Chapter 239
81
65 vouchers
Breon felt a bit awkward after hearing that, and he finally realized why Aurelia had seemed so unfazed at the time.
Everyone else in the room had their own reactions.
But regardless of everything, they were still backing Tessa up.
Even though she’d caused a lot of negative buzz lately and several of her projects had hit the skids.
As long as Cassian was still willing to have her back, they could just turn a blind eye.
Even Louis, who’d bailed on them twice before, actually showed up this time.
That was why Breon had sighed and said Cassian was just too good to Tessa.
Honestly, there was nothing to argue with that.
That kind of trust and support was something none of the other bosses in the room could really pull off.
Tessa didn’t even bat an eye at Louis’s past no–shows. She welcomed him warmly, like nothing had ever happened.
She made it clear to everyone that as long as Cassian was backing her up, Tessa was never going down, no matter what.
Tessa raised her glass, playing the perfect hostess as she welcomed everyone to the party.
Almost everyone who mattered in Ashmont’s business world was here, and word about the party spread like wildfire.
Before long, Aurelia spotted photos from the dinner on someone’s Instagram.
They even coined a name for their sacred supper. “The Tessa–and–Cassian Culinary Covenant.
The “Tessa” part was for Tessa herself.
Before Aurelia logged out of WhatsApp, she noticed Cassian had given the post a like.
It looked like he was pretty pleased with their ship name.
Good thing she’d added him on WhatsApp for something later and never unfriended him. Otherwise, she would’ve missed out on all this juicy drama.
She just smiled to herself, looking genuinely pleased.
Wade noticed and asked curiously, “What’s got you so happy?”
“Nothing,” Aurelia replied.
She couldn’t exactly tell him she was shipping her ex and his new girl, could she?
Wade, ever the gentleman, didn’t pry. Instead, he started sharing some hilarious stories from his field visit last week.
His animated storytelling had Aurelia cracking up all over again.
The whole meal was a blast.
Mandy was doing her usual rounds at the restaurant when she saw Aurelia and was just about to head over to say
But then she noticed a young man sitting across from Aurelia and froze mid–step.
hello.
10:35 Thu, Jan 1 Mej •
Chapter 239
Without missing a beat, she dialed up Liam.
81
55 Vouche
Liam was in the middle of a meeting when he picked up. He kept it short and sweet. “Mom, I’m busy. Can we talk later?”
Mandy snorted. “Wait too long, and you’ll be at Aurelia’s wedding reception!”
Liam was like, “Huh?!”
He stepped out of the workshop and found a quiet spot to call his mom back. “What are you talking about? Wedding? Is Aurelia getting married?”
“If you don’t make a move soon, you’ll be stuck attending Aurelia’s wedding as a guest!” Mandy teased.
Liam felt a wave of relief wash over him. “Mom, you nearly gave me a heart attack! What’s actually going on?”
“I just sent you the details on WhatsApp. Go check it yourself,” Mandy replied.
She hung up, blunt as ever.
Liam quickly opened WhatsApp and saw the photo his mom had sent.
Honestly, the picture was so good. It looked straight out of a drama.
Even he couldn’t help but think they looked just like a couple.
Liam mulled it over for a while, then sent a message in their small group chat, mentioning Cassian for good measure.
He asked: [Did Aurelia and Wade get together or something?]
To his surprise, the first reply came from Gideon, the group’s resident lurker.
Gideon said: [Probably just talking shop.]
Then Jasper popped up: [Not gonna lie, it looks like more than just business. But hey, even if they are together, it’s fair game. Everyone’s single anyway.]
Cassian was the last to reply: [Yeah, whatever.]
His laid–back response had everyone else in the group quietly sighing.
‘Cassian really couldn’t care less about Aurelia,‘ they all thought.
It was as if there’d never been anything between them at all.
Tessa, who’d been silent until Cassian finally spoke up in the chat, casually dropped a message: [It’s been ages since we all got together. Let’s catch up in Ashmont when everyone’s back.]
Jasper was the first to respond. [Sure! I’m always free!]
