Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 289

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Kyler couldn’t sit still any longer. He jumped to his feet, eyes wide in disbelief. “What do you mean? How can you even log in?” 

Tessa’s lips lost all color, and her grip on her phone tightened unconsciously. 

Her heart was pounding, and her cars were ringing. ‘How could this be such a coincidence?‘ 

Jonathan had once told her the odds of running into the original author were one in ten million. 

That was why she’d handpicked this paper from the dozen or so he’d given her, planning to use it as her ace up her sleeve for the master program application. 

She had to beat Aurelia, secure the spot, and get in with Stephen so she could tap into all the resources he had. 

She’d been pulling this off for years without a single slip–up. No way she ended up crashing and burning this time. 

Tessa just couldn’t wrap her head around it. 

But right now, no one gave a damn about what was going on in Tessa’s mind. All eyes were on Aurelia. 

She borrowed Stephen’s laptop, logged into an email account she hadn’t touched in ages, and pulled up the email she’d sent out before. 

It was identical to the screenshot Tessa had shown. 

In fact, Aurelia’s version was even more detailed and clear. Unlike Tessa’s, which was just an empty, useless screenshot. 

On top of that, Aurelia opened up a whole bunch of unread emails from the Whitvale School of Management. 

Some were asking why she never registered at the school. Others wanted to know why they couldn’t reach her. 

And a few were asking if she could provide more in–depth information about her black–box investment 

strategy. 

Later on, they even offered her some incredible terms; if she agreed to enroll, they’d set up a dedicated honors program just for her and cover all her expenses. 

In the end, they made it clear: the Whitvale School of Management would keep her spot reserved for her for 

life. 

All she had to do was say the word, and she could start school whenever she wanted. 

Aurelia hadn’t even seen these emails before. After she decided to give up on studying abroad, she’d never logged into this account again. 

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Chapter 289 

As Mia would put it, Aurelia was stubborn to a fault. Once she picked a path, she’d follow it to the bitter end. 

She never thought she’d ever have a reason to log back in after all these years. 

Everything she did was hooked up to the projector, broadcast live for everyone, there was zero chance of faking anything, 

The reporters had their cameras rolling the whole time, catching every single moment. 

When they first got the assignment to cover the school, the reporters weren’t too happy about it. They thought it was nothing special, definitely not the kind of story that would make headlines. 

But now, they were practically buzzing with excitement, practically shoving their cameras right in Tessa’s face. 

The instant Tessa saw Aurelia log in, a cold rush hit her head, her scalp went numb. ‘No way… How is this possible?‘ 

Jasper, who was usually a little slow to catch on, finally put two and two together. 

He mumbled awkwardly, “So… is this considered academic fraud?” 

Tessa wanted to deny it, but her voice caught in her throat. She couldn’t force out a single word. 

Despite the freezing weather, sweat still beaded on her brow. She had to fight just to stay on her feet, barely managing to steady herself. 

Without thinking, she turned around, instinctively seeking Cassian’s help. 

Every single time before, he’d always reached out to help her. So this time, she was counting on him to come through for her again. 

They were only about six feet apart, but to Tessa, Cassian’s face seemed distant and out of focus, as if a fog had settled between them. 

His eyes held a quiet, indifferent emptiness, so calm it was almost cold, yet Tessa sensed a flicker of emotion stirring beneath that stillness. 

“So, you’re saying Aurelia wrote this paper eight years ago, and Tessa plagiarized it eight years later?” a reporter shouted from the front row. 

“I heard Tessa holds a PhD in finance from the Whitvale School of Management. Was that degree legitimately obtained?” another pressed, leaning forward with her mic. 

“Your actions don’t just affect you, they tarnish the reputation of our nation’s scholars in the global academic community. Have you considered how taking shortcuts shames those who work hard and uphold integrity?” an older journalist challenged. 

The reporters‘ questions kept coming, each one sharper than the last, and Tessa was completely blindsided. 

In all her life, Tessa had never felt this humiliated, not even close. 

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Kyler, who’d always had her back, just stood there frozen, like he’d been slapped in the face a thousand tim His humiliation was written all over him. 

All those years of worship and infatuation collapsed in a heartbeat, crushing him so hard he could barely breathe. 

He couldn’t even describe the mess of emotions swirling inside him. 

But Aurelia wasn’t about to let Tessa off the hook. She stared straight at Tessa, her voice eerily calm. “If all th isn’t enough to prove you plagiarized my paper, I have even more evidence to present.” 

Stephen jumped in, “I’ve verified every piece of evidence and had it all notarized. That’s why Tessa’s results have been invalidated. 

“And we’re not done yet; we’ll be pursuing legal action against you.” 

That announcement made everyone in the room suck in a sharp breath. 

Legal action meant Tessa could have her degree revoked, her academic standing destroyed, and her reputation permanently stained. 

If she was officially marked for academic dishonesty, her name would be entered into the national credit information system, putting her entire career at risk. 

Tessa felt a wave of cold sweep in from all sides, crashing over her head and leaving her numb. 

She instinctively staggered backward, her legs wobbling, completely drowning in panic. 

The blow was devastating. It would turn her world upside down and destroy everything she’d built. 

She couldn’t bear it. Her vision went dark, and her body went limp. 

Kyler was standing closest to her. 

Any other time, he would’ve instinctively reached out to catch her. But right now, his mind was a total blank. 

He couldn’t move a muscle, just stood there, frozen, as he watched her crumple to the ground right before his 

eyes. 

“Tessa!” Karlie’s scream shattered the silence in the office. “Tessa, what’s wrong? Somebody call an ambulance! Cassian, do something! Help Tessa!” 

After all the chaos, Cassian helped Tessa out of the room, and Karlie followed them out. 

In the opposing camp, all that remained were Kyler, frozen in place like a statue, and Jasper, collapsed in his chair. 

The silence lingered for a moment, until Liam finally figured out where to go and burst in, breaking the awkward mood. 

“Whoa, am I late to the party?” Liam said, knocking as he entered. The second he spotted Aurelia, his eyes lit 

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‘Who the heck designed this school? It’s like a freakin‘ maze,‘ Liam grumbled to himself. ‘I’ve been lost for ages just trying to get here!’ 

“Did the results come out yet?” he blurted, not bothering with anything else. 

Only then Stephen speak up, quick and clear. “Aurelia is the one who got in. And in a week, I’ll be throwing a student welcoming party on the top floor of the Golden Bay Hotel. Everyone’s welcome to join!” 

Student welcoming party meant Aurelia wasn’t just Stephen’s graduate student, he was officially accepting her as his apprentice. 

Only true ones ever got a party like this. 

Kyler whipped his head around to stare at Aurelia, his gaze suddenly burning with intensity and something deeper, like he was seeing her in a whole new light. 

Liam was stunned as soon as he walked in and caught wind of the news. ‘Holy crap, is Aurelia really that badass?‘ 

In contrast, Aurelia remained completely unruffled, her fingers moving steadily across the keyboard as she prepared to log out of her email account. 

Liam stood right in front of the projector, squinting at the screen. When he spotted one of the email addresses, he blurted out, “Hey, isn’t that Gideon’s email?” 

Thanks to Liam’s reminder, Aurelia finally noticed it. There was actually an unread email from Gideon, sent all the way back eight years ago. 

AD