The Alpha's Regret

Chapter 3

{Elle's POV}

We were in a jet.

I have never been on a plane, and now I was inside a freaking jet. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this would happen or that this was possible.

I was beyond shocked and starstruck. Maybe because we were going to a farther place than I ever thought we would, or maybe it was because they owned a jet plane. My dad must be loaded as hell. We had been flying for about seven hours or more, and my dad went straight to the cockpit the moment we entered the jet, and he hadn’t gone out since, while the man with him seemed very distant.

Honestly, I expected him to sit at least close to me or try to bring up any conversations between the two of us or get to know each other, but no, he did nothing of the sort. Instead, he sat in the farthest seat away from me with an earphone and a book in his hand. I don’t know if he was actually reading it or if he was just using it to purposely avoid talking to me, so I didn’t bother approaching him.

I sighed and looked outside the window.

I didn’t know what was coming for me. My future has never been so uncertain, but I was hoping and praying that I was bound to a place where I would finally belong. A place of wonder, but feels like home. It has been more than a decade since I last felt that feeling of having a home—not just a place, but a person or people. I wanted to be accepted and not perceived as a burden or a pity.

I hope this will be the place.

***

When the jet landed on the land, the first thing I noticed was trees. The surroundings were full of green, from the grass to the trees. It was far from what I expected. I thought we were going to a country filled with infrastructure, skyscrapers, and a crowded place full of people. But that was far from what I’d seen.

“Ellie, come on.” I turned to Dad and saw him urging me to get into the backseat of the car. He was holding the door open for me, so I immediately climbed up. I turned to my side and almost jumped in surprise when I saw that the nameless man was already there, sitting. He was wearing black shades while staring straight ahead as if I was invisible.

I frowned.

You will feel it when someone dislikes you, and, right now, that’s what I was sensing from him. It was as if I was a plague he was trying to avoid. What was his problem? I wanted to talk to him, but seeing that he was the very least thrilled about that idea, I refrained from doing so. Instead, I just sat quietly and looked outside the window.

Dad said that the drive towards their home would take about 2 and a half hours, so even though it was very awkward and uncomfortable, I tried my best to just bear with it.

After about thirty minutes, I noticed that there were two cars behind us, and I couldn’t help glancing at them worriedly. What if they were following us?

“Don’t worry, Ellie. They’re with us,” I heard Dad say from the passenger seat.

What? We have guards tailing us? Just what the hell does Dad do for a living? We had a freakin’ driver, and someone was tailing us to make sure that we would be able to arrive at the house safely. If Dad were an average man, he would drive us on his own in an average-looking car without any men at all.

I bit the inside of my cheeks and refrained from letting my curiosity get the best of me. I can’t ask him…not yet.

After two hours of seeing nothing but passing trees, houses started to appear in my line of sight until the car slowed down and came to a stop.

I blinked and was about to ask the man beside me, but the words didn’t even manage to leave my mouth because he was already out of the car seconds after it stopped. What the...?

The door to my side opened, and I saw Dad waiting for me outside. I shook my head and tried not to frown at the nameless man’s attitude.

“Welcome home, Ellie.” Dad smiled softly, and that’s when I turned around and my jaw dropped on the floor when I saw his 'so-called’ home.

It was gigantic.

Their house is a freaking mansion! It was four times larger than Aunt Rebecca's house. It was a combination of modern and luxurious put together.

My father is undeniably loaded. Now, I have never been so sure of it.

From the perfectly trimmed luscious green grass, marvel pavement, and huge double doors to the exterior design of the house, everything screamed expensively.

How? How did my father afford any of these? What was his job? I felt like I was missing something. A torn piece of a chapter in a book. A skipped episode in a series. And I need to know all about it.

I can still remember the life Mom and I used to have—it was simple. The life we had before was peaceful and happy, but it was never as grand as this, so I thought that my father was just the same since he used to be with Mom, but I was so wrong.

"Come on, Ellie. Let me show you around." I blinked back my surprise and forced a smile at my dad. It was around two o'clock in the afternoon, and I was hella tired, but I wanted to know the way around here.

I was blown away by the thought that this mansion was going to be my home from now on. Home. That sounded so foreign to me. It felt strange to even use or think about it.

I was about to walk towards my dad, but I noticed the nameless, rude man going inside a car before driving away as if he couldn't wait to get out of here.

"Don't worry about him. He's just not very fond of leaving the city, so just let him be." Dad reassured me, but the way he sighed told me otherwise. He must’ve seen the expression on my face while looking at the nameless man.

