Even in Darkness She Chose to Rise (Tatiana and Jasper) novel Chapter 540

Chapter 540 The Outcasts of the Earth

“You’re pushing your luck, Jasper.”

“Do I have a shot?”

“Not yet.”

Yet.

He caught the implication. He was disappointed, but he wasn’t in a rush.

“Mommy! Daddy!”

Finished

The children bounded out of their rooms, looking energized. Tatiana pulled her hand back and turned to give them both a hug.

“Eat your breakfast. I’ll be taking you somewhere.”

“Where are we going?”

“To see gemstones. Lots of them.”

Since she had officially bought the mine, she needed to see it for herself to feel settled. The kids were thrilled, firing off a million questions. Jasper scooped one up in each arm. “Breakfast first. Then you can grill your mother.”

“Okay!”

They skipped the hotel restaurant and had breakfast sent up to the suite. After a quick rest, they headed

out.

The convoy was massive, nearly fifty people in total. Aside from the family, every single one was a bodyguard. Jasper had seen enough. He wasn’t letting his wife or children near another threat. The protection was so tight that a sniper wouldn’t have found a gap to breathe, let alone take a shot.

“Daddy, I can’t see anything,” Hubert grumbled.

He was too short. From his perspective, he was just staring at a solid wall of adult rear ends. Jasper leaned down and hoisted him onto his shoulders so he could take in the view.

The rock walls glowed with a cold light in the shadows. Deep in the tunnels, the miners‘ lamps flickered like green fireflies. Every time a pickaxe swung, sparks flew, revealing gold–flecked grains embedded in the stone like stars caught in dark silt.

Hubert stared, his mouth hanging open. Tatiana picked up Ann so she could see too.

“This is the mine Mommy just bought. We can dig up so many beautiful gems here. Do you like it?”

Ann nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling. “We can make so much money and build so many schools!”

“That’s right. Lots of schools.”

12:13 pm

Chapter 540 The Outcasts of the Earth

Finished

Between Ann’s schools and Hubert’s soccer fields, the kids had infrastructure on the brain.

The head foreman stepped forward to greet them. He looked terrified. He’d clearly expected the worst from the new owners.

“Sir, I’m Winston. I’m in charge of development here.”

Jasper stayed silent. Winston grew even more anxious. This boss looked like a hard man to talk to. He wondered if they were all about to be fired. Their efficiency was low, but it wasn’t their fault. It was those damn monkeys constantly harassing them.

“I’d like to know the current situation. Can we talk?”

Winston blinked when he heard the pleasant voice. He turned to Tatiana. “Ma’am?”

“I’m your new boss.”

Winston turned red. “I’m sorry, I thought…”

“It’s fine. Go ahead.”

Tatiana’s tone calmed him down. He started his briefing immediately. “Right, sir We have seventy–eight miners on–site right now…”

Winston laid out everything, including their struggles. He ended with a plea. “I promise my men are honest. They haven’t hidden a single stone or stolen a thing. We just… we just want to keep our jobs.”

His voice trailed off at the end. They were Lindersville people, a nomadic group driven out by everyone else and branded as thieves by birth. No one wanted to hire them. Even the grueling, lowly work of a miner was a luxury they couldn’t afford to lose.

Tatiana saw the desperation in his eyes. She didn’t give him an answer right away. “Gather everyone in the clearing.”

The miners assembled in the open space, their faces a mask of fear and uncertainty. They were covered in dust, thin, and wearing rags that had long ago lost their original color. They looked up at the new boss standing on a large rock, waiting for the verdict.

Jasper didn’t interfere with Tatiana’s business. He played the role of the doting father, taking Ann and Hubert to the shade of a nearby tree.

“Daddy, why are they so scared?” Ann asked.

Jasper explained it patiently. “They are Lindersville people…”

He gave them a detailed history of the ethnic group, their displacement, and the local customs and economic factors that led to their current plight. It was a real–world geography and sociology lesson. Ann and Hubert listened intently, asking questions that he answered one by one.

Even the bodyguards nearby started eavesdropping, soaking in the lecture. They all felt a little more cultured by the time he was finished.