Chapter 139
Elodie’s POV~
Dante took no notice of my cousins, nor did he have any intention of engaging in pleasantries. He calmly shifted his gaze elsewhere, his expression unreadable.
Dante was the man I loved.
I had fallen headlong into this, and after so many years, I still couldn’t break free.
All these years, despite how Dante had treated me, if Jason had no grievances with him, that would have been impossible.
But even if he had grievances, what could he do?
The Miller family couldn’t do anything to Dante.
Now that Dante had arrived, Jason, as the host, could only raise his glass and stand up, his voice polite but strained as he said,
“I didn’t expect Alpha Wilson to come. If there’s anything lacking in our hospitality, I hope you’ll forgive us p>
Upon hearing this, Dante also picked up his glass, stood up, and clinked it with Jason’s, his tone smooth and professional. “You’re too polite, Mr. Miller p>
Mr. Miller. Not “uncle.” Not even “Jason p>
As soon as Dante spoke, I felt the shift in the room. Everyone took note of it.
It was clear that he didn’t want to acknowledge the Miller family.
I had already known this, of course.
Now, I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t need him to acknowledge my family.
I knew he was here because of Nonna’s wishes. Not because he wanted to be.
I turned to him, my voice cold and direct. “We appreciate Nonna’s goodwill. If you have something to do, you can leave p>
His staying here would only ruin the atmosphere. He had to know that.
Dante’s gaze flicked to me briefly, his expression unreadable. “No hurry p>
I furrowed my brows, not knowing what he meant by that.
But Dante didn’t continue speaking to me. Instead, he looked toward Professor Nolan and spoke to him, his tone shifting into something more engaged, more genuine.
“Recently, our company developed a new feature that can make our products completely invisible and prevent any radar detection. I’m not sure if you’d be interested in learning more about it, Professor Nolan p>
“Any radar p>
Professor Nolan paused, his fork hovering mid-air as he looked over with a serious expression. “What do you mean p>
Dante didn’t seem worried about revealing too much about the technology. He leaned forward slightly, his voice steady and confident as he continued discussing the details with Professor Nolan.
I hadn’t expected Dante to discuss such matters with my teacher.
From their conversation, it was immediately clear that Dante was highly knowledgeable about AI technology. He wasn’t just throwing around buzzwords—he actually *understood* it. Deeply.
Since Professor Nolan was interested, it wasn’t surprising that Johnny and I would be curious as well.
At first, I was just listening casually, my attention half on the conversation and half on the untouched food in front of me.
But as the conversation went on, I forgot about eating entirely.
I leaned in slightly, my focus sharpening as Dante explained the mechanics behind the invisibility feature, the way it interacted with different radar frequencies, the potential applications.
Johnny was listening just as intently beside me, his eyes bright with interest.
At the beginning, Uncle Jason had opened his mouth like he wanted to remind us to eat while listening, but seeing how seriously we were all paying attention, afraid we might miss something, he decided not to say anything more.
For the most part, only a few of us at the table were familiar with Dante.
And even though we weren’t particularly happy about his arrival, none of us showed it.
In such a situation, Dante should have felt awkward, out of place. But instead, he managed to turn it into his own turf.
Of course, tonight’s main focus was Grandma Miller.
Dante wouldn’t overshadow her. He was careful about that, at least.
After a few minutes, he said, “If you’d like to continue learning more, Professor Nolan, perhaps we can schedule another time to discuss this in detail p>
Professor Nolan nodded thoughtfully. “That works p>
Dante nodded in return, then turned to me and asked, “Are you heading back tonight p>
I was still processing what he and Professor Nolan had just discussed, my mind turning over the technical details, and the implications. When I heard him suddenly speak to me, I paused for a moment before responding.
“I’m not going back p>
Dante nodded, his expression unreadable. “Got it.” Then he stood up and added, “I’ll come back later to pick up Liora p>
It was clear he was about to leave.
I kept my voice cold, and detached. “Got it p>
Dante didn’t say anything further. He walked over to Grandma Miller, his posture respectful as he spoke. “Grandma, I still have some matters to attend to. I’ll leave first p>
Grandma Miller didn’t stand up. Her tone was icy, and dismissive. “Take care. No need to see you off p>
Dante wasn’t angry about Grandma Miller’s indifference. He didn’t even flinch. He glanced at Uncle Jason, gave a slight nod as a casual greeting, and then turned to leave the banquet hall.
I watched him walk away, his silhouette disappearing through the doorway, and I hated how much I still noticed the way he moved.
As he walked out of the hotel entrance, Harry, who had just gotten out of his car, paused.
Dante quickly got into his car and left.
Harry watched from where he stood but didn’t move.
After the banquet, Professor Nolan and Johnny left together.
Liora had eaten too many snacks earlier in the day. After the dinner started, she only picked at a few bites of the food before losing her appetite entirely. She’d gone upstairs to play video games after that.
When most of the guests had left, I went upstairs to find her.
Liora took off her headphones when she saw me return. “Mom, are you done with your work p>
“Mm.” I recalled what she had said before leaving and added, “Your dad said he would pick you up tonight. You should call him and ask when he’ll be here p>
Liora’s face lit up immediately, her eyes bright with excitement as she thought about playing with her auntie Sienna tomorrow. I knew it. “Okay p>
She quickly dialed the number, and it was answered almost immediately.
I stood there, watching her talk to him, her voice animated and happy in a way it never was when she talked to me anymore.
After a while, Liora hung up the phone and said to me, “Dad said he’ll be here in fifteen minutes p>
“Okay, I know.” I kept my voice calm. “Pack your things. We’ll go downstairs to wait for your dad p>
Liora opened her mouth like she was about to ask me to help with packing, the way she usually did. But then she stopped herself, her gaze flickering over my face.
She must have noticed I wasn’t in the best mood.
She didn’t ask.
When the time was right, I took Liora downstairs.
In the elevator, Liora shook my hand gently and said, “Mom p>
I looked down at her. “Hmm p>
“You’ve been saying less recently p>
I blinked, caught off guard.
Liora continued, her voice soft and hesitant. “You don’t call me every day like you used to. And you don’t always ask where I’m going anymore p>
My chest tightened.
She was right.
I had been pulling back.