Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 314

Chapter 314 

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Karlie had barely finished her sentence when Alina shot her a deadly glare. Only then did Karlie realize she’d put her foot in her mouth. She quickly covered her mouth. 

“No way! Cassian is totally head over heels for Tessa. There’s no way he’d ever cheat or change his mind,” Karlie said. 

“Even if every guy on the planet turned his back, Cassian would never do that to Tessa!” Karlie added. 

“Even if the world ended, Cassian would still stay true!” Karlie insisted. 

“Alright, that’s enough,” Alina cut in. 

Karlie finally stopped, but seeing Tessa still looked a bit down, she asked, “Tessa, you obviously wanted Cassian to stay with. you just now. Why didn’t you say anything?” 

Tessa lowered her gaze, her voice calm. “You can’t be too clingy with a guy like Cassian. You gotta know when to give him his space.” 

“Oh, I see,” Karlie said. 

Karlie was convinced Tessa was right. Karlie had seen firsthand how Tessa could draw men in like a magnet ever since they were kids. 

Back in high school, there was even a guy who actually tried to commit suicide because of her. That was how much of a hold she had on people. 

Even Vanessa would always remind Karlie to pay attention to Brett and learn how to keep guys wrapped around her finger. But up to now, Karlie had barely scratched the surface. 

***** 

By the time Aurelia’s party wrapped up, it was already after midnight, close to 12:30 AM. 

Miranda had arranged for cars to take everyone back to the hotel for some rest. They’d be heading to the port tomorrow evening to start their seven–day cruise. 

Once most of the group had piled into the cars, Miranda turned around and realized Tyson was still standing there. She called out, “Mr. Morris, why aren’t you in the car yet?” 

Tyson couldn’t really hold his liquor, and he’d had a few too many at dinner; his face was way redder than usual. Even after Miranda called out to him, Tyson just kept staring at Aurelia, not budging an inch. 

Aurelia had just finished a call with Darren. Darren said Joey just refused to go to bed, and he was totally out of options, so he called Aurelia for backup. 

She told Darren to bring Joey to her hotel, and she’d handle bedtime herself. After hanging up, Aurelia was just about to ask Miranda when the last car would show up when Tyson suddenly called her name. 

“Aurelia,” he said, his tone softer than usual, skipping all the formalities. 

Aurelia’s eyebrows shot up as she realized exactly where this was headed. She sighed inwardly, feeling a headache coming 

1. on. 

She couldn’t tell if it was the booze or just all the calls and schmoozing tonight. Or maybe it was all the people making moves on her; she was honestly starting to feel overwhelmed. 

Either way, her head was pounding. Aurelia realized that being too popular could be a real pain. 

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Chapter 314 

“Mr. Morris, come on, get in the car! This is the last ride!” Miranda came over to hurry him along. 

Tyson mumbled, “I need to talk to Ms. Corin for a bit. Maybe you guys should head back first.” 

“It’s not easy to get a cab at this hour,” Miranda said, totally missing the mood. She was so focused on carrying out what Aurelia asked her to do that she didn’t pick up on what Tyson was really trying to do. 

Aurelia was about to just go with the flow and tell Tyson to hop in the car, figuring they could talk about whatever it was later. But tonight, Tyson was really digging his heels in. 

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Probably because of the booze, he finally mustered up the courage and blurted out, “Aurelia, do you remember what I said to you during Christmas? 

“Are you ready to give a new relationship a shot now?” He’d been waiting all year for her to give him an answer. 

He’d seen a parade of impressive guys circling around Aurelia, all trying to win her over. There was no way he could stay calm about it. 

Mila kept urging him to make a move before someone else swept Aurelia off her feet. But when it came to love, Tyson knew it had to happen when the time was right. 

Tyson was holding his breath, waiting for her answer. But before Aurelia could say a word, a deep male voice spoke up, “Aurelia, we need to talk.” 

Tyson’s face darkened instantly at the sound of that voice. Miranda stammered, “M–Mr. Locke?” 

Aurelia turned around and saw Cassian standing beneath the arched entrance, the overhead lights casting his long shadow, looming over her. 

When his deep gaze swept across the scene, it was as if he’d just stumbled upon something that had nothing to do with him. Aurelia instinctively frowned, her voice colder than the night air. “What is there to talk about?” 

Tyson instinctively stepped in front of Aurelia, squaring off against Cassian. Cassian stood his ground, unmoving. 

Cassian’s dark, intense eyes zeroed in on Aurelia, completely ignoring Tyson. It was like he was trying to drill a hole right through her with that stare. 

“I won’t take up much of your time,” Cassian said. 

Aurelia still didn’t want to deal with him any more than she had to and was ready to shut him down. Cassian explained. “It’s about my father.” 

Aurelia paused for a moment, then turned to Tyson. “You guys get in the car and wait for me. I’ll only be five minutes.” Cassian only got five minutes with her, and that was all she was willing to spare. 

As Tyson headed off, he told Aurelia, “Just holler if you need me.” He didn’t leave until Aurelia gave him a nod. 

Once Tyson left, Cassian walked up to Aurelia, his face calm and almost indifferent; there wasn’t a trace of warmth or connection between them. He stood right in the path of the chilly breeze, blocking some of it for her. 

Aurelia brushed a wild strand of hair off her face, looking a little impatient. “Just tell me, what’s going on with Mr. Locke?” 

Cassian didn’t reply right away. His gaze lingered on her, eyes cold and impossible to read. She was so beautiful, yet so icy 

and detached. 

Just as Aurelia was about to turn away, Cassian spoke up, “He’s been under the weather lately. If you get a chance, maybe check in on him more often.” 

“Wait, Mr. Locke’s sick?‘ Aurelia thought, surprised. She honestly had no idea. 

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Chapter 314 

من 

She’d been busy with InquireMind and the Evergreen IPO, so she hadn’t visited Benjamin for quite a while. So she really had no clue how he was doing lately. 

“Alright,” Aurelia replied, thinking Cassian was finished, and started to turn away. 

But then Cassian added, “And, congratulations.” 

Whether he was sincere or just being courteous, Aurelia simply nodded and thanked him. 

“And another thing,” Cassian said, pulling a business card from his pocket and handing it to her. “If you ever find yourself in a sticky situation, reach out to this guy. He might be able to help you out.” 

Aurelia didn’t think much of the stuff he said before. But handing over a business card threw her off. 

She glanced at the card in his hand, her pretty brows furrowing. “Mr. Locke, what’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Just… Think of it as compensation,” Cassian said. 

Aurelia let out a silent, bitter laugh. ‘Compensation for what? For those seven years, I poured my heart into him?‘ she scoffed inwardly. “There’s really no need for that, I’m not interested anyway.’ 

So Aurelia brushed the card aside. “I don’t need it. Save these good things for your precious muse. She looks like she needs them way more than I ever would.” With that, Aurelia turned on her heel and strode off, not looking back for even a second. 

Tyson didn’t get in the car; he just waited outside for Aurelia. When he saw her coming back, he rushed to open the car door for her. 

Once Aurelia got in, Tyson followed her in. The car sped away from the restaurant, melting into the darkness of the night. Until it disappeared completely, swallowed up by the shadows. 

The business card in Cassian’s hand finally dropped to the ground, carried away by the cold wind. After a brief stir, silence settled in once more.