Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 315

Chapter 315 

After Aurelia finally got Joey to sleep, she checked her phone and saw the messages from Mia. 

Mia: [Babe, tell me, did my net worth just go up again?] 

Mia: [Well, I’m a rich girl now!] 

Mia: [Wait, Tessa’s company didn’t get approved for the IPO?] 

Then came three voice messages, each a full minute long. Aurelia didn’t dare hit play, worried Joey might wake up. But even without listening, she could already guess what Mia was chatting about. 

‘No wonder she’s called the Sixty–Second Sailor Scout. She really lives up to her nickname, Aurelia thought. 

Aurelia typed back: [Aren’t you out in the boonies filming? How do you even have time to keep up with all the drama?] 

Barely two seconds after she sent the message, Mia’s video call popped up. Luckily, her phone was on silent. 

Aurelia grabbed her phone, slipped out onto the balcony, and closed the door behind her before answering. “Babe, I’m obsessed with you!” Mia gushed. 

Aurelia rolled her eyes at Mia’s over–the–top antics. “Can you not be so dramatic?” 

“I’m dead serious,” Mia said, practically fawning. “You’re my money maker, my cash cow! I’m clinging to your leg for life, never letting go, ever!” 

Aurelia just facepalmed. 

“Come on, spill! What did Tessa do when she found out her IPO flopped? Was she crying her heart out, begging for her parents to save her?” Mia pressed. 

“Not exactly, but… I doubt she’s taking it well,” Aurelia replied. She told Mia all about how Tessa had been using insane leverage. 

Mia, who’d studied business management, instantly got what that meant. “Fifty–one times? She’s got no conscience at all! Was she planning to jack up the stock price after the IPO and then leave regular investors holding the bag?” Mia fumed. 

“Good thing the IPO got shot down. Otherwise, so many people would’ve lost everything. Cold–blooded and heartless! She and that jerk Cassian are just perfect for each other!” Mia ranted, dragging Cassian into it. 

Mia kept cursing up a storm and started trash–talking Cassian, too. When Cassian came up, Aurelia told her about how he showed up tonight looking for her. She also mentioned all the bizarre stuff he said and did. 

Mia’s first thought was, “Is he okay?” Mia asked. 

“Is he losing it again?” she added. 

“Let it all burn!” Mia groaned. 

“Instead of comforting his twisted little heart, he comes over just to gross you out? He’s really something!” Mia scoffed. 

“Tell me about it,” Aurelia said, still rolling her eyes in disbelief. But deep down, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. 

Before she could even start to figure it out, Mia suddenly brought up Tyson, asking about his confession. 

Aurelia instantly knew Miranda had spilled the beans. “I’m docking her bonus for this,” Aurelia said. 

Chapter 315 

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“Come on, I’m just looking out for your love life.” Mia said, sticking up for Miranda. After all, she was the one who grilled Miranda for info; there was no way she was gonna throw her under the bus. 

“What do you want me to say?” Aurelia sighed, feeling totally exasperated. She really didn’t know what else to do. 

“We’re partners in this, right? And you know what’s the biggest no–no for business partners?” Aurelia said. 

“Letting emotions mess things up!” Mia jumped in. 

“InquireMind just got the green light for the IPO, and we’ve got a long way to go. If the two of us start mixing business with feelings, it’s a recipe for disaster. 

“Even the smallest bit of drama could send our stock price crashing. That’s why all those rich families keep up the happy couple act in public, even if they’re living separate lives behind the scenes,” Aurelia explained. 

“To put it simply, catching feelings really does cost you money,” Aurelia said. 

Mia instantly got it. “No way! Any relationship that messes with our money is just cursed; we can’t have that! 

“Babe, you’re scarily rational right now!” Mia exclaimed. Seriously, staying sharp was the only way to play the long game. 

“Oh, and I heard from Miranda that Cassian was there when Tyson confessed to you. What was his reaction?” Mia asked. 

“What kind of reaction did you want? Did you hope he’d get jealous, freak out, or go nuts?” Aurelia joked. 

