Chapter 86
The group moved toward Dante like. The Industry leaders, all of them, closing the distance.
Elodie and Johnny followed a few steps behind.
Dante saw them coming. His expression didn’t change. It remained calm, and composed, like he was watching people he barely knew approach. Nothing flickered across his face. No recognition. No discomfort. Like his wife wasn’t just walking with another man by her side.
Just that blank professional mask.
But Sienna noticed.
Her brow pulled together. Just slightly. A small crease between her eyes that appeared for maybe half a second before she smoothed it away.
She didn’t like this. Didn’t like seeing Elodie here, walking toward them with the rest of the group.
But she recovered quickly and let her face go neutral. Indifferent.
Looked away like Elodie wasn’t worth the mental energy.
Logan and Lauren came over too, drawn by the gathering crowd. The moment Logan’s eyes landed on Elodie, something tightened in his expression. Irritation, maybe. Or just general displeasure.
Lauren’s mouth pressed into a thin line.
Neither said anything. Just stood there radiating disapproval.
Someone from the group, one of the German pack representatives who hadn’t met Johnny yet, stepped forward with an outstretched hand. “Mr. Gray, what a pleasure p>
Johnny shook it, smiling professionally and warm.
Then it was Dante’s turn.
He extended his hand to Johnny. “Hello p>
“Hello,” Johnny replied, his smile still in place. “Mr. Wilson. I’ve heard a lot about you p>
“You’re too kind, Mr. Gray p>
The exchange was polite. Cordial. Perfectly normal.
Like Dante’s wife wasn’t standing ten feet away watching the whole thing.
Like the tension wasn’t thick enough to choke on.
The pleasantries wrapped up quickly, and the group started moving again. Toward the parking lot. Toward lunch.
Dante and Sienna were immediately surrounded by people. Industry leaders gravitating toward them, already deep in conversation about market trends and future developments.
Elodie and Johnny followed at a distance.
That’s when Logan and Lauren made their move.
They sidled up to Elodie, quietl. Logan caught her eye, then glanced meaningfully toward the exit, the opposite direction from where everyone else was heading.
The message was clear.
‘Stay behind. Don’t come with us p>
Lauren’s expression reinforced it. A tight, forced smile that said ‘please don’t make this harder than it needs to be p>
Elodie looked right at them and then looked away. Like they were air and kept walking.
Logan’s jaw tightened. Lauren let out a small, frustrated breath.
But what could they do? Make a scene? Grab her arm and physically stop her?
They couldn’t do that here. Not in front of all these people.
So they just followed, helplessly and irritated, as Elodie continued toward the parking lot with everyone else.
Dante and Sienna reached a sleek black car. He opened the door for her, such a small gesture, but was loaded with implication and she slid into the passenger seat with graciously.
Dante got in on the driver’s side and the door shut.
And just like that, they looked like exactly what everyone assumed they were. A couple. Partners. People who belonged together.
Elodie watched from a few cars away, her face carefully blank.
Johnny touched her elbow gently. “Come on p>
She followed him to his car, got in and the door.
Behind them, Lauren was shaking her head, muttering something to Logan. “This girl, I swear p>
Her voice was low but sharp and frustrated. Like she wanted to badly rip into Elodie.
Logan didn’t respond. Just got into their own car, his expression dark.
The convoy of vehicles pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the restaurant.
The private dining room was enormous.
It had to be, of course, it was to accommodate over twenty people. A massive round table dominated the center, already set with white linens and expensive-looking place settings.
People filed in, claiming their seats with the kind of casual calculation that came from years of navigating these social hierarchies.
Dante and Sienna sat together naturally, of course.
No one questioned it.
Elodie hovered near the entrance for a moment, scanning the available seats. Trying to figure out where she could sit that would be the least awkward.
Nowhere. The answer was nowhere.
Every seat felt like a trap.
Lauren had been making her way toward the empty chair next to where Elodie was clearly planning to sit. She wanted to be close. Wanted to monitor her. Wanted to make sure Elodie didn’t say anything inappropriate or embarrassing during the meal.
It was sort of a damage control.
But Johnny was faster.
He slipped into the seat beside Elodie with easily, already pulling out his phone to check something.
Lauren stopped short when she realized the seat was taken.
“May I, Elodie? Good gracious. I usually like taking positions clearer to the door.” Johnny said in a light tone that made Elodie smile or forced a smile. No one knew. But she had a soft smile playing on her lips.
While Lauren stood there for a second, thrown off, her mouth opening slightly like she might say something.
