Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 119

Chapter 119 

Aurelia stared at the umbrella Cassian was handing her, her eyes lingering for a few long seconds. 

Other than the rain, the whole place was dead silent. 

Karlie was glaring so hard her eyes were practically shooting sparks. 

Compared to Karlie, Tessa was way calmer. 

She probably trusted her bond with Cassian enough to keep her cool. 

Aurelia slowly lifted her gaze from the umbrella, finally letting it rest on Cassian’s face. Her lips curled into a mocking smirk. 

She looked at him scornfully. 

That scene brought back the memory of that day at the SkyPulse Company factory, when Cassian had only held the umbrella for Tessa, leaving her behind in the rain. 

Back then, Aurelia’d even sighed to herself, ‘No one can really hold an umbrella for two people at once. 

And now… 

Just then, Wade came out holding an umbrella and explained to Aurelia as he approached. 

“Ms. Corin, I managed to borrow an umbrella, but there’s only one. If you don’t mind, we can walk back together under it,” he said. 

Aurelia completely ignored the umbrella Cassian was offering, glancing sideways at Wade with a friendly smile. “I don’t mind at all.” 

When she looked at Cassian again, her eyes and voice were both icy. “Sorry, I don’t need it anymore.” 

After all, one can’t use two umbrellas at the same time. 

With that, Aurelia didn’t give Cassian a chance to say anything else. She just headed into the rain with Wade 

Cars zoomed by on the roadside, and Wade took the outer side like a true gentleman, blocking all the dirty rainwater for her. 

He kept tilting the umbrella toward Aurelia, so she stayed perfectly dry. 

Meanwhile, his arm was getting soaked, but he didn’t even notice. 

Seriously, what a gentleman. So thoughtful. 

They were walking so close, there was barely any space between them. 

It was the kind of closeness one’d expect from a couple, strolling side by side under the rain, taking their time. 

Cassian lingered for a few seconds, watching Aurelia and Wade disappear into the rain, then finally put away his umbrella and walked over to Tessa. “Let’s go.” 

Karlie started to say something, but Tessa gave her a look that made her swallow her words. 

** 

Because of the hotline platform project, Aurelia had been dropping by Wade’s office a lot lately, so she kept bumping into 

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Chapter 119 

Tessa more often than before. 

Most of the time, they just ignored each other and went about their own business. 

But Karlie was always glued to Tessa’s side, constantly showing off how Cassian had thrown big deals Tessa’s way. 

And Tessa was starting to act like she was on top of the world because of it. 

Aurelia was honestly getting sick of hearing it all. 

Karlie kept going on and on about it, like she’d never get tired. 

When Wade got Aurelia’s call, he personally came downstairs to meet her. 

As soon as the elevator doors opened and he saw Tessa inside, he gave her a polite nod. 

Tessa hesitated for a second before speaking up, “Mr. Lautner, I’ve got dinner plans with the Minister of Commerce tonight. Want to join us?” 

Wade declined with a courteous smile. “No, thanks. I’ve got something else scheduled.” 

That was the second time he’d turned down her invitation. 

Tessa’s eyes dimmed as she asked, “Are you upset with me?” 

“Why would you say that, Ms. Rowe?” Wade replied, his expression calm and unreadable. 

“The whole blind date thing was my parents‘ idea. I was open to giving it a try at first, but then I realized we weren’t a good match, so I decided not to pursue it any further. But I still think we could be friends,” Tessa explained patiently. 

Wade’s eyes were void of emotion, and his tone was even colder than before. “We’re just not compatible.” 

Tessa looked like she wanted to say more. 

At that moment, the elevator across the hall opened, and Aurelia walked out. 

Wade’s mood shifted in a flash, and he greeted Aurelia with a smile. “I was just about to come down and get you.” 

“It’s not like this is my first time here. Why are you being so formal, Mr. Lautner?” Aurelia joked. 

This time, Aurelia came over with Tyson, and she made the introductions. 

Wade had heard Tyson’s name, so he greeted him warmly with a handshake. 

