Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 199

Chapter 199 

Maybe she was casting a net, trying to pick the fattest fish from it. 

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But back then, Tessa turned her nose up at his status and background, so nothing came of their date. 

It turned out that her character was really not very good. 

Good thing it didn’t work out. 

Besides, when they went on that blind date, Wade just wasn’t into her. 

The second time he asked her out, he was planning to clear things up, but Tessa beat him to it. 

Wade figured he’d just let her have the final say, out of respect. 

After that, they never spoke again. 

It wasn’t until Tessa bid on the port project that they crossed paths again, though it was nothing more than a passing acquaintance. 

Looking back, Tessa had been pretty polite to him after that, probably because he’d gotten a promotion. 

In his line of work, people like Tessa were a dime a dozen, always sucking up to the powerful and stepping on the weak. Wade was used to it. 

He didn’t bother judging her. 

Mia was eating, but she was glued to her phone. No matter how many times Aurelia tried to get her attention, it was pointless. 

Halfway through the meal, Mia suddenly shoved her phone in front of Aurelia, her eyes sparkling. “Quick, check out the drama!” 

Aurelia glanced at the screen. 

It was breaking news. 

Some reporters had barged into Tessa’s hospital room for an interview. 

Honestly, it was less of an interview and more like putting her on the spot. 

They grilled her about why she’d set off fireworks in such an environmentally sensitive area. 

They pressed her about whether she had any connections that helped her get the permit approved. 

The whole place was chaos. 

Tessa was completely surrounded by reporters, no way out. 

All that arrogance she used to have was gone. Now she just looked totally panicked and helpless. 

Just when things hit the fan, someone swooped in and pulled Tessa close, shielding her from the reporters as she was backed into a corner. 

“Who’s that?” Mia grumbled, clearly annoyed. 

The camera didn’t catch his face, so Aurelia just guessed, “Bet it’s Cassian, that mutt.” 

No one else would care about Tessa that much. 

Mia was just about to roast him when the camera caught a glimpse of his face. She immediately said, “Hey, it’s 

not Cassian.” 

Aurelia finally paid attention, and when she realized it was Kyler, she switched her guess. “Oh, it’s Kyler, the real simp.” 

“Seriously, so many simps in this mess,” Mia sighed. 

The meal was relaxed and enjoyable, and Wade got to see Aurelia’s casual, everyday side. 

This was her off–duty vibe. 

Honestly, it was kind of fun to watch. 

The next day, Jasper swung by Regal Investment again. 

But he still didn’t get to see Aurelia. 

Feeling a bit defeated, he had to phone a friend for help. 

This time, he hit up Gideon. 

Gideon was out of town scouting a project, but when he answered Jasper’s call, he tossed him a suggestion. 

He told him to publicly apologize to Aurelia. 

Jasper really didn’t want to do it. He felt like it’d be a hit to his ego. 

Gideon had said his piece and didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Alright, then let’s see if your ego can bail EverMass Group out of this mess!” 

Miranda had just gotten rid of Jasper when Kyler showed up. 

It had been a real circus lately, with people coming and going non–stop. 

Of course, Kyler didn’t get to see Aurelia either. 

He didn’t hang around. As soon as he left Regal Investment, he headed straight for Wade. 

Wade asked him what was up. 

Kyler mentioned what was going on with Tessa and asked if the government could step in to help put a lid on the scandal. 

“First, this didn’t happen in Ashmont, so it’s not my area. Second, with all this media attention, who would actually take a risk for her?” Wade replied. 

Wade didn’t really know what was up between Kyler and Tessa, but as his old neighbor, he figured he ought to look out for Kyler a little. 

“You should keep your distance from Ms. Rowe going forward,” Wade advised. 

He kept it vague, just dropped the hint and left it at that. 

Whether Kyler caught on or not, that was his own business. 

To Kyler, Wade had always been honest, dependable, and never one to gossip about others. 

But this was the first time Wade had ever spoken to him like this. 

Kyler was genuinely puzzled and instinctively jumped to Tessa’s defense. “She’s a good person. She helped me out when I was abroad.” 

