Morning came faster than any of them expected.

John spent most of the morning taking Kelvin around the mining site and introducing him to the daily operations.

The site was already alive with activity.

Workers moved through the open pit, digging relentlessly beneath the rising sun. Others stood knee-deep in muddy water, straining soil through metal sieves in search of gold dust. The air was thick with sweat, dirt, and exhaustion.

Kelvin observed everything.

The workers' schedules were brutal.

Some had barely enough time to eat before returning to work. Others looked so exhausted they could barely keep their eyes open.

Suddenly, the anger displayed during Julius's meeting made sense.

Kelvin's gaze shifted to a group of miners carrying equipment.

Several of their helmets were cracked.

A few safety vests were torn.

Even some of the ropes looked worn enough to snap.

"Who oversees the maintenance of the equipment?" Kelvin asked.

"That would be Frank," John replied.

Kelvin frowned.

"He's doing a terrible job."

John said nothing.

As they continued their tour, they passed through the kitchen area.

Kelvin immediately noticed another problem.

The food supplies were running low.

Large cooking pots sat half-empty.

The portions being prepared looked insufficient for the number of workers on site.

After spending entire days digging beneath the sun, the miners were returning to meals that barely looked capable of sustaining them.

Kelvin's expression darkened.

No wonder morale was collapsing.

As they moved deeper into the compound, Kelvin noticed the workers watching him.

Some openly.

Others from the corners of their eyes.

The hostility was impossible to miss.

He even caught fragments of whispered conversations.

"What's he doing here?"

"Julius's new pet."

"Traitor."

Kelvin ignored them.

He wasn't there to win anyone's approval.

Instead, he studied the site itself.

Several armed guards stood at strategic positions around the perimeter.

Watchtowers overlooked the compound.

Security cameras monitored both the workers and the entrances.

Nothing entered or left without someone noticing.

Interesting.

Eventually, they arrived at the small administrative office overlooking the site.

Once inside, Kelvin glanced around before asking:

"Who controls the funds used to run this place?"

John sat down across from him. On the couch by the wall.

"That would be Mr Andrew."

Kelvin raised an eyebrow.

"I thought he handled recruitment back at the estate."

"He does."

"So he oversees the mines too?"

"Not directly."

Kelvin frowned.

"Care to elaborate?"

John sighed.

"When it comes to the mines, Mr Andrew allocates the budget. Maintenance, supplies, wages, equipment."

"And who manages the day-to-day operations?"

John hesitated.

"I do."

A slow smile appeared on Kelvin's face.

"That explains a lot."

John frowned immediately.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Kelvin leaned against the desk and folded his arms.

"You know exactly what it means."

His gaze hardened.

"You and I both know where some of that money has been going."

John looked away.

Kelvin continued.

"And don't get me started on the missing gold bars."

"Keep your voice down," John hissed. "Someone might hear us."

A tense silence followed.

Then John sighed.

"Look, I'm not proud of it."

He rubbed his face.

"But a man has to survive."

"Not anymore."

John looked up.

Kelvin's expression had become dangerously calm.

"From this moment forward, you do exactly what I tell you."

A pause.

"And if I discover you've been stealing from this operation again, I'll make sure Julius learns exactly where his missing gold has been going."

John clenched his jaw.

He hated taking orders.

Especially from Kelvin.

But he also knew Kelvin wasn't bluffing.

"Understood," John finally muttered.

"Good."

Kelvin walked around the desk and lowered himself into the chair behind it.

Documents lay scattered across the polished mahogany surface.

Production reports.

Expense sheets.

Supply requests.

Missing inventory records.

Interesting.

"So," John said, breaking the silence.

"Now that you're in charge, what's your first order?"

Kelvin opened one of the ledgers and began turning pages.

"Get me every financial record connected to this site."

John frowned.

"All of them?"

"All of them."

Kelvin looked up.

His eyes were cold.

"Because things are about to change."

***

By late afternoon, word had spread across the mining site.

The new overseer wanted everyone gathered.

Nobody knew why.

Workers left the pits reluctantly and assembled in the open yard between the offices and equipment sheds.

