Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 222

 

Chapter 222 

No matter what storms raged outside, nothing could shake the bond between Cassian and Tessa. 

Cassian’s obvious care for her made everyone around them look at her with newfound respect. 

And just like that, all those rumors crumbled on their own. 

Liam and Jasper were among those invited to the conference. 

When Cassian and Tessa arrived, Jasper waved in greeting. 

Liam, standing beside him, simply nodded before turning to chat with Jasper. 

Nietzki Corp had been crushing it lately, and Liam had just landed a spot on the board thanks to the launch of their self- driving cars. 

He was clearly basking in his success. 

Tessa made up her mind to go over and greet Liam, hoping to build some connections and maybe strengthen their ties. 

As they walked up, they caught Liam asking Jasper, “Is Aurelia coming or not?” 

He’d been out of town, overseeing production at one of their factories, but when he heard about the business conference, he made a special trip back, mainly because Aurelia would be there. 

Clearly, Aurelia was the real reason he showed up. 

He just wanted to see her, even if it was just for a moment. 

Even if they didn’t exchange a single word, just seeing her from afar would be enough. 

Jasper shook his head. “How would I know?” 

Liam frowned at him. “Isn’t she your boss now? Don’t you even care what your boss is up to?” 

Jasper paused for a moment. “Honestly, she’s more like a principal. No student ever wants to run into their principal.” 

Liam just went silent. 

Honestly, he couldn’t argue with that. 

Jasper kept quiet about that. He was already dodging Aurelia like the plague. No way he’d risk caring what she was up to. 

Aurelia was insanely strict. Ever since she joined the EverMass Group board, she’d been cracking down on everyone and everything. 

That was pure torture for a slacker like him. 

Every time he turned in a report or any work, Aurelia always sent it back for edits. 

Not even a single punctuation mark could be wrong. 

For Jasper, even the thought of showing up at the office was enough to make his head ache. 

Tessa had been about to make some small talk, but when she heard them chatting about Aurelia, her turned cold. 

gaze 

involuntarily 

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Chapter 222 

Finally, she spoke with a hint of indifference, “Cassian showed me the guest list earlier. Aurelia’s not on it.” 

She paused, then emphasized, “The bar is set pretty high for these conferences. Not just anyone can walk in. 

Even without naming names, her meaning couldn’t have been clearer. 

Aurelia was lumped in with the rest of the outsiders. 

Liam’s eyes grew noticeably colder, but he didn’t say a word. 

1998 

Jasper suddenly remembered and said, “Oh, right, Aurelia’s made some real progress this year, but she hasn’t officially joined yet, so there’s no way she’d be allowed in.” 

Liam looked bored and turned to Cassian. “When’s Mr. Locke getting here? I’ll just say hi and bounce. Barely slept last night, so I need to catch up when I get home.” 

“No idea,” Cassian said. 

No one found it odd that those two have never really gotten along. 

Benjamin didn’t even show up for Cassian’s engagement party. 

“Guess I’ll wait a bit longer,” Liam said. 

He couldn’t just leave too early as it’d look rude. He had to at least make an appearance. 

When Tessa heard Benjamin Locke would be attending, she started thinking about her next move. 

“Cassian, I think I should go say hi to Mr. Locke later,” she said. 

She explained, “With all these reporters around, if they start talking, it wouldn’t look good.” 

Cassian gave a brief nod. “Alright.” 

That counted as his agreement. 

Tessa was sure she’d made the right move by coming to this conference. 

Not only did it wash away all those rumors that had been bad–mouthing her, but it also gave her a chance to get closer to Benjamin. 

The main thing was, she could build even more connections and tap into new resources. 

Honestly, it was all gain and no loss for her. 

Tessa looped her arm through Cassian’s, putting on her best confident smile as they worked the room together, chatting with the business elites at the conference. 

With Cassian’s reputation in Ashmont’s business scene, everyone wanted a chance to talk to him. 

Sticking close to him. Tessa naturally ended up meeting plenty of influential people. 

These were real movers and shakers in Ashmont. 

Just as Tessa was in the middle of a lively conversation, a commotion broke out at the entrance. 

Someone in the crowd called out, “Hey, isn’t that Mr. Ryan Walker?” 

“Wait, and the woman next to him, isn’t that Aurelia from Regal Investment? Why are those two arriving together at the 

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Chapter 292 

event?” 

Tessa’s polished smile froze instantly. 

The crowd that had been chatting so eagerly with her just moments ago all made a beeline for Ryan and Aurelia 

Before she knew it, only a few people were left standing by her side. 

Tessa pressed her lips together, her gaze fixed on Aurelia, who was now surrounded by a crowd. 

Aurelia had her arm linked with Ryan’s, beaming as she greeted the crowd around them. 

Jasper edged his way over, eyes glued to Aurelia as he muttered, “Why are those two here together? Who got the invite, and who’s just tagging along?” 

Tessa shot him a frosty look, her voice dripping with disdain. “What do you think?” 

Just three words, but they packed a punch. 

“Obviously, Mr. Walker’s the one who got the invite. With his clout, it’s a no–brainer,” Jasper said. 

Even Jasper could figure that much out. 

After all, Ryan was the godfather of the chip industry, a true titan in the tech world. 

‘So, Aurelia came as Ryan’s guest?‘ Jasper wondered to himself. 

“But how did Aurelia manage to get close to Mr. Walker?” Jasper was even more curious about that. 

Tessa said offhandedly, “Come on, you’ve known her forever. You should know what she’s like.” 

Jasper was left speechless. 

Wasn’t that the whole reason they couldn’t stand Aurelia before? 

Cassian, who’d been quiet this whole time, suddenly spoke up, “I remember Mr. Walker wasn’t on the guest list.“, 

That jogged Tessa’s memory. 

She’d seen the list herself. Ryan’s name definitely wasn’t there. 

“Maybe they added him to the list later. I mean, he’s the chip godfather. His reputation alone gets him anywhere,” Jasper 

chimed in. 

Tessa was thinking the same thing. 

Aurelia was completely oblivious to what those guys were thinking. She was way too busy mingling with the crowd. 

She had zero time to care about any of that. 

Ryan was actually her guest, and since his injury hadn’t fully healed yet, Aurelia never left his side, her arm hooked through his the whole time. 

“Ms. Corin, maybe I should find a seat so you don’t have to keep escorting me around,” Ryan said, with a hint of embarrassment. 

“Don’t worry about it, Aurelia brushed it off, clearly not minding at all. 

Meanwhile, Cassian figured he should go over and say hi to Ryan. After all, Ryan’s ankle injury happened during their last 

game together. It was the decent thing to do, both personally and professionally. 

Tessa wasn’t exactly thrilled about crossing paths with Aurelia, but she still tagged along with Cassian, mostly out of respe for Ryan. 

But then Tessa caught sight of someone she recognized and slipped her arm out of Cassian’s. “Go ahead, Cassian. I just spotted a friend and gonna say hi.” 

“Alright,” Cassian said, and made his way over to Ryan. 

Tessa, meanwhile, greeted Kyler with a bright smile. “Mr. Kyler, you made it too?” 

“Tes…” Kyler started, then quickly switched, “Ms. Rowe.” 

After all, since it was a public event, using her formal title was more appropriate. 

He explained, “My father’s a member of the chamber, so I’m here representing him.” 

While chatting, Tessa kept a close watch on Cassian, always making sure she knew what was going on with him. 

Truth be told, her real focus was on Aurelia. 

She was worried Aurelia might be up to something. 

Kyler had his eyes on Aurelia too, but he couldn’t hide the scorn on his face. 

He leaned in and whispered something to Tessa.