They gave him nothing but a rocky piece of land as a joke.
But what he found there…
Miguel Santos felt his stomach twist as he watched the three men in suits burst out laughing inside the real estate office. He had lost everything in a legal battle that dragged on for two years, and now they were “settling” the situation in the only way they thought was fair.
“Look, Miguel Santos,” said Roberto Villanueva, the owner of the construction company, still laughing.
“You didn’t want to sell your little house for our project, so we’ll do it this way.”
He tossed a stack of papers onto the table.
“We’re giving you this land instead of your house. Fair or not?”
He smirked.
“Two thousand square meters. Nothing but rocks and stones. Good luck trying to grow anything there.”
Miguel Santos took the documents with trembling hands. At 52 years old, he had lost the house where he raised his daughter, Andrea. He had lost his job as a geologist at a mining company. And now, as compensation, he was being handed a piece of land that everyone knew was useless.
The men kept laughing as he signed the papers, joking about how stubborn he had been and how he was finally paying the price.
When Miguel left the office, he drove straight to the land.
It was located about 15 kilometers from the town center of San Isidro Valley, somewhere in the interior of Mindanao. When he arrived, what he saw made him wonder if he had finally lost his mind.
It was exactly as they described it: a sea of stones and rocks of all sizes, some as big as cars, scattered across uneven ground that looked more like a battlefield than a property.
Andrea arrived an hour later and found her father sitting on a large rock, staring at the land.
“Dad, what on earth are you doing here?” she asked, carefully stepping out of the car on the rough terrain.
“I’m thinking, anak. Thinking about how this land isn’t even good for goats.”
Andrea threw her hands up in frustration.
“They tricked you again. You should have sold the house when they offered you a good price.”
Miguel stood up, picked up a small stone, and held it against the sunlight.
“You know what’s strange, Andrea? I studied geology for 25 years. These rocks shouldn’t be here.”
“What do you mean, shouldn’t be here?”
“Look at their shape. Their color. Their texture.”
He handed her the stone.
“This isn’t a natural formation for this region.”
“So what, Dad?”
“Either someone brought these rocks here… or something very interesting happened on this land a long time ago.”
Andrea sighed deeply. Ever since her parents’ separation three years earlier, Miguel had become obsessed with strange ideas.
First medicinal plants. Then solar energy projects. And now this.
“Dad, you can’t keep inventing fantasies. You need a job. This land is worthless. Everyone knows that.”
“Everyone thinks they know,” Miguel replied quietly, slipping the stone into his pocket.
“Tomorrow, I’m starting work here.”
“Work? Doing what?”
“I’m removing these rocks. And I’m going to see what’s underneath.”
Andrea stared at him as if he had just said he was going to fly to the moon.
“Dad, do you realize how big this place is? Two thousand square meters. You’ll destroy your body trying to clear this alone.”
“Then I’ll destroy my body,” Miguel said calmly.
“But I’ll find out what’s here.”
That night, Miguel barely slept in the small rented apartment he had been living in since the separation. He stayed awake making notes about the rock patterns he had observed. There was a structure to them—he was sure of it.
The largest rocks formed something close to a circle. The smaller ones looked random, but they weren’t.
The next morning, he loaded his old pickup with the few tools he still owned: a hammer, a pickaxe, a shovel, and a worn-out wheelbarrow.
When he arrived at the land at 7 a.m., he found two workers from Villanueva Construction drinking coffee near the entrance.
“Hey, Miguel Santos!” one of them shouted.
“Came to admire your masterpiece?”
“I came to work,” Miguel replied as he unloaded his tools.
“To work?”
They burst out laughing.
“You’ll need dynamite to break those rocks, old man.”
Miguel didn’t respond.
He picked a medium-sized rock and struck it with the hammer. The sound echoed across the land, making the workers laugh even harder.
“Hey!” one of them yelled to the others.
“Look at this! The crazy guy thinks he can break rocks with a hammer!”
Within hours, the entire crew was joking about him, stopping their work to watch, even betting on how long he’d last.
Miguel ignored them.
