Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 155

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Jasper was curious about how Liam had managed to get to the auction so quickly, but as soon as he spotted Aurelia standing next to him, he shoved his curiosity down and kept his mouth shut. He was hardwired to avoid Aurelia. 

Jasper had barely sat down when the auction kicked off. Tessa was flipping through the auction catalog, pen in hand, ticking off items as she went. Judging by the marks, she’d already picked out quite a few things. Most of them were jewelry and accessories. Perfect for engagement gifts. 

Jasper jumped in, “Make sure to let me bid on something for you guys later. I want to get you an engagement present.” 

“Then I’ll gladly accept it!” Tessa replied. 

“That’s the least I can do,” Jasper replied. 

He cast another glance in Aurelia’s direction. Liam was still chatting with Aurelia, sitting sideways, unable to take his eyes off her, unconsciously leaning in toward her. 

Jasper froze for a moment as something clicked on him; his expression turned oddly complicated. Tessa picked up on it and asked, “What’s wrong?” 

Jasper hesitated, unsure if he should say something or just let it go. But Tessa read the look in his eyes and glanced in his direction. 

Her face changed ever so slightly. Whatever warmth was in her eyes faded bit by bit. Jasper could see what was going on, so of course, Tessa could too. But she couldn’t figure it out. 

‘Seriously, what does Liam see in Aurelia?‘ Tessa wondered to herself. She assured herself that maybe he was playing around. 

But even so, Tessa couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in her chest. Tessa considered Liam a friend, so she just assumed he’d have her back. 

Her expression soured as she turned away, thinking, ‘If Liam ever caught wind of this, he’d shut it down in a heartbeat!‘ 

Truth be told, Aurelia’s family background was nothing impressive. 

With that in mind, Tessa shot a message to Alina: [Mom, are you close with Mrs. Porter?] 

[Yeah, we get along. What’s up?] Alina replied. 

[It’s not a big deal, but I noticed Liam seems to be spending a lot of time with Aurelia lately. Maybe you should give Mrs. Porter a heads–up?] 

Alina had already gotten the scoop on Aurelia from Karlic, so when Tessa brought it up, she put two and two together right away. 

Alina replied instantly: [Alright, I’ll mention it to his mom when we go shopping tomorrow.] 

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Tessa warned: [Don’t tell her it came from me, okay? I don’t want things getting awkward between me and Liam.] 

Alina immediately assured her: [Don’t worry, I’ve got this.] 

Only then did Tessa put her phone away, focusing on the auction and keeping a close eye on the lots she had her heart set on. 

The early items up for bid were all pretty cheap, nothing that caught Tessa’s eye. So she just leaned over to Cassian and started chatting with him instead. 

Several people at the auction recognized Cassian. Seeing him talking with Tessa, it didn’t take long for them to figure out who she was. 

“So that’s Ms. Rowe, the one who’s about to be engaged to Mr. Locke. Gotta say, they look perfect together.” 

“I heard Ms. Rowe comes from quite a background, too. Her dad, Daniel Rowe, just got a big promotion!” 

“Looks like the big day isn’t far off for those two.” 

All that gossip inevitably found its way to Aurelia. She wasn’t bothered at all. She was already unfazed by whatever was happening between those two. 

To change the subject, Liam asked, “So, did you come to the auction because there’s something you want to buy?” 

“Yeah, I’m interested in a couple of art pieces,” Aurelia replied. 

“Do you collect those things?” Liam asked, keeping the conversation flowing. He was clearly just making conversation with Aurelia. 

“Nah, I’m just getting them as gifts for some family members,” Aurelia replied. 

“My dad really likes paintings too. Guess he’d get along great with your relatives,” Liam said. 

Meanwhile, Liam’s dad was absolutely crushing it at the poker table, totally oblivious to the fact that his son had just made up a new hobby for him. 

Liam asked, “Want to sit up front? I’ve got VIP access.” 

Aurelia shook her head. “Nah, it’s quieter back here.” 

Liam looked at the crowd up front and had to admit, ‘She does have a point. 

Aurelia asked, “Aren’t you going up front?” 

But Liam shook his head. “Nah, I like it quiet too.” 

While they were chatting, Kyler showed up. He spotted Aurelia first, and his brows furrowed without him even realizing it. 

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Then he looked away and scanned the front row, immediately locking onto Tessa sitting right in the center. He hesitated for a second, then changed his mind and headed for the second section instead. 

He was actually a VIP at the auction, too. But with Cassian sitting next to Tessa, he didn’t want to intrude, so he opted for the second section instead. The second section was right in front of Aurelia and right behind Tessa. 

After a while, the item Tessa had been waiting for finally came up for auction. It was a Kashmir sapphire necklace, with a starting bid of $3 million. 

It was costly. Sapphire prices had been going crazy lately, and Kashmir sapphires were even rarer since the mines had dried up. 

The auctioned necklace featured only one five–carat Kashmir sapphire set as the centerpiece. The rest of the stones were tanzanites, similar in appearance, but far less valuable. 

Tessa didn’t hesitate at all; she raised her paddle with impressive confidence, making a bold bid. She jumped straight to 4.5 million. 

After a brief murmur in the room, someone else raised the bid to 4.8 million. Almost instantly, Tessa raised her paddle again. She bid 6 million. 

The way Tessa kept throwing out those bids made anyone else interested in the necklace think twice and back off. Nobody wanted to pay twice what it was worth. 

Tessa could bid like that because she had the guts and the backing to pull it off. And that backing? All thanks to Cassian. With Cassian spoiling her rotten, Tessa ended up snagging that sapphire necklace for herself. 

Ever since Aurelia outshone her at that party, Tessa had developed a serious fixation on sapphires. She wanted Aurelia to see that, as long as she wanted something, Cassian would spare no expense to make it hers to prove her point. 

Everyone in the room couldn’t help but look at her with envy. Meanwhile, Aurelia was totally oblivious to the bidding war up front, her attention glued to her phone as she worked out the details of a project with Eric. 

Liam had seen her like this before; completely absorbed in her work. But even at that moment, it still made his heart skip a beat. There was something about a woman so locked into her own world. 

Aurelia had this natural shield that blocked all the noise around her. That chill, unbothered vibe was way more magnetic than anyone trying too hard to impress. 

She didn’t chase attention; her inner sense of order gave Liam a kind of effortless comfort and reliability, like he could relax and be himself. Watching her was like admiring a beautiful painting in silence. 

Aurelia was completely lost in her work. Meanwhile, Liam couldn’t take his eyes off her, totally captivated. It was like the two of them existed in their own little world, apart from everyone else in the room. 

Meanwhile, Tessa was already placing her second bid. This time, she set her sights on a sapphire bracelet. 

Jasper asked, curious, “Tessa, are you obsessed with sapphires or something? You seem really into them these days.” 

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“Yeah, it’s a new thing for me,” Tessa replied with a shrug. 

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The bracelet started at $1.5 million, but Tessa didn’t hesitate. She went all in with a 3 million bid right off the 

bat. 

After witnessing her aggressive bidding on the necklace, the other bidders didn’t even bother trying for this one. They knew it was hopeless. 

The next few items up for auction were all jewelry, and Tessa was bidding left and right. She went after almost every single piece. 

Each time, she kept pushing the prices way up. If something started at $1.5 million, she’d instantly bump it to $3 million. If the opening bid were 3 million, she’d jump straight to 6 million. 

Nobody else even dared to raise their paddle. The auction had turned into Tessa’s private show. She was running the place, and everyone else was just along for the ride. 

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