Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 198

Chapter 198 

Even with what she’d said, Alina couldn’t help feeling anxious. 

The main issue was that Benjamin was already drafting his will, and there were too many uncertainties here. 

Even though Cassian had made it clear he’d stick with his engagement to Tessa, no one knew if things would change before the plan even got off the ground. 

Just to be safe, while Tessa was resting, Alina slipped outside to make a call. 

“Are you going to step in or not?” Alina pressed. 

“Come on, she’s your daughter.” 

“And there’s someone named Aurelia. She’s always making trouble for Tessa. Isn’t she handling that port renovation project with the government? See if you can trip her up a bit. Don’t let things go too smoothly for her.” 

Just as Aurelia stepped out of a meeting, Miranda hurried into her office. “Mr. Quinn from EverMass Group is here again.” 

Aurelia shot her a quick look. 

Miranda quickly added, “I sent him away.” 

Aurelia looked away, opened her laptop, and got back to work. 

“How long do you think he’ll stick it out this time?” Miranda asked. 

“No idea,” Aurelia replied, not even bothering to look up. She didn’t have time to waste on guessing about something so pointless. 

Miranda was curious though. “I bet he won’t make it past three tries.” 

Aurelia kept typing, not even glancing up. “Maybe not.” 

EverMass Group’s situation wasn’t looking good right now. 

It all depended on Jasper’s conscience. 

Miranda had barely been gone five minutes before she rushed back in. “Aurelia, Mr. Ackerley from Evergreen Group is here.” 

Aurelia paused mid–typing, her brows knitting. “What is he doing here?” 

“He says he wants to talk business,” Miranda reported. 

Aurelia was quite surprised by that answer. 

Kyler had shot her down every time they’d had a chance to work together before. 

Now he was the one reaching out. 

‘Does he really think Regal Investment is like a grocery store, where he can just pick and choose whatever he wants?‘ Aurelia thought to herself. 

‘Does he think there’s no threshold to entry here?‘ she sneered inwardly. 

Without a second thought, Aurelia told Miranda, “Turn him down.” 

“Got it!” Miranda replied. 

She clearly told Kyler what Aurelia decided. 

Kyler’s face turned cold in an instant. After a brief silence, he asked Miranda, “Did you tell Ms. Corin I’m the Executive President of Evergreen Group?” 

Miranda smiled politely, but it was a little fake, “I made it very clear, Mr. Ackerley. I even emphasized your position as Executive President of Evergreen Group.” 

Kyler was already annoyed, and now even a lowly secretary was giving him attitude. His irritation only deepened. 

He’d come here himself, already showing as much sincerity as possible. 

But Aurelia didn’t care about courtesy at all and just made him look bad. 

‘Just as I thought. She really is small–minded,‘ Kyler fumed inwardly. 

‘She always drags her personal grudges into business,‘ he scoffed to himself. 

On top of that, Murel had made it clear. He had to go straight to Aurelia. 

Given Aurelia’s attitude, there was no way he could negotiate. 

If this had been before, Kyler would’ve turned around and walked out without a second thought. 

He had his pride. 

But now, if he didn’t talk to Aurelia about a partnership, it would mean giving up on the MegaTech acquisition. 

And Evergreen Group would never be able to break into the tech industry or make the transition it needed. 

Just thinking about it made Kyler’s face darken even more. 

As soon as Kyler left, Aurelia got a call from Murel. 

He was straight with her, saying Kyler had approached him over the past couple of days. 

Aurelia wasn’t surprised. 

After all, someone as talented as Murel was always in high demand. 

She’d already braced herself for the possibility that Murel might pick someone else. 

But now, it was clear where Murel stood. 

She finally felt like she had a handle on things. 

Mia called Aurelia to invite her out for dinner, saying she’d already made a reservation and told her to just come straight over. 

When Aurelia arrived, she found out Mia had invited someone else too. 

