Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 336

Chapter 336 

Aurelia wondered, ‘Was he reaching out for help? 

‘Or was there some other reason behind it?‘ 

And why didn’t he try calling again after I rejected the call? 

‘I really have no way of knowing what the truth is. 

Aurelia had no intention of calling Cassian back. 

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That afternoon, after wrapping up her meeting, Aurelia walked past the admin office and caught a few people gossiping. 

“That fire was brutal. The whole villa district is basically unrecognizable now. Such a shame,” one of them said. 

“I heard families like that always have priceless collections at home. No idea if any got destroyed. If they did, what a loss,” another chimed in. 

“Seriously, why are folks making less than three thousand dollars a month stressing over Ashmont’s richest guy? Talk about unnecessary,” someone else joked. 

“The Locke family is just on another level. They’ve held the top spot in Ashmont for years. Their influence is unreal,” another person added. 

Aurelia froze mid–step at the door. 

She wondered, “The Locke family? Which Locke family are they talking about?‘ 

She walked over to the admin office, knocked lightly on the desk, and asked the gossiping secretaries, “Where was the fire?” 

Aurelia was on good terms with them, so even though she caught them gossiping at work, they didn’t get too nervous. 

One of the secretaries replied, “It was the Locke family’s place on Breeze Road. The fire was pretty bad. The whole villa got burned down.” 

“The Locke family is on Breeze Road, Aurelia realized, a chill running through her. 

‘Wait, that’s Benjamin Locke’s place, she thought, anxiety spiking. 

Aurelia’s heart dropped. She frantically dialed Benjamin’s number. 

But the call just rang and rang, no answer. 

Aurelia’s heart was pounding as she frantically dialed Abigail’s number. 

This time, the call went through, but it was chaotic on the other end. Aurelia could tell Abigail was at the hospital. 

Aurelia asked her several times, but Abigail couldn’t hear her at all. She just said there were too many people and she couldn’t hear Aurelia. 

Without hesitating, Aurelia got Walter to give her a lift to the hospital. 

When Aurelia finally saw Benjamin, her heart, which had been stuck in her throat, finally settled back down. 

Abigail blinked in surprise. “Aurelia, what brings you here?” 

Aurelia had run all the way over and was still out of breath. “I heard there was a fire at the Locke family house. I couldn’t 

Chapter 336 

reach you guys. I was worried. Is everyone okay? Mr. Locke, are you alright?” 

Benjamin waved it off. “I had a regular check–up with the doctor today, so I wasn’t home. Guess I got lucky and missed the whole thing. 

Abigail shuddered at the memory. “We really lucked out. Dr. Harringson was supposed to go on a business trip next week, so he asked us to come in a day early for the check–up. If not for that…” 

The unspoken words sent a chill down Aurelia’s spine. 

Aurelia broke out in a cold sweat. 

Just then, the fire investigator showed up. After grilling Benjamin and Abigail, he said seriously, “This fire might not have been an accident.” 

Everyone’s faces instantly turned grim. 

Aurelia stuck around the hospital a bit longer, making sure Benjamin had a safe place lined up and that he’d be well protected. Only then did she feel comfortable enough to say goodbye. 

Benjamin gave her a reassuring look. “Don’t worry about me, Aurelia. I’ll keep myself safe,” he promised. 

Aurelia frowned, glancing at the time on her phone. 

Five hours had passed since the fire, and Cassian hadn’t bothered to show up or even call. ‘Not a single word from him.‘ Aurelia thought. 

Feeling a surge of frustration, she stepped out of the ward and immediately dialed Cassian’s number. 

But the moment she heard the automated message saying his phone was powered off, she froze in her tracks. 

Aurelia wondered, ‘Maybe his phone’s dead? Or is he just trying to catch a flight?‘ 

Since she had no idea what was happening, she sent Cassian a quick WhatsApp message, straight to the point about the fire. 

As long as Cassian turned his phone back on, he’d see her message for sure. 

But by the time night rolled around, Aurelia still hadn’t heard a word from Cassian. 

ེ ཤ་ ཆ་ ཛ ཞ 

After her shower, Aurelia didn’t even bother drying her hair. She immediately checked her phone. 

