Chapter 107
Levi leaned forward in his seat, his eyes gleaming with the kind of mischief that came from stumbling onto something juicy. “Harry, what’s going on? Or is there something already going on p>
His tone shifted, sharper now, more curious. He didn’t even wait for Harry to answer before firing off another question. “When did this happen? How come you didn’t tell us p>
Dante just smiled one of those slow, knowing smiles and turned his gaze toward Harry. He didn’t say a word, but the look said enough. Go on. Let’s hear it p>
Harry stayed calm, his expression unreadable as he responded, “We just ran into each other by chance p>
“Is that so?” Levi clearly wasn’t buying it. Something seemed to click in his mind, and his grin widened. “So you must have had lunch together, right? No wonder you’re handling the kid so easily. Seems like you have a helper p>
Harry didn’t respond. He didn’t need to.
Dante’s smile deepened, and he delivered the final blow with all the casualness of someone stating a fact. “You like her p>
Harry paused. His mouth opened, just slightly, like he was going to say something, or deny it, or brush it off, or make some joke to deflect. But in the end, he said nothing.
Sienna, who had been sitting quietly beside Dante, felt something cold settle in her chest. Her smile didn’t disappear entirely, but it faded just enough that someone paying attention might notice. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her. It shouldn’t. Harry was Dante’s friend, not hers. And yet—
“Wait, it’s actually true?” Levi had only been teasing before, poking at Harry the way friends do when they’re bored. But now his expression shifted into genuine surprise. He sat up straighter, leaning in like he’d just discovered a secret. “Who is she? Do we know her? Why didn’t you introduce us p>
Harry said nothing. He just took a slow sip of his drink, his face as calm as ever.
Levi seemed to take the silence as confirmation that there wasn’t a clear status yet, that there was nothing official, nothing worth announcing. Harry wasn’t the type to talk about things before they were set in stone. Fair enough.
Still, Levi wasn’t about to let it go entirely. He chuckled, crouching down beside Daisy with the kind of exaggerated curiosity that made kids feel important. “Daisy, how many times have you met the aunt you had lunch with today? Do you know her name p>
Harry’s grip on his glass tightened. Just slightly. Enough that his knuckles went pale. “Levi p>
His voice was low. A warning.
But Daisy didn’t catch it. She wasn’t tuned into the undercurrents of adult conversation yet to notice the the subtle shifts in tone, the unspoken rules about what you could and couldn’t say. She tilted her head, thinking hard, and then said without hesitation, “Three times p>
Levi’s grin widened. “And what’s her name p>
Daisy frowned, her little face scrunching up in concentration. When Harry had run into Elodie earlier, he hadn’t called her “Miss Miller” or anything formal like that, so Daisy hadn’t caught her name. She looked up at Harry, her eyes big and hopeful. “Uncle, what’s Auntie’s name p>
Harry lowered his gaze. His jaw tightened, just for a second, before he answered. “Next time you see her, you can ask her yourself p>
Daisy’s face lit up. “Okay p>
Levi sighed dramatically, shaking his head. So stingy. A very stingy man p>
Harry ignored him.
Sienna looked away, her fingers brushing absently against the stem of her wine glass. She told herself it didn’t matter. It didn’t. But something about the way Harry had avoided saying her name like it meant something, like it was something to protect, made her stomach twist in a way she didn’t like.
Daisy, oblivious to all of it, turned her attention to Liora, who was sitting beside her and staring at the crystal keychain in Daisy’s hand with wide, admiring eyes. Daisy hesitated for a moment, her fingers closing around the little charm. She liked it. A lot, and it was pretty and sparkly and special.
But Liora looked so happy just looking at it.
Daisy sighed, a small, reluctant sound, and then held out one of the keychains toward Liora. “Here. You can have one p>
Liora’s face broke into a wide, delighted smile. “Thank you, Daisy p>
Sienna glanced down at Liora, her expression softening. “Say thank you properly, sweetheart p>
“Thank you, Daisy,” Liora repeated, clutching the keychain like it was treasure.
