew things before the people living those things did.

"News travels fast," Johnny said with a dry laugh. "We haven’t even filed the preliminary paperwork yet."

"I have ears," Harry replied. "And I have resources. The He family can expedite your military approvals. You know how these things work. We can cut through all of it."

It was a good offer. Really good. The kind of offer that could change everything for Cole. And Harry knew it.

But Johnny was in a mood. I could see it in the set of his jaw, the way his fingers drummed against the desk.

"I appreciate the offer, Mr. Becker," Johnny said carefully. "But we’re evaluating multiple options right now. We’re looking for partners with clean records and low drama. You understand."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. That was a direct hit.

Harry didn’t flinch though. "Drama is just another word for leverage, Johnny. And I don’t create unnecessary complications. I create results." He paused. "Why don’t we meet for dinner? We can discuss the specifics properly."

"Can’t do it," Johnny said smoothly. "Absolutely swamped with quarter-end reports. My schedule’s a nightmare for the next few weeks. My assistant will reach out if we decide to move forward."

Translation: Don’t bother calling back.

"I see," Harry said, and I then heard the slight shift in his tone. The moment he realized he wasn’t going to get what he wanted just by asking. "Well, don’t take too long making your decision. I happened to hear that the Brown family is already making inquiries...”

The office went quiet. Even the sound of the air conditioning seemed to stop.

The Browns.

Johnny’s face went still. "The Brown family?"

"Mm-hmm.” Harry’s voice turned almost conversational, like he was just making idle conversation. "Funny how these things leak out, isn’t it? Anyway, think it over, Johnny. I’ll be waiting."

The line died.

Johnny stared at the phone in his hand like it might explode. "Elodie. The Browns are complete outsiders. They’re trying to establish themselves in the capital, and they don’t have the resources or the reputation to, how would they even know about this? We literally haven’t told anyone outside of our core team."

I felt that cold, familiar sensation creeping up my spine. The feeling of being watched. Of being played.

Dante. Or Harry. Maybe both.

They’d leaked the information to the Browns deliberately. Not because the Browns were a real threat, but because they wanted me to know that they could. That even though I’d left, even though I’d signed the papers and walked away from the Bellini estate, I was still in their world. Still on their board.

Johnny was watching my face now, waiting for the panic. For the tears. For me to call Dante and ask him to make the bad men go away.

Instead, I picked up my bag and stood up.

"Elodie?" His voice was worried. "Hey. If this is getting too intense, we can tell them all to go to hell. Seriously. We don’t need their money. I’ve got enough capital to bootstrap this entire thing on my own. We don’t need them."

I looked at him, really looked at him. At this man who’d believed in me when no one else did. Who’d offered me a job and a friendship when my entire life was imploding.

"I know we don’t," I said quietly. "And I appreciate that. I really do."

Then I smiled. Not the fake, placating smile I’d perfected over years of being Dante’s wife. A real one.

"But Senior Brother promised me the best steak in this city," I said, walking toward the door. "And a wine that costs more than my rent. Are you really going to make me walk out of here disappointed?"

Johnny blinked. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. "You’re serious right now? You’re not—"

"Not freaking out? Not running back to Dante? Not begging Harry to make the Browns go away?" I picked up my jacket and slung it over my arm. "No, Johnny. I’m not. Because I finally figured something out."

"What’s that?"

I paused at the door and looked back at him. "They only have power over me if I care what they do. And I’m done caring."

Johnny winked at me with a soft smile on his lips and then grabbed his keys.

______________

The restaurant’s entrance was filled with soft lighting when they stepped in. Elodie stepped through the glass doors with Johnny just behind her, already mentally settling into the quiet corner table they’d reserved.

Then she saw the Brown family and the Green family. A whole cluster of them, standing in the lobby like they owned the place, heading straight toward the dining area. Logan Brown was at the front, his face breaking into that practiced smile the moment his eyes landed on Johnny.