He knew from experience that sedimentary rocks had layers—and if struck correctly, they could reveal what was inside.
When the first rock finally split, he froze.
Small crystals were embedded inside, glowing faintly green.
He pocketed the fragments and kept going.
With every rock he broke, more crystals appeared—clear, yellowish, bluish.
By noon, he had collected samples from fifteen different stones.
That afternoon, he visited his former colleague, Daniel Reyes, who still worked at the geology laboratory of the State University in Davao.
“Miguel! Long time,” Daniel said.
“I heard you’ve been having a rough time.”
“I’m trying to rebuild,” Miguel replied.
“I need a favor.”
He showed Daniel the crystal samples and explained where they came from.
Daniel examined them with a magnifying glass.
“They’re nice,” he said carefully.
“But they don’t look extraordinary. Probably common quartz with impurities. Still, I can run some basic tests.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Just don’t get your hopes up,” Daniel warned.
“Crystals like these are found all over the north.”
Miguel went home discouraged—but not defeated.
He returned to the land the next day and kept working.
After a week of backbreaking labor under the harsh Mindanao sun, he had cleared rocks from about fifty square meters.
He noticed something odd.
The deeper he dug, the more moist the soil became.
Andrea showed up at the end of the week, alarmed by his condition.
“Dad, look at you. Sunburned. Hands destroyed. And for what? A handful of common crystals?”
“Daniel hasn’t finished the tests yet,” Miguel replied.
“And if it turns out to be nothing? How long will you keep this up?”
“Until I know what’s here.”
She hesitated.
“I talked to the bank yesterday. You’re three payments behind on the pickup. If you don’t pay soon, they’ll take it too.”
Miguel stopped working and looked at her.
“Give me two more weeks,” he said softly.
“If I find nothing, I’ll take any job I can.”
“Two weeks,” Andrea said firmly.
“Not one day more.”
The following Monday, Daniel called.
“Miguel, I need to see you. Today.”
His tone was strange—neither excited nor dismissive.
At the lab, Daniel spoke quietly.
“The tests showed something unusual,” he said.
“These crystals aren’t common quartz. There’s beryl here. Aquamarine, to be precise.”
Miguel’s heart raced.
“There’s also traces of pink tourmaline… and indications of raw emerald.”
Miguel swallowed hard.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your land could be sitting on a pegmatite formation.”
Miguel nodded.
“Rocks where precious and semi-precious gemstones form.”
“Exactly. But calm down. Traces don’t guarantee a commercial deposit. It could be small… or it could be big. To know for sure, you’d need a full geological survey—and that costs money.”
Miguel returned to the land with renewed energy.
It all made sense now. The rocks. The pattern. The cover.
During the following days, he stopped breaking stones randomly and focused on digging where the soil felt loose.
That’s when everything changed.
At about one and a half meters deep, he broke into a natural cavity.
He shined his flashlight inside—and his breath caught.
The cavity extended sideways like a small cave.
And its walls were covered in crystals.
They sparkled in every color, shining with breathtaking intensity.
“My God…” he whispered.
It was like a giant geode.
Some crystals were as big as fists. Others as small as grains of rice. All of them gleamed with unmistakable quality.
Miguel climbed out, shaking.
For the first time in years, he felt hope.
But he also knew one thing:
If word got out before he secured mineral rights, he could lose everything again.
He called Daniel immediately.
“Daniel, I need you here. Today.”
“It’s already five in the afternoon,” Daniel protested.
“Please. If you don’t come, I might lose the biggest discovery of my life.”
Two hours later, Daniel arrived with proper equipment.
When he entered the cavity, he was silent for nearly five minutes.
“Miguel…” he finally said.
“This is real. This is a true pegmatite formation.”
He turned, eyes wide.
“This isn’t small. Look at the size. Look at the crystal quality.”
He took samples, running quick tests.
“There’s gem-quality aquamarine here. This—” he pointed at a pink cluster
“—is top-grade pink tourmaline.”
Then he illuminated a patch of green crystals.
“And these… if I’m not mistaken… are raw emeralds.”
Miguel leaned against the cave wall, his legs weak.
