Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 351

Chapter 351 

Joey was absolutely thrilled to see Aurelia, clinging to her and chatting nonstop. 

Darren, for once, faded into the background, quietly peeling shrimp nearby. 

With his mild OCD, he arranged the peeled shrimp in perfect rows on two plates. 

Then he passed one plate to Joey and the other to Aurelia. 

Aurelia hesitated for a moment. 

Darren caught her hesitation and said, “No big deal, just did it while I was at it. Don’t read too much into it.” 

His words made her feel a bit silly for reading too much into it. 

As dinner was winding down, Darren’s phone rang. 

He checked who was calling and declined the call. 

But it rang again almost right away. 

His brows knitted. For a split second, one could see the irritation in his eyes. 

Joey, always sharp, immediately guessed what was up and asked Darren carefully, “Is it them?” 

Darren said, “Yeah, it’s them.” 

Joey said, “Let me get it.” 

Darren hesitated. 

But Joey wouldn’t take no for an answer, so in the end, Darren handed her the phone. 

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She picked up, her tone frosty. “You’re just my biological parents. Ever since you abandoned me, we have nothing to do with each other. Please stop interfering in my life. Goodbye.” 

With that, she hung up before they could get a word in. 

Aurelia hadn’t heard the whole conversation, but from Joey’s words, she could tell something major had happened. 

After dinner, Darren drove Aurelia back to her hotel. 

On the way, Darren’s lawyer called to tell him that Joey’s biological parents were already hiring a lawyer and planning to take legal action. 

Even though they were the ones who abandoned Joey, there was no hard evidence to prove it. 

They kept insisting she’d just gone missing. 

The thing was, Zofia had passed away four years ago, and Darren had stayed single all that time. 

According to Grendel City law, a single man couldn’t adopt a daughter unless he was at least forty years older than her. 

That meant there was a real chance the other side could win. 

Joey heard everything and huddled closer to Aurelia, seeking comfort in her arms. 

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Chapter 351 

Sadness clouded her face. 

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As Aurelia held her, Joey whispered, “I don’t want to go back to them. They only want me back because I’m valuable to them now. If I ever stop being useful, they’ll toss me aside all over again.” 

She was shaking, fear and anger making her whole body quiver as she spoke. 

Aurelia gripped her hand tighter, trying her hardest to comfort her. 

Zofia was the one who helped Aurelia when she needed it most, and Aurelia never forgot what she did for her. 

Joey was raised by Zofia herself, right from the start. 

To Aurelia, Joey was more than just a friend. She was family. 

The car stayed quiet all the way until they reached the hotel. 

Just as Aurelia was about to get out, Darren called out, “Heading to Marvonia tomorrow? If you are, hop on my jet. I’m flying over, too.” 

“I’ve got to swing by Ashmont first. I’ll catch a flight from there,” Aurelia said. 

Kyler said, “Got it.” 

He didn’t press her any further. 

Aurelia waved goodbye to him and got out of the car. 

The next day, after wrapping up the morning conference, Aurelia made a beeline for the airport to catch her flight to Ashmont. 

By the time Liam went looking for Aurelia, he learned she’d left ahead of schedule. 

He kicked himself for missing her, again. 

It was always the same story. He was always one step behind. 

Honestly, Aurelia didn’t have anything urgent in Ashmont. She just wanted to drop by and see Benjamin. 

As the car drove past Pinewood Road, Aurelia caught sight of the wedding house Cassian started building but never finished. 

It was still standing alone, as it had been for the past three years. 

That was a high–end villa neighborhood, and all the other houses looked lavish and grand. 

But that only made Cassian’s unfinished house seem even more lonely and abandoned. 

Benjamin hadn’t changed a bit. He was out in the yard, tossing fish food into the pond like always. 

After the fire at the Locke family home, Benjamin had a crew rebuild it to match every detail of how it used to be, and he moved right back in. 

So when Aurelia pushed open the gate and walked in, it felt like she’d stepped straight into the past. 

But then she caught sight of the gray streaks in Benjamin’s hair, and she was reminded that time only moves forward, never 

back. 

Benjamin’s face lit up when he saw her. 

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Chapter 351 

Abigail made a special trip to the market and cooked up a feast of Aurelia’s favorite dishes. 

Benjamin brought up Aurelia’s school situation. 

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“I was originally planning to come back after my master’s, but my advisor kept persuading me to do a combined master’s and PhD, so I ended up staying two more years,” Aurelia explained. 

“If you’d gone abroad to study back then, you’d have your doctorate by now. It’s the Locke family’s fault for slowing you down,” Benjamin said, sounding guilty. 

Aurelia quickly jumped in, “No, Benjamin, please don’t think that way. It was my own decision. It had nothing to do with anyone else.” 

Maybe it was just something they all understood without saying. 

No one ever mentioned Cassian. 

It was like his name was totally off–limits. 

Maybe, years from now, people would forget about him. 

Just like that, another year slipped by. 

On the day Aurelia earned her PhD, Zane and the whole crew flew out to Marvonia to throw her a big party. 

Even Mia made it this time. 

Aurelia was in a great mood, poured Mia a drink, and was all set to pull an all–nighter chatting with her. 

But Mia announced she’d sworn off drinking. 

Aurelia just couldn’t buy it. 

She thought, ‘Mia, the legendary party animal, giving up alcohol? 

‘Seriously, who’d buy that?‘ 

“I’m serious,” Mia said, raising her glass of orange juice. “I’ll drink this with you instead.” 

Aurelia was speechless. 

‘Fine, suit yourself, Aurelia thought. 

Aurelia knocked back quite a few drinks, but Mia couldn’t help noticing that her tolerance wasn’t what it used to be. 

Alcohol tolerance is something one has to keep training in. 

Mia grinned and asked, “Seriously, how come you never landed yourself an international hottie?” 

Aurelia just rolled her eyes. “I squeezed seven years of coursework into four. I was so slammed, even sleep felt like a luxury. Dating? Who had the time?” 

Mia was totally stumped. 

Aurelia wasn’t wrong, though. 

“Whatever, guys are just icing on the cake. Wasting time on them? So not worth it,” Mia said, looking like she was totally over 

1. it. 

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Chapter 351 

Aurelia gave her a little head pat, thinking, ‘Seriously, did she lose her mind or something?’ 

After all, Mia used to brag that she was going to date every hot guy on the planet. 

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With the booze kicking in, Aurelia was getting sleepy, half–hearing Mia talking to her through the fog. 

“Aurelia, you’re gonna be a godmother,” Mia told her. 

Aurelia was way too out of it to catch the details. She just muttered a couple of words and passed out. 

Early the next morning, Mia woke her up. 

“What’s up?” Aurelia mumbled. 

‘Ugh, I shouldn’t have had that much to drink last night,‘ she groaned inwardly, her head throbbing. 

“There’s a super dashing guy downstairs asking for you,” Mia announced. 

She kept shooting Aurelia these suspicious glances, waiting for her to fess up 

It was obvious Mia expected her to spill the beans. 

Aurelia had no idea who was looking for her. After a quick wash, she went downstairs. Finally, she saw who Mia had been raving about, the charming guy she’d mentioned. 

It was Darren. 

Even Ella was curious about who Darren really was. 

Aurelia didn’t have the time to get into it right now. 

If Darren showed up in person, it had to be something serious. 

So Aurelia headed outside with him for a private chat. 

“I’m here to talk about Joey’s custody,” Darren said, cutting right to the chase. 

“Aurelia, will you marry me?” Darren added. 

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