Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 176

The next morning, around eight, Elodie pulled up to the dock with Xavier and Hugo in tow.

Harry and Daisy were already waiting.

The second Daisy spotted Elodie, she took off running. "Aunt Elodie!"

Elodie crouched down just in time to catch her in a hug, smiling. "Hey, Daisy. It’s been too long."

Xavier and Hugo hung back a bit, eyeing Harry and Daisy with obvious curiosity. They had no idea who these people were.

Elodie straightened up and gestured between them. "Xavier, Hugo, this is Mr. Becker and his niece, Daisy. They’re joining us today."

Harry stepped forward, all polite charm. "Nice to meet you both."

Then he pulled out two neatly wrapped gift bags and handed them over. "Wasn’t sure what you guys would like, so I grabbed a few things. Hope that’s okay."

Xavier and Hugo just stared at him, completely caught off guard.

Even Elodie blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to bring gifts for kids he’d never met.

After a few minutes of awkward small talk, they all headed onto the boat.

Xavier and Hugo already knew about the divorce. Elodie had told them a few weeks ago, keeping it simple, not getting into the messy details.

Now, watching Elodie hold Daisy’s hand and chat with her so easily, Xavier shot Hugo a look.

Hugo raised his eyebrows. Is this the new guy?

Xavier shrugged. Maybe?

When Elodie and Harry weren’t looking, Hugo leaned closer to his brother and whispered, "He’s actually pretty cute."

And way less intimidating than Dante, that was for sure.

But watching Elodie with Daisy made them both feel weird. Sad, almost.

They knew what was coming. Elodie was going to lose custody of Liora. Dante wasn’t budging on that, and from what they’d heard, Liora had been pulling away from Elodie for months now. Choosing to stay with her dad more and more.

It had to be killing her.

So if Elodie was moving on, finding someone new, maybe even building something with Harry and his family? Good. She deserved that.

Xavier and Hugo decided right then and there to be extra nice to Daisy. If this turned into something serious, they wanted Harry’s family to like them too and treat Elodie right.

"Hey, Daisy," Xavier said brightly, walking over. "You wanna try the water slide?"

Daisy’s eyes went huge. She looked over at the colorful slide setup near the back of the boat and nodded so hard her pigtails bounced.

"Yes!"

The slide was indoors, heated with hot spring water, so even though it was winter, it stayed warm and steamy inside.

The slide was big enough for adults, but honestly, it was more of a kid thing. Teenagers and children were the ones who really went wild for it.

Elodie and Harry gave it a few tries, sliding down and splashing into the warm water. But after a couple rounds, they lost interest.

Daisy, Xavier, and Hugo though? They were having the time of their lives. Screaming, laughing, racing each other down over and over.

Elodie eventually climbed out and settled at the edge of the pool, letting the warm water lap around her legs. It felt more like a hot spring than a regular pool. It was relaxing, almost meditative.

Harry appeared beside her, holding out a cold drink.

"Thanks," she said, taking it.

He sat down a little ways away, close but not too close. "No problem."

There was a pause, just the sound of the kids shrieking in the background.

Then Harry asked, "How old are they?"

"Xavier’s sixteen. Hugo’s fourteen."

"Do you take them out like this a lot?"

Elodie shook her head. "I used to. But work’s been crazy lately. Haven’t had much time."

Harry’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen, and something shifted in his expression.

"I need to take this," he said, standing up.

Elodie nodded.

He walked off toward the other side of the deck, far enough that she couldn’t hear him, and answered.

"Dante."

Dante’s voice came through, calm as ever. "Where are you?"

"On the yacht."

"Out at sea?"

"Yeah." Harry’s eyes drifted back toward Elodie, who was sitting alone by the pool, drink in hand. "Why? What’s up?"

"Liora wants to play with Daisy. I was calling to see if you could bring her by."

Harry paused. "We’re in the middle of the ocean. Maybe another time."

"Alright."

That was it. Dante hung up without another word.

Harry stared at the phone for a second, then slipped it back into his pocket and returned to the deck.

---

At noon, they all sat down for lunch. Fresh seafood, filled with grilled fish, shrimp, crab legs. The type of meal that tasted better because you were outside, sun-warmed and salt-kissed.

Afterward, they sprawled out on the deck, lazy and full. Fishing rods were handed out. Nobody caught anything, but nobody really cared.

Daisy, Xavier, and Hugo eventually ran out of steam. One by one, they collapsed onto lounge chairs and passed out, their faces pink from the sun.

Harry had some work to deal with, so he excused himself and found a quiet corner to make a few calls.

When he came back, Elodie was deep in a book.

Harry stopped a few feet away, watching her for a second.

He recognized the book immediately. It was technical. Advanced. The same type of thing he’d seen Dante reading more than once.

She was completely absorbed, eyebrows slightly furrowed in concentration, one finger tracing the edge of the page.

Harry didn’t move. Didn’t want to interrupt.

Then the wind picked up, lifting the edge of the blanket draped over Daisy. The fabric fluttered and snapped.

Elodie looked up.

She blinked, startled to see him standing there.

Harry walked over and sat down in the chair next to hers.

"That book," he said, nodding toward it. "Do you read stuff like that often?"

He used the word often. Intentionally.

Elodie caught on immediately. He was talking about Dante.

She nodded. "Yeah."

The way she sat, the way she focused so completely on the pages in front of her, it was a lot like how Dante read. Not their looks or anything like that. Just the way they zeroed in on something, blocking out the rest of the world.

Harry noticed it then. How similar they actually were. Both of them were drawn to the same field. Both of them were passionate about technology, systems, the logic of how things worked.

They probably would’ve gotten along great, honestly.

But then...

Harry’s expression shifted, something darker flickering across his face as he thought about their marriage.

People had always said Elodie trapped Dante. Forced him into it somehow. Used some kind of manipulation or dirty trick.

He’d believed it too. For years.

But now, after spending time with her, watching how she acted, how she carried herself, but it didn’t add up. She wasn’t scheming. She wasn’t manipulative. She seemed... straightforward. Honest, even.

Her thoughts didn’t seem twisted or complicated. Just quiet. Clear.

Harry looked away, unsure what to do with that realization.

---

By evening, the yacht was heading back to the dock.

Xavier, Hugo, and Daisy had become fast friends by then. They were laughing, making plans to hang out again, completely comfortable around each other now.

When it was time to leave, Xavier waved at Harry with a big grin. "See you next time, Harry!"

Harry smiled and nodded, though his eyes shifted to Elodie. "See you next time."

"See you," Elodie said simply.

She got into her car and drove off without looking back.

---

Back at the Miller family house, Hugo couldn’t stop talking.

He bounded upstairs and immediately started telling Old Madam Miller everything about the day, about the boat, the slide, the food, how cool Harry was.

When Old Madam Miller heard that Elodie had spent the day with Harry Becker, she froze mid-sip of her tea.

"Harry Becker?" she repeated, clearly shocked.

After all, Harry and Dante had been close since childhood. Practically brothers. And Elodie had never been particularly friendly with him before. So why now? What had changed?

Jason, sitting nearby with his tablet, looked up. "I was wondering about that. The Becker family reached out to me recently about a collaboration. Harry’s been unusually friendly toward me the past few weeks. So it seems..."

He trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.