Sienna smiled, her voice warm. “That’s very sweet of you, Daisy p>
Daisy warmly replied, “You’re welcome p>
She watched Liora turn the little crystal keychain over in her hands, the way it caught the light and threw tiny rainbows across her palm. Liora looked so happy. It made Daisy feel warm inside, even though she’d given away something she really liked.
After a moment, Daisy tilted her head, curious. “Liora, aren’t you going to get one for your mom too p>
Liora paused. Her fingers stilled on the keychain, and something shifted in her expression, something small and hard to name. Her voice came out softer, quieter. “I’ll get one later p>
“Oh Daisy nodded, accepting that answer without question.
_____________
Back at Elodie’s Place~
After dinner, Elodie read for a while. The apartment was quiet in that particular way it only got at night, no traffic sounds filtering up from the street, no neighbors moving around. Just the soft hum of the refrigerator and the occasional creak of the building settling.
She liked it. The stillness. It gave her space to breathe.
Eventually, she set the book down and headed to the bathroom for a shower. The hot water felt good against her shoulders, washing away the tension that seemed to live there permanently these days. She stayed under the spray longer than she needed to, letting her mind go blank, letting the steam fill her lungs.
When she finally stepped out, wrapped in a towel with her hair dripping onto her shoulders, her phone was ringing.
She grabbed it off the counter, glancing at the screen.
It was her uncle, Jason.
“Mag, I just saw Lauren in the neighborhood p>
Elodie froze, the towel slipping slightly in her grip. Lauren? Sienna’s aunt?
For a second, she didn’t process it. Her brain felt slow, sluggish, like it was trying to catch up to what he’d just said.
Jason didn’t wait for her to respond. His voice came through again, faster now, a little sharper. “At first, I didn’t pay much attention, but after I entered the house, I realized she went into that villa across from ours. The one that’s under renovation p>
Elodie’s face went cold.
She sat down on the edge of the bed, hard, like her legs had given out. Her wet hair dripped onto the comforter, but she didn’t notice.
Jason was usually calm. Always steady. He was the kind of person who didn’t let things get to him. But right now, his voice was tight, and she could hear the anger beneath it. “They… they must have done it on purpose p>
Dante’s help in establishing the Brown family’s position in the capital city was widely known in business circles. Everyone knew it. It wasn’t a secret.
Jason wasn’t naïve. He kept up with these things, even if he didn’t talk about them much. But for Elodie’s sake, he’d stayed quiet. He hadn’t brought it up, hadn’t made her think about it more than she already did.
But this?
If the Brown family wanted to settle in the capital and buy property, fine. Jason could understand that. The capital was full of opportunities, and Dante had given them the connections to make it happen.
But everyone knew where the Miller family lived. The pack’s capital was huge, sprawling, endlessly. And yet they had chosen to buy the house directly across from them?
If that wasn’t intentional, who the hell would believe it?
Elodie understood exactly what he meant.
She clenched the phone tighter, her knuckles going white. Her voice came out steady, but only just. “I… I’ll call Dante p>
“Alright p>
If it were any other matter, Jason would never have let her reach out to Dante. He hated the idea of her asking that man for anything, hated the way Dante made her feel small. But this was different.
If Lauren and her group really moved in across the street, they would be right there. Constantly. Creating a presence, making sure they were seen. And Nonna’s health wasn’t great, she couldn’t handle that kind of stress, that kind of provocation.
Elodie ended the call and sat there for a moment, staring at her phone.
Her chest felt tight. Her hands were trembling, just slightly, and she hated it. Hated that this still got to her. Hated that after everything, she still had to go to him.
But she didn’t have a choice.
She pulled up Dante’s number and hit call.
The phone rang once. Then twice.
Then it was answered.
“Hello p>
It was Sienna’s voice.
Elodie’s breath caught.