Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 156

Someone quietly did math. 

In less than half an hour, Tessa had already spent 30 million dollars. 

No wonder she was the rising star in finance. She spent money like water. 

He was absolutely spoiling her fiancée, lavishing riches on her, all for love. 

Tessa looked every bit the victor. She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. 

She pretended not to care as she threw a casual glance in Aurelia’s direction. 

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Halfway through the auction, Aurelia still hadn’t made a single bid. ‘Is she out of cash or what?‘ Tessa wondered. 

‘What’s she even doing here if she’s broke?‘ Tessa scoffed at herself. 

After the jewelry came auction items such as antique calligraphy. Aurelia finally put her phone away, ready to join the action. 

The painting Aurelia was interested in started at 150,000 dollars. Aurelia followed the rules, bumping it up to 200,000 dollars 

Someone else joined in, and the price kept climbing, bit by bit, until it hit three hundred thousand dollars. 

Just as Aurelia was about to make her second bid, someone in the middle of the room called out, “1.5 million dollars.” 

‘Wait, what? Who taught them to throw money around like that?‘ Aurelia thought, stunned. 

Aurelia turned to see who it was. When she recognized the face, she went quiet. 

It was Kyler. 

‘Figures he’s tight with Tessa. He even throws out bids just like she does, Aurelia mused. 

Liam could tell Aurelia had her eye on that painting, so he just went ahead and raised his paddle. 

“Two million dollars,” Liam called out. 

Aurelia just assumed he was getting it for himself, so she kept quiet. 

But then Kyler raised his paddle again. “Three million dollars.” 

Aurelia frowned. ‘It’s way overpriced. Not worth it at all,‘ she thought. 

She had a business mindset. She only cared if something was worth the price. 

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Chapter 156 

Clearly, the painting wasn’t worth the money. 

Whatever, she had backups. She’d just wait for the next lot. 

So Kyler claimed the painting with a jaw–dropping 3 million dollars. 

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The second painting Aurelia was interested in was even more expensive than the first. The starting bid was already 5 million. 

She was the first to bid again, upping the price by the standard 150,000 dollars. 

Out of nowhere, Kyler swooped in again, bumping the price straight up to 3 million dollars. 

Aurelia frowned, and it hit her. Kyler was deliberately going after her. 

In that instant, Aurelia couldn’t help herself. Caught up in the rush, she raised her paddle and pushed the bid to five million dollars. 

Kyler let out a dismissive scoff and was about to raise his paddle again when someone up front raised their paddle. 

It was Cassian Locke. 

Cassian called out, “Ten million dollars.” 

That price brought Aurelia back down to earth. 

‘It’s way too easy to get carried away at these auctions,’ she thought. 

Kyler shot a calculating glance toward the front row, eyes narrowed. 

Right then, Cassian turned his head, and the two locked eyes from across the room. 

After a beat, Kyler raised his paddle. “15 million dollars.” 

The auction hall suddenly felt like a war zone, no bullets, just fortunes clashing in silence. 

It was a high–stakes showdown, a battle of numbers where everyone was out to prove who’d walk away the 

winner. 

From where Aurelia sat, she couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Why are those two suddenly butting heads? 

‘Bet it’s all because of Tessa. 

‘Love’s just naturally exclusive. Any guy around her instantly feels like a rival. 

‘That goes for Gideon Quinn and Kyler. 

Kyler didn’t care much for Cassian either. Now that Cassian wanted to go toe–to–toe with him, there was no way Kyler was going to hold back. 

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He raised his paddle. “Twenty–two million dollars.” 

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Aurelia was kicked back in her seat, looking totally relaxed and ready to enjoy the fireworks as the guys started 

their macho showdown. 

Honestly, she always thought watching dudes battle for dominance was way more fun than any girl drama. 

Since Cassian was the one who kicked off the bidding war, there was no way he’d back down now. 

Without blinking, Cassian called out, “30 million dollars.” 

Tessa cried out, “Cassian, don’t! It’s really not worth that much!” 

Cassian just gave her a gentle shake of his head and a reassuring look, as if to say, 

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” 

Tessa could only turn to Kyler, her eyes carrying a silent plea. 

Kyler was all set to raise his paddle again, but when he met Tessa’s expectant gaze, he hesitated and quietly lowered his hand. 

He didn’t bid again. 

In the end, the painting sold for a jaw–dropping 30 million dollars. 

Even Liam couldn’t help but comment, “Cassian’s spending like there’s no tomorrow. Just wedding gifts alone cost 60 million dollars, and the wedding is probably even higher. Is he trying to bankrupt the rest of us bachelors?” 