“How much?” he whispered.
“How much could this be worth?”
Daniel shook his head slowly.
“I don’t know yet. But this… this could change everything.”
“But Miguel,” Daniel said seriously,
“if this formation extends beneath your entire land, you could be sitting on a fortune. And even if it doesn’t—if it’s only this cavity—you already have enough material here to live comfortably for the rest of your life.”
He pointed his flashlight deeper into the cave.
“And look at this. It seems to go further down. This might only be the tip of the iceberg.”
By the time they climbed out of the cavity, the sun had already set. Miguel carefully covered the entrance with rocks and soil, disguising any sign that something existed beneath the ground.
“Daniel, you can’t tell anyone about this yet,” Miguel said firmly.
“I need to fix the legal situation first.”
“Of course,” Daniel replied.
“But Miguel, you need professional help. You have to hire a geologist specialized in mineral exploration. And you need to register the mining rights with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.”
“I know,” Miguel sighed.
“The problem is… I don’t have money for any of that.”
“Maybe I can help,” Daniel said after a pause.
“I know some people who finance mineral exploration in exchange for a percentage of future profits.”
Miguel slept barely two hours that night.
He stayed awake making plans, calculating possibilities, imagining a future that seemed too good to be true—while at the same time haunted by the fear of losing everything again. He knew stories of people who discovered deposits and were later cheated by ruthless businessmen.
The next morning, Andrea arrived at the land earlier than usual.
“Dad, we need to talk. This is serious.”
“What is it, anak?”
“I spoke to Mom yesterday. She’s worried about you. She says the neighbors are saying you’ve turned into a beggar, digging holes in the middle of nowhere.”
Miguel felt anger and sadness rise together. Patricia, his ex-wife, had always doubted his dreams and projects.
“And what does your mother think I should do?” he asked.
“She knows a manager at a security company. They need night guards. It doesn’t pay much, but—”
“Andrea,” Miguel interrupted gently,
“What if I tell you that I may have found something very valuable on this land?”
“Dad, please… don’t.”
“Listen.”
He pulled out several crystal samples he had collected the day before.
“Daniel ran tests. These are semi-precious stones. Some might even be precious.”
Andrea examined the crystals closely. Miguel noticed a spark of interest in her eyes.
“They’re beautiful,” she admitted.
“But Dad, even if they’re gemstones… how much can they be worth? A few hundred pesos? That won’t fix our problems.”
“And what if they’re not just a few stones?” Miguel asked softly.
“What if there’s a lot more?”
“What do you mean, a lot more?”
Miguel hesitated. He didn’t want to reveal the cave yet—but he needed her trust.
“Give me one more week,” he said.
“If I can’t prove there’s something truly valuable here, I’ll take any job that comes.”
“One week,” Andrea said firmly.
“But promise me you’ll stop after that.”
“I promise.”
That afternoon, Daniel returned with a friend named Ernesto Cruz, a gemstone evaluation specialist with decades of experience. He was around sixty, with graying hair and calm, sharp eyes.
“Daniel told me about your discovery,” Ernesto said.
“I brought some equipment to make a proper evaluation.”
The three of them went down into the cavity.
Ernesto stayed silent for a long time, examining the crystals with a jeweler’s loupe and running tests with small instruments.
Finally, he spoke.
“Son,” he said slowly,
“do you have any idea what you’ve found here?”
“A pegmatite formation with high-quality crystals,” Miguel answered.
Ernesto shook his head.
“No. You’ve found one of the most significant gemstone occurrences I’ve seen in forty years.”
He illuminated a section of the wall.
“This aquamarine is international gem quality. And this pink tourmaline— I’ve never seen this level of clarity and color.”
“And the emeralds?” Daniel asked.
Ernesto smiled.
“Ah… the emeralds. These small ones here are worth more than everything else combined. High-quality Philippine emeralds are among the most valuable stones on the global market.”
Miguel felt the world spin.
“How much?” he whispered.
“How much could all this be worth?”
“It’s hard to say without full analysis,” Ernesto replied.