“He didn’t react at all. He was just super chill,” Aurelia replied. 

Mia clicked her tongue. “Lame.” 

‘I was hoping to see Cassian totally lose it over losing someone as awesome as Aurelia; regretting it for the rest of his life, going absolutely nuts for love,‘ she thought. 

‘And that’s all we get? Seriously? Heartless, ungrateful bastard! Go to hell!‘ Mia grumbled inwardly. She didn’t want to keep dwelling on that bad vibe, so she switched the topic and brought up Liam instead. 

And yeah, it was Miranda who let that slip, too. “Let me just say it up front; I’m not Team Liam!” Mia jumped in. “What’s that old saying? 

“Don’t show up just for the glory, and don’t ditch someone when they’re down. He used to throw shade at you nonstop, and now that you’ve made it, he’s suddenly all over you? What’s that about?” Mia snorted. 

“Having a rich mom doesn’t mean squat! When you’re winning, they’ll promise you anything, but if you ever trip up, do you really think they’ll still pick you?” Mia said. 

“Of course not! That’s how high society works; it’s all about profit. If you’re not valuable, you’re invisible!” Mia finished. 

“It’s just rotten to the core!” Mia exclaimed. 

Aurelia listened to Mia’s rant and laughed. “Wow, you talk like you know all about this stuff.” 

Mia hesitated for a second. “Hey, I’ve watched way too many crazy drama series, alright?” 

“Honestly, I haven’t really given it much thought, and as for Liam, I’m just not interested at all,” Aurelia said. 

Mia rolled her eyes so hard that one could practically hear it. “You’re so zen about relationships now. Who could you possibly catch feelings for?” 

Talking about Gideon, Mia couldn’t help but rant, “That idiot Gideon! He finally got you to waver, and then he totally bailed. Seriously, does he have turtle blood or something?” 

13:22 Wed, Jan 28 

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‘Pathetic! Mia thought. After all the effort I put in trying to get Aurelia to give him a shot, and he pulls this?‘ She grumbled to herself. 

“Guess I just haven’t met the right person yet,” Aurelia said, totally chill about it. 

Like she always said, love wasn’t a must–have. If fate brought someone her way, she’d go for it. If not, she’d just let things happen naturally. 

“I’m Team Mr. Lautner now! Hope he steps up his game!” Mia declared. 

Seeing Mia getting way off track, Aurelia jumped in. “It’s getting late, you should get some sleep. I need to go back and soothe Joey; the little one’s been having bad dreams lately.” 

“Alright,” Mia replied. 

Just as Aurelia was about to hang up, she suddenly heard a man’s voice on the other end. “Hey, can you hand me a towel?” 

Aurelia’s hand froze mid–air. “Hold up, was that a guy? Did I just hear a man’s voice?” Aurelia blurted out, suspicious. 

Mia grumbled, “Ugh, it’s just the dog next door barking. The hotel walls here are way too thin. I’m hanging up before you get an earful of nonsense.” With that, Mia hung up so fast that Aurelia didn’t even get a chance to reply. 

Aurelia narrowed her eyes. ‘She hung up so fast; she’s totally guilty,‘ Aurelia thought. 

Knowing Mia, if there really was some wild, R–rated drama happening next door, she’d FaceTime Aurelia the whole thing without a second thought. There was no way she’d just hang up. 

Right now, Aurelia felt like someone had just stolen her turf. Once she got through this busy stretch, she was totally going to bust Mia and get to the bottom of it. 

When Aurelia got back to the room, Joey was still fast asleep, so she just lay down next to her. Her mind was all over the place, but she could still catch a few flashes of clarity in the chaos. 

“He’s been feeling pretty rough lately. If you get the chance, could you swing by and check on him?” 

“I’m really counting on you to take care of my dad.” 

That night, Aurelia jolted upright in bed. This was the second time Cassian had asked her to look after Benjamin. 

The first time was right before he and Tessa got engaged. And the second time was tonight. 

‘What’s he really getting at?‘ Aurelia thought, totally baffled. 

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