Wade stood up with a gentlemanly smile, greeted Aurelia, and pulled out a chair for her. 

Aurelia shot Mia a probing look. 

Mia, clearly feeling guilty, kept her head down and focused on her food. 

Wade took the initiative to explain, “Ms. Turner said she’s not really familiar with Ashmont, and since you’ve been so busy, she called me to ask about places worth checking out. I was free, so I thought I’d join you guys.” 

Aurelia sat down calmly, gave Mia a look, seeing her squirm in her seat, and asked, “You don’t know Ashmont? Did you waste four years of college here or something?” 

Even after Aurelia called her out, Mia didn’t lose her cool. 

After all, she was an actress. She could handle this kind of scene with ease. 

“I’ve been working out of town ever since graduation, so I haven’t been back in ages. Plus, with people like Mr. Lautner making things happen, Ashmont’s changing so fast it’s like a whole new city every day. I barely recognize the place anymore,” Mia shrugged. 

Aurelia just shook her head. 

Wade and Mia had already ordered ahead, so as soon as Aurelia arrived, Wade waved the waiter over to start serving the food. 

The dishes were all on the lighter side, and most of them were Aurelia’s favorites. 

Mia grinned like a proud aunt. “When Mr. Lautner was ordering, he asked me what you liked, so I told him. He was so thoughtful about you, but didn’t even bother to ask what I like.” 

Wade looked a bit embarrassed and quickly slid the menu over to Mia, letting her pick something for herself. 

“No worries, I’m fine with just third–wheeling here. I’m not picky,” Mia joked. 

Aurelia kicked her under the table. 

Mia let out a dramatic yelp. 

Aurelia thought she might’ve hit Mia’s sprained ankle, but Mia just flashed a cheeky grin, clearly faking it. Aurelia could only roll her eyes. There was no dealing with her. 

While they were eating, Wade kept trying to chat with Aurelia, but the conversation was all about business. 

Mia’s head was spinning from all the work talk. 

‘Can’t we just eat in peace for once?‘ Mia complained inwardly. 

‘Seriously, how are they supposed to catch feelings like this? No wonder he’s still single,‘ she thought. 

Since Wade was picking up the tab, Mia decided to help him out a little and kept piling food onto Aurelia’s plate. “Girl, eat more! You’ve gotten so skinny since your breakup.” 

Wade paused, glancing at Aurelia. 

Aurelia shot Mia a look, telling her to stop blabbing. 

But Mia just couldn’t help herself, oversharing like crazy. “Mr. Lautner, you have no idea. My bestie is hopelessly devoted. She was with her first love for seven years, only broke up last year, and now she’s basically sworn off dating. Even when someone confesses to her, she won’t give them a chance.” 

Wade honestly hadn’t known much about Aurelia’s past, but after hearing Mia spill all that, he finally got why she kept turning him down. 

“So, why did you guys break up?” Wade couldn’t help but ask. 

He knew he was being a little forward, but he really wanted to know the truth. 

Only then could he figure out what to do next. 

“Some other woman got between them!” Mia spat out, practically grinding her teeth. 

“Eat 

your chicken wings, your favorite, so you stop talking,” Aurelia said, trying to stuff Mia’s mouth. 

But even with chicken wings in her mouth, Mia didn’t miss a beat. “But that woman finally got what she deserved! She’s all over the news now.” 

“The news?” Wade looked at her, puzzled. 

“Yeah, you guys keep up with the news, right? That whole mountain–blasting scandal in Weston? The other woman in that story is her!” Mia blurted out. 

Wade, quick on the uptake, immediately put two and two together, 

‘So Aurelia’s ex is Mr. Locke from Honoria Capital?‘ Wade thought, surprised. 

‘And Tessa was the one who interfered in the relationship Aurelia had kept for seven years?‘ 

It was really surprising. 

‘So if Tessa messed with Aurelia’s relationship last year, why did she end up on a blind date with me?‘ Wade was seriously confused.