Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 312

Chapter 312 

Tessa’s original plan was to head back to Ashmont on the third day. After all, if HelixTech’s IPO went through, she’d have to handle the exchange fees the next day. 

But nobody saw it coming; HelixTech’s IPO crashed and burned. What really made Tessa lose her cool was that Aurelia actually pulled off listing two companies in one go. 

Just thinking about it, Tessa was about to blow a fuse. She couldn’t accept this outcome at all. On the way back to the hotel from the exchange, everyone was dead silent. Everyone looked pretty grim. 

Only Tessa’s phone kept ringing nonstop. She didn’t dare pick up. She already knew exactly why they were calling. Finally, feeling totally fed up, she just switched off her phone. 

When they got back to the hotel, Cassian told them he’d made a dinner reservation; they’d leave for the restaurant at six. 

Tessa just muttered a dull “okay” and headed straight to her room. Once she got back to her room, she turned her phone back on, and her phone instantly blew up with calls and texts. 

She ignored the calls, but the texts kept popping up on her screen. Everyone wanted their money back. 

She’d signed more than a dozen high–stakes deals, leveraging herself nearly fifty–fold. She’d been hoping to hit it big, but in the end, it all blew up in her face. 

Now, she was staring down a massive pile of debt. The amount was even bigger than what she owed when Ascend Group went under. 

The messages were anything but polite; some people were straight–up cursing her out. Tessa was so pissed that she wanted to hurl her phone across the room. In the end, she just put her phone on airplane mode and was about to toss it aside for some peace. 

Liam was blowing up their five–person group chat with messages. He was firing off texts one after another; dude was clearly losing his mind with excitement. 

Liam: [Damn! Aurelia is freaking badass!] 

Liam: [She really pulled off listing two companies at the same time!] 

Liam: [She didn’t just smash Ashmont’s fastest IPO record; she set a new one that’s almost impossible to top! Double jackpot!] 

Liam: [And the craziest part; Evergreen Entertainment actually went public just off a single trailer that went viral worldwide! Aurelia is an absolute powerhouse!] 

Liam: [Seriously, she’s unreal!] 

He even tagged Cassian in the group chat. Liam: [Cassian, how could you let a genius like her walk away? What a shame! Bet you’re eating your heart out right now, huh?) 

Before Cassian could even respond, Liam kept going. Liam: [Seriously, you had someone that talented and just treated her like a secretary all those years. If it were me, I’d have quit way earlier! No way I’d stick around Honoria Capital for seven years!] 

Liam: [Honestly, Aurelia’s devotion is next level. You never gave her any promises, but she still busted her tail for you for seven years. And when she left, she did it with real dignity; never used your contacts or resources, just built everything herself.] 

Liam: [Women like that are hard to come by these days.] 

13:21 Wed, Jan 28 

Chapter 312 

Liam: [Cassian, if I try to win her over, you’re cool with that, right? 

Tessa fmally caught on; Liam had been hyping things up all this time just to drop that last bombshell. Annoyed and pissed off, she chucked her phone to the floor, just to finally get a little peace. 

Cassian had booked a popular rooftop restaurant in Grendel City, the kind of place everyone flocked to for the views and to snap–worthy photos. 

Normally, Karlie would’ve been all over it, snapping pics and posting them on Instagram to show off. But today, the mood was heavy, and nobody was in the mood to soak in the scenery. 

The waiter came over to Cassian, looking a bit apologetic. “Sorry about the change, Mr. Locke. We’ve moved your reservation to a window seat on the other side. 

“It’s actually got an even better view, perfect for catching the fireworks. And to make up for the inconvenience, we’ll offer you two complimentary dishes. Would that be alright with you?” 

Before Cassian could answer, Karlie muttered under her breath, “Only two free dishes? That’s kind of stingy, isn’t it? Suppose there’s no fireworks show at all?” 

The waiter just kept beaming. “Actually, you’re in for a treat tonight; there’s a fireworks show happening. Darren Keith, one of Grendel City’s VIPS, is putting it on for his friend Ms. Corin. 

“Word is, it’s going to be massive–definitely something you don’t want to miss! That’s why seats are so hard to come by tonight, hope you understand!” 

Tessa’s gaze was icy, lips pressed into a thin, unmoving line. Alina shot Karlie a death glare for running her mouth. 

Karlie smacked herself lightly on the mouth, blaming herself for not keeping quiet, Cassian glanced sideways at Tessa and asked, “Want to switch to another restaurant?” 

“Whatever. This one’s fine,” Tessa said flatly. She tried her best to keep her composure, doing her best to look calm. But only she knew just how chaotic her thoughts really were right now. 

The restaurant came through on its promise and sent over two extra dishes. But nobody had any appetite. 

The atmosphere was so heavy, it felt totally out of place in such an exquisite restaurant. Karlie was picking at the gourmet food she rarely got to enjoy, but tonight, it all tasted like nothing. 

She was just about to come up with an excuse to head to the restroom and get a breather. Suddenly, a big group came pouring into the restaurant, all smiles and laughter, grinning from ear to ear. 

Miranda, leading the way, called out, “Aurelia’s treating tonight! Don’t be shy, just have fun!” 

Everyone started clapping and cheering. “Aurelia rules!” someone yelled. 

Miranda waved for everyone to chill. “And get this: Aurelia’s treating us to a whole week on a cruise! The fun’s just getting started!” 

“Woohoo! Aurelia rules!” everyone shouted. 

If the restaurant weren’t so cramped, they’d totally have lifted Aurelia and done a victory lap around the place with her. 

“Alright, alright, everyone, grab a seat! All these tables are ours!” Miranda called out, directing the chaos. 

Finally, everyone started finding their spots and settling in. Karlie’s sharp eyes caught it right away; the table Cassian had originally reserved had been given to Aurelia and her crew. 

Now Karlie was really about to lose it. Her appetite was completely gone. Not even the fanciest food could tempt her now. 

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Chapter 312 

Karlie stood up abruptly and muttered. “I’m going to the restroom.” 

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Aurelia’s crew was making such a scene that there was no way Tessa or Alina could tune it out, even if they tried. Tessa’s eyer were cold as ice, and inside, she just felt completely crushed. The whole meal felt bland and pointless. 

While Tessa was drowning in misery, Aurelia was living a whole different story. As soon as the exchange’s approval went public, her phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. 

Everyone wanted a piece of her; congrats, business proposals, nonstop. Barely two minutes after she sat down, she was already picking up two more calls. 

The food Miranda had thoughtfully put on her plate was already cold. “Come on, Aurelia, please just eat!” Miranda begged. 

Just as Aurelia agreed, her phone started ringing again. “If it’s really too much, just switch your phone off,” Miranda said. 

Aurelia glanced at the caller ID, looking helpless. “I have to take this one. Miranda could only sigh, feeling totally defeated. 

“You guys go ahead and eat, don’t wait for me,” Aurelia said, grabbing her phone. She headed off to the restroom to take the 

call. 

It was Mandy calling. As soon as Aurelia picked up, Mandy was already showering her with congratulations. 

She said that from the moment she first met Aurelia, she could tell she was sharp and had a real knack for business; success was just in her bones. Aurelia couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by all the praise. 

“Aurelia, you should really keep Liam company from now on. You two are close in age, I’m sure you’ll have plenty in common!” Mandy said warmly. 

Mandy was more anxious to play matchmaker than Liam was. That was why she jumped on the phone right away, just to sound Aurelia out and see where she stood.