Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 123

Chapter 123 

When Aurelia woke up, it was the middle of the night. 

Cassian was nowhere to be seen in the car, and for a moment, she felt a little out of it. 

She thought, ‘Is Cassian that irresponsible? Did he just ditch me by the side of the road and bail? 

But then she realized the car was still there, so she bit back the curses that were about to spill out. 

Aurelia got out of the car and headed back, not even planning to say a word to Cassian. 

But she’d barely taken two steps when Cassian’s teasing voice came from her side. “Let me guess, I’m your driver again? Not even a ‘thanks“?” 

Since she’d been spotted, Aurelia stopped and looked at Cassian. 

He’d been blocked by a tree trunk, so she hadn’t noticed him. 

He’d probably been smoking there. The ashtray on the trash can was overflowing with cigarette butts. 

Seeing all those cigarette butts, Aurelia couldn’t help but frown. 

If it had been before, she would’ve been worried about his health. 

She would’ve told him to cut back, or maybe even quit. 

But now, she just took a half–step back, worried the smoke would get on her. 

“Why don’t you pay back all those ‘thanks‘ you owe me first?” Aurelia shot back. 

After all, in the past seven years, she’d given him rides way more times than he ever did for her. 

Cassian took another drag, the wind swirling the smoke around him, hiding whatever was in his eyes. 

With a faint rasp in his voice, he said, “Alright, thank you.” 

“That doesn’t sound sincere,” Aurelia said. 

Just because he said it didn’t mean she had to accept it. 

Besides, those “thanks” were way overdue. 

Late “thanks” didn’t mean a thing. 

Cassian chuckled. “So, what would actually count as sincere to you?” 

“Wire me 1.5 billion dollars and let’s see if you’re sincere,” Aurelia shot back. 

She could really use that 1.5 billion dollars right about now. 

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Chapter 123 

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Cassian raised an eyebrow. “What do you need that much money for?” 

“To hire eight hundred male models to amuse me,” Aurelia shot back. 

Cassian snorted, half amused, half annoyed. “Not a chance. Not a single cent.” 

‘No money, no deal. Bye,‘ Aurelia thought, not giving it another second. 

She turned on her heel and walked off with her usual swagger. 

This time, Cassian didn’t try to stop her. 

He took a deep drag from the cigarette burning down to the filter, letting the smoke linger in his mouth for what felt like an eternity. 

When he finally had to let it go, all he could do was watch as the smoke slowly faded away. 

It was like something he’d been holding onto for dear life had suddenly slipped right through his fingers, leaving no trace behind. 

That little episode didn’t even make a ripple in Aurelia’s mind. She’d forgotten all about it by the next day. 

It was Miranda, who came over all nosy, asking, “So, what happened yesterday?” 

‘Why’d Cassian come pick you up for dinner‘?‘ Miranda thought, her eyes practically sparkling with curiosity. 

Aurelia was way too busy scrambling to find that 1.5 billion dollars to even entertain Miranda’s nosiness. 

Miranda went straight for the jugular, “Wait, don’t tell me you two are patching things up?” 

Aurelia couldn’t help but snort, “Do I look blind or just out of my mind?” 

‘Neither, Miranda said, rolling her eyes. 

Aurelia shot back, “Exactly. If I’m not blind or crazy, why would I ever get back with him? 

“I don’t buy into that whole ‘getting back together after breaking up‘ thing. If one cares about love, one doesn’t smash it to pieces in the first place! 

“I don’t hand out do–overs. So don’t screw up from the start.” 

Once you mess up, you’re done. That’s all you get. 

The port renovation project was looming, and Aurelia had to lock down some investment before the bidding kicked off. 

She called Gideon and asked if he was free that afternoon. She wanted to see if he’d meet her for lunch. 

Gideon said he was free. 

13:01 Tue, Dec 23 M… 

Chapter 123 

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Aurelia booked a restaurant and sent the address to Gideon. 

Meanwhile, Gideon told his secretary to cancel his international flight and reschedule his business trip. 

The secretary was stunned. “But this trip is crucial for expanding Gold Gauntlet’s core business divisions and keeping our top clients happy…” 

“I said push it back. Just make it happen,” Gideon ordered, not leaving any room for discussion. 

“Yes, sir,” the secretary replied. 

