Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 108

Chapter 108 

Jasper never thought he’d see the day. 

If Jasper’d known, he would’ve toned it down a notch back then. 

He wouldn’t be so mortified right now. He could scratch a tunnel to the center of the earth with his toes. 

“Say something already!” Steven was about to blow a fuse. 

Jasper forced out two words, barely audible, “Ms. Corin.” 

Aurelia just gave a casual nod, her expression blank, not even bothering to look at Jasper. 

Anyone with half a brain could see what was up. 

Her nod was to show Steven some respect. 

As for Jasper, she couldn’t care less about him. 

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Steven could see what was going on, but he played cool. “You two are both around the same age, maybe you can connect more in the future. We’re getting old, and the future of Ashmont will be shaped by young people like you. 

“Especially with someone as capable and promising as you, Ms. Corin. You’re bound to become a leader in Ashmont’s business world. Hope you can show my son the ropes sometime. He’s really into AI lately, and just invested in a project called AeroMind.” 

Jasper was at a total loss for words. 

Jasper thought, ‘If I’d known it would be this awkward, I’d have begged him to send me abroad instead. 

‘At least if I were overseas, I’d just be miserable, not making a complete fool of myself in front of everyone. 

When Aurelia heard Jasper had invested in AeroMind, she finally looked at him. 

But the way she looked made Jasper feel uncomfortable. 

‘Is she mocking me?‘ Jasper couldn’t help but think. 

Aurelia said, “Mr. Quinn, you sure have a ‘good son.” 

Steven missed Aurelia’s sarcasm and thought she was actually praising Jasper. 

Steven said, “Jasper’s look is passable, but everything else… Honestly, nothing special.” 

Aurelia just smiled, saying nothing. 

Jasper didn’t waste a second. He grabbed Steven and hustled them out of there. 

Any longer and he’d be living in permanent shame, never able to hold his head up again. 

By now, Tyson had pretty much wrapped up his product showcase, and he started thanking by name everyone who’d helped him along the way. 

Gideon was one of them. 

When Steven heard Gideon had invested in InquireMind, he was burning with jealousy. 

 

 

Gold Gauntlet had been on the decline because of all the infighting between the two branches of the Quinn family. 

Steven was a bit more capable than his older brother, but he had the bad luck of raising a son, Jasper, who was a total disappointment. 

His older brother might not have been as sharp, but at least he had Gideon, a son who actually made him proud. 

Ever since Gideon took over Gold Gauntlet, he’d seriously cut into Steven’s influence. 

66 

With his status on the line, Steven was more desperate than anyone, which was why he kept dragging Jasper around, trying to make him look good in front of everyone. 

But no matter how fast he hustled, he was always a step behind Gideon. 

Steven lowered his voice and ordered Jasper, “I don’t care what you have to do, but you’d better get us a deal with InquireMind! Otherwise, you can just pack your bags and get the hell out of the country!” 

Jasper was at a total loss for words. 

‘Guess that’s the end of the good times for me,‘ Jasper thought, feeling crushed. 

The AeroMind launch party wrapped up way earlier than planned, and the vibe was nothing like the electric energy at the beginning. 

Guests dipped out in a flash, skipping even the most basic goodbyes. 

It kicked off with a bang. 

But it ended in a total rush. 

Tessa holed up in the makeup room and cried her heart out. 

Karlie did her best to cheer her up, but nothing worked, so she just stayed by Tessa’s side in silence. 

After Cassian finished handling the aftermath of the party, he finally went to look for Tessa. 

After crying for a while, Tessa was finally starting to pull herself together, though her eyes were still puffy and red. 

Cassian said, “Come on, I’ll take 

“Okay,” Tessa replied softly. 

you home.” 

The only thing that gave Tessa any comfort was knowing Cassian had never once wavered in his support for her. 

As they stepped out, Cassian and Tessa heard a wave of applause erupting from across the hall. 

Tessa froze, glancing over in the direction of the InquireMind launch event. 

The whole place was absolutely buzzing. 

All the media folks and guests who’d just ditched the AeroMind party had now swarmed over to InquireMind. 

Then, over the loudspeaker, a familiar name echoed through the room. 

“Let’s give a huge round of applause to Aurelia Corin, InquireMind’s lifetime partner, as she comes up to give her speech!” 

This time, even Cassian couldn’t help but look over. 

All eyes followed Aurelia as she walked up to the stage, every bit of attention locked on her. 

