Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 177

Chapter 177 

Cassian listened, looking indifferent, clearly not interested. 

That was right. 

Cassian had never cared about Aurelia. 

Now that he had Tessa, he was even more distant toward Aurelia. He couldn’t care less about her now. 

After they broke up, they still crossed paths and interacted quite a bit. 

But every time, they were both calm and distant. 

It was like they were total strangers, as if those seven years together had never even happened. 

Jasper could see why Cassian was acting so cold. 

After all, Cassian’d always kept Aurelia at arm’s length and never really paid her any mind. 

So it was no surprise he was not bothered now that they’d split. 

But Jasper just couldn’t figure Aurelia out. 

He wondered, ‘How does she manage to stay so calm? 

‘And she never even made a scene, not once!‘ 

Tessa figured Mandy would just greet Aurelia out of courtesy, nothing more. 

After all, Aurelia was a business partner, so keeping up appearances was a must. 

Tessa planned to mention her mom when Mandy came over, passing along her regards. 

She was hoping to build a little rapport. 

After all, Alina usually got along well with these ladies, so Mandy tended to look out for her a bit more. 

Later, she’d look for a chance to warn Mandy to be wary of Aurelia. 

She wanted to make sure Mandy completely gave up on the idea of Aurelia and Liam ever becoming a thing. 

But to her surprise, after greeting Aurelia, Mandy sat down right next to Aurelia. 

Mandy kept holding Aurelia’s hand, and one could tell just by looking that she was really into her. 

It totally had that vibe of a future mother–in–law sizing up her future daughter–in–law, just like Jasper said. 

And Mandy looked super satisfied with Aurelia. 

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When Tessa realized what was happening, her expression darkened in an instant 

Jasper leaned in and whispered to Liam, “What’s up with your mother? 

Liam gave a resigned look, but one could hear the fondness in his voice “She’s really into Aurelia. Sheet wants to chat and get close to her You know, get a head start before anything official” 

Jasper was puzzled. “Why bother getting to know her ahead of time?” 

Liam flashed a grin, looking pretty pleased. “So things go smoother between them later, obviously 

Before Jasper could ask any more questions, another important guest arrived, and Liam went off to greet 

them. 

Jasper was left there, completely dumbfounded. 

Tessa overheard every single word they said, and her expression turned even uglier. 

Cassian was the only one who noticed her sour expression and asked, a hint of concern in his voice, “Are you feeling sick?” 

Tessa managed a strained smile. “No, it’s nothing. Let’s just go back to our scats.” 

She didn’t want to see Aurelia right now. 

The launch event was a huge success. Everything went off without a hitch. With InquireMind now integrated, Nietzki Corp’s self–driving cars achieved unprecedented results, instantly dominating the entire industry. 

Nietzki Corp’s stock price went wild, hitting the upper limit eighteen times in a single day. 

That kind of thing had never happened before! 

Before the event was even over, people were already approaching Aurelia to discuss potential partnerships. 

Mandy was even helping Aurelia network, personally introducing her around. 

Liam was riding high after the big win, sending out invites to all his friends and family for the evening’s celebration party. 

Naturally, Aurelia was invited as well. 

Even if Liam hadn’t said a word about it, Mandy had already made up her mind to have Aurelia there. 

Mandy really liked Aurelia, who was beautiful and smart. 

Aurelia had a unique perspective and was always so articulate and composed. 

Mandy found herself liking Aurelia more and more, to the point where she wondered if her son was even worthy of such a girl. 

The celebration party was held at the largest hotel in Ashmont, and the whole affair was incredibly lavish and 

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formal. 

P: 

Aurelia was supposed to sit with the other business partners, but Mandy made sure she was right by her side. 

That move definitely caught people’s attention. Everyone started wondering about Aurelia’s real status. 

Anyone with half a brain could tell what was going on. 

Mandy had clearly taken a real liking to Aurelia. 

When Liam walked over and saw the two empty seats next to Jasper, he casually asked, “Hey, where’d Cassian and Tessa go?” 

“Tessa wasn’t feeling too great, so Cassian took her home to rest. He told me to pass the word,” Jasper replied, half–joking like he was their official messenger. 

Liam just said, “Oh,” and didn’t press for details. 

Breon, sitting nearby, couldn’t help but joke, “Mr. Locke treats Ms. Rowe like she’s his most precious treasure. Honestly, I bet he wishes he could just keep her attached to his hip and never let her out of his sight.” 

Everyone at the table cracked up at that. 

Liam laughed, “Yeah, those two have always had a great relationship. They’re getting engaged soon, aren’t they?” 

He paused, then asked Jasper, “So, how much longer until their engagement?” 

“One month,” Jasper said. 

Liam shrugged. “That’s still kind of a long wait.” 

“Honestly, that’s already pretty quick,” Jasper replied. “With Cassian’s status, engagements are usually a huge hassle. He’s skipped a bunch of the usual formalities just so he can make it official with Tessa as soon as possible.” 

Liam still insisted, “Honestly, that’s way too long.” 

He was dying for those two to just get engaged tomorrow. 

Jasper looked at him, confused. “Why are you more eager about this than Cassian himself?” 

Liam just let the question slide. 

Just then, Mandy waved him over. “Liam, come sit here.” 

She’d made sure to reserve the seat right next to Aurelia for Liam. Obviously, she was trying to give them a chance to get a little closer. 

Breon spotted it and leaned over to Jasper, eager to spill some juicy gossip he’d heard before. 

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“Mrs. Porter is definitely into Aurelia,” Breon whispered. “I heard from some folks at the chamber of commerce that the very first time Mr. Porter met Aurelia, he was already asking if she was single, trying to play matchmaker and set her up with Liam, his son. I thought it was just gossip, but turns out it’s actually 

true!” 

Jasper was so shocked his jaw nearly hit the floor. 

He thought, ‘Wait, seriously? 

‘Liam never said a word about this! 

‘Man, Liam really knows how to keep a secret! 

‘Holy crap, this is way too juicy to keep to myself. I gotta let the crew in on this.’ 

Jasper pasted Breon’s exact words straight into the group chat, @Liam, and put him on blast, demanding he explain himself to everyone. 

Liam was way too busy trying to get closer to Aurelia to even bother checking his phone. 

The group chat was dead silent. Nobody even bothered to reply. 

Jasper figured everyone was probably busy and not in the mood for gossip, so he sheepishly put his phone away and just focused on the party instead. 

Actually, Tessa caught every bit of the gossip flying around in the group chat. 

Her mood was as black as ever. Even after she got home, she was still fuming. 

Alina was busy painting her nails when Tessa walked in. She looked up with a sly grin, clearly hoping for some drama. “So, did Mrs. Porter give Aurelia the cold shoulder today?” 

Tessa’s face was stormy, and her voice was sharp. “Don’t even get me started.” 

“What’s up?” Alina picked up Tessa’s sour mood, paused her nail painting, and frowned. “Spill it. What happened?” 

Tessa didn’t hold back and filled Alina in on all the drama she’d witnessed today. 

Alina was stunned. “Seriously? Does Mrs. Porter even know Aurelia’s background? And does she know that she and Cassian used to be a thing?” 

“Probably,” Tessa said. 

It was not some big secret. Mandy could easily look it up if she wanted. 

Alina was even more baffled. “Seriously? She knows all that, and she’s still okay with it?” 

That was exactly what was bothering Tessa. 

She just couldn’t figure out why Liam and his family were so taken with Aurelia.