Chapter 132
Elodie’s pov~
“I looked at Mrs. Brown and at Janice, standing there with that calm, composed expression that made her seem so reasonable, so right and I smiled. Just slightly.
“You say you’re genuinely concerned about me,” I said, keeping my voice casual. “And I really want to believe that p>
Mrs. Brown’s eyes brightened, hopeful. As though her wish of me being pulled to their side was working.
“But your concern,” I continued, “is just helping Sienna interfere with my marriage p>
Neither of them looked the least bit awkward.
They’d probably anticipated I’d say this. Probably rehearsed their responses.
Mrs. Brown sighed, her expression patient. “Elodie, you know the situation between you and Dante. Why do you have to force someone who doesn’t love you to stay with you? Divorce is the only way for you to start fresh. I’m only p>
“You want to say you’re doing this for my own good, right?” I cut her off, looking between her and Janice. “How many times have you repeated that line? It’s getting old p>
Mrs. Brown blinked, caught off guard.
“You’re not even trying to come up with new words anymore,” I said. “How could I possibly believe you? Maybe next time, try a fresh approach p>
Before either of them could respond, I pressed on.
“But it probably won’t make a difference. After all, no matter how much you say, it’s all empty. What really matters is what you’ve done, right p>
Both Mrs. Brown and Janice paused, their expressions shifting just slightly.
Mrs. Brown opened her mouth, probably to launch into another speech about what was best for me, but I was already turning away.
Mr. Felton had finished his conversation with Logan and was walking back over, looking a bit confused by the tension hanging in the air.
“Mr. Felton,” I said, my voice light and professional. “Are you ready? Shall we go p>
He glanced between us, clearly sensing something was off, but he didn’t comment. “Of course. Let’s go p>
Once we’d walked a safe distance away, Mr. Felton finally asked, his voice cautious, “Is there some kind of misunderstanding between you and the Brown family p>
Johnny and I exchanged a glance.
“No,” I said simply.
Because it wasn’t a misunderstanding.
It was the truth.
Mr. Felton seemed to take my answer at face value, nodding thoughtfully. “No misunderstanding is good. With the way Dante values Miss Brown, the Brown family is going to rise quickly. The Bellini family and Dante aren’t people you want to offend. So even if you don’t want to get close to the Browns, it’s best not to make enemies of them p>
I almost laughed. How ironic.
I was being warned to get along with the mistress because my husband paid too much attention to her.
Only me. Only in my life would this be the advice I received.
Johnny, however, couldn’t keep quiet. “Our company doesn’t fear Dante Bellini p>
Mr. Felton looked surprised.
Johnny continued, his voice firm as he looked deep into the eyes of Mr. Felton. “Cole Technologies has government backing. We’ve had it for years. And with the projects we’re working on now? We’re about to scale up significantly. Within the year, we’ll be untouchable p>
It wasn’t a boast. It was fact.
And it was the foundation I had built. The security I had earned for myself.
Mr. Felton nodded slowly, clearly impressed. “Well then. I suppose you have nothing to worry about p>
I smiled faintly. “No. We don’t p>
My grandmother’s birthday was on Saturday.
Whether Dante attended or not didn’t matter to me anymore.
But Liora would definitely be there.
And to make sure she didn’t sneak off to find Sienna and disappear on me, I decided to call her Thursday morning.
It was the first time I’d initiated contact with her since we’d returned from our trip.
She was having breakfast when I called.
I could hear the clatter of dishes in the background, the low hum of conversations in the background.
And then her voice that sounded too bright and surprised resounded through the phone. “Mom p>
“Mm,” I said, hearing the faint sounds of chewing on the other end. “Are you having breakfast p>
“Mm! Have you eaten, Mom p>
“I have,” I said, then got straight to the point. “I’m calling to remind you that Saturday is your grandmother’s birthday. I need you to stay with her that day. No running off, okay p>
There was a pause.
