Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 243

Chapter 243 

Mia’s voice boomed even louder than Vanessa’s. “So you caught on, hub? Fine, cards on the table. No more acting just call me Mom! 

“Or better yet, how about a kowtow? If you wanna get in, you still need your stepmom’s blessing, right? 

As for trash talk, Mia never lost at that game. 

As soon as those words dropped, the three on the other side all looked stunned, 

Alina was so triggered she puked even harder. 

Tessa hurried to help her out. 

Vanessa, still pissed, snapped at Mia, “How can you even say that? You’re just a kid, already thinking about being someone’s stepmom? Mr. Locke is way older than you. How could you even go after him?” 

Mia just laughed it off. “Look at you talking like that. The only reason is you never had the chance. If you did, you’d be dying to throw your own daughter at him.” 

‘Quit pretending you’re so pure, Mia thought. 

“And if you really wanna know how to go after someone way older, just ask Tessa. She’d know all about it,” Mia said, tossing Tessa a wicked grin. 

Tessa’s grip on Alina’s hand tightened. 

Vanessa looked like she wanted to say something else. 

Alina snapped, “Enough! I feel awful. Just get me back to my room.” 

Vanessa was clearly pissed, but she didn’t dare say another word. 

The three of them hurried off. 

Mia tossed her hair back with a swagger. “What a bunch of noobs!” 

Seeing how smug Mia looked, Aurelia could only shake her head with a helpless smile. “Feel good now?” 

Mia grinned. “Hell yeah!” 

“As long as you’re happy,” Aurelia said. 

Mia asked, “I thought you’d blame me.” 

Aurelia smiled gently. “Blame you for what? If I was scared of people talking trash about me, I wouldn’t have gotten close to Mr. Locke in the first place.” 

“Exactly! As long as we don’t pretend to be saints, nobody can guilt–trip us,” Mia said with a smirk. 

Mia’s mindset had always been way ahead of everyone else. Even back in college, nobody could catch up to her. 

After spending so much time with her, Aurelia had actually picked up a thing or two from Mia. 

After roasting those noobs, Mia finally noticed the test results in Aurelia’s hand. “So, how did your mom’s tests go?” 

“All the numbers look okay, but there are a couple more results coming out tomorrow,” Aurelia replied. 

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“Relax, she’s gonna be just fine!” Mia said, upbeat. 

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Meanwhile, Tessa, Alina, and Vanessa made it back to their hospital room, all looking pretty sour. 

Vanessa was still fuming. “You guys shouldn’t have stopped me! I would’ve shut her up for good!” 

Alina took a sip of water, her voice rough from the tube. “What are you even doing? Didn’t I tell you not to stir up trouble? Benjamin Locke is still staying in this hospital, you know.” 

Vanessa looked a bit embarrassed after getting scolded. “I was just sticking up for Tessa.” 

“Anyone who hangs out with Aurelia can’t be worth much. Getting into it with her just means you’re stooping to her level,” Alina snapped. 

Vanessa clammed up. 

“Alright, I’m hungry. Go get me something to eat,” Alina ordered. 

Even though it wasn’t mealtime, Vanessa still did as she was told and headed out to get her some food. 

After all these years, she was so used to Alina bossing her around, she never thought twice about it. 

As soon as Vanessa left, Alina’s face turned grim. “Do you think Aurelia knows something?” 

Tessa clenched her fingers, looking uneasy. “I don’t think so. If she did, she would’ve told Cassian right away. She wouldn’t keep it to herself.” 

After all, Aurelia was still hung up on Cassian. There was no way she’d let a chance like that slip by. 

Alina thought the same, so she finally relaxed a little. 

But she still reminded Tessa, “I told you, this isn’t the West. Keep it low–key.” 

“Got it,” Tessa replied. 

For a second there, her heart was racing. 

She mulled it over the whole walk back, and only then did her nerves finally settle. 

Mia and Aurelia were grabbing a bite at a restaurant near the hospital. 

