Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 193

Chapter 193 

Jasper stood there, dumbfounded, even after Aurelia had vanished from sight. 

‘Did she really just walk away like that?‘ he wondered, stunned. ‘Not even a glance back?‘ 

‘Why is this different from the plot I imagined?‘ 

A 68 vouchers 

“Come on,” Cassian said, pressing the button to stop the elevator doors from closing as he called out to Jasper. 

Jasper finally snapped out of it and jogged after him. 

Inside the elevator, Jasper couldn’t help but ask, “Cassian, how come you’re not going with Tessa to the Dreamscape launch in Weston this time?” 

Cassian stayed cool as ever. “She needs to learn how to handle things on her own.” 

“Damn, Cassian, you’re seriously boyfriend goals!” Jasper said, looking like he was totally shipping them. 

He couldn’t help but sigh, “Honestly, you gotta love someone as much as you two do to actually make it to marriage!” 

Cassian clearly wasn’t focused on that. Instead, he asked Jasper, “What’s Gideon been up to lately?” 

“I don’t know. Ever since he got back, he’s been a total ghost. Every time I try to hit him up, he says he’s busy. Seriously, who knows what he’s up to,” Jasper grumbled, already fed up with it. 

Jasper added, rolling his eyes, “Liam is just as bad. He’s never around these days.” 

“Let’s get the guys together tonight,” Cassian suddenly suggested. “We’ll hit up some drinks.” 

Jasper perked up instantly. “I’m in!” 

He added, “Actually, why not this afternoon? Tessa’s launch is at four, right? We can hang out and raise a glass for her from here!” 

“Up to you,” Cassian shrugged, totally chill about it. 

Jasper wasted no time. He jumped right into action, insisting that no one was allowed to bail. 

If anyone tried to skip out, he swore he’d bug them every single day. 

***** 

After visiting Murel, Aurelia headed straight back to the office. 

She had a meeting in the morning, and in the afternoon, she hopped on a video call with Arturo to catch up on work progress. 

Arturo said he was in Weston right now and had just returned from a local monkey village. He’d learned a lot 

o youche 

there. 

Aurelia replied, “That’s great to hear.” 

Arturo hesitated for a moment, like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he kept it to himself. 

Aurelia asked, “Are you having any trouble?” 

“I ran into Ewan in Weston,” Arturo finally decided to be upfront with Aurelia. 

“I know. Dreamscape is officially launching today, and they’re hosting an in–person event in Weston,” Aurelia replied. 

“Yeah, the event is pretty grand,” Arturo said. 

Aurelia already knew all this. 

Besides, Cassian was always willing to spend big on Tessa’s projects. 

“Do you regret it?” Aurelia asked. 

After all, Honoria Capital was a giant. Having them in the corner made everything so much easier. 

Arturo shook his head immediately. “No. What I mean is, the plot in the later stages of Dreamscape has some big problems.” 

“Honestly, I’ve been keeping tabs on Dreamscape this whole time. I really wanted it to go places, since I poured a lot of my heart into it,” he added. 

“But now… honestly, it looks like Dreamscape is probably headed for a mess,” Arturo admitted, clearly bummed out. 

But just like Aurelia said, putting off the ending wouldn’t change what happened in the end. 

Once he’d let go, there was no way he was ever going back. 

“Let’s just do our own thing,” Aurelia said. 

Before the video call wrapped up, Aurelia told Arturo that once he got back to Ashmont, he could start setting up his own studio. 

Arturo instantly perked up. All that stress just melted away. It was lunchtime anyway, so he grabbed his assistant and headed out to treat themselves to a feast in celebration. 

Just as they were digging into their feast, Ewan’s name popped up on Arturo’s phone. 

Arturo didn’t even bother picking up. He already knew exactly why Ewan was calling. 

Ewan shot him a message right after, totally gloating and full of himself. 

Ewan texted, [Hey Arturo, did you see that? I did it!] 

Ewan followed up, [What’s wrong, scared to answer my call now?] 

[Since we’ve been friends for years, I’m giving you one last chance. Come back to Alpite Group and work for me. You know I’ve always appreciated your talent.] Ewan bragged. 

Ewan kept typing, still trying to get a word in. 

Arturo just blocked him and dug into his meal without a care in the world. 

Ewan’s message didn’t go through, and his face turned cold. He let out a scornful snort. “Whatever, suit yourself! You’ll always be broke and pathetic!” 

Meanwhile, Tessa called him over, saying the event was about to start. 

Ewan hurried over, hunched and all eager. “Ms. Rowe, why don’t you announce the official start?” 

Tessa smiled. “You’re the founder. You should do it.” 

Ewan kept waving his hands. “No, no, no! Dreamscape is only where it is today because of you, Ms. Rowe. You should be the one to kick things off.” 

“Okay, I’ll take it from here,” Tessa said with a smile. 

Just before the host announced the official start of the event, Tessa got a video call from Jasper. 

When she picked up and saw everyone on the screen, her mood instantly lifted. 

Jasper grinned, “Tessa, we’ve got a little gathering going on in Ashmont, just for you! We’re celebrating from afar to make up for not being there in person.” 

“Tell everyone thanks for me,” Tessa said with a smile. 

“Don’t mention it, this was all Cassian’s idea!” Jasper said, making sure Cassian was front and center on camera. “Right, Cassian?” 

Cassian lifted his glass toward the camera as a virtual cheer. 

Tessa’s gaze was gentle. “Thanks, I appreciate it.” 

Jasper egged them on, “Oh, is Cassian too embarrassed to get all cheesy with us here? Fine, fine, save the sweet talk for when you two are alone. We’ll stay out of it.” 

Tessa grinned, “Alright, I’ve got to go. The event’s about to start. Talk soon!” 

“Go for it!” 

Right before hanging up, Jasper called out, putting his whole heart into it, “Tessa, you make us proud!” 

Tessa couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. 

The host was already calling her up to the stage. 

She paused for a second, then sent Cassian a message. 

[Cassian, I’ll make you proud.] 

Cassian had chosen her without a second thought. There was no way she was going to let him down. 

Just before putting her phone down, she saw a congratulatory message from Kyler. 

Tessa didn’t reply. 

With confidence and composure, she walked up to the launch platform. With all eyes on her, she pressed the 

button. 

Tens of thousands of fireworks burst into the sky over Weston. Watching the colorful bursts spiral upward, Tessa felt a rush of pride and accomplishment. 

Alina called to congratulate Tessa on leveling up. 

But she also gave Tessa a friendly reminder, “Don’t get too cocky and lose sight of your real goal.” 

Tessa laughed, “No worries, I haven’t forgotten. Once I wrap up the event and get back, I’ll talk to Cassian about it right away. With Dreamscape as my leverage, there’s no way Mr. Locke can brush me off now.” 

Alina was totally on the same page. 

Both Tessa and Alina still felt that Benjamin just wasn’t impressed with Tessa, all because she hadn’t really proved herself since she came back. 

That was exactly why Tessa was determined to win this time. 

She wanted Benjamin to finally be blown away and see her for who she really was. 

Back when she was feeling low, she’d settled for just having Cassian’s support. As long as he believed in her, that was enough. 

She figured it didn’t matter if Benjamin didn’t accept her. Once everything was settled, it wouldn’t make a difference. 

In time, Benjamin would have to come around. 

But lately, when Alina was sending out invites to all the ladies from the big families, they all acted super happy for her on the surface. 

But behind her back, they were whispering and saying Tessa might never get Benjamin to acknowledge her. 

Some even said that if Benjamin didn’t make it official, Tessa’s status would be just as awkward as being the other woman.