“But just this cavity—hundreds of thousands of pesos. Maybe more. And if the formation continues… we’re talking millions.”
Ernesto made notes in a small notebook.
“Miguel needs urgent legal advice. He must apply for mining rights before anyone else discovers this. And he needs capital for proper exploration.”
“Do you know someone who can help?” Miguel asked.
“Yes,” Ernesto said carefully.
“But everything must be discreet. If word leaks, people will try to take this land from you by any means.”
That night, Miguel called Andrea.
“Anak, I need to talk to you. This is very serious.”
“Can I come tomorrow morning?” she asked.
“And if this is just more stones—”
“Trust me. Just this once.”
The next day, Miguel led his daughter into the cavity.
Her reaction unfolded exactly as he expected: skepticism… then awe… then understanding.
“Dad… this is real?” she whispered.
“It’s real.”
“How much is all this worth?”
“We don’t know yet. But it could be enough to change our lives completely.”
Andrea sat down on a rock, trying to process everything.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because I needed to be sure. And because I needed to protect this until everything was legal.”
“So what do we do now?”
“We hire a lawyer specialized in mining law. And we look for serious investors.”
On Ernesto’s recommendation, they contacted a law firm in Makati that handled mining cases. The following week, Miguel and Andrea traveled there.
The lawyer, Attorney Ramon Villaseñor, listened carefully.
“You did the right thing by coming quickly,” he said.
“Mining law in the Philippines is complex, but you have advantages. First, the land title is fully under your name. Second, there is currently no registered mineral exploration application in that area.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Andrea asked.
“It means you can apply for exclusive mining rights over your land.”
“And how much does that cost?” Miguel asked nervously.
“The government fees are relatively low. The expensive part is the technical studies: full geological report, environmental impact assessment, and mining plan.”
“How much are we talking about?”
“Between ₱500,000 and ₱1,000,000, depending on complexity.”
Miguel felt his stomach drop. He didn’t even have ₱500 in his bank account.
“Is there a way to raise that money without losing control of everything?” he asked.
“There is,” the lawyer replied.
“Partnerships with mining companies—but you must be very careful. Many contracts heavily favor the company.”
“What would be fair?”
“You provide the land and the deposit. They provide capital and expertise. Profit sharing should be at least 50–50, preferably 60–40 in your favor.”
On the drive back to San Isidro Valley, Andrea was quiet.
“Dad,” she finally said,
“This can end very well… or very badly.”
“I know,” Miguel replied.
“But this might be our only chance to rebuild our lives.”
Her fears proved justified a few days later.
Miguel arrived at the land one Monday morning and found three unfamiliar men walking around, inspecting the stones.
“Excuse me,” Miguel said, approaching them.
“This is private property.”
“We know,” replied a tall man in his forties.
“My name is Victor Delgado. I represent Pacific Ridge Mining.”
Miguel felt a chill.
“What do you want?”
“We’d like to make you an offer. We know you discovered an interesting mineral formation here.”
“Who said I found anything?”
Victor smiled coldly.
“Let’s not waste time. We know you found a pegmatite formation with aquamarine, tourmaline, and emerald.”
“Our offer is simple,” he continued.
“You sell us the land for ₱5 million cash. No complications.”
“And if I don’t want to sell?”
“I think you should reconsider. Mining is risky, bureaucratic, expensive. You could spend a fortune and end up with nothing.”
“Thank you, but I’m not interested.”
Victor’s tone hardened.
“You’ve already lost a lot, Miguel. It would be a shame to lose this too.”
That wasn’t advice.
It was a threat.
They left, giving him one week.
Miguel immediately called Attorney Villaseñor.
“If they’re offering ₱5 million,” the lawyer said after a pause,
“your deposit is worth at least ₱25 million.”
Miguel closed his eyes.
He was beginning to realize something terrifying:
Discovering the treasure was only the beginning of the real battle.
“Companies in this industry never offer more than 20% of the real value in an initial negotiation,” Attorney Villaseñor explained.
“Many times, they offer less than 10%. So if they offered you ₱5 million, your deposit could easily be worth ₱25 million… or more. That’s why choosing the right partners is critical. You could become very rich—but only if you don’t sell cheap.”