“Ah p>
I could hear the disappointment in that single sound.
Liora had clearly been planning something else for the weekend. Probably time with Sienna. She’d missed out last weekend, and she’d obviously been hoping to make up for it.
But she couldn’t completely ignore what I was asking either.
I tightened my grip on the phone, keeping my voice steady. “Is your dad home p>
“Dad? Yeah, he’s here.” I heard her shift, probably looking across the table at him. “Do you want to talk to him p>
“Yes. Please give him the phone. I need to discuss something with him p>
“Okay.” There was a rustling sound, then Liora’s voice, a little farther away. “Dad, Mom wants to talk to you p>
A pause.
Then Dante’s voice came through calmly. “What’s up p>
He didn’t even bother to greet me. Neither was his tone warm. It was merely like he was speaking to a stranger but I was used to it now.
I kept my tone equally professional. “My grandmother’s birthday is the day after tomorrow. I need you to talk to Liora and make sure she comes back to the Miller family house with me that day. I don’t want her running off p>
“Got it. Anything else p>
“I’ll pick her up Friday night to bring her back to my family’s place p>
“Okay p>
That was it.
I felt a small knot of tension loosen in my chest. At least I knew he’d make sure Liora stayed put.
After a brief silence, I added, “Thank you p>
“Mm p>
He made that one sound and didn’t bother to make any further talks.
I didn’t ask him if he’d be attending the party.
I hadn’t asked when I’d given him the invitation weeks ago, and I wasn’t asking now.
Besides, he’d already made his position clear. He’d bought those gifts at the auction, the embroidered scroll, the emerald jewelry and left them on my vanity for me to give to my grandmother.
He was sending them in his name, sure. But he was asking me to deliver them.
Which meant he wasn’t planning to show up.
He was delegating. Letting me represent him.
So there was no point in asking.
No point in hoping.
I didn’t say another word. Just ended the call.
Dante, for his part, didn’t seem to notice that this year was different.
That in all the years past, I’d always asked, always asked, whether he’d come with me. Whether he’d make time. Whether he’d stand beside me, even just for an afternoon.
And every year, he’d said no.
But I’d still asked. This year, I didn’t.
And he didn’t even notice.
_________[___
After Elodie hung up, Dante handed the phone back to Liora without a word.
He took a sip of his coffee, then spoke, his tone calm and matter-of-fact. “Your mom will come pick you up tomorrow night to take you to your grandmother’s house. On Saturday, you need to listen to her and not run off p>
Liora’s face fell immediately. “But p>
Dante didn’t respond. He just looked at her. Not harshly tho. Not unkindly either. It was just the kind of look that said This isn’t a negotiation.
Liora recognized it immediately. She’d seen that look before.
Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a dramatic sigh. “Okay p>
“Good girl,” Dante said, his voice softening just slightly.
But Liora wasn’t done. She might have lost this battle, but she wasn’t giving up the war.
She leaned forward, her eyes wide and hopeful, deploying the expression that usually worked on him. “Then on Sunday, I want to go play with Aunt Sienna. And you have to come too. You and Aunt Sienna. Together p>
Dante paused, his coffee cup halfway to his lips.
For a moment, he didn’t respond.
Then he set the cup down and looked at his daughter, his sweet, manipulative, far-too-clever daughter and chuckled softly.
“Alright,” he said.
Liora’s face lit up like she’d just won the lottery. “Really p>
“Really p>
She grinned, bouncing slightly in her seat, already mentally planning the day. “Can we go to the amusement park? And get ice cream? And p>
“We’ll see,” Dante said, cutting her off gently. “Finish your breakfast first p>
“Okay!” Liora practically glowed as she dug back into her food, her earlier disappointment completely forgotten.
Dante watched her for a moment, his expression unreadable.
Then he picked up his phone and glanced at the screen.
Elodie’s name was still there, at the top of his recent calls.