Chapter 12 — Back Before The Wedding Day

At seven o'clock in the morning, Khanh Linh and Lam Quoc Bao met at a small coffee shop near the company, choosing a hidden corner to avoid the eyes and ears of their colleagues. She recounted everything she heard from Bao Ngoc's mysterious phone call, along with the anonymous warning message she received the previous afternoon.

"It seems like many parties are simultaneously keeping an eye on what's happening within the group," Lam Quoc Bao commented, gently stirring the steaming cup of coffee. "The person who sent the anonymous message could be a disgruntled former employee, or even a competitor who wants to cause internal trouble in Bao Tin. But we cannot rule out the possibility that he is truly well-intentioned, just not brave enough to reveal himself."

"I think so too," Khanh Linh replied, taking a sip of coffee to calm down. "I asked Thu Ha, my close friend who edits a fashion magazine, to learn more about Trinh Ngoc Lan. Maybe tonight I will have more information."

As expected, that evening Thu Ha called, her voice full of excitement mixed with worry. "Linh, I found out something interesting. Trinh Ngoc Lan is not simply an independent investor — I searched through old business registration documents and discovered that she was a founding shareholder of a real estate company that dissolved four years ago, and one of the other shareholders of that company..."

"Who is it?" Khanh Linh asked, her voice tense.

"She's Mrs. Kim Chi's sister," Thu Ha replied, her voice lowered as if she was afraid someone would eavesdrop even though she was talking on the phone. "In other words, Trinh Ngoc Lan and Ms. Kim Chi's family have had a long-standing business relationship, just hidden quite carefully through many layers of intermediary companies."

Khanh Linh's heart tightened. This is the important piece of the puzzle she needs - evidence that shows a direct connection between Ms. Kim Chi and Trinh Ngoc Lan, two seemingly unrelated characters but are actually part of the same network. "Thank you very much, Thu Ha. This information is more important than you think."

"What are you getting into, Linh?" Thu Ha asked, her voice really worried. "It sounds very serious. Do you need any more help from me? If needed, I can ask a friend who works in investigative journalism for additional support. He has many connections in the financial world."

"There's no need, but if there's anything, I'll call you right away," Khanh Linh replied, trying to reassure her friend even though her heart was still filled with anxiety. "Please keep this information private for me. Don't share it with anyone else, including colleagues at the editorial office. The fewer people who know, the safer you are."

"Okay, I understand," Thu Ha replied, her voice becoming more serious. "But you promise me, if anything unexpected happens, you must report it immediately. Don't shoulder everything alone like you usually do."

"I understand, you can rest assured," Thu Ha replied.

After the call, Khanh Linh sat quietly alone in the room, piecing together all the pieces of information she had collected over the past few months: the secret relationship between Ms. Kim Chi and Trinh Ngoc Lan, the shady "legal consulting" payment worth two billion VND, Bao Ngoc's mysterious phone call, and the anonymous warning text message. Everything seems to be heading towards a worrying conclusion — Ms. Kim Chi is preparing to concoct a complex financial scenario, possibly involving the transfer of assets out of the group under the guise of legality, and it is very possible that, like in her previous life, need someone to take responsibility when everything is revealed.

She opened the notebook, sketched a simple diagram showing the relationship between the characters: Mrs. Kim Chi - Trinh Ngoc Lan - Thinh Phat company - an expenditure of two billion VND, and a big question mark over Bao Ngoc's position, indicating her unclear role in this whole picture.

"I need to find out Bao Ngoc's exact role in this plan," she whispered, her fingers tapping the page. "Is he being forced, or has he actively participated because of promises of certain positions and benefits?"

The next morning, the opportunity to learn more suddenly appeared. During a break, Khanh Linh happened to see on Bao Ngoc's desk a luxurious business card, printed with the name "Trinh Ngoc Lan - Chairman of Ngoc Lan Capital Investment Fund", placed carelessly under a stack of documents as if the owner had hastily hidden it but not yet completely.

Khanh Linh pretended to casually pass by, quickly glanced at the business card before Bao Ngoc returned to her desk. "Do you have guests?" she asked, sounding as natural as possible.

Bao Ngoc was startled and quickly pushed the stack of documents to cover the business card. "No, it's just... an acquaintance introduced an investment opportunity, nothing important."

"Is that so," Khanh Linh replied, without asking further questions, just smiled and returned to her desk. But in his heart, all suspicions are now almost confirmed - Bao Ngoc is in direct contact with Trinh Ngoc Lan, the woman behind the shell company that receives huge sums of money from the corporation.

In the afternoon, when she happened to pass by Dang Khoa's desk to hand in a project progress report, Khanh Linh caught a glimpse of him chatting on the phone with an unusually tense expression, his voice low but enough for her to hear a few incoherent words before he realized her presence and hastily ended the call.

"...can't reveal it, mom told me..."

Dang Khoa hung up the phone, his face slightly confused when he saw Khanh Linh standing there. "What do you need?" he asked, trying to regain his usual composure.

"I brought you the project progress report," she replied, placing the documents on the table, her eyes discreetly observing his expression. "You seem nervous, is something wrong?"

"No, it's just a family matter," Dang Khoa replied, quickly dismissing the question. "Thank you for the report, I'll take a look at it soon."

Leaving his desk, Khanh Linh clearly felt the tension that was spreading throughout the corporation, even though on the surface everything was still going smoothly. She understood that she was standing in the middle of a storm that was silently accumulating, and it was only a matter of time before it officially broke out.

That evening, she arranged to meet Lam Quoc Bao at a familiar coffee shop to update all the new developments of the day. He listened attentively, occasionally jotting down a few important points in his own work notebook.

"Trinh Ngoc Lan's business card on Bao Ngoc's desk, Dang Khoa's phone call with the words 'can't be revealed' - everything is pointing in the same direction," he commented, his voice thoughtful. "It seems that Mrs. Kim Chi is preparing a big plan, and both Dang Khoa and Bao Ngoc are more or less aware of its existence, although neither of them may understand the whole picture. painting."

"I'm most worried about Bao Ngoc," Khanh Linh admitted, her eyes thoughtful. "If he is just being taken advantage of because of his lack of confidence, because of his desire to be recognized, then there is still a chance to pull him out of this quagmire. But if he actively compromises for specific interests, things will be much more complicated."

"What are you going to do next?" Lam Quoc Bao asked, his eyes looking firmly at her.

"I think, I need more specific evidence before taking any action," Khanh Linh replied, her voice firm. "Confronting too early will only make the other person wary, destroy evidence, or speed up their plans. We need to be patient, collect everything, and then act decisively."

"I agree," he nodded. "I will continue to closely monitor financial transactions, and you should maintain a normal relationship with Bao Ngoc and Dang Khoa, to avoid causing unnecessary suspicion."

The two continued to discuss plans in the coming weeks, how to divide the investigation work so that no one in the company could realize the hidden coordination between them. When saying goodbye and leaving, Lam Quoc Bao looked at Khanh Linh with serious eyes. “Whatever happens, you are not alone in this,” he said, his voice firm and reassuring.

"Thank you," Khanh Linh replied, smiling slightly, feeling a familiar warmth spreading in her heart every time she was next to him - a feeling of safety that she had never felt so completely in both her previous life and the first days of this life.

On the way home, she looked out the taxi window, her heart was both heavy because of the plots that were gradually emerging, and she felt a strange sense of assurance. This time, she no longer has to face everything alone - with Lam Quoc Bao standing shoulder to shoulder, with Thu Ha silently supporting, and with her parents always being a strong fulcrum behind her. No matter how big the storm ahead is, she believes, she has prepared enough to not have to fall like in her previous life.