Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 157

Posted by ADMINMMADMIN, ? Views, Released on December 24, 2025

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Chapter 157

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Aurelia looked genuinely confused. “The engagement invitations have gone out, but they still haven’t picked a venue?”

The deputy manager smiled and explained, “No, it’s just that the wedding venue Ms. Rowe chose didn’t look good enough, so Mr. Locke went with her to work out a new plan.”

As she spoke, the deputy manager couldn’t hide her envy. “You wouldn’t believe how much Mr. Locke spoils Ms. Rowe. It’s like a CEO romance novel coming to life.”

Aurelia wasn’t really paying attention to that. She turned to the deputy manager, “By the way, what’s going on with Mr. Abbott? Is he still on vacation?”

“Oh… You haven’t heard?” The deputy manager looked a little uncomfortable.

“Heard what?” Aurelia pressed.

Since it was already out in the open and Aurelia was a partner, the deputy manager decided to just tell her.

“Mr. Abbott took his whole team and left Ascend Group. He and Ms. Rowe just had totally different ideas about how things should be run,” the deputy manager explained.

“When did that happen?” Aurelia pressed.

‘How come I didn’t hear a word about this?‘ Aurelia thought to herself.

“Just this past Monday,” the deputy manager replied.

Aurelia frowned.

‘Wait, wasn’t that the same day as the auction?‘ she thought.

Murel was Cassian’s right–hand man at Ascend Group. He’d been with Cassian since before the company even existed, and they’d been through thick and thin together.

He’d put in the work and earned his place as the backbone of Ascend Group.

Aurelia thought, disbelief flooding her mind, ‘And Cassian just let Murel go like that?

‘And after firing his right–hand man, Cassian just waltzed off with Tessa, his so–called dream girl, to the auction, splurging like a king as if nothing ever happened?‘

At that point, Aurelia was starting to think Cassian wasn’t just acting out of character anymore,

She was seriously beginning to wonder if Cassian’d been possessed or maybe even reincarnated.

Aurelia thought, ‘Whoever took over his body must be the ultimate simp for Tessa.

‘Otherwise, there’s just no way to explain how someone could do a complete 180 like this.

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‘I really had it! I’m totally speechless!

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Then the deputy manager chimed in, “Ms. Corin, does that work for you? I can pass your request to Mr. Locke and get his response.”

Aurelia said, “Sure, just tell him two words from me.”

“Alright, what are they?” the deputy manager asked.

“A fool,” Aurelia snapped, not holding back.

The deputy manager was stunned into silence, completely at a loss for words.

Before hanging up, Aurelia reminded the deputy manager, “And make sure you pass it on exactly as I said. Not a single word changed, got it? Thanks.”

The deputy manager just stared at the phone, speechless.

‘Honestly, maybe I should just hand in my resignation, too, the deputy manager thought, feeling utterly defeated.

With no one in charge at Ascend Group right now, Aurelia figured she’d just come back another day. That afternoon, she met up with Arturo to keep the game project moving.

Regal Investment had recently kicked off a string of new projects, and three of them were negotiated by Scott.

Scott was a seasoned pro, well–connected, and had a knack for spotting good investments. All three projects he brought in looked seriously promising.

Aurelia gave him free rein and told him to just go for it.

By the time she finished up, it was already six in the evening. Aurelia was about to stay late at the office when her phone buzzed. It was Abigail, letting her know the medicine was ready.

“I’ll book a courier to pick it up,” Aurelia replied.

“Aurelia, do you think you could come over yourself?” Abigail asked, her voice cautious.

“What’s going on?” Aurelia asked, catching the worry in Abigail’s tone.

Abigail explained, “It’s Mr. Locke. He’s been really off lately. He barely eats, just sits out in the yard all day, hardly says a word. He has dropped a ton of weight, and Dr. Bader says all his health stats are messed up. If this keeps up, his body’s going to give out…”

Abigail’s voice grew more and more choked up as she spoke, until she could barely get the words out.

“I was hoping you could talk to him. Maybe he’ll actually listen to you,” Abigail said, her voice trembling.

