Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 230

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“Shh,” Gideon whispered, pressing a finger to his lips to remind her the ceremony had already started. 

The next moment, he was grinning, eyes brimming with fondness as he reached out and ruffled her hair, just like old times. 

Tessa’s lips pressed into a thin line as she watched the scene unfold. 

“What’s wrong?” Cassian asked, concern flickering in his eyes as he noticed her expression. 

“Gideon’s here,” Tessa replied, her voice flat. 

Cassian followed her gaze and caught sight of Gideon reaching out to ruffle Aurelia’s hair. 

He paused, saying nothing. 

There was no trace of emotion on his face, just a cool, detached indifference. 

His eyes paused for only a split second before he turned away, clearly uninterested. 

But Tessa couldn’t help but keep glancing in their direction. 

She’d noticed that the way Gideon looked at Aurelia was different. 

She’d seen it happen more than once, and each time, it made her think about all the little ways Gideon gave Aurelia special attention. 

A bold suspicion crept into Tessa’s mind, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she was right. 

The thought made her heart thud in her chest, fear prickling at her nerves. 

A chill ran down her spine and just wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard she tried to shake it off, 

She needed an answer, and she needed it now. 

So when Gideon left his seat midway through the ceremony, Tessa found an excuse to leave as well and 

followed him out. 

She spotted him outside, standing beneath the shade of a tree, phone pressed to his ear. 

Tessa walked straight up to him without hesitation. “The one in your heart… it’s Aurelia, isn’t it?” 

Gideon paused, his eyes turning cold as he looked at her. 

But Tessa wouldn’t let it go. She pressed for the truth, her voice edged with urgency. 

“Is Aurelia the woman you’ve kept hidden in your heart for seven years?” she asked again. 

“I’m busy right now. We’ll talk later,” Gideon said, hanging up the phone. 

Chapter 230 

He turned his head slightly, his gaze icy cold as he looked at Tessa. “What’s it to you?” Tessa felt a chill run down her spine at his indifference. 

His offhanded reply was more than Tessa could handle. 

Tessa was on the verge of losing it, her voice shaking. “Just answer me! Is it her?” 

Gideon’s eyes were cold and piercing as he looked at her. 

After a moment, his answer rang out, clear and resolute. “Yes.” 

He didn’t hesitate or hide. 

His honesty was absolute, his resolve clear. 

“It’s always been her.” His voice was unwavering. 

In that instant, Tessa’s composure shattered. Her face went ghostly pale in a flash. 

‘Six years! I gave him six years!‘ Tessa screamed inside. 

Staring at the cold, indifferent man before her, she stood there, stunned, unable to recover for a long 

moment. 

It felt like her whole world was collapsing inside. 

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and in the blazing summer heat, she felt a coldness she’d never known before spreading through her. 

Gideon didn’t spare her another glance. He just turned and walked away. 

Tessa’s face turned paler and paler, the color draining away little by little. 

Meanwhile, Jasper stared at his phone, the call abruptly cut off, his face a picture of shock and disbelief. 

‘Did I just hear that right?‘ Jasper thought, his mind spinning. ‘Gideon… likes Aurelia? Seriously? And he’s liked her all these years?‘ 

‘No freaking way!‘ Jasper thought. ‘Should I just grab my stuff and hop on the next flight out of Ashmont tonight? What if Gideon sends someone to take me out?‘ 

Tessa took a while to calm down outside before finally heading back inside. 

Cassian’s seat was empty when she returned. 

She barely noticed. Her thoughts were all over the place. 

Jonathan waved her over, and Tessa managed to muster up some energy and went to sit with him. 

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A reporter came over to interview Jonathan, but he was worried he might mess up. He asked Tessa to handle the questions for him. 

The reporter, looking curious, asked, “So, what’s the connection between you two?” 

Jonathan answered, “Tessa was my PhD student back when I taught at Whitvale School of Management.” 

The reporter’s eyes widened. “Wait, Ms. Rowe was Jonathan’s student? That’s a surprise!” 