That night, Miguel had a long, difficult conversation with Andrea.
“Dad, ₱5 million is a lot of money.”
“I know, anak. But it might only be a fraction of what this is truly worth.”
“But what if it isn’t? What if it’s only worth ₱10 million? Or ₱7 million? Wouldn’t it be better to secure the ₱5 million now?”
Miguel looked at her quietly.
“All my life, I played it safe. I accepted what people offered. I never aimed high. And where did that get me? I lost the house. I lost my marriage. I almost lost my dignity.”
He took a deep breath.
“This might be my only chance to truly win—or to lose everything once and for all. If I take the ₱5 million now and later find out this deposit was worth far more, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
“And if you reject it and lose everything?” Andrea asked softly.
“Then at least I’ll know I tried.”
The next morning, Attorney Villaseñor called with good news.
“Miguel, the documents are approved. As of today, you hold exclusive rights to all minerals found on your land.”
Miguel closed his eyes in relief.
“And now,” the lawyer continued,
“we need serious investors. I have contacts with reputable companies. Valley Ridge Mining is out—based on their threats, they’re not trustworthy. Legitimate companies don’t apply pressure like that.”
Meetings were scheduled with three different companies in Manila the following week.
The Proposals
The first meeting was with White Rock Mining, a family-owned company operating for over fifty years.
Their director, Mr. Ernesto Padilla, a calm seventy-year-old man with white hair, examined the crystal samples carefully.
“Exceptional quality,” he said at last.
“Especially this aquamarine—and these emeralds. In decades of work, I’ve rarely seen stones like these.”
“Our proposal,” he continued,
“is a full geological study costing about ₱800,000. If the deposit proves commercially viable, we form a partnership: 60% for you, 40% for us. If it fails, we absorb the loss.”
It was fair—far better than anything Valley Ridge had offered.
The second meeting was with Northern Gems, a smaller company specializing exclusively in gemstones.
Their director, Dr. Patricia Lim, proposed a different model.
“We don’t want ownership,” she said.
“You extract the stones artisanally. We guarantee to buy 100% of your production at 30% above international market prices. You keep full ownership—we handle sales.”
It was safer, but slower.
The third company, San Benito Minerals, made a bold offer.
“We want to buy the land outright,” said their director, Carlos Enrique Reyes.
“Our offer is ₱12 million cash.”
Miguel felt dizzy.
“That’s more than double what the others offered. Why?”
“Because we understand the real value of what you’ve found,” Reyes replied calmly.
“Based on our estimates, your deposit could generate ₱100–250 million over ten years.”
On the drive home, Miguel was silent.
“White Rock feels the most honest,” he finally said.
“I agree,” Attorney Villaseñor replied.
“But San Benito’s offer is tempting.”
“Yes—but if the deposit truly produces ₱200 million, then ₱12 million is still cheap.”
That night, Miguel spoke again with Andrea.
“Dad… guaranteed millions or a chance at much more.”
“That’s exactly the choice.”
“And what does your heart say?”
“My heart says try for the maximum. My head says secure the money.”
She smiled faintly.
“You’re 52. If you take ₱12 million now, you’ll live comfortably forever. But if you succeed big, you could do more—help people, build something meaningful.”
Miguel hadn’t thought of that.
“You always dreamed of opening a geological consulting firm,” Andrea continued.
“With real capital, you could create jobs. Train young geologists.”
He nodded slowly.
“And after everything dishonest people did to you… this could be your answer.”
The Decision
On Monday, Miguel called Attorney Villaseñor.
“I want to accept White Rock’s proposal.”
The contracts were signed. Exploration began the following week.
Drilling equipment arrived—machines Miguel had only seen in textbooks. Samples confirmed what they hoped for: the pegmatite formation covered nearly the entire property and extended deep underground.
Then came the bombshell.
“Miguel,” Dr. Fernando Lopez, White Rock’s chief geologist, said quietly,
“this isn’t ordinary pegmatite. It has extraordinary emerald potential.”