“I’ll be right there,” Aurelia replied without hesitation.

Even if Abigail hadn’t asked, Aurelia knew she had to go check on him.

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Besides, she didn’t have to worry about running into any trouble. Tessa was still out of the country.

Aurelia rushed over to the Locke family’s place. As soon as she stepped into the yard, she spotted Benjamin sitting there, just like Abigail had said.

It was getting dark, and the air was a bit cooler than it had been during the day.

The evening breeze made the leaves in the yard rustle softly.

Aurelia called out, “Mr. Locke.”

Benjamin was so lost in thought that he didn’t even hear her.

Aurelia stepped closer and called again, “Mr. Locke.”

“Oh, Aurelia,” Benjamin finally responded, snapping out of his daze.

Up close, Aurelia could see Benjamin had really lost a lot of weight.

“Why are you still sitting out here? The wind’s picking up. You’ll catch a chill,” Aurelia said, crouching down in front of him, her tone gentle and patient.

“I didn’t notice,” Benjamin said, just now realizing it was getting late.

“Let me wheel you inside,” Aurelia said gently.

“Alright,” Benjamin murmured.

As Aurelia brought him in, Abigail emerged from the kitchen with the food. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw Aurelia. “Aurelia, you’re just in time! Dinner’s ready. Let’s eat together.”

“Come on, let’s go and wash our hands,” Aurelia said, expertly tossing her bag onto the couch and steering Benjamin toward the bathroom.

Dinner was a real spread. Abigail put a lot of care into every

dish.

With Aurelia there, Benjamin at least ate something.

Abigail said this was the most he’d eaten in a long time.

“Mr. Locke, you’ve got to eat well. No matter what happens, your health is the most important thing,” Aurelia said softly, trying to encourage him.

Benjamin let out a sigh. “Lately, my heart’s in it, but my body just isn’t up to it. Maybe it’s just old age. My mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be, and I can’t seem to focus. I keep spacing out in meetings.”

Benjamin had been in a terrible car accident before. Not only did he injure his leg, but he also suffered a severe head injury. He had to undergo multiple surgeries over the years.

The doctors said that if he overexerted himself mentally, he’d suffer from terrible headaches.

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So after Benjamin recovered, he took a step back from day–to–day operations, but he was still responsible for some of the key affairs at Locke Group.

But now, it was clear he was no longer able to manage business matters.

Aurelia was tempted to say Benjamin could totally just let Cassian take over and not worry about a thing, just focus on getting better.

But it was their family drama, and she was just on the sidelines. Not her place to butt in, so she kept her mouth shut.

After dinner, Abigail asked Aurelia to join Benjamin for a drink to help him relax, hoping it would make it easier for him to get some sleep tonight.

She also put together the medicine Aurelia needed, along with some convenient snacks.

While Aurelia was making coffee, she spotted a painting sitting in the trash can next to the coffee table.

“Mr. Locke, are you getting rid of this?” Aurelia asked.

“Yeah, I don’t need it anymore,” Benjamin replied, not even glancing at it.

Aurelia noticed the painting looked really well–made and was carefully packaged. It definitely seemed valuable. Curious, she unwrapped it to take a look.

One look, and she was completely floored.

‘Wait, isn’t this the painting Cassian dropped 30 million dollars on at the auction?‘ Aurelia thought, her eyes wide in disbelief.

‘He just tossed it out like that? Seriously? It is 30 million dollars,’ she thought, still stunned.

Aurelia hurried to check it over, worried that this priceless artwork might have gotten damaged.

Luckily, only its right edge was a bit damp. It shouldn’t mess it up too much.

She explained, “Mr. Locke, this is the painting Cassian dropped 30 million dollars on at the auction. Just tossing it out is such a shame.”

“To me, it’s just trash. What else am I supposed to do with it?” Benjamin said, his disgust obvious.

Abigail came in with some fruit and sighed when she saw the painting. “Cassian gave it to him, but who knows what they said? Next thing I know, they had another blowout, and Mr. Locke chucked it straight in the trash.”