Whispers moved through the crowd.

"What's this about?"

"Probably another increase in hours."

"Julius's pet wants attention."

Kelvin heard every word.

He stood on the wooden platform overlooking the workers, a stack of financial ledgers tucked beneath one arm.

John stood nearby.

Several guards lingered at the edge of the gathering.

The noise continued.

Kelvin waited.

Patiently.

Silently.

One minute passed.

Then another.

Eventually, the workers realised he wasn't going to speak until they stopped.

The murmuring slowly died away.

Only then did Kelvin step forward.

His gaze swept across the crowd.

Every face.

Every expression.

The anger.

The resentment.

The distrust.

Good.

At least they were honest.

"My name is Kelvin Bruce."

His voice carried easily.

"I suppose most of you already know that."

A few workers exchanged looks.

Others folded their arms.

Kelvin continued.

"And I also know most of you don't like me."

No one spoke.

No one denied it.

A faint smirk touched his lips.

"Good."

That caught their attention.

"Because I don't particularly care."

Several workers frowned.

One man scoffed openly.

Kelvin pointed at him immediately.

"You."

The man stiffened.

"You don't like me?"

"No."

"Excellent."

Kelvin nodded.

"Now we both know where we stand."

A few surprised laughs escaped the crowd.

Even the man looked confused.

Kelvin's expression hardened again.

"Let's get something clear."

He dropped the ledgers onto a nearby table.

The sound echoed through the yard.

"I wasn't sent here to be your friend."

Silence.

"I wasn't sent here to earn your approval."

A pause.

"And I certainly wasn't sent here to listen to whispers every time I walk through this site."

His gaze sharpened.

"If you have something to say to me, say it to my face."

Nobody moved.

Nobody volunteered.

Exactly.

Kelvin nodded once.

"That's what I thought."

He folded his arms.

"Now let me tell you what I've learned after one day here."

He picked up one of the ledgers.

"The equipment is falling apart."

Another ledger.

"The food supplies are inadequate."

Another.

"The books don't balance."

That got everyone's attention.

Even John shifted uncomfortably.

Kelvin noticed.

"But none of those things concern you right now."

The workers looked confused.

"What concerns you," Kelvin continued, "is whether I'm going to make your lives worse."

A pause.

His eyes moved across the crowd.

"I might."

Several workers muttered angrily.

Kelvin raised a hand.

Instant silence.

"Or I might not."

He leaned slightly forward.

"That depends entirely on what I find."

A worker near the front finally spoke.

"What exactly does that mean?"

Kelvin's gaze landed on him.

"It means if I discover laziness, I'll deal with it."

A pause.

"If I discover theft, I'll deal with it."

Another pause.

"And if I discover corruption..."

His eyes briefly shifted toward John.

"I'll deal with that too."

The crowd grew quiet.

Very quiet.

Because for the first time, they realised Kelvin wasn't talking only about them.

He was talking about everyone.

Including management.

Including supervisors.

Including himself.

Kelvin stepped down from the platform.

"Whether you like me or not is irrelevant."

He stopped in front of the workers.

"What matters is this."

His voice dropped lower.

"But make no mistake."

A pause.

"I am not Julius."

The crowd froze.

Even the guards exchanged looks.

Kelvin's gaze hardened.

"But if you mistake that for weakness..."

A faint smile appeared.

"You'll regret it."

Silence.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Perfect.

Kelvin turned and walked away.

Leaving the workers staring after him.

For the first time since arriving at the mines...

They weren't looking at him with hatred alone.

Now they weren't quite sure what to think.

High above the mining site, Mrs Kate stood near the edge of the rocky cliff overlooking the grounds below.

The wind moved gently through her hair and clothes as her eyes followed Kelvin's retreating figure.

A faint smile touched her lips.
Strange.

Most men either tried too hard to be feared...

Or too hard to be liked.

Kelvin had done neither.

Yet somehow, he had managed to silence an entire crowd.

Her gaze lingered on him longer than necessary.

There was something about him she could not explain.

Something familiar.

Something unsettling.

And for reasons she did not yet understand...

She found herself wanting to know more about him.