Chapter 15 — 7 Year Marriage Isn't Real

Is a boy. The person who informed me... was Chu Thanh Yen. He called. The voice was full of hesitation.

"Nem Niem."

"There's something..."

"I thought you should know."

"Tong Dao was born."

"It's a boy."

"At Cam An Obstetrics Hospital."

I was silent for a second.

"And then what?"

"Luc Can Nien..."

"Not coming."

"When Tong Dao was born..."

"He's not present."

Chu Thanh Yen's voice became complicated.

"I heard..."

"Stopped by Luc Minh An."

"Now Luc Minh An forbids him from contacting Tong Dao."

"Tell that child..."

"It's the shame of the Luc family."

I switched the phone to my other hand.

"What about Tong Dao?"

"She's at the hospital alone."

"Her mother came from the countryside."

"Taking care of her."

I said nothing.

"Nem Niem."

Chu Thanh Yen's voice calmed down.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

I calmly replied.

"Better..."

"Any day in the last seven years."

I hung up. Tong Dao... gave birth alone. Luc Can Nien... Was imprisoned by his biological father. As for Luc Minh An... To save face. Even my own grandchild... still refused to accept it. Karma and retribution... Maybe that's all. This is not over yet. It's still a long way from the word "end." I made my first investment. Acquired a commercial land plot in the East of the city. That land... Has been abandoned for three years. That is a project successfully auctioned by Luc Thi Group. But because of broken cash flow. So we still can't start construction. After the bank recovers. The land was suspended for more than a year and a half. No one was paying attention. I bought it back... At a price twenty percent lower than the market price. News just announced. The entire business community in the city was immediately shocked. It's not because of how much that land is worth. Everyone knows. That used to be Luc Can Nien's project.

"Phuong Niem Tri took over Luc Thi's unfinished project."

"She really wants to step on her ex-husband's face."

"What ex-husband?"

"People have never been married."

What the outside says... I don't care. What I'm interested in is... The entire planning of this land... Luc Thi completed it very completely in the past. And now... It's in my hands. The intellectual property rights of that design... Are included in the asset package that comes with the fifteen percent of the shares I bought back. The design of the shopping center... Drawn by Luc Can Nien himself, staying up all night. Will be built by me. This is not a coincidence. It's my deliberate choice. Co Dien Chu saw me looking at the design in the office. He stood silent for a long time.

"You did it on purpose."

"This design can be completely abandoned."

"Let's start over."

"I can."

I smoothed the drawing sheet.

"But I don't want to."

"I want him to know..."

"What he can't do..."

"I'll do it for him."

"What he threw away..."

"I'll pick it up."

"Doing better than he ever imagined."

Co Dien Chu looked deeply into my eyes.

"Phuong Niem Tri."

"I don't see it like that..."

"Does this prove even more that you still care about him?"

I raised my head.

"Don't worry."

"Trampled."

He didn't say anything more. Luc Can Nien appeared. Not at the construction site. The lobby of my office building. The receptionist called.

"General Manager Phuong."

"Downstairs there is a guest named Luc."

"Want to see you."

"No appointment scheduled."

I thought for half a second.

"Invite him up."

Three minutes after. The office door was pushed open. Luc Can Nien stood in the doorway. He changed a lot. It's not just about getting thinner. Even the spirit is completely different. Luc Can Nien before... Wherever he went, he was always the center of attention. The atmosphere overwhelms everything. And now... He stood there. Like a blade... Someone stepped on it and bent it.

"Nien Tri."

I'm still sitting behind my desk. Never stood up.

"If you have something to say, say it."

He walked in. Stand facing the desk. My eyes glanced through the ground-level glass window behind me. Through the files on the table. Through the organizational structure chart of Thanh Nguyen Group hanging on the wall.

"You did very well."

he said.

"Is there anything else?"

"The land east of the city."

His voice was very restrained.

"It was my first project after graduating from college."

"Every detail in the design..."

"It's all drawn by my own hand."

"I know."

"I'm determined to take that land..."

"Was it intentional?"

His hands clenched. Then slowly let go.

"I won."

His voice was very quiet.

"You ruined my father's reputation."

"Take your shares."

"Forcing me to leave Luc Thi."

"Finally..."

"What else do you want?"

I stood up. Go around the desk. Get in front of him. The distance is very close. So close... I could see every trace of red blood in his eyes. And new gray hairs growing at the temples.

"Luc Can Nien."

"I think..."

"Am I taking revenge on you?"

He looked at me.

"I don't take revenge."

I said calmly.

"Revenge..."

"It's when you feel like you owe me something."

"I want it back."

"You don't owe me."

"Because..."

"Between us..."

"There never existed any relationship."

"You are not my husband."

"I was never your wife either."

"Those seven years..."

"It's nothing."

His pupils shrank slightly.

"I did all this..."

"Just because..."

"I want to do it."

I went back behind my desk. Sit down.

"East area..."

"It's a good project."

"I see its value."

"And the design was drawn by me..."

"It's an asset..."

"You sold it yourself."

"Sold already..."

"It's not yours anymore."