Even in Darkness She Chose to Rise (Tatiana and Jasper) novel Chapter 534

Chapter 534 A Dangerous Gamble

Jasper finally understood where he’d gone wrong.

Finish

Looking back, from the moment Marcus first turned on them, Tatiana had never actually needed his protection. She had been his partner in every sense.

She had coordinated with him to put a bullet in Marcus. During the high–speed chase, her aim had been true, blowing out the tires to shake their pursuers. When they were cornered, she was the one who thoug to use the animal alarm to summon the rhino stampede. Even now, her intuition for the savanna and the bush was every bit as sharp as his.

By any metric, she was his equal. She didn’t need a bodyguard; she needed a teammate. He had been so blinded by his own assumptions that he’d relegated her to a position of weakness.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I underestimated you.”

She exhaled a long breath, clearly not holding a grudge now that he’d seen the light. “Just eat something.”

The tension finally broke. The family of four shared the roasted rabbit and a pot of mushroom soup. Tatiana even managed a grim joke. “Well, this is definitely more exciting than watching the Great Migration.”

“Mommy!” Ann and Hubert groaned in unison, shooting her a look of pure exasperation.

“Alright, alright. I’m stopping.”

But her dark humor proved prophetic. As they continued their trek after the meal, they found a small trai blazed by animals. Jasper knelt to inspect the tracks, but Tatiana suddenly yanked him back.

“Wait!” She pointed to a branch that had been snapped in an unnatural way. “It’s a trap.”

Marcus’s men had picked up their scent. They were close, maybe even surrounding them. They had no choice but to be even more cautious, veering off the path and navigating the thickest parts of the brush to bypass the ambush.

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That evening, Jasper taught Ann how to create decoy tracks with branches, while Tatiana used surgical knots to rig vine tripwires. When the muffled sounds of shouts and heavy falls echoed from the distance, Hubert even managed a tiny, hidden smirk.

On the second day, a sudden torrential downpour washed away their tracks but left them soaked to the bone. Hubert, whose constitution was the most fragile, developed a fever. Tatiana gathered medicinal herbs and boiled water to treat him, her heart in her throat.

“If the fever doesn’t break soon, he’s in serious danger.”

Ann gripped her brother’s hand, her face etched with worry. Jasper’s expression darkened. He made a silent pact. If Hubert’s condition worsened, they would stop hiding. He would take the fight directly to Marcus and force a confrontation, using whatever leverage he had to secure medical care for his son.

Fortunately, luck was on their side. Hubert’s temperature began to dip, and he eventually blinked his eyes open. Tatiana pulled him into a crushing hug, her eyes rinned with red. “Monuniy was so worried. Thank

Chapter 534 A Dangerous Gamble

God you’re back.”

Finist

But they couldn’t keep circling the bush forever. If Marcus didn’t kill them, the elements or the wildlife eventually would.

On the third day, the baying of hounds shattered the morning mist.

Jasper bolted upright, scooping up the sleeping children. “Move! Now! They brought dogs!”

Tatiana woke instantly, her face turning grim. Marcus was clearly losing his mind. Desperate to end this, he had brought in tracking dogs to flush them out.

“The world must be looking for us,” Jasper said, his eyes flashing. “They’re getting desperate because they’re running out of time.”

He was right. Outside the sanctuary, the world was in a state of absolute chaos.

In a luxury office miles away, a local security consultant named Mohammed dropped his coffee cup, the ceramic shattering on the marble floor. “Who did you say is missing? Jasper?” he roared into the phone. “Jasper Jackson who controls half the global market?”

The LCD screens on the wall flickered to an emergency broadcast. The anchor’s voice trembled. “…Chairman of Jackson Corp and his family have vanished in the Ambrodone Reserve… Security forces have reportedly ordered military intervention in the search…”

Inside the jungle at 08:15, Icarus kicked a portable radio over. The news continued to blare: “…A reward of one million dollars has been offered for any information…”

He turned to Marcus, his face livid. “We kidnapped a goddamn oil tycoon!”

Marcus licked his dry, cracked lips. “That just means the ransom is higher.”

“You idiot!” Icarus snarled.

Marcus pulled out a satellite phone. The screen showed thirty–seven missed calls, all from the same encrypted number. “The whole world is hunting for them now!”

He suddenly drew his pistol and racked the slide. “Find that family and eliminate them immediately. We cannot let anyone find out we were behind this! Understood?”

Day four, 09:30.

Three AW139 helicopters bearing the Jackson Corp logo roared low over the canopy. Inside, specialized tactical teams adjusted their thermal imagers. “Heat signatures detected in the southeast sector. Possible poacher camp.”

The comms crackled with military updates. “All exits are sealed… Special forces are on standby to the

north…”

Deep in the brush, Ann pointed at the sky. “Mommy, Daddy, look! Helicopters!”

Jasper immediately clamped his hand over her mouth. “Shh.”

2:04 pm PTM.

Chapter 534 A Dangerous Gamble

Finished

Even with rescue right above them, they didn’t dare make a sound. Marcus’s men were still lurking nearby. One wrong move, one shout for help, and the only thing waiting for them would be a bullet before the helicopters could ever land.

The family watched in silence as the choppers drifted away into the distance.

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The news was a massive shot in the arm for them.

“We have to link up with them.”

“Find some open ground. The snipers on the planes won’t be able to see a thing in this brush.”

Tatiana suddenly grabbed Jasper’s hand. “Listen.”

Barking and engine noises were cutting through the air, much closer and faster than before.

“They’re picking up the pace,” Jasper said, his eyes narrowing. “They aren’t trying to capture us anymore They’re coming to finish us off.”

“Move!”

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