Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 264

Posted by ADMINMMADMIN, ? Views, Released on January 1, 2026

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

Chapter 264

3080

268 vouchers

HelixTech’s celebration party, like their roadshow, ended in a shoddy, hasty manner. Tessa forced a smile the entire time. When it was finally over, she realized Jasper still hadn’t shown up, so she gave him a call.

Jasper picked up after a while, stammering when he said, “Sorry, Tessa, something came up at the last minute. I couldn’t

make it.”

Tessa felt rather disappointed. Even though everyone knew she desperately needed her friends to show up and support her at that moment, not a single one appeared.

But Tessa only remained silent for two seconds before speaking calmly, “It’s fine. You’re busy.” Jasper was about to say something further, but Tessa had already ended the call.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to look composed. Just as she was about to put her phone away, she saw someone post photos and videos from InquireMind’s celebration party in the investment banking group chat.

People surrounded Aurelia. Everyone was all over her, showering her with attention. She was smiling and chatting with the big shots of the financial world, toasting each other like she totally belonged.

In those photos, Tessa saw plenty of familiar faces. She saw Benjamin, whose approval she could never earn, no matter how hard she tried. But when Benjamin looked at Aurelia, his eyes were filled with genuine fondness for the juniors.

She saw Stephen, the one she had been desperate to get close to. When Aurelia toasted him, he gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and a thumbs–up.

1

And Gideon, she spent six years, but still failed to get close to him. He would take the drinks for Aurelia whenever someone toasted her, never leaving her side. And whenever he looked at Aurelia, there was pure affection in his eyes.

Even the big shots and CEOs from major companies didn’t bother hiding their admiration for Aurelia. She even spotted Liam and his wife in the video. Liam’s gaze followed Aurelia the whole time, filled with admiration and a hint of infatuation.

And even Jasper, the same Jasper who had just said over the phone that he couldn’t make it to her celebration party because of some last–minute thing.

All in all, Aurelia had clearly become the center of attention. This was exactly the scene Tessa had been striving for all these years. Yet, despite all her efforts, she was still just a character playing the supporting role.

*****

After sending Aurelia home, Miranda repeatedly checked that she wasn’t drunk before she left. But Aurelia was actually a little tipsy.

She hadn’t drunk for a long time, so her tolerance had slipped. Moreover, she was in such a good mood tonight and thus ended up drinking a few more glasses. Now that the alcohol was really hitting her, she felt a bit unsteady.

Settling into the lounge chair out on her balcony, looking up at the rare starry night, and out of nowhere, she just felt like sharing her happiness with someone.

Right now, the only person who came to mind was Mia. She wanted to call Mia, but she didn’t want to disturb her if she was busy. So she shot her a quick message on WhatsApp.

Aurelia: [Hey, what are you up to?]

Before Mia could reply, Aurelia got a message from someone totally unexpected. He said: [Congratulations!]

Aurelia, staring at the message, was lost in thought. In the end, she deleted it. His congratulations came way too late; she didn’t need them anymore.

10:43 Thu, Jan 1

Chapter 264

55 voucher

Mia didn’t see Aurelia’s message until she finished work, and she called her right away. When Aurelia picked up, she was already feeling a bit sleepy. She curled up in her lounge chair, her voice soft and drowsy.

“Hey, babe, just finished work?” Aurelia asked.

“Yeah, we had a big night shoot today. It took so long,” Mia replied. Even so, Mia didn’t miss out on any of the juicy dramas. today.

“If I’d known things were going to get this exciting, I would’ve thrown a fit and begged the crew for time off! Seriously, what’s up with Tessa? Is she cursed or something? How does she always end up in these messes?” Mia exclaimed.

“I thought that whole fireworks fiasco earlier was freaky enough, but this is even crazier! She’s definitely got some kind of jinx on her!” Mia added. “Honestly, I’m starting to feel a little sorry for her!”

Aurelia also felt Tessa was seriously unlucky. “When they decided to go public through a backdoor listing, I honestly thought Tessa might take a shortcut and finally pull off a comeback this time.”

Mia cracked up. “A comeback? Please, she wasn’t taking a shortcut; she was breaking the law!”

“Why do we keep talking about her on such a good day? You still haven’t congratulated me,” Aurelia teased.

Aurelia really couldn’t care less about Tessa’s drama. ‘Reap what you sow,‘ she thought. She believed that love given was love returned. She also believed in cause and effect.

Mia shooed away Tessa’s bad vibes, like she was trying to keep Tessa’s bad luck from sticking to her. “Yeah, if she can’t stand you, then let her watch you thrive,” Mia said.

“As for my wishes for you, you’ve got money, you’ve got freedom, you’re not lacking anything. I don’t have much else to wish for you, so…I’ll just wish that you’ll be able to break men’s hearts,” Mia teased.

Aurelia was amused, her voice relaxed and content. “Alright, hope we both get to break men’s hearts.”

Early the following morning, just as Aurelia arrived at the office, the police came to see her. When she got to the station, she learned there had been progress in the car accident case.

She never expected the accident to be somehow tied to Vanessa. “Vanessa refused to disclose anything, and we still don’t have all the evidence lined up. What do you want us to do now?” the officer asked.

“Investigate it thoroughly,” Aurelia said. That was all Aurelia had to say. She didn’t hold any grudge against Vanessa. At the end of the day, Vanessa was just a scapegoat, someone thrown under the bus to take the fall.

As for who was really behind the scenes, that was obvious. Just as Aurelia walked out of the police station, she found Alina waiting for her at the entrance, clearly having been there for some time.

Alina was obviously prepared, clearly expecting Aurelia’s arrival. “Ms. Corin, let’s talk,” Alina spoke up first. Her attitude was as haughty as ever.

Aurelia ignored her. She didn’t intend to waste her time on her, so she just said, “Talk to my lawyer.”

Alina’s face went ice–cold in an instant. Before she came, she figured Aurelia wouldn’t agree to work things out, but she never expected Aurelia to be this firm.

Little did Alina know that this was just the beginning. Five days later, the police told Alina that Aurelia’s lawyer was officially suing Vanessa for hiring a hitman, and it wasn’t just some random car accident.

Karlie was at the Rowe family residence when she got the news, and she completely lost it, crying her eyes out. She collapsed to her knees right in front of Alina, desperately begging her to do whatever it took to save Vanessa.

10:43 Thu, Jan 1 Mer

Chapter 264

Alina tried to reach out to Aurelia again. But this time, she couldn’t even see her. Aurelia’s secretary clearly conveyed Aurelia’s stance that this matter was non–negotiable and everything would have to go through the courts.

079

Alina returned after a long day out, totally stressed, and bumped into Tessa, who looked just as wrecked. Tessa had spent the whole week dealing with the fallout from HelixTech’s investors. Things were way worse than she’d ever imagined.

Before Alina could even mention Vanessa, Tessa cut in and brought up the situation at HelixTech. “If the IPO gets derailed, no way we can beat Aurelia,” Tessa said, her voice full of frustration.