Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 114

Chapter 114 

Honestly, Aurelia hadn’t even noticed it was Valentine’s Day. 

The day that used to mean everything to Aurelia for the past seven years suddenly felt meaningless. 

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The afternoon meeting wrapped up quickly. With a grin, the host announced they were ending early so everyone could head out for their Valentine’s Day plans. 

Tyson was just about to ask Aurelia if she had any plans for the evening. If she were free, he wanted to take her out for dinner. He’d already booked a table. 

But before he could say anything, his phone buzzed. It was Benjamin calling. 

Benjamin called to ask Aurelia out for dinner. 

An invitation from Benjamin wasn’t something Aurelia could turn down. 

Tyson knew when to back off, so he didn’t bring up dinner again. 

Aurelia showed up at Benjamin’s dinner and spotted a few familiar faces from the business circle. 

But there was also a new face in the crowd. 

He was young, probably in his early thirties, and seriously good–looking. 

What really set him apart was his vibe. It was a bit different from the rest of the people there. 

When Benjamin introduced him, Aurelia finally understood why he stood out. 

He wasn’t from the business world. 

He was a legit government official. 

He might not be at the top of the food chain, but just being invited to Benjamin’s dinner meant he was definitely no ordinary guy. 

He was all gentlemanly, reaching out to shake Aurelia’s hand. “Ms. Corin, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Wade Lautner.” 

“Likewise,” Aurelia replied politely. 

She thought that was it. 

But then Wade added, “I know who you are. I’ve actually been wanting to meet you for a while.” 

Aurelia was caught off guard. 

Wade explained, “I watched the InquireMind launch event and went to the AI summit in Vireston. You really made an impression. It’s awesome to finally meet you face to face.” 

“Wade, didn’t know you ever paid this much attention to a woman,” someone teased. 

“Isn’t Ms. Corin single, too? Maybe you two should give it a shot,” another joked. 

Aurelia couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable with all the teasing. 

Wade noticed and quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Mr. Hegseth, Ms. Corin and I just met for the first time. You’re making her nervous.” 

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Chapter 114 

He then reassured Aurelia, “They’re always joking around with me. Don’t mind them.” 

“It’s fine,” Aurelia said, not bothered at all. 

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Doug Hegseth said, “Hey, I promised your mom I’d help you sort out your love life. The last person I tried to set you up with was great, but it just didn’t work out.” 

So his family was pushing him to settle down. 

Wade looked a bit sheepish. “Sorry for the awkwardness, Ms. Corin.” 

“I get it,” Aurelia replied. 

Not sure if it was just a coincidence or not, but Aurelia found herself seated right next to Wade. 

Thankfully, nobody brought it up again, and everyone stuck to business after that. 

By the time dinner wrapped up, it was raining outside. As the youngest in the group, Aurelia naturally took it upon herself to help the older folks get their rides. 

She headed out before everyone else to call a car, but unexpectedly bumped into Cassian. 

Cassian saw her, too, but his eyes didn’t really stop on her. He just glanced her way before looking past her and giving a faint 

smile. 

That smile… He only ever smiled like that at Tessa. 

So when Aurelia turned around, sure enough, there was Tessa. 

As Aurelia passed by Tessa, Tessa’s gaze briefly swept over her before she walked briskly toward Cassian. 

Just then, Benjamin and the others came out, and Aurelia went over to help Benjamin. 

Whenever Benjamin was out at these events, he’d rely on his cane most of the time, moving at a slower pace than the rest. 

Everyone else would slow down to keep pace with him. 

They chatted as they walked along. 

“That’s a good idea. You guys should help Aurelia out when you can. She’s still getting the hang of things, so cut her some slack if she’s unsure about anything,” Benjamin said. 

“Don’t worry, Mr. Locke. We’ve got it covered,” one of the others replied. 

“Thanks,” Benjamin said. 

Tessa was talking with Cassian at the entrance when she turned and saw what was happening. She couldn’t help but frown. 

Benjamin never warmed up to Tessa, but he was always super nice to Aurelia. 

