Even in Darkness She Chose to Rise (Tatiana and Jasper) novel Chapter 243

**TITLE: Even the Night Couldn’t Silence Her Light**
**243 CONTENT: 243 Filthy Bloodline**

The ruckus echoed through the hall, pulling Harpie from his thoughts. “What’s all the…” he began, but the sight that met his eyes halted him mid-sentence. Panic surged within him as he instinctively tried to retreat, his heart racing with the urgency to lock the bathroom door behind him. Yet, fate had other plans; before he could even grasp the handle, he was forcefully shoved against the wall, his arms wrenched painfully behind his back.

“What are you doing! Do you even know who I am? Touch me, and you’re dead! The Jackson family won’t let you get away with this!” His voice trembled with bravado, but the fear lurking beneath was palpable.

In that moment, ominous footsteps reverberated through the room. Each step was heavy, deliberate, echoing like the tolling of a death knell.

From her vantage point, Bianca could only make out a pair of polished black leather shoes that glided into the room. They were strikingly familiar, sending a shiver down her spine.

“Heh.” A chilling sneer sliced through the air.

Bianca felt her blood run cold, her breath hitching in her throat. It was over.

With a brutal force, two bodies were unceremoniously tossed to the ground like discarded refuse. Bianca’s flimsy nightgown, meant for seduction, was torn apart, leaving her vulnerable and exposed. She instinctively tried to shield herself, a pathetic attempt at modesty, but the onlookers were devoid of any sympathy.

Harpie, however, managed to lift his chin defiantly, a flicker of arrogance still igniting his features. “Jasper, what the hell are you doing? Why did you bring me here? Does Dad even know about this?” Even in the face of danger, he clung to the idea of family, using his father as a shield against the impending doom.

Ironically, Barry, desperate to uphold a facade of paternal dignity, had often concealed his lack of influence within the Jackson family, pretending to be disinterested in the cutthroat world of business. He had successfully duped both Harpie and his mother, leading Harpie to believe he was invulnerable. After all, would Jasper truly have the audacity to kill his own brother? The Jackson family was small; this generation consisted solely of the two of them. If something were to happen to Jasper, Harpie would be the last one standing. This twisted logic gave Harpie a false sense of security, even as apprehension gnawed at him.

Yet, he had been overly sheltered by Barry’s lies. Sometimes, death was not the worst fate that could befall a person; the torment of dying was often far more harrowing.

With reckless bravado, Harpie threatened, “Jasper, you better let me go right now! Or else…”

Before he could finish his threat, a bodyguard delivered a brutal kick to his midsection, the sound of cracking ribs echoing in the room. Harpie howled in agony, the sound reverberating off the walls.

Bianca trembled violently, her gaze fixed on the floor, her silence a desperate plea for survival. She had witnessed Jasper’s ruthless nature before and understood the dire consequences of provoking him. Since her arrival, she had remained mute, hoping to evade his wrath.

The man seated in the chair, legs crossed with an air of superiority, seemed to embody the power of life and death over them all. She reminded herself that she was Hubert’s mother; surely, he wouldn’t go so far as to kill her.

Jasper’s gaze fell upon Harpie, and a cold, humorless smile crept across his lips. “What, you really believe you’re part of the Jackson family?”

Harpie, sprawled on the floor, glared back defiantly, hatred igniting his eyes. “Jasper! You bastard!”

With a swift motion, Jasper stood, his leg swinging back before he unleashed a vicious kick to Harpie’s stomach.

“Ah!!” Harpie screamed, curling into a ball, his face blanching as blood spewed from his mouth, the broken rib puncturing an organ.

In her panic, Bianca forgot her modesty, her plea spilling forth. “Really! Believe me!”

His eyes fell upon the bruises and marks that marred her skin, the sickening scent that clung to her like a shadow. A wave of nausea washed over him. How could he have ever mistaken her for Tatiana?

“How did he threaten you?” he demanded, his voice low but filled with intensity.

“He… he…” Bianca’s mind raced, and she quickly conjured a lie. “He said… he likes possessing your things! He threatened my parents! Said if I didn’t comply, he’d have someone run my father down!” The first part rang true, but the latter was a fabrication. Harpie did indeed desire Jasper’s position, wanting to claim everything that belonged to him, including his women.

Unfortunately, he had miscalculated the depths of his own ambition.

Jasper’s lips twisted into a sneer, his eyes filled with mockery. “Is that so? So you had nothing to do with it?”

Bianca forced herself to nod, her voice trembling as she replied, “Yes. That’s right.”

Suddenly, he leaned in closer, their faces mere inches apart. He could see the lingering panic reflected in her eyes. “Relax,” he murmured softly. “I won’t kill you. I won’t even touch you.”

A wave of relief washed over her, and she mistakenly interpreted his words as pity. Her voice softened, “Jasper, you’re so kind…”