Even in Darkness She Chose to Rise (Tatiana and Jasper) novel Chapter 122

Chapter 122: The Compensation

The sudden movement nearly caused her to lose her balance. She instinctively tried to pull her foot away, but his grip on her ankle was firm and unyielding. “Don’t move. Do you actually want to fall and hurt yourself?” His voice was calm but carried an unmistakable edge of warning. Carefully, he slipped off both her shoes and examined her toes, which were tightly curled together—a clear sign of her tension and unease. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. It struck him as ironic: she wasn’t afraid to feign amnesia, yet the simple touch of his hand unsettled her so deeply.

“Let’s go,” he said, leading her away from the bustling main hall toward a quieter, more secluded booth nestled in a shadowed corner.

“Why are you here?” he asked, his tone low and probing.

Tatiana shrank back into the corner of the sofa, her silence filling the space between them. The atmosphere felt thick with unspoken emotions.

Jasper moved closer, slowly closing the distance. Then, without warning, he bent down, leaning over her. Tatiana’s heart raced, and she nearly sank into the cushions, overwhelmed by the sudden proximity. His hand pressed against the back of the sofa, effectively trapping her in his shadow. The cold intensity of his presence washed over her like a wave, leaving her deeply uncomfortable.

“Speak,” he commanded, his voice firm.

Avoiding his gaze, Tatiana struggled to keep her composure. “Grandma broke a vase and has to pay for it. She didn’t have the money, so I chose to work off the debt.”

Jasper’s anger simmered beneath the surface, but a cold, almost cruel laugh escaped him, twisting his smile into something chilling. “Do you even know what tonight means?”

She shook her head, confusion evident in her eyes. She had thought it was just another routine event, but now she realized it was something far more serious. Her naïve expression only fueled the fire burning in Jasper’s eyes. “You agreed to this without knowing anything? You don’t even know how you could get hurt—or worse!”

Tatiana remained silent, her jaw clenched tight.

“In that situation earlier, if he had attacked you, no one would have come to your rescue!”

Tonight was different. All rules were suspended; sins were magnified, and morality was forgotten. That was what made Jasper’s anger so fierce.

Tatiana’s voice was steady but defiant. “That’s my business.”

His hand shot out, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up into his dark, furious eyes. “Say that again.”

“That’s my business. We have no relationship whatsoever.”

For a moment, Jasper was struck by a deep, helpless fury—a rage with no outlet. In the past, he could have found countless ways to punish Tatiana, but none of his usual methods seemed to touch this particular storm raging inside him.

He took several slow breaths, trying to suppress the intensity in his voice. “How much do you owe?”

When she hesitated, unwilling to speak, he sneered, “Are you sure you don’t need help with that?”

Tatiana wanted to refuse desperately, but the number haunted her—thirty thousand dollars. Thirty thousand dollars! An impossible sum for her to earn on her own, yet enough to buy her grandmother medicine for six months. A bitter, sour feeling settled deep in her chest as reality crushed her ideals.

“Are you certain?” Jasper pressed.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Jasper instructed the manager to pull up the surveillance footage from the entrance to review what had happened that afternoon. Watching the video, Tatiana’s anger boiled over. Her grandmother hadn’t broken the vase at all. The men had deliberately knocked it over, extorted them, and even threatened and intimidated her grandmother physically.

Her fury triggered a violent coughing fit. “Cough, cough, cough…” She bent over, clutching her chest as the coughing wracked her body.

“Tatiana!” Jasper steadied her, concern flashing in his eyes despite himself.

Her coughs were harsh and unrelenting, as if her throat was being strangled. Recognizing the severity of the episode, Jasper demanded urgently, “Where’s your medicine?”

“In the cabinet… cough, cough…” she gasped.

“Bring her things!”

Soon, her change of clothes and backpack arrived, containing the medicines she always carried. After taking the medicine, her coughing finally eased, though her eyes remained red and strained from the ordeal.