Liam and Gideon, out of courtesy, just sent a quick “Sure.”
After that, Tessa messaged Jasper privately, asking if he wanted in on the high–temp superconductor venture.
Jasper, who usually jumped in without a second thought, was actually hesitating this time.
“Tessa, I really do want to invest, but you know how it is. I don’t have much pull at EverMass. It’s not really up to me,” he
admitted.
Tessa’s eyes dimmed a little. She leaned in, reminding him as a friend, “Don’t forget, EverMass is run by the Marricks, not
Chapter 239
the Corins.”
P
81
E55 vouchers
As soon as there was any progress on the merger, Aurelia immediately called Zofia to give her an update.
But this time, it was Darren who picked up.
Darren told Aurelia that Zofia was in the hospital.
Aurelia’s heart sank instantly.
“You probably know a bit about her situation, right?” Darren asked.
Aurelia’s voice was subdued. “She said it was breast cancer.”
“Not exactly. She’s got a serious heart condition. She’s not even a candidate for surgery,” Darren explained.
Aurelia froze for a second.
‘So that’s why Zofia said her time was running out,’ Aurelia realized.
Aurelia wanted to say something, maybe comfort him or maybe just cheer him up a little.
But in the end, the words just got stuck in her throat. Not a single word came out.
“MegaTech is the last thing she cares about. I’m counting on you, Aurelia,” Darren said seriously.
Aurelia’s voice was barely above a whisper as she replied, “Okay.”
She was still reeling from the call and couldn’t shake it off for quite a while.
It wasn’t until Mia came back that she finally snapped out of it.
She hadn’t set foot in the house for three whole days.
Mia, feeling guilty, slipped in quietly.
Aurelia was sitting alone on the balcony, enjoying the breeze, so she hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights.
1
Mia figured Aurelia was already asleep and pressed a hand to her chest in relief.
Just as she was about to head inside, Aurelia’s voice suddenly cut through the darkness. “Spill it. Where have you been sneaking off to?”
“Oh my god, you scared the crap out of me!” Mia yelped, jumping out of her skin.
She was already feeling guilty and on edge, so when Aurelia suddenly spoke up, it nearly gave her a heart attack.
Aurelia flipped on the lights, fixing Mia with a piercing stare.
The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.
The longer Aurelia stared, the more guilty Mia felt.
Her head was practically buried in her shoulders, but she refused to budge. “I wasn’t out partying, okay? I was at the temple in Plum Hills with the old lady next door, praying for good luck.”
“The old lady next door? Since when did you have a grandma I never heard about?” Aurelia shot her a suspicious look.
10:36 Thu, Jan
Chapter 239
“She’s my neighbor’s grandma,” Mia explained quickly.
She wasn’t making it up. They really were neighbors back then.
281
56 vouchers
Το prove
she wasn’t making it up, Mia whipped out the protection charm she’d gotten and waved it at Aurelia. “Look, I even got one for you!”
The charm looked super familiar. Aurelia already had one stashed in her car.
Mia looked all pitiful and dramatic. “Seriously, my knees are practically raw from getting this charm, and you don’t even feel sony for me! Instead, you’re over here interrogating me like I’m some kind of criminal!”
Aurelia didn’t answer. She just headed off without another word.
“Where are you going? You’re just going to ignore me now?” Mia whined after her.
“Getting the first aid kit!” Aurelia replied.
“Oh.” Mia instantly brightened up and sprawled on the couch, waiting for Aurelia to play nurse and take care of her wounds.
As Aurelia gently cleaned the wounds on Mia’s knees, Mia kept hissing and whining, “Easy! That hurts!”
“Seriously, what were you thinking? Who kneels on 99 steps for a lucky charm in this season? Are you trying to wreck your knees or something?” Aurelia shot back.
Mia blinked in surprise. “Wait, how did you know it was 99 steps?”
Aurelia went quiet.
Mia finally caught on and started cursing. “That bastard Cassian! He really is the worst!”
Aurelia told her to switch legs, but then she noticed some suspicious marks near Mia’s inner thigh. “What’s with these red marks on your leg?”
AD
