Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 349

Chapter 349 

Cassian had always been quick and straightforward with his answers. 

But this time, he hesitated. 

The old man leaned back in his chair, in no rush. He reminded him, “It’s not too late to change your mind.” 

His sharp eyes were mirrored in the bulletproof glass. 

After a long pause, Cassian finally spoke. 

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“No. She deserves a brighter future. She shouldn’t get dragged down by someone like me,” Cassian said, a trace of self- mockery flickering in his eyes. 

The old man could only shake his head, disappointment flashing across his face. 

“You’re still as stubborn as ever,” he said with a sigh. 

Cassian replied, “This is the path I chose. There’s no turning back for me.” 

***** 

In early August, Aurelia set off for the Whitvale School of Management to further her studies. 

All the way there, Ella kept whining. 

“What if I can’t stand the food over there? Maybe I should just stay home,” Ella grumbled. 

“There’s no discussion about this,” Aurelia said firmly. “I can only focus on my work if I have you right here with me.” 

Ella never expected that one little lie would drop her trust score with Aurelia to zero. 

Even when Aurelia was heading overseas for school, she insisted on taking Ella along. 

After struggling to fight it, Ella finally gave up and went along, resigned to her fate. 

“Don’t worry about the food. I’ve hired a chef who can make Chyronish food, and I picked a neighborhood with plenty of Chyronish folks. You’ll get used to it,” Aurelia reassured her. 

When Aurelia decided to bring Ella with her, she’d thought of all this and had everything sorted out in advance. 

Aurelia was mostly worried that Ella might not be able to settle in. 

“Alright, alright. It’s just two years. No biggie. I promise I won’t be a burden,” Ella assured her. 

As the car stopped at a red light, Aurelia took the chance to check her work emails. 

Suddenly, Ella blurted out, “Poor thing. Don’t her family care about her at all?” 

Aurelia didn’t even look up. “What are you talking about?” 

“That homeless lady over there. She was scavenging through the trash for something to eat,” Ella said, her voice tinged with sympathy and concern. 

Aurelia looked up. 

By the trash can at the intersection, a woman filthy from head to toe, her hair a wild, tangled mess, was hunched over, 

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Chapter 349 

digging through the trash. 

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After a while, she fished out a half–finished cup of bubble tea and took a sip. 

Her face lit up with a look of pure satisfaction. 

Aurelia froze. 

‘Wait… is that Tessa?‘ she wondered, her heart skipping a beat. 

She couldn’t be sure. This homeless woman was a far cry from the glamorous Tessa she remembered. 

A group of staff in white coats rushed over and shouted, “Don’t eat out of the trash!” 

The more they yelled, the more desperately she ate, until she ended up choking on the food. 

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Just as the staff in white coats were about to reach her, she desperately grabbed another handful of trash from the bin and shoved it into her mouth. 

“Oh, no… That’s dog poop!” the lead female staff member in a white coat let out a piercing scream. 

She rushed over and grabbed the homeless woman, trying to restrain her. 

The rest of the staff quickly joined in and managed to subdue her. 

The homeless woman didn’t resist at all. She just doubled over on the ground, retching violently. 

“She’s completely out of her mind. She’s eating dog crap,” one of the staff shouted. 

“Sure seems like it,” another chimed in. 

“Get her back to the psych ward, now!” the lead staff member barked. 

The light turned green, and Walter drove the car away from the intersection. 

In the rearview mirror, Aurelia watched as the homeless woman was hustled into a van marked with the name of some psychiatric hospital. 

“That’s just tragic,” Ella breathed out. 

Aurelia cast down her eyes, remaining silent. 

As soon as Aurelia and Ella stepped into the airport VIP lounge, Zane pinged her in the group chat. 

Zane: [The first trial verdict is out. The kingpin got the death sentence/Cassian got life without parole.] 

[There were over a dozen others tied to the case. Half got the death penalty, and the rest mostly got suspended death sentences or twenty years behind bars. 