He even called her by her nickname, introduced her to all the right people, and brought her in on major deals. 

Of course, Tessa was jealous. How could she not be? 

Tessa turned to Cassian and asked, “Should we go and say 

hi?” 

Cassian shook his head. “Nah, my dad’s been cold to me lately. If I go over, he won’t be happy to see me.” 

Tessa gave a sheepish smile. “Okay, I guess.” 

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After Aurelia made sure all the older folks were in their cars, she finally pulled out her phone to call Miranda to come and pick her up. 

Before she could even dial, an Audi rolled up and stopped right in front of her. 

Wade got out of the back seat. “Ms. Corin, where do you live? Let me give you a ride.” 

“No, thanks. I already asked my secretary to come and get me,” Aurelia said. 

“It’s no trouble. I actually have a bunch of questions about InquireMind I’d love to ask you. Mind if I get a chance to pick your brain?” Wade said, his tone sincere. 

When it came to work, Aurelia never turned down a task. She was always up for anything job–related. 

She got in the car with Wade. 

Wade kept things strictly professional, explaining that he wanted to use InquireMind’s technology to build a public service hotline platform. 

Aurelia thought the idea had real potential. 

Government projects might not be big money–makers, but they were perfect for boosting visibility and getting the word out. 

It was a reputation builder, really. 

“Let’s catch up sometime and go over the details,” Wade said. 

Aurelia nodded. “Sounds good.” 

B 

三 

The next morning, Aurelia had to head over to Ascend Group to talk about computing power chips. 

Ascend Group was a subsidiary of Honoria Capital, and it was home to Honoria Capital’s most critical projects. 

Even after seven years by Cassian’s side, Aurelia had barely scratched the surface when it came to Ascend Group. 

Anything to do with the Ascend Group, Cassian always had a tight grip on. He never had anyone else 

anyone else get involved. 

Before heading over, Aurelia had already reached out to Ascend Group’s director, Murel Abbott, to set things up. 

Murel was waiting for her at the company entrance. 

Aurelia knew Murel. He came to Honoria Capital every week to report to Cassian, and she was always the one to greet him. 

So when Murel saw Aurelia, he couldn’t help but say, “I always knew you wouldn’t be stuck as a secretary forever, Ms. Corin!” 

He added, “No wonder you’re Mr. Locke’s protégé! InquireMind is seriously impressive!” 

“It’s not that impressive, Mr. Abbott,” Aurelia replied. 

Murel led her to the client meeting room. 

Aurelia thought they were about to get down to business, but Mirel said, “Ms. Rowe should be here soon. Mind if we wait for her, Ms. Corin?” 

Aurelia hesitated for a moment and asked, “You’re not the one I’ll be talking with?” 

Murel replied, “It was Mr. Locke’s idea. He called last night and set it up.” 

‘He set this up just last night? Probably some pillow talk from Tessa, Aurelia wondered, a bit thrown off. 

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Honestly, Aurelia was pretty surprised. 

Ascend Group had always been Cassian’s core, flagship project. 

For all those years, Cassian’d always run it solo. He never had anyone else get involved. 

But now, Cassian was handing it over to Tessa without a second thought, like it was no big deal. 

He must see Tessa as the person he trusted most. 

That kind of trust wasn’t just about being close or having feelings. 

Plenty of married couples still kept their guard up around each other. 

But Cassian gave Tessa his full trust and support, no reservations at all. 

There were no boundaries between them anymore. 

The partnership had been signed, so even though Aurelia wasn’t exactly thrilled about working with Tessa, she had no choice but to put her feelings aside and keep things professional. 

But Tessa wasn’t exactly what one’d call professional. 

Murel said she should be here soon. 

But Aurelia kept waiting, and waiting some more. 

It was a full hour before Tessa finally showed up, strolling in late. 

She came in looking apologetic and explained to Murel, “Sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night and ended up oversleeping this morning.” 

Aurelia couldn’t help thinking, ‘Well, that’s a lot to unpack.’