Chapter 348
Chapter 348
Aurelia paused for a moment before replying, “Probably not.”
First off, there was nothing left between them.
She had no right, and honestly, no reason to visit him.
Even if she did, it wouldn’t make any difference.
If he committed the crime, he should answer to the law.
If he were innocent, the law would clear his name.
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Kyler actually let out a sigh of relief when he heard her say that. “You’re right not to go. This case is massive, and it’s tangled up with so many people.
“Anyone who’s not family trying to visit will be watched closely. It’s a headache.”
Aurelia knew things were serious, but she hadn’t realized how bad it was.
Kyler added, “Good thing you left Honoria Capital early and cut ties with Cassian. If you’d stayed even another six months, you’d probably be caught up in a drawn–out, strict investigation yourself.
“I heard the whole finance department at Honoria Capital is still under scrutiny.”
After Kyler finished speaking, the car fell quiet for a long while.
Aurelia stared out the window at the scenery rushing by. No one could tell what was on her mind.
Liam and Jasper had to submit their request to visit Cassian a whole month in advance.
After jumping through endless hoops and approvals, they finally got permission to see him.
After eight long months apart, Liam and Jasper were finally face–to–face with Cassian again.
Cassian had lost some weight. His hair was shaved down to a crew cut.
By all rights, he should’ve looked defeated, broken.
But instead, he looked completely at peace.
Even that sharp edge he used to carry in his eyes was gone.
There was nothing but calm, just pure, unbroken calm.
Jasper’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Has Cassian gone numb from being locked up so long? Is that why he’s acting like this?‘ Jasper wondered.
Jasper’s face softened with concern. He wanted to say something to cheer Cassian up.
But before he could get a word out, Cassian spoke first. “Why’d you guys come all this way to see me? I’m doing fine here, really. Don’t worry about me.”
Jasper felt like he was about to cry.
Jasper thought, ‘Seriously, who could say they’re fine being locked up in a place like this?
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‘Cassian must’ve cracked from being stuck in here so long.
‘He has always been the golden boy, and never has to face anything like this before.
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Seeing Jasper’s eyes turn red, Liam shot him a warning glance, then kept the conversation with Cassian calm and steady, saying a few words to break the tension.
Liam was always more perceptive than Jasper. He could tell what Cassian wanted to know, so he steered the conversation toward the things Cassian cared about.
Like, they started talking about Benjamin.
Jasper jumped in, telling Cassian about how they’d gone to visit Benjamin on New Year’s Day, and mentioned running into Aurelia.
After he finished, Jasper went quiet for a moment.
Cassian dropped his eyes, his gaze distant and unfocused, settling somewhere in front of him. Nobody could read what was going on in his mind.
Jasper realized he’d messed up, kicked himself inside for a second, then clumsily switched the topic.
Jasper hesitated, then finally said, “A while ago, a friend told me something.”
Jasper had been debating with himself for ages about whether or not to tell Cassian.
But after all that back–and–forth, he finally decided to spit it out.
After all, it was no secret how crazy Cassian was about Tessa back then.
So Jasper told Cassian about Tessa’s breakdown. How she’d lost it after everything went down.
He added, “I wanted to go and see her, but they wouldn’t let me visit her no matter how many times I tried, so I don’t know what’s going on with her these days.”
Jasper thought Cassian would care, maybe be worried, maybe even get a little nervous.
But…
Cassian remained completely calm, even a little cold.
It was as if he were hearing about a stranger, someone who had nothing to do with him.
Jasper thought maybe he was imagining things, so he gave Cassian another look, searching for any sign he cared.
But there was nothing.
It was like Tessa was just a stranger to him. He was indifferent to what she’d been through, and that was it.
Jasper started to wonder if he’d ever understood Cassian at all.
Liam, picking up on the vibe, smoothly switched topics. “Good thing you struck out on your own and kept your distance from the Locke Group.
“If you hadn’t, the whole company would’ve been dragged into this mess.”
Of course, the Locke Group’s stock still took a hit.
But with Benjamin personally stepping in, he quickly stabilized things and kept the fallout to a minimum.
SAY
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As he said this, Liam hesitated for a second.
His mind immediately went to Aurelia.
He was glad Aurelia and Cassian had split up more than a year ago. If they hadn’t, she probably would’ve gotten caught up in all this, too.
Guess that’s how luck works: blessings and disasters always come hand in hand.
**
At the end of July, Mythic Realm from Evergreen Entertainment was officially launched.
As a domestic AAA title, Mythic Realm had pretty average influence overseas before its release.
A lot of foreign media even called it a “domestic self–indulgence,” predicting it would be another flash in the pan like other local games.
For example, it got roasted across the internet last year and almost shut the door on domestic games for good.
After all, Westlands had been running the gaming scene for years.
But nobody saw it coming. Mythic Realm turned out to be a total dark horse in the gaming world.
As soon as it launched, it shot straight to the top of the sales charts on multiple gaming platforms.
Several related hashtags also started trending on Twitter.
According to data from gaming platforms, Mythic Realm wasn’t just crushing it in the country. It consistently dominated the top spot among bestsellers worldwide.
Just one week after launch, 54 media outlets worldwide gave it an average score of $2 out of 100.
Top review site Imagine Games Network even awarded Mythic Realm a perfect score.
Its sales blew past 1.5 billion dollars, creating a miracle for domestic culture going global.
It became a benchmark for the fusion of culture and technology, sparking a massive wave of interest in Chyronish culture across the globe.
Stocks tied to Mythic Realm shot up like crazy, showing the world how many people were drawn to Chyronish culture, and shattering the long–standing monopoly of several superpowers over the AAA game market.
Because Mythic Realm blew up so big, Aurelia was forced to delay her plans to study abroad and had to make a trip to Northvale to pick up the top copyright prize.
This was a highly prestigious national award, the nation’s top honor in the field of copyright.
The chair of the ceremony personally handed out the prize, hailing Mythic Realm as the beacon of hope for homegrown AAA games.
The award ceremony was broadcast live on all the major national media channels.
Countless friends and family watched Aurelia bask in her well–deserved moment of glory.
Meanwhile, at Northvale Detention Center, Cassian was watching the live broadcast, too.
He didn’t miss a single frame, not a single second.
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Chapter 348
Even after Aurelia had returned to her seat after receiving the award, he still kept the stream running.
Because sometimes, the camera would pan over to her again.
So he watched the entire ceremony from start to finish.
Even after it ended, he stared at the screen, as if frozen, unable to come back to himself for a long time.
The old man finally broke the silence, looking Cassian in the eye. “Do you really have no regrets?”
“This isn’t the first time you’ve asked me that,” Cassian said, his tone steady and indifferent.
“So? What’s your answer this time?” the old man asked again, wanting to know what Cassian would say.
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