Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 32

Chapter 32 

Tessa was smart enough not to press further. Instead, she smoothly changed the topic and brought up the upcoming celebration party. 

Her question reminded Cassian about the gown. He said he’d already ordered one for her ahead of time. 

“Really? Where is it? Let me see!” Tessa said, her voice full of excitement. 

Without thinking, Cassian replied, “I had Ms. Corin pick it up.” 

He paused, then added, “But she’s already left for the day.” 

“I’ll ask Miranda. She should know where it is,” Tessa said, eager to see it. 

Cassian didn’t respond–his silence counted as approval. 

Before Tessa left, she glanced at his desk and saw him slide Aurelia’s resignation letter into the right–hand drawer. 

If she wasn’t mistaken, there were several more letters in there. 

That meant Aurelia had been trying to resign for a while–Cassian just hadn’t approved any of them. 

The realization unsettled Tessa. A sharp wave of unease and jealousy crept up inside her. 

She wasn’t sure if Cassian kept Aurelia around because he couldn’t bear to let her go, or if it was simply because he was used to her and found her too competent to replace. 

Either way, it was a problem–and Tessa wasn’t about to let it stay that way. 

Getting Cassian to approve Aurelia’s resignation would be easy. If she just asked, he’d probably agree. 

But that would be too easy for Aurelia. 

Resigning and getting fired were two very different things. 

Tessa wanted Aurelia to have no chance of finding another job in Ashmont. 

She wanted to drive a wedge so deep between Aurelia and Cassian that they could never go back. 

She wanted Aurelia gone–completely erased from Cassian’s world. 

***** 

The next morning, Aurelia had a bad feeling. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew something was going to happen that day. 

Cassian wasn’t in the office that morning. Just as Aurelia was enjoying the rare peace, Miranda rushed over, her face pale and eyes wide with panic. “Aurelia, something terrible happened.” 

Miranda looked terrified–her hands were even shaking. 

“What’s wrong?” Aurelia asked quickly. “Don’t panic. Tell me slowly.” 

“That gown you picked up from Vanvelle Studio a few days ago–it has a big tear in it,” Miranda stammered. 

Aurelia was stunned. “A tear? How did that happen?” 

After she’d brought the gown back, she had personally ironed it and hung it neatly in the closet. There was no reason it 

Chapter 32 

should’ve torn on its own. 

“I don’t know,” Miranda said, close to tears. “Ms. Rowe said she wanted to try it on just now. When she took it out, she found it ripped. 

“She asked me what happened, but I didn’t know what to say. Aurelia, what should we do? Ms. Rowe said that the gown is really, really expensive-” 

“I’ll go take a look. Don’t panic yet,” Aurelia said, hurrying to the storage room. 

Tessa was still there. When she saw Aurelia, she raised an eyebrow. “I was just about to come find you, Ms. Corin. You’re the one who picked up this gown, right?” 

“Yes,” Aurelia said evenly. “I personally ironed it and hung it in the closet. It was in perfect condition at that time.” 

“Then what happened now?” Tessa demanded sharply, her tone full of authority. “Explain.” 

Aurelia bent down to inspect the damage. The tear was clean–ripped deliberately, not by accident. 

It was right across the front of the waistline, making it impossible to repair. 

Tessa said, her voice icy, “Cassian ordered this dress for me from Vanvelle Studio a month in advance. It was custom–made. 

“Forget the price for a second. The celebration party is tomorrow, and I was supposed to wear it. Now it’s ruined. Who’s going to take responsibility?” 

Her tone was so intimidating that Miranda didn’t even dare to breathe. 

“After the gown was brought back, did anyone else touch it?” Aurelia asked Miranda. 

Miranda shook her head quickly. “No. Just now, when Ms. Rowe said she wanted to try it on, we found it was already damaged.” 

In other words, only two people had handled it from start to finish–Aurelia and Tessa. 

Aurelia didn’t know if Tessa had done it on purpose, but she was certain the whole thing was aimed at her. 

She wasn’t someone who started trouble–but that didn’t mean she was afraid of it. Since trouble had come knocking, she wasn’t going to hide. 

“Miranda, have the security department check the surveillance footage,” Aurelia instructed calmly. 

Tessa stood there looking completely unbothered, as if the ruined gown had nothing to do with her. 

After the security team reviewed the footage, they came back with results. 

Only three people had entered the storage room after the gown was returned: Aurelia, Miranda, and Tessa. 

Unfortunately, there were no cameras inside the room itself, so there was no direct proof of what had happened. 

Miranda panicked first. “It wasn’t me! I’d never dare ruin the gown–I could never afford something like that in a lifetime!” 

Tessa gave a soft, mocking laugh. “So what are you implying–that I did it? This gown was custom–made for me by Cassian. I’d cherish it. Why would I destroy it? If I ruined it, what would I wear tomorrow?” 

Her tone made it obvious who she was blaming. 

“It’s possible someone was jealous and ruined it on purpose, just so I couldn’t attend the celebration,” Tessa said meaningfully. 

18:12 Fri, Dec 19 M 

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Her words hung in the air–and even Miranda’s eyes flicked toward Aurelia. 

Then Tessa’s phone rang. When she saw the caller ID, her expression softened into a sweet smile. She picked up the call 

“Cassian. I was just about to call you,” she said lightly. “The gown you ordered for me is ruined. 

“I don’t know what happened. Ms. Corin already checked the security footage–only she, Miranda, and I ever touched it. 

“The celebration’s tomorrow, and it’s such a coincidence that the gown’s ruined right now, isn’t it?” 

Cassian said something on the other end, and Tessa’s smile stiffened slightly. “You want to speak with Ms. Corin?” She hesitated before handing the phone over. 

When Aurelia saw the caller ID, something twisted deep inside her. The name Tessa had saved for Cassian carried a kind of closeness she’d never had in seven years. 

But she didn’t have time to dwell on that. She took a breath and said steadily, “Mr. Locke, this is Aurelia.” 

“Did you do it?” Cassian’s voice came through cold and direct–no hesitation. 

For a moment, Aurelia felt like she’d fallen into an ice cellar. Her heart froze instantly, and a chill ran down her spine. 

She could accept that he’d fallen out of love, that he’d chosen someone else. She could even accept walking away. 

But what she couldn’t accept–what she could never accept–was being doubted. 

After seven years together, she’d thought Cassian at least knew her well enough to understand she’d never stoop to this kind of petty, jealous nonsense. 

It had taken years to build trust–but only a moment to shatter it. She only realized that now. 

Aurelia drew in a slow, steady breath and answered, “It wasn’t me.” 

“Tessa said only you and Miranda touched the gown. Miranda wouldn’t dare,” Cassian said flatly. 

“Mr. Locke, since when did you start deciding right and wrong based on your own assumptions?” Aurelia’s voice was cold but steady. 

Cassian clearly hadn’t expected her to talk back. He went silent. 

Aurelia looked straight at Tessa, her gaze sharp and unflinching. “Let’s call the police. They’ll find out soon enough who’s telling the truth.”