Since neither of the items she wanted ended up with her, Aurelia figured there was no reason to stick around. She got up and said to Liam, “Liam, I’ve got something to handle, so I’ll head out.” 

“Same here,” Liam replied, getting up, too. 

“You didn’t end up buying a single thing,” Aurelia teased. 

“Everything I wanted got snatched up. Same for you, right? Funny how we both came up empty–handed,” Liam joked. 

His words made Aurelia laugh. “Yeah, it is pretty funny. Let’s head out together.” 

Liam was more than happy to tag along. He practically sprinted after her, worried she might change her mind at any second. 

As soon as Aurelia stepped out of the hall, she made her way straight toward the parking lot. 

Liam’s car was parked on the other side, but he still followed Aurelia over. “Hey, Aurelia, how about we grab some food together? Since we bumped into each other anyway.” 

“Can’t do today. Got stuff to handle. Rain check for next time,” Aurelia said breezily 

Just as Liam’d expected, Aurelia shot him a polite refusal, waved him off, and was gone in her car. 

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Chapter 156 

All wrapped up in under five minutes. 

Liam watched as Aurelia’s car drove off, and he felt kind of hollow inside. 

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Truth is, he wanted to just lay it all out for Aurelia. Tell her straight up that he wanted a chance with her. 

But Liam knew all too well how badly he’d treated her over the past seven years. 

You reap what you sow. 

If it weren’t for the business ties between their families, Aurelia probably wouldn’t even give him the time of day. 

Just like how she barely even talks to Jasper. 

So Liam could only hold himself back. 

‘Guess I’ll just have to wait. There’s always tomorrow,‘ Liam thought. 

***** 

Aurelia thought the whole auction was just a passing event. She didn’t give it a second thought. 

But the very next day, the gossip media caught wind of it. Suddenly, it was the talk of the town, spreading like wildfire online. 

Even Mia, who was stuck filming on a closed set, got all the juicy gossip. The moment she got home, she made a video call to Aurelia, eager to spill the tea. 

“Hold up, you mean Cassian actually splurged 60 million dollars on wedding gifts for that so–called first love of his?” Mia exclaimed, totally incredulous. 

“Yeah,” Aurelia replied. 

“Does he think money just blows in on the wind? How can he spend it like that?” Mia complained, clearly annoyed. 

Aurelia thought for a moment, then grinned, “Honestly, that’s pretty accurate.” 

In recent years, Cassian’s investments had skyrocketed, especially with Ascend Group, his main business, which turned him into the rising star of Ashmont, 

He was making money so fast, it really did seem like the wind just brought it to him. 

“Alright, so everyone’s rolling in cash now, huh? Seriously, God, were you asleep at the wheel or what? How come all the luck that should’ve gone to me and Aurelia ended up with those two jerks?” Mia grumbled, still fuming. 

Still not satisfied, Mia muttered, “Is it really so bad if there’s one more rich person in the world, like me?” 

“Hang in there, babe. Your bread will come,” Aurelia said, her tone calm and steady. 

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Chapter 156 

Mia just rolled her eyes, thinking Aurelia was selling her dreams. 

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Aurelia laughed. “Why are you giving me that look? I’m checking out the numbers. InquireMind’s Q1 financials just dropped.” 

“Let me see. Let me see!” Mia exclaimed, practically bouncing in her seat. 

Aurelia turned the screen so Mia could get a good look. 

Mia glued her face to the screen, squinting at all those zeros. “One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand…” 

“Aurelia, I can’t even count that high! Just read it out for me!” Mia complained. 

“Bottom line? Our company is effortlessly raking in one million dollars a day,” Aurelia said with a grin. 

Mia was practically jumping for joy. “Looks like I’m getting rich overnight, too! Just wait till I get my bonus. I’m taking you to the fanciest auction and we’ll live it up, Aurelia!” 

See? The best thing about having a bestie was hyping each other up with wild dreams. 

Aurelia laughed. “Alright, I’ll be waiting.” 

After the call, Aurelia was planning to head over to Ascend Group. 

InquireMind was gearing up to upgrade their new model soon, and they needed Ascend Group to back them up with some extra support. 

When Aurelia called over, it was the deputy general manager who always had the juiciest gossip that picked 

1. up. 

“Not today,” the deputy replied on the phone, sounding firm. 

“What about tomorrow?” Aurelia asked. 

“Not this week. Ms. Rowe and Mr. Locke are overseas right now, scouting out the perfect spot for their engagement. They’re not even in Ashmont, and I can’t make decisions like that without them,” the deputy explained. 

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