I looked at my father. His face was very foreign to me, and I still can't believe that after years of living with my aunt and her godforsaken daughter, he finally showed up, leading us here. I have so many questions to ask him, but I don't know where to start.

"Does he hate me?" I surprised myself by asking that, but it was already said and done, so I just elaborated on what I meant by that. "I-I mean, he seemed so cold and distant, so I couldn’t help but think that maybe he didn’t like me.” I shouldn’t care so much about this, but I do. I don’t know why, but it was starting to get on my nerves.

So what if he doesn’t like you, Ellie? It’s normal for people to dislike someone.

Dad's eyes widened because of my sudden question, and he quickly shook his head. "No, Ellie, he doesn't hate you. Rhys was just like that. He wasn't the warmest guy, and I apologize for that."

Rhys? That's his name?

He's handsome and hot, yes, but I don’t feel any attraction towards him, but something about us felt almost…connected.

I shook my head to get rid of that thought in my head.

Dad spoke again. "Now, come on. Do you want me to show you around or do you want to rest first? You must be tired from the flight." A man in black greeted Dad and even opened the huge double door for us. My eyes almost fell out of their sockets when I saw the inside of the mansion.

The inside was huge! Chandeliers hanging on the ceiling, a shining tile floor, expensive paintings on the wall, a grand staircase in the middle—everything was so grand! How many people even live here?

I was forced to snap my attention back to my father when I remembered that he was talking to me.

I cleared my throat. "I—uhm, I think I want to rest." I take it back. I don’t want to look around first. I want to have enough energy when I roam around this house.

"Right. I'm sure you're tired. Follow me, then. I'm going to show you to your room." I was almost afraid to step foot on the stairs because of how expensive they looked. Everything was sparking clean; it made me feel like a pest inside this regal mansion. "I already have our people do your room and put any essential things you will need, so don't worry. But if there's anything I missed, just tell me so I can give it all to you immediately." He was already rumbling things, and I noticed that dad had already lost the serious aura that he had back at Aunt Rebecca's house.

Now, he looked more laid-back but still tensed for some reason. Was it because of me?

Well, we weren’t exactly the closest as of now, so I can’t blame him. I felt just as nervous as him.

I bit my lower lip and just nodded.

Let’s look at my room now, shall we?

***

I lied when I told Dad that I was going to rest.

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I was tired, but my mind was very much alive, and it was going in different directions. As expected, the room was grand and huge—literally, the room I've been dreaming of ever since I was a kid. It was very much different from the crappy basement back at Aunt Rebecca's house.

I felt overwhelmed.

It was just like one moment, I was getting slapped by Millie and Aunt Rebecca, and then going along with my day, pretending that I was fine, and then, the next, I was here in this palace-like place.

Did I do the right thing? Just based on this huge mansion, I think I made the right decision, but I wouldn't really know if that was true until I had spent enough time here. But for now, I'd like to think that this was better than living in a house full of abusive monsters.

I rummaged through my backpack and took the small red box with my mom's diamond necklace inside. Finally, I got this necklace back. This was the reason why I couldn't leave that house yet. It wasn't because this necklace was made of diamonds, but because I know how much mom values it with her life.

She made me promise that I would take good care of it, that I would keep it with me, and that I would protect it from the people who wanted to take it. I couldn't quite understand why she valued it so much, but still, I never wanted to disappoint Mom, so I vowed to fulfill that promise.

Aunt Rebecca took this necklace from me when I was fifteen. I was working at the café, and she took that opportunity to snoop around my things in the basement. I went home that day and saw the necklace dangling from her neck. Of course, I tried to get it back and even threw a huge fit, but she never gave it back. She decided to hide it from me, and thankfully, Millie, being Millie, decided to take the jewelry from her mother, so after two years, I finally saw it again. And now, I have it.

I sat on the bed. It felt so soft, compared to the stiff bed I used to have before.

While looking at the moon-shaped diamond necklace, I wished that everything would turn out well. That I will finally get the happiness that has been lacking in my life. I wished this would finally be the place where I could be me... I hoped that this would be the place that I could call home.

I put the necklace back inside the box and looked for a drawer where I could put it. I saw one on the other corner, beside the huge glass window that overlooked the garden outside. But I stopped when I saw Dad and...Rhys? He’s back? And they seemed to be in a very heated argument.

Are they fighting? But why?

Why do I feel like it has something to do with me being here?