[The whole government circle is in total upheaval.] 

Calling it “upheaval” was honestly an understatement. 

The kingpin had even been granted medical bail not long ago, saying he was too sick to stay locked up before the trial. 

No one had any idea how the appeal would turn out. 

Aurelia couldn’t take her eyes off those two words: “life sentence.” 

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Chapter 349 

Her grip on her phone tightened ever so slightly. 

After a moment, she gave Benjamin a call. 

Her voice sounded as normal as ever. 

“Aren’t you flying out for school today?” Benjamin asked, sounding concerned. 

“I’m at the airport,” Aurelia said, trying to sound casual. “Just wanted to let you know before I board.” 

“Go and study abroad and don’t worry about me. I’m doing fine,” Benjamin said, trying to sound reassuring. 

Aurelia felt a lump in her throat. It took her a while to compose herself before she managed to reply, “Alright. Take care of yourself. Whenever I’m on break, I’ll come back to Ashmont and see you.” 

“Okay,” Benjamin replied. 

Aurelia didn’t dare say anything else. She hurriedly ended the call. 

If she said even one more word, she knew she’d break down. 

‘I wish I knew how to make Benjamin feel better, but I just don’t, Aurelia thought, feeling helpless. 

“Aurelia.” 

Just as Aurelia was finally calming herself down, she heard someone call out to her. 

She looked up, and there was Kyler, standing right there in front of her, impossible to miss. 

He was dressed in a black windbreaker, a big backpack slung over his shoulder, grinning at her with his head cocked to one side. 

“What are you doing here?” Aurelia asked, totally thrown off. 

Kyler whipped out his Whitvale School of Management’s offer and flashed it at Aurelia. 

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, so this is what you’ve been up to lately?” 

“Yep,” Kyler nodded confidently. 

As soon as he heard Aurelia was heading to Whitvale School of Management for grad school, he went and applied right 

away. 

He nearly killed himself for that offer. He burned the midnight oil and almost drove himself crazy. 

But in the end, he finally got his wish. He managed to follow Aurelia to Whitvale School of Management. 

Elias was totally supportive, even encouraging Kyler to stick close to Aurelia and learn from her. 

“So, you’re my junior now?” Aurelia teased. 

Kyler beamed at her. “That’s right, senior.” 

Zane only found out about it after Kyler and Aurelia had shown up at Whitvale School of Management. 

He was so pissed that he started ranting in the group chat. 

Zane: [Kyler, seriously? When I asked you before, you clammed up like a safe and didn’t say a word. Turns out you were pulling sneaky moves behind the scenes.] 

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Chapter 349 

Kyler: You could’ve applied, too, you know.] 

Zane was silent. 

Yeah, forget it,‘ Zane thought to himself. 

Zane hated studying more than anything. 

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He could go through endless heartbreak for love, but when it came to schoolwork, he couldn’t stand even a minute of it. 

In the end, all Zane could do was threaten Kyler. [You’d better look after Aurelia. If even a single hair on her head gets messed up, I’m coming after you.] 

Kyler answered confidently. [Consider it done. I’ll take care of her, no problem.] 

Zane: [And make sure you keep an eye on Aurelia. Don’t let some foreign dude snatch her away. 

Kyler: [Got it.] 

Aurelia was lost. 

She thought, ‘What’s so bad about foreign guys? I mean, their genes are pretty good. 

‘Who knows, maybe I could even end up with a super cute mixed–race baby. 

Of course, she’d never dare say that out loud. If she did, she was pretty sure Zane would storm over to her place tomorrow, absolutely furious. 

‘Better just keep that thought to myself,‘ she told herself. 

Almost at the same time, Mia texted Aurelia. 

Mia: [Girl! I heard foreign guys are seriously hot. You have to try dating as many as you can.] 

Aurelia was speechless. 

‘Honestly, with a bestie like Mia, my life is never boring, Aurelia thought, half amused, half exasperated. 

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