Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 186

Posted by Adminj, ? Views, Released on December 25, 2025

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Chapter 186

It wasn’t an official ranking, but honestly, it was almost the same as the real thing.

Still, the three of them reined themselves in and let the topic drop.

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The next morning, as soon as Aurelia stepped into the office, Miranda showed up with a mini cake and a bunch of fresh flowers to celebrate.

Aurelia looked at her and asked, “What’s this for?”

“For topping the list as Ashmont’s richest woman!” Miranda said with a big grin.

“It’s just some unofficial ranking,” Aurelia replied.

“Unofficial or not, it’s still a ranking. That’s worth celebrating. Come on, have a taste of the cake I baked myself,” Miranda insisted.

The cake looked super delicate. She could tell Miranda had really put her heart into it.

Aurelia picked up her fork and took a bite, her face going still for a moment.

‘This taste is so familiar, Aurelia thought to herself.

Seeing Aurelia zone out, Miranda asked nervously, “What’s wrong? Is it not good?”

“No, it’s actually good, sweet but not overwhelming,” Aurelia praised.

Miranda beamed, “Totally worth it!”

Between the delicious cake and the gorgeous flowers, Aurelia was in high spirits all morning.

That afternoon, when Murel arrived in Ashmont, Aurelia went to pick him up herself.

As soon as Murel got in the car, he couldn’t wait to tell Aurelia something.

“I just got word five minutes ago. Mr. Locke is drafting the share transfer agreement for Ascend Group. He’s planning to hand it over to Tessa,” Murel said.

He added, “And get this. It’s a free transfer. In other words, he’s just giving it away.”

‘So he’s really started giving away companies now, Aurelia thought, a mix of surprise and resignation.

She told herself, ‘And it’s not just any company, but the crown jewel, the most profitable core business under Honoria Capital.

Aurelia was caught off guard, but at the same time, not really.

After all, she’d said before that even if Cassian handed Honoria Capital over to Tessa one day, she wouldn’t be fazed.

14:54 Thu, Dec 25 M…

Chapter 186

Giving away Ascend Group was the same as handing over Honoria Capital itself.

Aurelia didn’t really care either way.

But Murel had plenty to say about it.

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She almost forgot that Murel had left Ascend Group in a fit of frustration after he and Tessa couldn’t see eye

to eye.

So, Murel kept griping about it the whole way.

“Sometimes, I seriously wonder if Mr. Locke’s lost it. He used to be so calm and rational, and he’s acting out of character lately. It’s honestly hard to accept,” Murel complained.

“He’s totally gone off the deep end. Ms. Corin, you have no idea. After Ms. Rowe took over Ascend Group, she started bringing in her relatives left and right. I talked to Mr. Locke about it, but he just let it slide and kept indulging her!” Murel continued.

“Well, I could still ignore that. None of them were in key technical positions, so it didn’t mess with the company. However, one of Ms. Rowe’s cousins started pocketing kickbacks on materials. He even took bribes and swapped out our trusted suppliers for shady ones!” Murel fumed.

“You know how it is. It’s not just our cutting–edge tech that keeps us ahead, but it’s also the top–notch materials we use. It costs more, but our quality is what makes us stand out in the industry. What he did was basically wreck everything we’d built,” Murel said.

“I tried to reason with Ms. Rowe, but she barely said anything to him, just a light scolding, no real consequences at all! I was so mad and got into a fight with her. Then Mr. Locke came over and told me to let it slide. That was the last straw. I quit right then and there!” Murel said.

“I just couldn’t stomach it anymore. A few of my buddies who’d been grinding with me all these years left with me, too. Honestly, over the past few months, I’ve been totally burned out and lost all my motivation. I even thought about just slacking off, but then I’d feel like I was letting my old friends down. I felt really torn inside,” Murel admitted.

“Honestly, if you hadn’t come along, I don’t know where I’d be,” Murel added.

Aurelia invited Murel out to dinner, planning to catch up and chat over a meal.

She chose Mandy’s restaurant, which Mandy had mentioned at the press conference, so Aurelia wanted to show her support by dining there.

To their surprise, when they arrived at the restaurant, they found someone was hosting a victory dinner there.

It was a small gathering, so there were still seats available, but all the private dining rooms had already been

booked.

Aurelia asked Murel if he was okay with that, saying they could always pick another place if he preferred.

Murel said it was no problem at all.

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Chapter 186

…

Just as they sat down, a group of people came in through the entrance.

They must be there for the victory dinner.

Aurelia didn’t pay them any attention and just focused on the menu, deciding what to order.

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Alina was busy greeting the other ladies when she looked up and spotted Aurelia sitting at the most noticeable table in the main hall. She instantly frowned.

She called over a waiter, gave him a few instructions, then led her group into a private room.

Just as Aurelia finished ordering, the manager came over looking apologetic. “Sorry, but there was a mix–up with the reservations. Turns out all our tables are booked.”

“Guess we’ll just go somewhere else,” Aurelia said, and she and Murel got up to leave.

Just as they reached the entrance, they ran into Mandy.

Mandy was the first to spot Aurelia, her face lighting up as she called out, “Ms. Corin, you came for dinner?”

“Mrs. Porter,” Aurelia greeted her, then explained, “I wanted to show you some support and check out your place, but it looks like there aren’t any tables available. I’ll have to come back next time.”

“There should be some tables open at this hour. It’s not even the weekend or a holiday,” Mandy said, looking confused. She immediately called the manager and asked about what had happened.

Whatever the manager said, Mandy’s face changed.

But when she turned back to Aurelia, she put on her usual friendly smile. “The manager messed up. There are seats available. I’ll get you your own private room.”

‘What a rollercoaster,‘ Aurelia thought to herself.

If it weren’t for Mandy, Aurelia honestly wouldn’t have come back at all.

Mandy walked Aurelia back into the restaurant herself and set her up in her exclusive private room.

She even told the staff personally to put tonight’s meal on her account.

Aurelia quickly tried to refuse.

But Mandy was insistent, taking Aurelia’s hand and saying, “Let me make it up to you. This meal is my way of apologizing. The staff overstepped, so let me set things right, okay?”

Seeing that Aurelia was still a bit embarrassed, Mandy smiled and said, “If you really feel bad, just come back and show your support next time. I’ll upgrade you to VIP status. You can drop by whenever you want, and there’ll always be a spot reserved just for you.”