“How extraordinary?”
“High-grade emeralds can be worth more per carat than diamonds.”
Miguel tried to stay calm.
“In twenty years,” the geologist added,
“I’ve never seen potential like this.”
Betrayal and Pressure
During the second week, Miguel arrived one morning to find Victor Delgado from Valley Ridge Mining talking with Dr. Lopez.
“They’re offering to buy White Rock’s share,” Victor said bluntly.
“For three times what we invested,” Dr. Lopez admitted.
“It’s hard for our company to refuse.”
Miguel’s stomach dropped.
“And why are they offering so much?” he asked.
“Because preliminary results suggest this deposit could be worth over ₱500 million.”
Miguel felt the ground spin.
Valley Ridge made a new proposal:
They would buy White Rock’s share and give Miguel 50% of net profits.
Fifty percent of half a billion pesos.
But the pressure was clear.
If Miguel refused, White Rock might sell anyway.
With his lawyer’s help, Miguel negotiated a clause allowing him six months to buy back the shares.
It was risky—but it bought time.
The Boom—and New Problems
Mining began in full force.
Emeralds. Aquamarine. Tourmaline.
Production exceeded all expectations.
Within two months, Miguel’s earnings surpassed what San Benito had once offered outright.
But success brought problems.
Illegal miners. Road damage. Environmental fees. Armed security.
Then came the worst news.
“The formation extends into the neighboring land,” Dr. Lopez reported.
“Owned by Vargas Construction.”
Miguel’s heart sank.
The same company that mocked him… now sat on part of the treasure.
Legal battles began immediately.
Both sides filed mining claims.
After weeks of tension, Fernando Vargas requested a meeting.
“Ricardo—Miguel,” he said carefully,
“We can fight in court for years… or we can be smart.”
They proposed a joint operation.
Each company kept its land.
Profits split based on deposit percentage.
“About 30% of the deposit lies under our property,” Vargas admitted.
Miguel consulted his lawyer.
“It’s fair,” Attorney Villaseñor said.
“And it avoids years of legal war.”
Miguel nodded.
After everything…
the man who once laughed at him was now asking for partnership.
And for the first time, Miguel Santos was negotiating from a position of strength.
“And what about Minera Valle del Bravo—how do they fit in?”
“They retain 40% of their portion. That means you would hold 36%, the Construction Company 30%, and Minera Valle del Bravo 34%.”
“I lose the majority.”
“You lose majority control,” the lawyer replied calmly,
“but you gain access to a much larger deposit. In the end, it can be far more profitable.”
The partnership was formalized a month later.
From that moment on, three companies jointly operated the largest precious-stone deposit discovered in Durango in the last fifty years.
Production increased significantly once access was granted to the portion of the deposit located beneath the construction company’s land.
Dr. Fernando had underestimated the richness of that section.
“Ricardo,” he admitted after the first test results,
“the part of the deposit under the construction company’s land is actually richer than yours.”
“How is that possible?”
“It has a higher concentration of high-quality emeralds. It appears to be the core of the original pegmatitic formation.”
“And what does that mean for profits?”
“It means that even with a smaller percentage, you can earn more than if you were mining only your own land.”
Dr. Fernando was right.
In the first quarter of joint operations, Ricardo Mendoza’s profits were 40% higher than the previous quarter.
But success brought new problems.
News of the discovery spread nationwide, attracting the attention of multinational corporations interested in acquiring the entire operation.
“Ricardo,” Javier Vargas reported one afternoon,
“we’ve received an offer from International Precious Stones—a U.S.-based company.”
“They want to buy everything.”
“For how much?”
“Two hundred million dollars.”
Ricardo was left speechless.
Two hundred million dollars—more money than he had ever imagined.
“And my share?”
“Thirty-six percent of two hundred million. About seventy-two million dollars.”
An amount that would change not only his life, but the lives of several generations of his family.
“And the other partners?”
“Everyone wants to sell. The construction company wants out because their business is civil construction, not mining. Valle del Bravo wants to reinvest the money in new discoveries.”
“And you—do you think we should sell?”
