Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 343

Turns out he was right about everything. It’s even worse than anyone thought!‘ Aurelia thought. ‘No wonder he said those words.‘ 

‘We’ll never see each other again!‘ That line echoed in Aurelia’s mind again, and a strange sense of loss washed over her. She never expected that, in the end, they would become strangers, never speaking or meeting again for the rest of their lives. 

Gideon’s wedding was held on the last day of the month, and Aurelia went together with Zane. Right at the entrance, they saw Gideon and Chloe greeting guests. The two were standing side by side, but when they saw Aurelia, Chloe suddenly slipped her arm through Gideon’s, looking all lovey–dovey. 

Aurelia didn’t pay any attention to those little details. She just walked in with Zane, dropped off their gift, and wished them well. But Chloe greeted Aurelia with a big smile. “I was worried you’d be too busy with work to make it.” 

“I promised I’d come, so of course I wouldn’t flake. Congrats on your wedding,” Aurelia said, pulling her in for a quick, polite hug. 

Chloe looked genuinely happy. “Thanks! Gideon told me you’ve been single for over a year now. Why not give dating a shot? Who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special and have a whirlwind romance and spontaneous wedding, just like us.” 

Before Aurelia could answer, Zane cut in, “I’m not buying it. Relationships? What’s the point? Guys get in the way of her making bank!” 

Chloe’s smile faltered for a moment. Clearly, she hadn’t expected Zane to throw shade like that. But with Zane’s status, she could only muster an awkward grin and didn’t dare say anything more. 

Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Aurelia and Zane slipped into the hall. Gideon never once met Aurelia’s eyes the entire time. 

Meanwhile, Liam and Jasper were the groomsmen for the wedding. They’d been teaming up to greet guests, but as soon as Liam spotted Aurelia, he handed off everything to Jasper in a flash. Then, zeroing in on his target, he made a beeline for 

Aurelia. 

Jasper could only mutter inwardly, ‘So much for the bro code. He ditches me the second a girl walks in!‘ 

“Aurelia, happy new year!” Liam said, just trying to fill the silence. He was clearly grasping for something to say. The holiday was basically over, and he was still wishing people a happy New Year. 

“Happy New Year to you, too,” Aurelia replied. Even though she wasn’t as warm as Liam and just replied politely, he was still happy. 

Liam volunteered a topic himself. “I’ll be finishing up at the factory by July, then heading back to Ashmont. Once I’m back, I’ll be taking charge of the collaboration between InquireMind and Nietzki Corp!” 

This was an opportunity Liam had fought tooth and nail for with the Nietzki Corp board. Even though it’s still five months off, he was already itching to tell Aurelia about it. 

But Aurelia just replied, “Sure, when the time comes, you can work directly with Mr. Locke. He’s got full responsibility for the InquireMind and Nietzki Corp partnership now.” 

Liam looked a bit taken aback. “Weren’t you the one handling it before?” 

“I’ve been caught up with a new project lately, and I didn’t want either side to feel neglected, so I handed it off to someone else,” Aurelia explained. 

Hearing that, Liam stood in place, at a loss for words. ‘Why am I always a step behind?‘ he thought. 

17:35 Fri, Jan 30 M 

Chapter 343 

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However, he quickly shook off his negative thoughts. ‘Whatever, once I’m back in Ashmont, there’s bound to be another shot!‘ 

That was what Liam kept telling himself. After all, with his two biggest rivals out of the picture, the field was wide open for him. 

Liam’s mood instantly lifted. He started bustling around, grabbing desserts for Aurelia, pointing out the must–tries and warning her about the duds. He couldn’t be more eager to play the perfect host. 

Thankfully, Liam finally got called back to deal with his groomsman duties, and Aurelia finally got some peace. She went to the restroom, and when she came out, she saw four bridesmaids gossiping in the corridor. One of them noticed Aurelia and gave a little snort, clearly looking down on her. Aurelia didn’t know her, so she didn’t overthink it. She just walked past them and headed back to the hall. 

But just as Aurelia was passing by, the woman who’d snorted earlier spoke up with a sarcastic drawl. “Never judge by appearances. Who would’ve guessed she’d end up being this kind of person?” 

Another girl chimed in, “How could you tell? It’s not like she’s got ‘shameless‘ stamped on her forehead!” 

“Who knows, maybe her whole career’s built on dirty deals. Seriously, she’s totally shameless!” the first girl sneered. 

Aurelia didn’t pay them any mind. She had no clue who they were gossiping about anyway. Without missing a beat, she walked right past them and headed straight back to the hall. 

As she left, their voices got even louder, making sure everyone could hear them. “Seriously! Word is, she drugged Cassian to hook up with a big shot. That kind of shameless stunt? We could never stoop that low, which is probably why she’s getting ahead.” 

“That’s what people from the gutter do. Totally shameless, willing to do anything!” another added. 

She’d heard this kind of trash talk before. Back then, she just swallowed it all down and kept her head down, not wanting to make waves for the sake of everyone else. She’d always told herself, ‘If you’ve done nothing wrong, you’ve got nothing to fear. The truth speaks for itself!’ 

But thinking it over, Aurelia realized no one gets a second shot at life. Everyone is figuring it out as they go. Hence, she thought, ‘Why should I have to bite my tongue and take their crap?‘ 

Aurelia turned around, walked right up to them, and looked each of them in the eye. “Are you talking about me?” 

Aurelia’s presence instantly cowed the girls who’d been throwing shade just seconds ago, guilt written all over their faces. With Aurelia’s current status, no one in their right mind would dare cross her. 

One of them instantly switched to a fake smile, acting all sweet and harmless. “Ms. Corin, you’ve got it all wrong! We weren’t talking about you. Who would ever dare?” 

Her smile vanished without a trace, her face turned cold. “Oh? So who were you talking about, then? Please, enlighten me. I’m all ears.” 

“We were just, you know, chatting, nothing serious!” one of them stammered. Meanwhile, the rest mumbled awkwardly, unable to meet her eyes. 

“Well, as it happens, I’m always up for some gossip. So go on, spill it,” Aurelia said, clearly not letting them off easy. 

Those girls were all spoiled rich kids, people who’d never faced a real problem in their lives. But standing in front of someone like Aurelia, who’d fought tooth and nail through every storm, they looked like they wouldn’t last a minute. 

The timid girl instantly freaked out, stumbling over her words as she apologized to Aurelia. “Sorry, we were out of line. We won’t talk about you ever again, promise!” 

17:35 Fri, Jan 30 MW. 

Chapter 343 

The ringleader wasn’t backing down. “Hey, it’s not like we’re making stuff up. That’s what everyone’s…” 

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She didn’t even get to finish before Aurelia stepped up and delivered a stinging slap right to her cheek. The smack rang out, sharp and clear. The girl was left dazed, clutching her cheek, her eyes rimmed red. 

Aurelia’s gaze was cold. “Watch your mouth, or next time, it’ll be a lot worse than just a slap.” She finished, then gave the others a quick, cold look. Their faces turned ghostly pale, and they barely dared to breathe. With her warning delivered, Aurelia turned and walked away. 

She’d barely walked a couple of steps when she ran into Liam. From the look on his face, he’d probably seen the whole thing go down. His expression was complicated, hard to read. 

Aurelia didn’t even bother acknowledging him–she just brushed past Liam and headed straight back inside. 

As Aurelia was about to walk past him, Liam hesitated for a second before calling out, “Hey, Aurelia, you okay?” 

Aurelia didn’t care for his concern. She was still bristling, her words coming out sharp. “Isn’t it a little late for you to start caring, Liam? After all, you and your friends were the ones who spread those rumors back then.” 

AD