 

She wore a simple outfit, no bright makeup, no designer labels, nothing flashy. 

But she was crisp, confident, and had a natural elegance that made her stand out. 

The moment she stood on stage, even the lights seemed to favor her. 

Aurelia practically radiated, pulling every gaze her way. 

Everyone was watching her. 

Tessa turned and saw Cassian so absorbed in Aurelia that he didn’t notice anything else. Her face drained of color. 

Her hands at her sides slowly curled into fists, her nails nearly breaking the skin of her palm. 

In that moment, she felt like the biggest joke in the room. 

Not a single word Aurelia said registered with her. 

Tessa parted her lips, barely able to get the words out. “Cassian, I… I don’t feel well. Can we go home?” 

Thankfully, Cassian snapped back to reality, tearing his gaze away from Aurelia. 

“Sure,” he said softly, supporting Tessa as she leaned on him. 

He guided her out of the hall. 

Once they got in the car, Tessa could finally breathe again, her nerves slowly starting to relax. 

“Why don’t you take some time off? Get some rest,” Cassian said, still putting her first. 

His kindness helped Tessa feel a bit more at ease. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine after some sleep.” 

She couldn’t let herself fall apart over this. 

And giving up? Not a chance. 

Aurelia only got the win this time because she got lucky. That was all. 

No way Aurelia could get this luck every single time. Tessa just didn’t buy it. 

She had to snap out of it and take back what was hers. 

She would win everyone back, and even Benjamin. 

Aurelia was really shining today. Maybe even Cassian was a little impressed by her. 

But so what? 

Cassian’s heart still belonged to her. 

That was all that mattered. 

***** 

The InquireMind launch blew Aurelia’s expectations out of the water. She never saw this level of success coming. 

No joke, companies were practically lining up just to get a piece of the action. 

And that was only the beginning. InquireMind’s sudden debut set off a global buzz, with heated debates popping up 

 

everywhere. 

Al experts from every corner of the globe couldn’t stop raving about it. 

They said it was shaking up the entire global Al scene. 

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It smashed the old idea that Al projects had to cost a fortune and drag on for years. Western media even dubbed it “Al’s Sputnik moment.” 

The whole international community was left speechless, jaws dropping in amazement. 

It turned into a full–blown phenomenon, a tech breakthrough everyone was obsessed with. 

It even rocked the reigning tech powers, sending shockwaves through their strongholds. 

Back home, all the major state media outlets were racing to report on InquireMind’s success. 

Tyson and Aurelia were getting bombarded with interviews from every major outlet. The big–name financial magazines, and TV networks, you name it. 

Their schedules were so packed they barely had a second to breathe. 

Good thing Aurelia had Miranda, her miracle–worker of a secretary, who made sure she never missed a meal. 

“Clear my schedule for next Wednesday with all meetings, all appointments,” Aurelia said, checking her calendar while sipping her soup. 

Miranda glanced over. “Is it something personal?” 

“Mm–hmm,” Aurelia replied. 

“Got it,” Miranda said, jotting it down. 

Then Miranda got an email and quickly told Aurelia, “The financial magazine just sent over some cover shots for you to check out. If you want anything changed, let them know and they’ll fix it right away.” 

Aurelia glanced at the email and realized it was for the February issue. 

“Wait, why is it for February?” Aurelia asked, a little puzzled. 

When they did the interview, they said it would be in the March issue. 

Miranda explained, “The magazine wants to publish while the hype is still at its peak.” 

That made sense, so Aurelia didn’t mind. She chose the one she liked best and sent her feedback back to the magazine. 

Financial magazines usually came out a week ahead of time. 

Jasper couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

He’d ducked out of the AeroMind party early, and the guilt still gnawed at him. He felt like he’d let Tessa down. 

He’d sent her a bunch of messages, but she hadn’t replied to any of them. 

He couldn’t tell if she was mad at him or just ignoring him. 

Hoping to make it up to her, he planned to snag the magazine the moment it went on sale. 

So as soon as it was available, he placed an order for ten thousand copies, snapped a screenshot, and blasted it in the group 

 

chat, @Tessa, for everyone to see. 

[Tessa! I just bought ten thousand copies of the magazine for your interview! Pretty loyal, huh?] 

Tessa still hadn’t replied, but Liam chimed in. 

[Hold up, why’s Aurelia on the cover?] Liam messaged.