But what could she say? Ask Johnny to move? Make a fuss?
No.
She recovered and smiled tightly and took a different seat across the table.
But her eyes kept drifting toward Elodie.
Watching her.
Waiting for her to mess up.
____________
Everyone settled into their seats and the menus started making their way around the table.
Dante passed his to Sienna without looking at it. “Why don’t you order p>
She took it, flipping it open. “What do you want p>
“Whatever you think is good p>
Just that simple and easy exchange. The kind of thing couples did without thinking.
Someone nearby, one of the older alphas from the French delegation, smiled at them. “You two work well together p>
Sienna’s mouth curved up slightly. She didn’t disagree. Just went back to the menu, scanning the options with the kind of confidence that came from knowing someone well enough to order for them.
She picked out several dishes. Things Dante liked. Things she’d seen him order before at events like this.
Across the table, Logan and Lauren watched with matching expressions of satisfaction.
See? This is what it should look like.
Johnny had the menu now too. He glanced at Elodie. “What are you in the mood for p>
There was some chatter happening on Dante and Sienna’s side, something about the food, about how well they got along and Johnny’s eyes flicked that direction for half a second.
Then back to Elodie.
Her face gave nothing away. No reaction to Dante ordering through Sienna. No tightness around her mouth. No hurt in her eyes.
Just blank focus as she looked at the menu Johnny was holding.
“Maybe the sea bass?” she said quietly. “And the spring rolls p>
They discussed it for another minute. Decided on two dishes.
Logan and Lauren had been watching her the whole time, waiting for something. Some crack in the facade. Some sign that seeing Dante with Sienna was getting to her.
But Elodie’s expression stayed neutral.
Lauren’s shoulders relaxed slightly. At least the girl wasn’t going to make a scene. At least she had that much sense.
Sienna noticed them watching Elodie. Noticed the tension in the way Lauren sat, the way Logan kept glancing over.
She leaned closer to Lauren, dropping her voice. “Don’t worry about her. She won’t cause any trouble p>
It made sense. If Elodie threw a fit, made things awkward, it would only reflect badly on her. It would only make Dante resent her the more and Elodie couldn’t risk it.
From everything she’d heard about Elodie and Dante’s marriage, and she’d heard plenty was that Elodie was the one constantly trying not to rock the boat. The one walking on eggshells. The one desperate not to push Dante any further away than he already was.
If Elodie made a scene here, in front of all these people, it would humiliate Dante. And that would only make him resent her more.
She wouldn’t risk it.
Sienna was certain.
Lauren seemed to accept this logic. Her posture eased a fraction, though her eyes still drifted toward Elodie every few seconds. With her face softening, she nodded. “You’re probably right p>
But her eyes never left Elodie. It was still monitoring and waiting.
But Elodie wasn’t paying attention to any of them.
She’d turned slightly in her seat, angling toward the man sitting on her other side. And it was Professor Liam.
He’d known Elodie was at the exhibition, had spotted her earlier and made a point to say hello during one of the breaks. They’d had a good conversation at that banquet a few weeks back. Technical stuff, mostly. Algorithm theory. He’d been impressed.
And since then, he’d been meaning to pick her brain again, but both their schedules had been packed.
Now though? It was the perfect opportunity.
“So,” he said, leaning in slightly so his voice wouldn’t carry. “Did you get a chance to see the German pack’s biometric display p>
Elodie’s face shifted. Not much, but enough. A flicker of actual interest.
“I did, yeah. The retinal scanning integration was interesting, but I think they’re overcomplicating the backend processing p>
They fell into conversation easily. Their voices low. Their heads bent slightly toward each other so they wouldn’t disturb the rest of the table.
The table was big enough that their quiet discussion didn’t interrupt the broader conversations happening elsewhere.
Sienna noticed and glanced over at them, then dismissed it just as quickly.
Probably just Elodie asking questions. Trying to learn something. That’s what people like her did at these events, clung to the experts, hoping some of their credibility would rub off.
Lauren noticed too. Saw Professor Liam smiling, saw Elodie talking animatedly about something technical.
She didn’t think much of it either. This was just Elodie being professional. Networking. Doing what she was supposed to do.
Nothing to worry about.
So Lauren turned her attention back to her own conversation. Back to monitoring Dante and Sienna. Back to making sure everything looked the way it should.
And across the table, Elodie kept talking to Professor Liam and kept her back to Dante and Sienna.
Kept her face carefully neutral.
Kept pretending she was fine.