Gideon even got to the restaurant before Aurelia did. 

By the time she showed up, he’d ordered everything. 

Every dish was light and easy to digest. He’d clearly gone for the whole ‘comfort food‘ vibe, all about being gentle on the stomach. 

Aurelia had brought some wine with her, planning to get into things with Gideon over dinner. 

“No wine tonight. Let’s just stick to soup,” Gideon said, gently cutting her off. 

“Alright,” Aurelia replied. 

She didn’t actually feel like drinking anyway. It was just how things were done in the business world, and she’d gotten used to it. 

Aurelia hadn’t even had a chance to wet her throat before she was ready to dive into the funding talk. 

“Try the soup first. The chicken soup here is excellent. Have a taste,” Gideon suggested. 

The chicken soup was delicate and savory, and after just a small bowl, Aurelia felt it warm her right up. 

Gideon was like an overenthusiastic host, constantly pushing new dishes her way. Aurelia was stuffed before she even realized it. 

Meanwhile, Gideon barely touched his own food. 

Once Aurelia had eaten her fill, Gideon finally got down to the real reason she’d invited him out for dinner. 

Aurelia didn’t sugarcoat it. She told Gideon straight up she needed funding. 

But she kept the project details to herself. Nothing was set in stone yet, and she wasn’t confident about it either. 

Even so, Gideon said he was willing to invest. 

But the max he could offer was 150 million dollars. 

That was all he could manage. 

13:01 Tue, Dec 23 M… 

Chapter 123 

Aurelia knew things weren’t as smooth for Gideon as everyone thought. 

Gold Gauntlet was always full of drama, and those board members who didn’t back him were constantly plotting against him. 

She was honestly moved. “Thanks, senior.” 

Gideon paused, then said, “It’s been ages since you called me ‘senior“.” 

(10 

“You’re in a different position now. I can’t just call you that whenever I want,” Aurelia replied, always knowing where to draw the line. 

Now that they were working together, she wanted to keep things strictly business. She didn’t want to cause him any trouble. 

Just as they stepped out of the restaurant, Jasper and Tessa arrived. 

As they got out of the car, Jasper spotted Gideon’s ride and muttered, “It seems to be Gideon’s car. Didn’t he go on a business trip?” 

Tessa replied, “Yeah, he did. I called him this morning, and he said he was leaving this afternoon.” 

“Guess I must’ve been mistaken,” Jasper said, not thinking much of it. 

As they walked in, the manager spotted Jasper and greeted him, “Gideon just left, and now you show up. Why didn’t you guys come together?” 

Jasper paused for a second, then asked, “Gideon was just here?” 

“Yeah, he was here with a woman named Aurelia. They just headed out,” the manager replied. 

“Aurelia?” Jasper echoed, sounding a bit surprised. 

“Yep, that’s her. She made the reservation,” the manager added. 

Jasper looked awkward when he heard the name. 

Tessa didn’t look any better. She clenched her fingers at her side so hard her knuckles went white. 

On Monday, Aurelia and Tyson headed over to Wade’s office. 

The hotline platform was in the middle of its debugging phase. Tyson was there to keep an eye on the data. 

Wade handed Aurelia a file. 

Aurelia leafed through the pages and saw that it was information on the port renovation project. 

“I noticed you were interested, so I gathered some information for you. Hope it helps,” Wade said, his tone as gentle and reassuring as ever. 

“You really saved me!” Aurelia said, genuinely grateful. 

13:01 Tue, Dec 23 M… 

Chapter 123 

This kind of insider information isn’t something one could just throw money at and buy. 

Wade was ridiculously meticulous. He’d sorted everything out so clearly that even a total outsider like her could get it right away. 

“You’re such a pro,” Aurelia couldn’t help but say. 

Wade replied, “I majored in this back in college, so I know more than most people. If you ever get stuck, just hit me up.” 

“Great. Don’t blame me if I end up asking a million questions!” Aurelia said with a grin. 

She felt like she’d been adrift in the ocean for ages, and now she’d finally found her beacon. 

“I won’t,” Wade replied. 

Tyson, standing off to the side, unconsciously furrowed his brows at the scene. 

‘Just great. A new love rival?‘ Tyson thought, a twinge of jealousy flickering inside.