Jonathan didn’t hold back, grinning as he praised her. “Tessa’s amazing, super talented and capable. Honestly, I’m really proud of her.” 

Now that everyone knew about her background, a bunch more reporters swarmed over to interview Tessa. 

Some faces in the crowd were familiar. 

They were the ones Karlie Pelosi had sent. 

To be exact, it was a scheme she and Karlie had put together. 

Back when Jonathan first called, Tessa had already mapped out how she was going to turn things around for herself. 

In high society, when it came to picking a daughter–in–law, there were basically two rules. 

She either had to come from a family that was just as powerful, or she needed to be impressive in both character and ability. 

There was no way Tessa could measure up to that first standard. 

After all, there were only a handful of families in the entire country that could even come close to matching the Lockes. 

So she had to play up her strengths and prove she was the total package. 

Alina saw this coming years ago, so she went all out and spared no expense to build up Tessa’s image as an elite academic, making sure she looked perfect on paper. 

To the rich and powerful, brains and degrees meant prime breeding material for the next generation. 

Tessa was sure of this. If there was one thing she had, it was brains and credentials. 

‘There’s no way Aurelia could ever compete with me,‘ Tessa thought. 

Tessa sent a confident glance toward Aurelia. 

Aurelia didn’t seem to notice at all. She was busy talking with Gideon. 

‘Is she really that chill, or is she just faking it?‘ Tessa wondered. 

‘Maybe she’s just playing it off like she doesn’t care, just keeping up appearances, Tessa thought. 

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“Moli, over here!” a reporter called out, using her stage name. 

That was exactly how Jonathan had introduced her. 

Tessa flashed a bright smile at the reporter and posed for the camera. 

Over on the other side, Aurelia, who was chatting with Gideon, glanced over as well. 

‘Moli? Is that Tessa’s stage name? Seriously? What are the odds? Wait, that’s my stage name too, she wondered. 

Back when she applied to Whitvale School of Management, she went by that name. 

But after she gave up the chance to study abroad, she never used it again. 

If the reporter hadn’t called her by that name, she probably wouldn’t have even remembered it 

Aurelia only spared it a brief glance before looking away. 

Just then, Mia texted Aurelia in a panic, saying her period had suddenly started and she didn’t have any pads. 

She asked if Aurelia could come to the rescue. 

Aurelia always kept pads on her, so after finding out where Mia was, she slipped out of her seat to go help her. 

The summer wind was blazing, blasting through the hallway, hot enough to burn. 

At the end of the corridor, Aurelia spotted a familiar figure. 

She wished she could avoid Cassian altogether, but this was the only way to reach the bathroom where Mia was waiting for her. 

Since Mia was counting on her, she had no choice but to go this way. 

Cassian stood at the end of the hall, his gaze deep and inscrutable, silently watching her, impossible to read what he was thinking. 

Under his stare, Aurelia instinctively picked up her 

pace. 

As she brushed past him, Cassian suddenly reached out and caught her by the arm. 

Aurelia’s face fell and she immediately tried to shake Cassian’s hand off. 

But Cassian held on, stubbornly refusing to let go, like he was dead set on not backing down. 

His grip was so tight it actually hurt, making Aurelia flinch. 

She gave him a cold, mocking stare. “Mr. Locke, are you having another crazy episode or what?” 

‘I’ve had it with this guy and his endless back–and–forth!‘ Aurelia fumed inside. 

One minute he’s telling people the real third wheel is the one nobody loves. 

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The next, he was grabbing onto her like he couldn’t let go.. 

If you’re really that messed up, why don’t you go see a shrink?‘ Aurelia thought, exasperated. 

(IZD 

Cassian leaned in a little, his icy eyes never leaving Aurelia’s face, staring her down like he was trying to catch any flicker of emotion. 

His voice was cold and bored, totally emotionless. “Did you ever love Gideon? Back then?” 

Cassian’s question hit Aurelia like a bolt of lightning, leaving her mind reeling. 

AD