Chapter 122
Dante had already turned his attention back to the book, his fingers tracing the edge of a page. Then, almost absently, he said, “Your annotations are quite good p>
It was a simple and straightforward compliment. But Elodie didn’t acknowledge it.
She grabbed the hairdryer without a word and disappeared back into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her.
The sound of the dryer hummed through the wall as Dante sat there, the book still open in his lap, his eyes fixed on her handwriting in the margins.
They were thoughtful. Brilliant even.
He’d known she was smart. But seeing her thought process laid out like this, so raw and unfiltered, reminded him of just how much he’d underestimated her.
Or maybe forgotten.
By the time Elodie finished her skincare routine and climbed into bed, Dante was still reading. She settled on her side, her back to him, and within minutes, her breathing had evened out.
She was asleep.
Dante glanced at her, just once, then returned to the book.
He stayed up longer than he’d planned, reading her notes, following the trail of her thoughts.
And when he finally put the book down and turned off the light, he didn’t sleep right away either.
The next morning, Elodie woke to the pale gold light of early sunrise filtering through the curtains.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
She turned her head.
The other side of the bed was empty and cold. Like no one had been there at all.
Her jaw tightened.
Of course. He hadn’t slept here. He’d gone to Sienna’s room instead. Couldn’t even last one night without staying away from adultery.
She sat up, threw off the covers, and started packing her things quickly.
By the time she was showered, dressed, and ready to leave, the sun had fully risen, and the house was starting to stir.
She grabbed her suitcase and opened the door and heard Liora’s voice down the hall.
“Aunt Sienna is so mean! She promised to sleep with me last night, but when I woke up in the middle of the night, she was gone. She went back to her own room p>
Liora was complaining to Sabina, her voice indignant and pouty.
Elodie stopped in her tracks.
Sienna left Liora’s room in the middle of the night.
Which meant she’d gone to Dante’s room.
Which meant they’d spent the night together.
Elodie’s chest tightened, but she shoved the feeling down, buried it deep where it couldn’t touch her.
You don’t care. You don’t get to care.
Liora spotted her then, her eyes widening. “Mommy p>
Elodie forced a smile, closing the door behind her. “I have work to do, sweetheart. You stay here and have fun with Daddy, okay p>
Liora nodded eagerly, relief flooding her face. “Okay! I’ll stay here, Mommy p>
Elodie walked past her, wheeling her suitcase toward the stairs.
She made it halfway down before she saw Dante and Sienna. They were standing together at the bottom of the stairs, close enough that their shoulders were almost touching. Sienna was laughing at something he’d said, her hand resting lightly on his arm.
Dante looked up as Elodie descended, his eyes landing on the suitcase in her hand.
“You’re leaving?” he asked.
Elodie’s expression didn’t change. “Yes p>
“Did you call for a car p>
“Already done p>
He nodded once. “Alright p>
That was it.
No are you sure? No do you need help? No I’ll walk you out.
Just… alright.
Elodie walked past them both without another word, stepped outside, and climbed into the waiting car. The door closed. And she was gone.
Later that afternoon, Levi finally rolled out of bed and made his way downstairs, looking disheveled and half-asleep.
He dropped into a chair at the lunch table, grabbed a piece of bread, and glanced around. “Where’s Elodie p>
Dante didn’t look up from his plate. “She left p>
Levi blinked. “She left? When p>
“This morning. She had work p>
Levi leaned back in his chair, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Work? Again? She was busy yesterday, and now she’s busy today p>
He laughed, shaking his head. “Doesn’t it seem like she can’t function without Johnny Cole around p>
Harry, who had been quietly eating, went very still.
Levi didn’t notice. He kept talking, his tone dripping with mockery. “I mean, let’s be honest. She got in through the back door. She’s not even a major shareholder. If she says she’s busy, it’s probably just an excuse to avoid being here p>
He smirked. “And not even a good excuse p>
Sienna, sitting just within earshot, caught Levi’s implication immediately. She ducked her head slightly, hiding a smile behind her glass as she continued eating.
