Chapter 14 — 58 Lakhs And His True Face

A chill ran down my spine, but I forced myself to stay calm. There is no evidence yet... it's all just speculation. During lunch break, I invited her to the newly opened coffee shop downstairs. The air was sultry, the wind chimes hanging on the glass door rang softly as we entered. We chose a seat near the window. Tieu Phuong was still as enthusiastic as before, ordering me a latte and herself a caramel macchiato.

“Hieu Ninh, you don't look very good these days, do you have to work overtime a lot?”

She asked while stirring the coffee, her eyes looked very sincere... very concerned. I raised my glass, took a sip, then spoke.

“Tieu Phuong, I ask you something.”

I tried to keep my voice calm.

“Have you ever talked about your project with people at other companies lately?”

The stirrer in her hand paused for a moment, then continued to rotate.

“Why do you suddenly ask that?” She laughed, "In a small industry like this, everyone knows each other. It's normal to meet each other to eat and drink."

“Eating and drinking are normal.”

I looked straight at her.

“I asked... if I would send them the project details to see.”

She raised her head, a flash of alertness flashing quickly in her eyes.

“Are you doubting me?”

She smiled, but the smile was a bit stiff.

“You've been under so much pressure lately that even I don't believe it anymore?”

I looked at her. The person who stood with me in the tea room complained to customers. The person who won concert tickets with me, ate, drank, and laughed. There was something in her eyes that I was very familiar with. It's the feeling of being exposed... mixed with unwillingness and anger. At that moment, something felt like it fell in my heart.

“I don't have unfounded suspicions.”

I speak slowly.

“The company has already started checking.”

“You know, the big project I'm in charge of... has recently had too much content from competitors.”

“When the leader called me up to ask, I made it clear.”

"That document, other than sending it to customers and bosses, was the only one you... ever touched when I was on a business trip."

“How do you tell me to explain?”

Her expression immediately changed. His fingers tightened around the paper cup, his knuckles turned white.

“What do you mean?”

Her voice lowered.

“Are you pouring dirt on me?”

“Is it because of your recent personal problems that you want to find someone to vent your anger on?”

When mentioning "personal matters", her eyes fluttered slightly, as if she had just missed a word. I just looked, didn't speak. A few seconds later, she seemed to realize she was losing control, took a deep breath, and put on her familiar gentleness again.

“Hieu Ninh, you know, I always consider you a good sister.”

“If something really happens, I will tell you first.”

“We are on the same side, why do you doubt me?”

The words "sisters" and "same side" were emphasized very strongly by her, like the final shield. I was about to say more, but my phone vibrated. It's a message from my cousin.

“Hieu Ninh, you said before that the company's project was leaked?”

“I have acquaintances in the industry, and someone from a competitor said they just received an 'internal plan' that is highly similar to yours.”

“I pay attention to the people around me.”

After reading it, my heart sank. It was like someone was holding a flashlight shining straight into the dark corner of my heart.

“Tieu Phuong.”

I raised my head and called her by name.

“Tell me the truth.”

“Did you send my plan to someone else?”

Her lips moved slightly, her eyes averted and then lowered again.

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

The finger holding the cup catches head trembling slightly. That moment, I knew… the answer no longer mattered. Her reaction was clearer than any words. The space was silent for a few seconds. There was only the sound of the coffee machine humming in the distance. Outside the glass door, someone passed by, and the shadow slid across the table. I suddenly felt very tired. I asked softly.

“If you really did that… why me?”

Her eyes turned red and she raised her head to look at me, her gaze slightly distorted by self-pity.

“Because you have it all.”

“You have your parents as your backer, and your cousin as a lawyer to back you up.”

"You've been in the company for less than two years and you're already taking on a big project. In meetings, leaders always call you by name and praise you first."

“What about me?”

“I stayed here for four years, doing all sorts of odd jobs, writing content, making charts.”

"There's a new project, but the leader says 'give it to Hieu Ninh, she's young and resilient'."

“Do you know that feeling?”

Her voice gradually choked.

“It's not like I didn't try hard, I came in earlier than you, I also worked overtime until midnight…”

“But in their eyes, I'm just someone who can be replaced at any time.”

“You just arrived… I was immediately replaced.”

When she said the word "replacement", her eyes were as sharp as knives. I listened, a very complicated feeling arose in my heart. There is pain from being betrayed. There is anger. But there's also a part... that's hard to deny. I never thought, every time I was complimented... She stood there, looking with her eyes. I also never noticed, when I complained about working overtime, whether she had stayed up all night for several nights in a row. But no matter what, that's not the reason for her to sell the project.

"That's why you thought... give the plan to another company, in exchange for some benefits, so you can prove that you're also good?"

“It's not like that!”