Tessa’s elevator kept heading down. 

As soon as the doors closed, Karlie couldn’t help but complain, “Wade is so pretentious! He was super into you when he was trying to win you over, but now that you turned him down, he’s playing cool!” 

“Don’t 

say 

stuff like that anymore,” Tessa cut her off. “Whether Cassian’s around or Mr. Lautner, don’t bring it up!” 

Karlie stuck out her tongue. “I get it. You’re just worried Cassian might get jealous. I’m only ranting in private, promise.” 

“No matter what, Wade’s the department director, so we’ll have to work with him a lot. Keeping a good relationship is important! So watch what you say,” Tessa reminded her seriously. 

“Alright, Tessa,” Karlie replied. 

Only then did Tessa finally relax. 

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Chapter 119 

She kept drilling it into Karlic, just so Karlie wouldn’t accidentally spill the truth 

Truth is, she and Wade had just gone on a blind date, nothing more. 

Wade never tried to chase her or anything. 

If anything. Wade was pretty aloof. 

She’d only said all that to make herself look better. 

When they went on that blind date, she just didn’t feel any spark with Wade. 

Honestly, it was mostly because Wade didn’t have much background, and his job wasn’t exactly impressive. 

Other than being good–looking, there really wasn’t much else to him. 

But she never expected Wade to climb the ranks so fast. 

Even though he was just a department director for now, he was still young and had a ton of potential ahead of him. 

Tessa decided she was going to cozy up to Wade and make sure they stayed on good terms. 

“I just can’t stand Aurelia,” Karlie grumbled, sticking up for Tessa. “She made you take such a huge fall, but good thing Cassian’s got your back.” 

Tessa acted calm on the outside, but deep down, she cared more than anyone else, even if she didn’t show it. 

And her mom was probably getting mocked in all sorts of ways behind her back because of it. 

Luckily, Cassian had always stood by her and even landed her the massive port renovation deal. 

If Tessa could pull this off, she’d finally redeem herself and clear her name. 

She’d make all those high–society ladies who’d been mocking her finally sit up and take notice. 

So Tessa was throwing herself into the port renovation project, handling everything herself and hustling harder than anyone else. 

She told Karlie, “Our main mission right now is to lock down the port renovation project. The rest can wait.” 

Tessa was definitely going to settle the score, but not yet. 

Karlie knew what was really important. “Exactly! Once you land this big project, make a name for yourself, and get your footing, all those people who’ve been laughing at you will finally shut up! And when you and Cassian get married, they’ll be falling over themselves to cozy up to you.” 

“That day’s definitely coming,” Tessa said confidently. 

“It has to! Cassian’s been supporting you, always helping you out. He wants you to have enough status to stand right next to him. Isn’t there a saying online about that?” 

“The best kind of love a man can give a woman is when he’s there for her, lifts her, no matter how things turn out. He’ll help you rise, show you the ropes, support you with real actions, always have your back, and stand by you even when you’re at your lowest.” 

“Isn’t that exactly what Cassian does for you?” 

Tessa’s eyes lit up with determination. “No way I’m letting Cassian lose. This project is mine, and I’m not backing down!” 

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Chapter 119 

M 

65 

For a massive project like port renovation, only people with inside information would start getting ready ahead of time. 

Honoria Capital was one of them. 

But the government still had to go through the whole public bidding process: announce the bid, host the bidding meeting. 

and all that. 

On the day of the bid, Aurelia showed up as well. 

Tessa and Karlie were sitting right in the front row, looking sure of themselves. 

But as soon as they spotted Aurelia, their expressions darkened. 

“What are you doing here?” Karlie demanded, like she was running the whole show. “Do you even have the right to be here?” 

Aurelia glanced past Karlie to Tessa sitting behind her. 

Noticing Tessa wasn’t about to step in, Aurelia fired back without hesitation. “Whether I belong here isn’t up to you. If you’re so free to butt into my business, why not go remind your cousin to settle that compensation before it gets dragged into court? Don’t make it a public spectacle. It’d be a real shame.”