Meanwhile, Elodie had no idea what they were saying about her. She’d left the hot spring resort and driven straight to Cole Technologies, where she buried herself in work until the sky outside had turned dark and the office had emptied out around her.
Two days passed in a blur of code, meetings, and late nights.
Finally, just as she was packing up to head home, her phone rang. She glanced at it and saw it was her uncle, Jason.
Half an hour later, she pulled up to the Miller family house. The lights were warm and welcoming, spilling out onto the driveway. Inside, her uncle’s family was waiting, his wife, and her two cousins, Xavier and Hugo.
The moment she stepped through the door, both boys lit up.
“Cousin!” they called out in unison, grinning.
Elodie’s lips curved into a small, genuine smile. “Hey p>
Hugo, the younger of the two, immediately looked past her toward the door. “Where’s Liora? Didn’t you say she came back to the Bellini Pack? Why didn’t she come for dinner p>
“She’s still at the hot springs,” Elodie said lightly. “She hasn’t come back yet p>
“Oh p>
Hugo’s face fell slightly, but he didn’t press further. He probably assumed Liora had gone with Dante and was having too much fun to leave.
Elodie stepped inside, but as she moved toward the living room, something caught her eye.
The villa across the street.
Her villa now. The one Dante had put in her name.
She stopped mid-step, staring at it.
She’d forgotten to bring the keys when she’d gone to the resort. If she’d had them, she could’ve started clearing out the remnants the Green family had left behind. Could’ve gotten the renovations started.
Next time, she told herself.
Dinner was warm. Her uncle asked about work, Xavier talked about his latest project, and Hugo kept trying to steal food off everyone’s plates.
It was… nice.
By the time they finished eating and moved to the living room for tea, it was nearly 9 p.m.
Elodie stood, smoothing down her skirt. “I should get going p>
But before she could reach the door, Old Lady Miller appeared, her small, frail hand reaching out to clasp Elodie’s.
“If the Bellini family doesn’t want to come,” the old woman said quietly, her voice firm despite her age, “don’t force them. I’m not desperate for them to attend my birthday p>
Elodie’s chest tightened.
Her uncle had tried to be discreet earlier when he’d handed her the invitations, lowering his voice so the old lady wouldn’t hear. But of course she’d heard.
She always heard.
“I understand, Grandmother,” Elodie said softly.
Old Lady Miller and Nonna Wilson had been close friends for decades. Under normal circumstances, Nonna would absolutely attend the old lady’s birthday banquet.
But there was a problem.
Nonna was older. And according to local customs, elders did not attend the birthday celebrations of those younger than them even by a few years. It was considered inappropriate.
In previous years, Old Lady Miller’s birthday had been a quiet, low-key affair. Just family. A simple meal. Nothing extravagant.
And in all those years, Dante had never once attended.
At first, he’d used work as an excuse. He was busy. He had meetings. He couldn’t get away.
But Elodie had known better.
Even when he wasn’t busy, even when he had free time and was out with friends or traveling or doing anything but working, he still wouldn’t come.
And every year, like a fool, she’d asked him anyway.
Will you be free on this date?
Can you come with me to my grandmother’s birthday?
And every year, she’d been disappointed.
This year, she hadn’t asked.
She wasn’t going to.
But this year was different. This year, Old Lady Miller was celebrating a milestone birthday. And Jason had invited business partners. People from outside the family. People who mattered.
Which meant appearances mattered. And that made everything infinitely more complicated.
Old Lady Miller squeezed her hand gently, her eyes soft and sad. “You’re a good girl, Elodie. Too good for that family p>
Elodie’s throat tightened, but she forced a smile. “I’ll see you at the banquet, Grandmother p>
“You’d better,” the old woman said, her tone turning mock-stern. “And bring that little rascal Liora with you. I haven’t seen her in weeks p>
“I will p>
Elodie kissed her grandmother’s cheek, said her goodbyes to the rest of the family, and stepped out into the cool night air.
She stood on the front step for a moment, staring across the street at the darkened villa.