"Mr. Gray," Logan called out, extending his hand. "What a pleasant surprise. We seem to keep running into each other."

Johnny’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Logan. Yes, we do."

"In fact," Logan continued, his smile widening, "we were just about to have dinner. Why don’t you and your... companion join us? It would be good to discuss the Cole projects in a more relaxed setting."

Elodie could feel Johnny’s irritation radiating off him like heat. He’d literally just declined this man on the phone hours ago. And now here Logan was, trying again, acting like the universe had handed him a second chance.

"I appreciate the offer," Johnny said, his voice dropping into that polite-but-firm register that meant he’d already made up his mind. "But this is personal time. Another occasion, perhaps."

Logan’s smile faltered just slightly. "Ah... of course. Another time, then."

Johnny didn’t wait for more. He simply nodded at Elodie and gestured toward the stairs. "Shall we?"

Elodie followed without a word, deliberately not looking back at the Brown family. She could feel their eyes tracking them as they climbed toward the private dining floors, but she kept her spine straight, her chin level, her pace unhurried.

By the time they reached their table, Johnny had already started to relax.

---

Downstairs, in the lobby, Logan’s smile had completely evaporated.

Lauren turned to him, her brow furrowed with something that looked like worry. "Did you see how quickly he dismissed us? Johnny Gray has never been that cold. He’s usually at least polite."

"It’s because of the woman," Janice said quietly, her gaze still fixed on the staircase where Elodie had disappeared. "I heard from Sienna that Johnny’s been distant with her ever since he started working with... her."

"Freya Miller, you mean?" Miles interjected, using Elodie’s old name out of habit. "But she’s divorcing Dante, isn’t she? Why would Johnny care?"

"Because," Janice said, her voice turning cold, "he might not believe the divorce will actually happen. Or he doesn’t want it to."

Granny Green, had been quiet until now. She’d been watching the two of them disappear up the stairs, noting the way the woman hadn’t so much as glanced in their direction. The way she’d moved like she had nothing to prove and nothing to hide.

It unsettled her.

"The divorce is definitely happening," Miles said, trying to reassure everyone. He gestured vaguely, as if that alone could settle the matter. "Levi told me himself. He said Dante’s made his decision. He wants Sienna, not Freya. The divorce papers are already signed."

"Yes," Janice agreed, her lips curving into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "Dante’s been waiting for the right moment. And now, with Sienna’s accident, with her nearly dying... well, that’s all the motivation he needs. He’s going through with it. No hesitation."

Logan nodded, his confidence returning. "Of course. Dante always gets what he wants. He’s made his choice clear." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Sienna’s patience is finally going to pay off," Miles added, his voice brightening. "She’s been waiting for years. Soon, it’ll all work out."

They stood there in the lobby, reassuring themselves, building their case on assumptions and whispered gossip and Sienna’s long, patient game.

But Granny Green wasn’t listening anymore.

She was thinking about the woman upstairs, the one who’d climbed the stairs like she was walking into her own future, not running from her past. The one who hadn’t looked back. Not even once.

That girl definitely doesn’t want the divorce,* Granny Green thought, a faint line appearing between her brows.

Because if she did, she would look desperate. She would look like she was running. She would look like someone losing something precious.

Instead, she’d looked like someone who’d already decided what mattered.

Janice must have noticed Granny Green’s silence, because she leaned closer. "What are you thinking, Nonna?"

"I’m thinking," Granny Green said slowly, "that we might be underestimating the situation. Dante may want the divorce. But if that woman upstairs doesn’t want it..." She paused, her shrewd eyes narrowing. "Well. Dante’s made decisions before. He can unmake them, too."

"With all due respect," Janice said, her voice turning sharp, "Sienna nearly died for him. That changes things. That makes it real."

"Perhaps." Granny Green’s smile had faded completely now. She was watching the staircase, as if she could see through the floors and walls to where Elodie and Johnny sat.