Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate

Chapter 220

Elodie’s POV

Then I turned to Liora and nudged her gently. "Liora, say thank you to Uncle Hardin."

Liora looked up at Reed with her big eyes. "Thank you, Grandpa Hardin."

Reed chuckled warmly, waving his hand. "No need to be so polite."

He looked at her for a moment longer, his expression softening. "She really does look more like Dante, doesn’t she?"

I nodded. "Yes. She does."

Reed smiled again, his tone kind. "Whether she looks like Dante or you, she’s a wonderful child."

I lowered my eyes and smiled faintly, but I didn’t say anything.

There wasn’t much I could say to that.

Reed shifted the topic then, his tone turning a bit more casual. "Have you and that troublesome son of mine made up yet?"

I shook my head, a small smile tugging at my lips despite myself. "It seems the conflict has only deepened."

Reed let out a short laugh. "Good."

I blinked, a little surprised.

He leaned back in his chair, unbothered. "He’s had an easy life. A little lesson won’t hurt him. Honestly, I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out."

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just smiled and let the conversation move on.

We talked about other things after that, work, the New Year, nothing too heavy.

After dinner, Reed and I talked for over an hour before finally parting ways.

---

In the days that followed, I spent most of my time at home.

I’d fulfilled my dinner appointment with Reed. I’d spent time with Liora when she needed me. But otherwise, I buried myself in the materials Professor Nolan had given me.

Liora was surprisingly well-behaved during this time. She didn’t complain or demand attention. She’d go out occasionally with Hugo and Xavier, but most of the time, she stayed in her room playing quietly by herself.

Every day, though, she’d video call Dante.

And every time Dante called, Sienna was usually there.

I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. But Liora knew I didn’t like Sienna, so whenever she was on the screen, Liora would take her tablet and go outside to talk. She wouldn’t stay in the room.

I noticed. But I didn’t say anything.

---

After two or three days of intense focus, I finally had a breakthrough.

It was the first time I’d felt this kind of clarity since I’d started studying Nolan’s materials. Ideas were clicking into place. Patterns were emerging. I could see it now.

That day, I worked from morning until night.

I didn’t move when Grandma called me down for lunch. Didn’t even register that she’d called at all.

Eventually, aunt Helen brought food up to my room and set it on the desk beside me.

I muttered a quiet "thank you" without looking up.

The food sat there, untouched, until it went cold.

Liora came over at some point and tugged gently on my sleeve.

"Mom, you need to eat."

I hummed absently, my eyes still glued to the screen. "Mm."

But I didn’t move.

Liora frowned and called me a few more times before I finally blinked, pulled myself out of the work, and took a few bites.

She watched me carefully until I’d eaten enough, then went back to playing.

---

At night, it was the same.

I couldn’t find time to eat. Couldn’t find time to do anything except work.

Liora had wanted to ask me to help her with her bath, but after calling my name several times and getting no response, she gave up.

I heard her little footsteps pad out of the room and down the stairs. A few minutes later, I heard Xavier’s voice helping her instead.

I should’ve felt guilty.

But I was too deep in the work to process it.

By the time Liora came back from her bath, I was still sitting in front of my computer, my fingers flying across the keyboard.

She climbed into bed quietly, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

I didn’t notice when she fell asleep.

Didn’t notice the way she glanced over at me one last time before closing her eyes.

I just kept working.

——————-

I woke up the next morning to the sound of soft footsteps.

I blinked, my eyes burning from staring at the screen for so long. My neck ached. My back was stiff.

Liora was standing beside me, clutching her little stuffed rabbit, her hair still messy from sleep.

"Mom," she said quietly, her voice small. "Have you not slept at all?"

I glanced at the clock. Morning already.

I rubbed my eyes and nodded absently. "Mm. You go back to sleep. Don’t worry about me."

Liora just stood there, staring at me.

She didn’t move.

"Mom, you’re not going to sleep? Aren’t you tired?"

"Mm."

I was tired. Exhausted, actually. But I was so close to finishing this section, and if I stopped now, I’d lose my train of thought.

Liora’s face scrunched up a little, like she wanted to say something else. I could feel her hesitation.

I glanced at her briefly, and I must’ve been frowning because she bit her lip and looked away.

She’d probably wanted to ask if I was hungry. Or if I needed anything.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she just turned around quietly and padded off to the bathroom to wash up.

I went back to my work.

---

After more than a day and a night of nonstop focus, I finally finished.

I leaned back in my chair, my hands trembling slightly from exhaustion, and sent everything to Johnny.

Then I stood up, my legs shaky, and went downstairs for breakfast.

My phone buzzed almost immediately.

Johnny had already read through what I sent.

"This is it. EXACTLY. Brilliant. Brilliant. BRILLIANT."

I smiled faintly, rubbing my aching forehead.

"I’m going to sleep for a bit. Talk later."

"Go. Rest. You earned it."

I set my phone down, ate a little, then dragged myself back upstairs and collapsed into bed.

---

When I woke up, it was after 5 p.m.

The room was dim, the curtains still drawn. My body felt heavy, like I’d been asleep for days instead of hours.

I blinked slowly, letting my eyes adjust.

That’s when I saw Liora was sitting on the carpet in my room, quietly working on a Sudoku puzzle. Her little tongue was poking out in concentration, her pencil moving carefully across the page.