“That depends on your goals,” Javier replied.
“If you want to get rich fast, we sell.
If you want to get much richer over time, we keep operating.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Based on the latest studies, this deposit can produce gemstones for at least twenty years. Total production value could exceed five hundred million dollars.”
“So if we sell now for two hundred million, we’re losing money.”
“We’re securing two hundred million today instead of betting on five hundred million over twenty years. There are risks on both sides.”
Ricardo asked for a week to decide.
During that time, he spoke with Valentina, with Patricia—his ex-wife—with Dr. Hernández, and even with Alejandro, his geologist friend.
“Dad,” Valentina said,
“seventy-two million dollars is money for several lifetimes.”
“I know, hija. But this might only be the beginning.
This deposit could be worth much more—or it could be worth less. There could be problems. Complications.”
Patricia, surprisingly, advised him not to sell.
“Ricardo,” she said bluntly,
“you spent your entire life being cautious, always taking the safest path. And where did that get you? You lost everything anyway.”
Her honesty stunned him.
“This could be your chance to truly win big. And if it goes wrong, at least you tried.”
Dr. Hernández offered a technical perspective.
“From a legal standpoint, the operation is well structured. Risks are minimal. If the deposit really lasts twenty years, you’ll earn far more than seventy-two million.”
Alejandro was the most direct.
“Ricardo, you’re a geologist. You know how to evaluate mineral formations. What does your professional experience say?”
“That it’s exceptional. That it can produce for a very long time.”
“Then trust your expertise.”
At the end of the week, Ricardo made his decision.
He called Javier Vargas.
“We’re rejecting the offer.”
“Are you sure? That’s a lot of money.”
“I’m sure. I want to keep operating. And if the other partners want to sell, I’ll buy their shares.”
“With what money?”
“I’ll secure financing.”
But when Ricardo informed the other partners, he discovered that both wanted to sell.
“This may be the only chance to sell at such a high valuation,” Fernando Vargas warned.
“What if the deposit is worth less? What if there are environmental issues? What if mining laws change?”
“Two hundred million is certainty,” he concluded.
“The future is uncertainty.”
Minera Valle del Bravo agreed.
“Our company focuses on discoveries, not long-term operations,” Dr. Velasco explained.
“We prefer to take the money now and invest in new prospects.”
Ricardo was trapped.
If they sold to the Americans, he would become a minority partner under a U.S. multinational.
“Can I stop the sale?” he asked Dr. Hernández.
“No. The partnership agreements allow each partner to sell.”
“And my right of first refusal?”
“You can exercise it—but you’d have to pay the same two hundred million dollars.”
Impossible for an individual.
“You could form a Mexican company and seek national investors.”
Ricardo spent two exhausting weeks meeting banks, funds, and mining entrepreneurs.
Everyone was interested.
No one wanted to risk two hundred million without absolute guarantees.
The deadline was approaching.
On the eve of the final day, Ricardo received an unexpected call.
“Ricardo Mendoza. This is Roberto Cándido from the Mexican Mineral Heritage Foundation.”
He had never heard of him.
“Our foundation exists to prevent major mineral discoveries from being sold to foreign multinationals,” Roberto explained.
“We are a national investment fund, backed by Mexican businessmen.”
“We want to buy your partners’ shares for two hundred ten million dollars—five percent more than the American offer.”
Ricardo couldn’t believe it.
“And how would ownership look?”
“You keep your 36%. We take 64%.
We’re Mexican, we operate in Mexico—and you remain General Superintendent of the operation.”
“General Superintendent?”
“You know this deposit better than anyone. We want you leading the technical side.”
It solved everything.
The next morning, Ricardo accepted.
The foundation exercised the right of first refusal and acquired the other shares.
Operations continued—now under national control—with Ricardo as General Superintendent.
Two years later, the mine had produced over 300 million pesos in gemstones.
Ricardo’s profit share and salary had already earned him more than 50 million pesos.
Valentina had graduated in business administration and became the operation’s financial manager.
Jobs flourished.
The town prospered.
A legacy was built.
And the mine?
It still had many secrets left to reveal.