Chapter 5 — 47 Days of Betrayal, I Turned the Game Over

I immediately emailed David, summarizing the situation in English and asking him to recommend a trustworthy unit. Two hours later, he replied, saying he was sorry to hear about it and would connect me with a reputable investigation company within the same day, and told me if I needed any further assistance, just let me know. That afternoon, the investigation team in Vancouver contacted lawyer Tran, and things finally started moving. But life doesn't stop just because I'm fighting. My phone rang again.

“Nien An, when will you go back to work?”

The caller was Ngo Chan Vu, the other partner in the company.

“Chan Vu, my family is having trouble…”

"I know you have work, but the Hai Duong Loan project has to submit a plan next week. The client appointed you to present. If you are absent, the possibility of the project failing is very high."

Hai Duong Loan project, contract 800 thousand yuan, is a resort project I have been following since before going on a business trip.

“I really can't leave these days…”

"Nien An, I understand, but the company still has to operate. If this project is lost, it will be difficult to explain at the end of the year."

I was silent for a few seconds, looking at the white ceiling.

“Okay, I will return to the company the day after tomorrow.”

"That's it, the project team meeting at nine o'clock the next morning."

Hanging up the phone, I sat motionless on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. The house is no longer there. Money is gone. The daughter is no more. Husband also disappeared. The job... is even more impossible to lose, because litigation requires money, hiring a lawyer requires money, hiring an investigation abroad requires even more money, I have no way back, I can only move forward. The next day, I went to the mall to buy two new sets of clothes, not to look nice, but because all the office clothes in the house had been cleaned out, and the things left in the closet were mostly casual clothes. While paying, the staff looked at the dark circles under my eyes, smiled softly and asked if I had been working very hard recently, and wanted to try a new concealer. I just shook my head. I don't need to hide my fatigue, I just need to take my daughter home. On the third day, at exactly nine o'clock in the morning, I showed up at the company. My colleagues' eyes looked at me a little differently. I knew the news had already spread, but no one asked directly, and no one dared to touch it. I went straight into the meeting room, six people in the project team were already seated.

“Okay, let's start, how is the progress of the Hai Duong Loan plan?”

The project manager gave me a stack of drawings, saying he had made three versions but the client still hadn't finalized the style, and the new person in charge named Han Chinh was very difficult to please. I asked where the difficulty was, he said the first two versions were criticized for being too safe, the third version adding modern elements was overstated, either way it was wrong. I flipped through the drawing, the design is safe, not wrong but also has no highlights.

“See you in person, the day after tomorrow.”

He hesitated, saying Han Chinh's side said he would be free next week.

“Tell him I'll come in person, the day after tomorrow afternoon.”

I returned to my office, closed the door, and started drawing. Before, drawing needed inspiration, needed mood, now I don't need it anymore, I only have one thing in mind: make money, sue, bring my children home. All redundant emotions are stripped away, the reverse drawing is faster and more decisive than ever. Three hours later, a completely new plan was formed. I took a photo and sent it to Tieu Luu, he looked very good It's been a long time since I only answered one word. The other day afternoon, I led the team to meet a customer. Han Chinh was younger than I thought, over thirty years old, wearing a dark polo shirt and an expensive watch on his wrist. He looked at me, momentarily stunned.

“Are you To Niem An?”

“I've heard about it for a long time, three international design awards, right?”

“Let's see the plan.”

I spread the drawing out on the table. He looked down for thirty seconds, his eyebrows gradually relaxed, then looked for another minute, then looked up.

“This… you drew it yourself?”

“When to draw?”

“Two days ago.”

He got up, went to the window and then came back.

“I rejected the previous plans not because they were bad, but because they didn't have a soul, and this version does.”

I said nothing. He looked at me, his eyes were clearly different.

"Using this version, the contract terms remain the same, but I add one condition, you must directly follow the project throughout, no change of person is allowed."

He held out his hand.

“Happy cooperation.”

I shook hands, then let go. Leaving the building, Tieu Luu walked next to him and whispered that Han Chinh was famous for being difficult, very few people could get past him the first time.

“Because he knows how to see.”

He laughed and said no, I'm good. I didn't reply. I took out my phone to look.