Still nothing. 

No messages, and no missed calls. 

Left with no other option, Aurelia dialed Cassian’s number again. 

His phone’s still off. 

Still off. 

Aurelia thought, ‘What could he possibly be so busy with? Is he trying to help Tessa and her mom out of trouble?” 

Aurelia was seething, not just for herself, but for Benjamin, too. 

But she was just on the outside looking in. Other than being mad for Benjamin, there wasn’t much else she could do. 

Barely had Aurelia stepped into the office the next morning when her phone buzzed. It was Stephen calling. 

15:23 Thu, Jan 29 G MJ. 

Chapter 336 

He hit her with a bombshell. 

“Cassian’s been arrested,” Stephen blurted out. 

Aurelia was drinking water when she heard the news. Her hand jerked in shock and slipped. 

The glass crashed to the floor, shattering everywhere. 

She scrambled to clean up, but a piece of glass cut right into her finger. 

Blood welled up instantly, bright red against her skin. 

Stephen, completely oblivious to the mess on Aurelia’s end, kept talking. 

“He’s been locked up for days, been interrogated nonstop. It’s all connected to that high–profile figure who was secretly detained for investigation. 

“Word is, it’s a major bribery case, huge impact. Cassian could be looking at the death penalty, or maybe a death sentence with reprieve.” 

Aurelia stared at her bleeding fingertip, her mind blank. Her throat felt thick and dry. 

Her chest felt heavy and tight, a weird mix of emotions she couldn’t even name. 

Stephen continued, “Cases like this rarely happen, but it’s not unheard of. The thing is, Cassian’s not even trying to fight it. He hasn’t hired a lawyer, won’t appeal, just shut down. 

“He’s refusing to see anyone. If I didn’t have a friend working on the case, no one would’ve known about it for ages.” 

Stephen was calling to find out if Regal Investment or Evergreen had anything to do with Cassian’s businesses. He was worried Aurelia might get dragged into this whole mess. 

Regal Investment and Evergreen had just gone public, and things were on a roll. Everyone was watching them, and the buzz was huge. 

If they got mixed up in this right now, they could crash and burn before they even got off the ground. 

Aurelia paused for a moment before answering, “No. No connection at all.” 

Stephen exhaled, sounding visibly relieved. “Good. That’s a weight off my mind.” 

‘Honestly, I should be relieved, too, Aurelia thought to herself. 

Ever since she and Cassian split, she’d been pushing herself out of sheer stubbornness. 

She refused any investment from the Locke family or Cassian himself, no cross–ownership, no resource swaps, and nothing. 

Even when it came to projects, they were always rivals, not even a hint of overlap. 

The only time their paths ever crossed was that one collaboration between InquireMind and Ascend Group. 

As soon as Ascend Group ran into trouble, Aurelia pulled the plug on any further partnership right away. 

Now, she and Cassian were living completely separate lives, like parallel lines that never met. 

That was what she’d been aiming for all along. 

So, she ought to feel relieved. 

15:23 Thu, Jan 29 G MJ 

Chapter 336 

Not long after hanging up, Aurelia had Miranda cancel her afternoon social engagement. 

Even though it was a big deal. 

She went to the hospital again to visit Benjamin. 

On the way, she even went out of her way to grab a box of butter cookies, Benjamin’s favorite. 

Benjamin didn’t expect Aurelia to drop by today and was a bit taken aback. 

After all, it was just his routine check–up, which he did every couple of months. 

And those butter cookies? They’re so popular that one had to queue up way in advance to snag a box. 

Aurelia didn’t bring up Cassian at all. 

Benjamin and Abigail didn’t mention him either. 

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Actually, they’d always avoided mentioning Cassian around her. They were probably worried it might stir up old wounds. 

Aurelia didn’t stay long, worried Benjamin might start wondering. 

But the heaviness in her heart kept growing, like the sky outside, smothered by thick, gloomy clouds. 

She paused at the hospital entrance for a while, trying to sort out her thoughts. 

But for some reason, her mind drifted back to something Cassian had said to her before. 

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