Just thinking about how Tessa looked like a guilty thief earlier made Mia crack up. “I was actually gonna send those pics to Cassian to gross him out, but now I figure, why bother? Let him keep eating shit every day and not even know it.” 

“Ugh, we’re eating! Can you not?” Aurelia wrinkled her nose. 

Mia just laughed harder. “Cassian’s been eating that every day and doesn’t even notice. You just hear about it and you’re already grossed out?” 

“Stop it!” Aurelia snapped. 

Seeing Aurelia about to throw down her chopsticks, Mia surrendered fast. “Okay, I’ll shut up. Seriously, let him keep getting played. He totally deserves it.” 

Aurelia was totally on board with that. 

After they finished eating, the runner Aurelia called finally arrived. 

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It was the butter cookies from that bakery Benjamin loved. 

Since Benjamin had helped out with the hospital room, Aurelia figured she owed him a thank you. 

When she knocked and entered, she found Cassian was there too. 

When he saw her, Cassian shifted slightly, his deep eyes giving her a brief look. 

His expression remained cool and distant, showing no emotion. 

Aurelia handed the cookies to Abigail, planning to just say hi and leave. 

But Benjamin started chatting with her about the underwriting firms. 

Aurelia had already reached out to a few underwriting firms and kept the conversations going, but none of their plans really impressed her. 

“I’ve got two solid underwriting firms I can hook you up with,” Benjamin said, handing her a folder he’d prepped way ahead of time. 

Aurelia glanced at the info and her eyes widened. These were the top two firms in the whole country. 

To be real, a project like InquireMind isn’t even on their radar yet. 

I mean, they only work with companies worth 30 billion dollars or more. 

Aurelia had never even considered approaching these top firms for a partnership. 

Benjamin caught her hesitation and said, “If I vouch for you, they’ll seriously consider it.” 

Aurelia felt a wave of gratitude. 

Building something from scratch is no walk in the park. 

But thankfully, she’d crossed paths with some real benefactors along the way, making the road a whole lot smoother. 

“I think Coreson is a better fit for InquireMind. They’ve got the experience. They led the IPO for United Tech in Sundale, and it only took 88 days from submission to approval,” Aurelia said. 

Cassian chimed in, joining their discussion. 

Aurelia was already leaning toward Coreson herself. 

They had way more experience with the STAR Market. 

So Aurelia said honestly, “I agree, Coreson is the better choice.” 

Abigail didn’t really follow their conversation, but when she saw them both agree, she chuckled, “You two really do work well together.” 

Cassian’s gaze flickered for a moment. 

Aurelia just said, her tone flat, “It’s just business.” 

At that, Cassian’s brows lifted ever so slightly. 

Benjamin reminded Aurelia to get all her documents ready ahead of time, and to find trustworthy accounting firms, law firms, and other intermediaries to help out. 

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She also needed to review and organize her assets, business operations, and equity. 

Even Cassian jumped in, saying she could hit him up anytime if she ever got stuck. 

Aurelia didn’t hold back. She fired off a few questions she’d been puzzling over. 

Cassian answered everything, no holding back, taking her questions seriously. 

For once, the atmosphere in the room was surprisingly peaceful. 

Abigail was just about to suggest they all have dinner together and said she’d go make a reservation. 

But then Cassian’s phone rang. 

Cassian answered right away, not bothering to step out. “What’s up?” 

As soon as he picked up, everyone else in the room fell silent. 

Even though he didn’t put it on speaker, everyone could still make out Tessa’s voice faintly from the other end. 

Aurelia’s expression didn’t budge, like she’d seen it a hundred times before. 

Cassian’s face darkened slightly. “I’ll be right there.” 

He hung up, got to his feet, and said, “Dad, Abigail, I’ve got something urgent to take care of. Go ahead and chat.” 

He didn’t 

spare Aurelia a word. 

Aurelia didn’t bother with any pleasantries. She just kept her eyes glued to the documents in her hands. 

Abigail grumbled with a frown, “Why’s he in such a hurry?” 

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