She must’ve heard me stir because she looked up immediately.

"Mom, you’re awake?"

I pushed myself up slowly. "Mm."

"Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?"

I paused, a little surprised.

"...Thank you."

Liora got up without hesitation, grabbed the glass on my nightstand, and went to refill it. She came back a moment later and handed it to me carefully, making sure I had a good grip before letting go.

Then she went right back to her puzzle like it was nothing.

I watched her for a moment, guilt settling heavily in my chest.

I’d been so consumed by work these past few days that I’d barely even looked at her.

And today was the last day of her break.

Tomorrow, I’d have to go back to Cole. And I’d have even less time.

I set the glass down and spoke quietly.

"Liora."

She turned around. "What’s up, Mom?"

"When is your dad coming back?"

She tilted her head, thinking. "Dad said not for a little while." Then she asked, "Do you need something from him?"

I shook my head. "No. Go ahead and play."

"Okay."

I picked up my phone and typed out a message to Dante.

[When will you be back? I have to go back to work tomorrow and won’t have time to take care of Liora. Can you come pick her up?]

I sent it and waited.

More than half an hour passed before he finally replied.

[I’ll be back in two days.]

I stared at the message for a moment, then set my phone down without responding.

Two days.

That meant I’d have to bring Liora to work with me tomorrow. Or leave her with Grandma all day.

I rubbed my temples, already feeling the exhaustion creeping back in.

---

After dinner, Liora went out for a walk with Grandma.

I went back upstairs, intending to rest a little more, when my phone rang with Johnny.

Johnny and I began discussing and organizing some ideas. I had him on speakerphone.

I was jotting down notes, half-listening, half-thinking through the next steps, when I heard the front door open downstairs.

Liora was back from her walk with Grandma.

A moment later, I heard her little footsteps on the stairs. She came into my room quietly, her eyes immediately going to my phone.

She tilted her head, listening to Johnny’s voice coming through the speaker.

Then she frowned slightly. "Mom, who are you talking to?"

I glanced at her briefly. "A friend of mine."

"Oh..."

Her voice was small. A little flat.

I could tell she wasn’t thrilled, but she didn’t push it. Just stood there for a second longer before turning and leaving the room.

On the other end, Johnny had clearly heard her, but he didn’t say anything.

He didn’t mention that he’d met her before. That he’d held her when she was just a baby.

We kept talking until after 10 p.m. before finally ending the call.

---

The next day, I officially went back to work at Cole.

The office felt almost foreign after being away for so long. But the moment I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop, it all came rushing back.

We were short-staffed.

Ever since we’d started developing the two projects I’d been working on last year, we’d been stretched thin. At the end of the year, Johnny and I had already planned to start recruiting more people.

But we’d both been so swamped that we hadn’t had time to follow up.

Now, it was urgent.

So on my first day back, I immediately started arranging interviews, reviewing applications, coordinating with HR.

---

Dante had told me he’d be back in two days.

But three days passed. Then four.

Still nothing.

It wasn’t until the fifth day, while I was still at the office, buried in work, that I got a call from Liora.

"Mom, Dad’s back! He sent someone to pick me up."

I paused, my fingers stilling on the keyboard. "Okay. Make sure you pack everything. Don’t leave anything behind."

"I won’t!" she said happily. Then, after a beat, "Mom... will you come see me off?"

I glanced at the stack of files on my desk. The emails I still hadn’t answered. The meeting I had in an hour.

I wanted to say no.

But recently, I’d barely spent any time with her. I’d been so consumed by work that I’d barely even looked at her properly.

And after this, she’d go back to the Bellini estate. Back to Dante. Back to Sienna.

Who knew when I’d see her again?

"Okay," I said quietly. "I’ll come right away."

"Yay!" Liora’s voice was bright, full of excitement. "See you soon, Mom!"

I hung up and stared at my screen for a moment.

Then I stood up, grabbed my coat, and walked over to Johnny’s office.

---

Johnny had just gotten back from his business trip. He was at his desk, scrolling through something on his laptop, looking as tired as I felt.

When I knocked, he looked up.

"Hey. What’s up?"

"I need to leave early," I said. "Just for a bit. Liora’s being picked up, and I want to see her off."

Johnny leaned back in his chair and waved his hand. "Yeah, go. You’ve been working nonstop anyway. Take a break."

I nodded. "Thanks."

But before I could leave, Johnny let out a sharp, humorless laugh.

"You know what’s funny?" he said, his tone bitter. "Dante dumps his kid on you so he can go off on his little honeymoon with *her*. Delays coming back by several days. Doesn’t even bother to feel guilty about it."

He shook his head, his expression darkening.

"But you? You neglect her for a few days because of work, and you feel guilty as hell. You see that, right?"

I didn’t say anything.

"He’s relying on your soft heart," Johnny continued, his voice sharper now. "That’s why he thinks he can do whatever he wants. Break his promises. Leave his daughter with you whenever it’s convenient for him. Because he knows you’ll take care of her. You always do."

I stood there, my hand still on the doorframe, and I couldn’t find the words to argue.

Because he was right.

Johnny sighed and waved me off again. "Go. But don’t let him walk all over you, Elodie. You deserve better than that."