Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 294

Chapter 294 

“What’s up?” Cassian asked, his voice casual and laid–back, clearly in a good mood. 

Aurelia got straight to the point. “Mr. Locke, did you buy a painting at Vestry’s?” 

Cassian hesitated, then asked, “Which one?” 

From the way he said it; it sounded like he’d bought quite a few. 

“The Thousand Miles Landscape.” Aurelia said the name. 

Then, Cassian said, “Hold on a second.” 

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After about half a minute, Cassian finally replied, “Yeah, I have that one. Why, you got your eye on it too?” 

“Yeah, Mr. Locke, would you be willing to let it go? I’ll pay you what you paid for it,” Aurelia said. 

Cassian didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, “Are you planning to give it to Professor Horton as your apprenticeship gift?” 

“Yes,” Aurelia replied. 

“I’ll figure out a way to get it back to you,” Cassian said. 

Aurelia was just about to ask how much he wanted for it so she could transfer him the money, but Cassian hung up before she could say anything. 

Since she had no other way, Aurelia shot Cassian a message on WhatsApp, asking him what he wanted for the painting. 

However, Cassian didn’t text back. 

All that time, Aurelia kept checking her phone every hour, waiting for his reply. 

Still, Cassian never replied. 

It wasn’t until the next afternoon, right after Aurelia finished a meeting, that her phone finally lit from Cassian. 

“Are you at the office?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” Aurelia replied. 

“Come downstairs,” Cassian said, then hung up before she could say anything else. 

With no other choice, Aurelia hurried downstairs and spotted Cassian’s car parked by the curb. 

He’d pulled over with the hazard lights flashing, clearly just stopping for a moment. 

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As soon as he saw Aurelia, he rolled down the window and handed her the scroll. “Here’s your painting.” 

“Thanks. Just tell me how much and I’ll send it right…” Aurelia began. But before she could finish, a taxi behind them blared its horn, cutting her off. 

Cassian had no choice but to tell the driver, “Let’s go.” 

With no other choice, Aurelia sent Cassian another message on WhatsApp: [How much for the painting? I’ll transfer it to you.] 

But even by the time she went to bed that night, there was still no reply from Cassian. 

She finally just called him herself, but this time, the call rang out and disconnected; Cassian never answered 

He wasn’t answering her calls or texts. It was obvious he was avoiding her on purpose. 

‘Is he trying to get me to owe him one, so I’ll have to cut Tessa some slack?‘ Aurelia thought. 

She called up her auctioneer friend and asked her to find out how much the painting sold for. 

It was 30 million dollars. 

Without missing a beat, Aurelia found Cassian’s account and wired him 30 million straight from her own 

account. 

She finally breathed a sigh of relief, but just a few minutes later, her phone pinged with a notification. 

The transfer had bounced back, with a message saying the account didn’t exist. 

‘What the hell?‘ Aurelia thought, totally confused. 

No way she’d gotten the account wrong; Cassian had used it before to send her the compensation. 

The only reason could be that Cassian had closed the account. 

‘What the hell is up with him?‘ she wondered. 

Aurelia was obsessive like that. If she couldn’t get this sorted, there was no way she’d be able to relax, focus on anything else, or even get any sleep. 

Aurelia dialed Cassian’s number again, refusing to give up, but he still didn’t pick up. 

Second call, third call, nothing. He just kept ignoring her. 

Finally, on the fourth call, Cassian answered. There was a trace of helplessness in Cassian’s voice as he asked, “What?” 

“The money,” Aurelia said. “The transfer I sent to your account bounced back.” 

Cassian sighed quietly. “Just consider the painting a gift from me.” 

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Aurelia was about to protest that she couldn’t just take it for nothing, but Cassian interrupted, “No condition just take it as compensation. Money’s the only thing I can give you. 

“Get some sleep. Stop worrying about it. Goodnight.” 

And with that, he hung up again. 

“What’s with him?” Mia blurted out, totally confused after Aurelia finished her story. “What’s that supposed t mean, ‘money’s all I can give you?” 

“Did you ever ask him for anything else?” Mia pressed. “And when you needed something else, did he ever come through? Such a weirdo!” 

Aurelia snorted. “No idea what got under his skin.” 

Mia frowned, genuinely confused. “Wait, is he planning to break things off with Tessa and try to get back together with you? If that’s the case, I’d really look down on him!” 

Aurelia gave a wry laugh. “You’re reading way too much into it. Honestly, we’re alike in that way, neither of us ever goes back to an old flame.” 

“Glad to hear it,” Mia said, sounding genuinely relieved. 

Mia knew Aurelia all too well; she’d definitely try to return the money to Cassian one way or another. 

So, she offered a sincere suggestion, grinning. “If he really won’t take it, just slip it to them as a wedding gift when Cassian and Tessa tie the knot. 

“It’ll be satisfying and awkward for them, win–win situation!” 

Mia was pretty sure she was a genius for coming up with that. In her mind, she actually praised herself for such a flawless plan. 

Aurelia laughed. “Sounds good to me!” 

***** 

Meanwhile, Tessa came back after meeting with Kyler, not showing much emotion. 

As soon as she walked in, everyone sitting there turned to look at her. 

“So? Did Kyler lend you the money?” Karlie couldn’t wait to ask. 

Tessa’s gaze wavered for a second before she said, “The amount is just too much. It’s way out of his league.” 

Karlie looked totally baffled. “Isn’t he the only heir to the Kyler family? And Evergreen Group is the biggest cash–flow company in the country. A hundred million is just chump change to people like them.” 

Tessa lowered her gaze, her tone flat. “He just got back to the country not long ago and hasn’t really gained a foothold at the company yet. It’s not that easy for him, everything has to go through the proper channels.” 

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“How long is that gonna take?” Karlie kept pushing. 

“Probably two months,” Tessa replied. 

“Two months? The deadline for the compensation is only a week! My brother will already be in jail by then!” Karlie was losing it. 

When Vanessa heard the truth, she just burst into tears again, bawling her eyes out. 

Alina cut in, her voice sharp, “Come on, does crying solve anything?” 

Vanessa clammed up, not daring to make a sound, she just let the tears roll down her cheeks in silence. 

“Let’s just get a loan,” Alina said seriously. “I checked; HelixTech’s IPO looks like it’s happening. Once it’s approved, the money will be sorted.” 

This time, Tessa didn’t argue. She just said, “Alright.” 

“Oh, by the way, Tessa, has Cassian come back yet?” Karlie suddenly realized she hadn’t seen Cassian around these past few days. 

“Nope, not yet,” Tessa replied. 

“Has he called you?” Karlie pressed. 

“He messaged me on WhatsApp. Said he’s still tying up some loose ends overseas and should be back in a couple days,” Tessa answered. 

Karlie let out a sigh of relief. “Good, as long as he’s still updating you about his whereabouts like always, then 

about.” there’s nothing to worry 

The other two let out a breath too. 

After all, everyone there had seen for themselves just how much Cassian doted on Tessa. 

So, nobody questioned her story. 

Tessa ducked her head, hiding her eyes as she took a slow sip of water. No one caught how her fingers clenched tight around the glass. 

Cassian hadn’t messaged her at all; she’d had to reach out to his assistant herself just to get an update.