Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 128

Chapter 128 

“Director Hoffman?” Aurelia called out, surprised. 

Scott stood up and scratched his head. “I’m not the director anymore, just call me Scott.” 

Aurelia was momentarily stunned. 

She hadn’t expected Scott to resign from Honoria Capital. 

Scott was a veteran at Honoria Capital, known for his great instincts and real talent. If he weren’t so good, he never would’ve made it to director of Strategic Division Two. 

After chatting with him for a bit, Aurelia realized he was actually here looking for a job. 

She was both flattered and a bit skeptical. “With your resume and experience, you could totally get hired at a bigger, better company, or even launch your own startup. So why Regal Investment?” 

“Because I just can’t let this go,” Scott said, not bothering to hide his frustration. 

Scott didn’t hold back with Aurelia. “You must’ve heard, right? Mr. Locke gave the port renovation project to Tessa.” 

“Yeah, I heard,” Aurelia said sympathetically. 

Scott continued, “You know better than anyone how much effort I poured into that project. But Mr. Locke just took it away for no reason. I can’t accept it! So I’m here, hoping you’ll have me.” 

“I heard from a friend that you’re planning to compete for this project, so I came to see if you’d let me join your team,” Scott said. 

Aurelia didn’t ask who his friend was. 

After all, Scott had been in investment banking for years. With all his connections, it was only natural he’d be in the loop about these things. 

Besides, Scott was a rare talent. It only made sense for Aurelia to recruit him. 

So she stood up and shook his hand. “This isn’t about taking you in. It’s about teaming up as equals. Welcome to Regal Investment!” 

Scott joining the team was like announcing to the world that Regal Investment was going after the port renovation project. 

Tessa heard about it almost instantly. 

She gave a little snort, totally unimpressed. 

It’s not that she looked down on Aurelia. The real problem was that Aurelia just didn’t know her own limits. 

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‘So she made InquireMind happen, and now she thinks she’s all that?‘ Tessa thought, rolling her eyes. 

Even Liam had his doubts. He asked Cassian, worried, “Isn’t Aurelia getting a little too ambitious? Maybe you should try to talk her out of it.” 

“Why would I?” Cassian replied, playing his cards slowly, not giving a damn about Aurelia’s business. 

Tessa, sitting nearby, gave a subtle smile. 

Liam tossed out his trump card, blocking Cassian’s play. “Come on, you two were together for seven years. She finally found her place with a solid project. Just tell her not to take this risk. With InquireMind, she’s set for the next ten years.” 

Cassian broke up his hand and laid down a straight flush, crushing Liam’s move. “We were together for seven years, not in love for seven years. Her wins or losses have nothing to do with me.” 

Liam was left speechless. 

Tessa, in high spirits, joked, “Cassian, you scattered all the cards. How are we supposed to keep playing now?” Cassian just tossed his cards aside. “I’m done.” 

He grabbed his coat and said to Tessa, “Didn’t you say you missed your mom’s cooking? Let’s go over today.” 

“Sure!” Tessa replied. 

The two of them left together, happy as can be, leaving Liam behind, sighing to himself. 

Jasper, who’d been sitting nearby, hadn’t said a word the whole time. 

Liam turned to him and asked, “Why haven’t you said anything?” 

Jasper said, “I’m just in a bad mood.” 

“Is this all because of the payout?” Liam asked. 

Liam knew Jasper had backed AeroMind, but the company got hit with a copyright lawsuit and ended up having to pay 300 million in damages. 

When Jasper’s dad found out, he was so upset he ended up in the hospital. Right now, he’s still there. 

“My dad’s health took a turn, but he kept it from me. All he ever wanted was for me to make something of myself before he’s gone, but now…” Jasper said, looking seriously guilty. 

“Liam, can you take me under your wing? I just want to do something to make my dad proud,” Jasper pleaded. 

“I’m not good at running projects. For that, you should go to Cassian,” Liam said. 

Across the room, Scott shot Aurelia a cautious look. 

When he saw her reaction was calm and collected, he finally relaxed a little. 

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Chapter 128 

Honestly, as a man himself, hearing Cassian say that… 

“We were together for seven years, not in love for seven years.” 

Even as a guy, he found those words downright cruel. 

He honestly had no idea how Aurelia managed to handle all that. 

He wanted to say something, but Aurelia wasn’t even paying attention to the others. She just glanced at her watch and asked, “When is Mr. Ackerley supposed to get here?” 

Scott quickly replied, “He should be here any minute.” 

Aurelia waited for about another half hour, but there was still no sign of Mr. Ackerley. 

Scott ended up calling Kyler’s assistant to see what was up. 

The assistant said that something had come up last minute and Kyler wouldn’t be able to make it. 

Scott apologized, looking a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, Aurelia. I really wanted to introduce you to an investor today…” 

Everyone’s been around the block long enough to know that “something came up” is just the classic excuse people use when they’re not interested. 

Truth is, Kyler probably thought Regal Investment was too small–time to bother with, so he just blew them off. 

It wasn’t the first time this had happened, so Aurelia just shrugged it off. “Looks like Mr. Ackerley and I just aren’t fated to cross paths,” she said lightly. 

“Mr. Ackerley’s only twenty–three, just got back from studying overseas. He’s the only son, totally spoiled since he was a kid. He’s pretty bold and does whatever he wants. To be honest, he’s not exactly easy to approach. But his family’s got real power. They own the biggest cash–rich company in the country. If we could work with them, we’d never have to worry about funding,” Scott explained. 

“I know you did your best,” Aurelia said. 

But if it’s not meant to be, you just can’t force it. 

As Aurelia and Scott headed out, Jasper caught sight of them. 

He thought about going over to say hello, but then remembered the awkwardness between him and Aurelia, and how cold he’d been to her in the past. 

So he held himself back. 

The funding problem just wouldn’t go away, and Aurelia couldn’t help but worry about it. 

Miranda brought in some soup, saw Aurelia frowning, and asked, “Aurelia, how much are we missing?” 

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Chapter 128 

“At least 2 billion,” Aurelia sighed. 

: 

A 10 

She’d already pulled every string she could, even managed to get 1.5 billion from Jessica and Gideon. 

But the remaining two billion? She still had no clue where to get it. 

She’d thought about asking Benjamin for help, but if she took his investment, she’d end up getting involved with Cassian again. 

After all, the Locke Group would eventually be handed over to Cassian. 

So Aurelia decided to let it go. 

“We’ll figure something out. Have something to eat first,” Miranda said, serving her some soup that was good for her stomach. 

Aurelia’s stomach hadn’t acted up in a long time, and honestly, she had Miranda to thank for that. 

She’d just finished her soup when Benjamin called, asking her to take his place at a dinner hosted by the Ashmont Chamber of Commerce. 

He mentioned who would be attending, and Aurelia instantly got what Benjamin was up to. 

He must’ve noticed she hadn’t asked for help, figured she didn’t want to get tangled up with the Locke Group, so he was trying to set her up with other investors instead. 

He was really looking out for her. 

Aurelia was genuinely touched and thanked Benjamin. 

He paused for a moment, then said softly, “Cassian owes you this much.” 

Aurelia arrived early for the dinner, and it took about half an hour before everyone finally showed up. 

To her surprise, Cassian was there too. 

But then again, he was a board member of the Ashmont Chamber of Commerce, so it made sense for him to be at a dinner like this. 

Once Cassian took his seat, Bruce stood up, just about to speak. 

But Cassian spoke up first. “Hold on, let’s wait a bit. I’ve got a friend coming.” 

Aurelia’s brow twitched, a sudden premonition flashing across her face. 

It hit her at once who Cassian’s friend must be.