But before he could finish, Wade’s phone rang. 

He answered right away, and his face turned more and more grim. 

After hanging up, he decided to head over to Regal Investment. 

Kyler jumped at the chance. “Perfect, I was heading there too. Let’s go together.” 

Last time he came, Aurelia’s secretary told him she wasn’t in. 

But this time, with Wade by his side, the secretary changed her tune completely. 

It was so obvious she was just sucking up to the big shots, acting all petty. 

Kyler was totally unimpressed. 

Wade was there on business, so Aurelia welcomed him in without a second thought. 

Kyler had tagged along, and with Wade by his side, Aurelia couldn’t exactly turn him away, so she let them both into the conference room. 

“Ms. Corin, headquarters‘ sending down a safety squad to check up on all the projects. Better get ready for their inspection,” Wade said. 

This was a big deal, and Aurelia really appreciated Wade coming over in person to give her the heads–up. 

“Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Lautner. I’ll make sure we’re ready for them,” Aurelia replied. 

“If anything’s unclear, feel free to ask,” Wade said, throwing in, “I’ve been through this plenty of times.” 

“Okay,” Aurelia replied. 

Once the two finished up, Kyler finally jumped in. “Ms. Corin, do you have time? Can we talk?” 

“If you’re still stuck on your old proposal, then there’s really nothing for us to talk about,” Aurelia said, laying it out straight. 

Kyler’s expression shifted, his jaw set tight. “I’ve revised the proposal. Evergreen Group and Regal Investment will co–develop the project.” 

Basically, he’d dropped Tessa from the whole thing. 

That was a pretty big concession. 

Did she really have to just go along with it? 

“Kyler, did it ever cross your mind that Regal Investment can handle this project all by ourselves?” Aurelia said, her voice cool and steady. 

That was the first time Kyler really felt Aurelia’s true bite. 

She still wore that gentle smile, her whole vibe calm and collected. 

But the second she opened her mouth, that hidden edge came out, no way to miss it. 

Razor–sharp, hitting right where it hurt. 

What she was really saying? “Never planned to let you play, anyway.” 

This answer made Kyler’s face completely cold. 

***** 

Four days after the fireworks scandal started blowing up, the authorities finally made a statement, saying they’d launch a full investigation. 

Meanwhile, the authorities conducted an online clean–up of this incident, officially to get rid of harmful remarks. 

Honestly, everyone got it. This was just to tone down the buzz. 

By day five, it was like the whole thing had disappeared. Nobody was talking about it online anymore. 

That was just how it went in the digital age. Stories blew up in no time and spread like wildfire. 

And just as quickly, they vanished into thin air. 

Every day brought a fresh wave of drama, and the old stuff just got buried until nobody even mentioned it 

anymore. 

Meanwhile, the ‘thorough investigation‘ they talk about was really just a slow investigation. 

By the time the dust finally settled, they’d toss out some half–assed, wishy–washy report, and that’d be the end of it. Nobody would care, nobody would ask questions. Case closed. 

Aurelia wasn’t surprised by the outcome at all. 

She figured Cassian must have pulled some strings behind the scenes. 

Because of the safety inspection, Aurelia had to postpone her trip to Grendel City to meet with Zofia. 

For the past couple of days, she’d been busy whipping the port project into shape, making sure her team was ready to pass the inspection from headquarters. 

Just as she was wrapping up for the day, Aurelia got a call from Abigail. The moment she answered, she could hear Abigail sobbing uncontrollably. “Aurelia, can you come over?” 

Aurelia tried to soothe her, asking, “What’s wrong?” 

Abigail could barely get the words out between sobs as she told Aurelia what had happened. 

It turned out Benjamin and Cassian were having a conflict again. 

Benjamin used the recent fireworks scandal as a reason to advise Cassian and Tessa to call off their 

engagement. 

But Cassian wouldn’t budge, so they ended up fighting again. 

Aurelia could only sigh, feeling a bit exasperated. 

She used to think she was the one with her head stuck in the clouds over romance, but looking at Cassian now, he was even more hopeless than she’d ever been. The guy was totally beyond saving.