Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 308

Chapter 308 

At this critical juncture, Honoria Capital’s overseas operations encountered significant difficulties. That was why Cassian was forced to cut short his attendance at the financial summit and rush abroad to deal with the crisis. 

All the weight back home landed on Tessa alone. She was more on edge than anyone. 

Ever since she came back, it felt like every single thing she tried ended up going sideways; something always went wrong. Her relationship with Cassian was the only thing that didn’t turn into a mess. 

Nothing else seemed to go right. Right now, HelixTech was her last hope; her only shot at survival. No matter what it took, Tessa knew she had to seize it. 

@ 

Her phone kept ringing, and Tessa felt her hope slipping away with every ring. Right before it went to voicemail, Zane picked up. 

Tessa’s eyes lit up instantly. Relief flooding her voice, she said, “Mr. Lavell, you finally picked up!” 

“Just woke up. What’s up?” Zane sounded lazy, like he really had just rolled out of bed. 

“Can we meet? I need to talk to you about an investment,” Tessa said, her tone a little desperate. 

Zane hesitated briefly before answering, “Alright.” 

He sent Tessa the address. It was the hotel where he was staying. 

Tessa’s eyes narrowed, growing serious. She opened her closet, rummaged through the bottom drawer, and pulled out the sexy lingerie Alina had bought for her. 

It was meant for Cassian, originally. She never expected to get kidnapped on the day of their engagement. After that, she made sure to keep Cassian at arm’s length and never let herself think about it again. 

An hour later, Tessa pulled up to the hotel where Zane was staying. She greeted the front desk, and a staff member quickly took her upstairs. 

Inside the presidential suite. Zane was wearing a dark silk bathrobe, the belt carelessly tied, his chest partially exposed, the lines well–defined. 

One hand rested on his hip, the other holding a glass of red wine. His gaze was mischievous, a faint smirk playing at his lips 

When Tessat pushed the door open, Zane turned away from the floor–to–ceiling window and said, his tone lazy, “You’re 

here? Have a seat.” 

Zane settled into the seat across from Tessa, flashing a gentlemanly smile. “Care for some wine?” he asked. 

“Sure, Tessa said, making it clear she wasn’t planning on going home tonight. 

Zane poured her a generous glass of red wine. As Tessa took the glass, her gaze drifted to the magnolias sitting on the coffee table. “Those tulips look gorgeous,” she remarked. 

As she spoke, she absently touched her tulip earrings. Zane noticed every little gesture, his long fingers lazily tracing the rim of his wine glass. A half–amused, half–smirk played at the corners of his mouth. 

Tessa knew she couldn’t afford to rush things, so she joined in some casual conversation on other topics, keeping the atmosphere relaxed. Only when she sensed the moment was right did she finally bring up the subject of the investment funds. 

But out of nowhere, Zane switched gears. “Well, looks like this might have to wait.” 

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jousnes 

Tessa’s voice shot up, panic creeping in. “Mr. Lavell, you said if I did what you asked, you’d back HelixTech fivefold! You can’t just hit pause now; this was your promise!” 

Zane just smirked, swirling his wine. “It was just talk, Ms. Rowe. No need to get all worked up.” 

Tessa shot to her feet, her voice shaking with anger. “Just talk? That’s all it was?” 

Zane gave a lazy smirk. “Come on, Ms. Rowe, you really don’t know? Men’s promises are worthless.” 

He paused, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes as he took in Brett’s mortified expression. “Wait, you mean no guy’s ever played you before?” 

Tessa froze, her breath catching as Zane’s words hit her. Only now did it really sink in; she’d been played, and she hadn’t even seen it coming. 

Proud as she was, no guy had ever crushed her like this before. She felt humiliated, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn and leave. All that pride, all that dignity; right now, it was worthless. 

Tessa was almost groveling at this point, her voice shaky with desperation. “Just tell me, what do you want? What do I have to do for you to invest in HelixTech?” 

Zane just looked at her, eyes full of amusement, not bothering to answer. 

She felt like she was being torn apart inside, but all she could do was swallow her pride and beg even harder, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible. “Whatever you want, just say it. As long as you invest in HelixTech, I’ll do anything.” 

With that, she stood up and moved closer to Zane. Her hand softly brushed aside her cashmere coat, exposing one smooth shoulder and the alluring blush–pink lingerie beneath. 

It matched the color of the tulips on the table perfectly. She’d chosen it herself, with extra care. 

When Aurelia knocked and walked in, Tessa’s eyes were red, looking like she was about to cry. Aurelia froze, clearly caught off guard. “Did I come at a bad time?” 

Tessa never thought Aurelia would catch her in such a humiliating position. She felt so embarrassed and ashamed, she wished the ground would swallow her up. 

And to rub salt in the wound, the way Zane looked at her was pure mockery and ridicule. Right then, Tessa finally got it. 

Zane had never meant to invest in HelixTech, not for a single second. All those twists and turns, all that back–and–forth were just stringing her along for his own amusement. 

But the most infuriating part was that he’d actually called Aurelia over on purpose, just to let her witness Tessa’s humiliation firsthand. As the truth hit her, Tessa’s composure almost cracked; her expression nearly gave her away. 

Humiliation crashed over her like a wave, and all she could do was bolt, desperate to get away. As she stormed past Aurelia, Tessa shot her a fierce glare. 

Aurelia was totally baffled. ‘Is she pissed at me just because I ruined her moment? So now she’s glaring at me?‘ Aurelia 

wondered. 

‘Still, it was Zane who invited me here. Whatever, Tessa hated me forever anyway. Not worth my time, Aurelia thought. 

Instead, she turned to Zane, who was watching her with a playful glint in his eyes. “You said you had something important to 

talk to me about. What is it?” 

Zane just smirked. “I just wanted you to sit back and enjoy the show.” 

Aurelia was like, “Huh?” She furrowed her brows, feeling like she had to say something to Zane. 

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Her schedule was a total nightmare. She was drowning in work, and was so busy she wished she could clone herself. 

‘Seriously, I don’t have time to play along with his drama, Aurelia thought, exasperated. 

Zane called over a staff member, his face full of disdain. “Get rid of these tulips, will you? They’re dirty as hell. 

The staff didn’t really get it, but just did what they were told. Zane wasn’t done yet. He added, “And get me a new suite while you’re at it.” 

“Right away, sir.” He was the boss here. Whatever he wanted, everyone jumped. 

“Go do your thing, Aurelia. I’m gonna go take a shower,” Zane said, sounding like he couldn’t wait to get away. He felt like he needed to wash off the mess from everything that just happened. 

Aurelia almost blurted out that he was crazy, but her manners stopped her. 

Zane just grinned, teasing, “What, you wanna watch a handsome guy shower? That’ll cost you.” 

‘Seriously? What a self–obsessed drama king,‘ she grumbled inwardly. 

She just shook her head and walked out, not even bothering to respond. The longer Aurelia sat there, the more pissed off she got. In the end, she just couldn’t take it anymore and dialed up Stephen to vent 

“Mr. Horton, why did you have to take in such a disaster as your disciple?” Aurelia complained, her voice dripping with exasperation. 

Stephen let out a wry laugh, “Man, if I start talking about it, I might just cry…” 

***** 

HelixTech was getting hammered by all the scandals and bad press surrounding Tessa. Over the past couple of days, a bunch of investors were demanding to pull out. 

But Tessa was dodging everyone, refusing to see a single soul. The drama was all over the place; even Aurelia couldn’t help 

but hear about it. 

Mia, the queen of gossip, nudged Aurelia and asked, “So, do you think Tessa’s got any chance of making a comeback this 

time?”