Chapter 3 — By the time he regretted it, I had stopped looking back

Haven't washed my hair in two days, my hair is loosely tied into a loose bun. Light blue eye circles, dry, cracked lips, no blood left. I pursed my lips and put the mirror back. Anyway, I don't have to go see anyone.

"Have you booked your plane ticket yet?"

Lawyer Lieu opened his tablet and showed me the schedule.

"Flight at 11 p.m. tonight, to Zurich. Business class."

"What about a lawyer's letter?"

"Sent to the mailbox of the legal department of Tham Thi Group. Sent at 3 pm, expected before the market opening time tomorrow morning, the news will spread throughout the investment community."

I looked at the clock. 2:30 p.m. Tham Yen Bach's wedding takes place at noon tomorrow. In other words... Right now he's probably at the hotel preparing for the wedding. Tomorrow at noon, he will give the ring. Tomorrow afternoon, news about the lawyer's letter will spread. The day after the market opened, stock prices plummeted. Everything is perfect. Right at the happiest moment, he will know the sky has fallen. Will be more than ten thousand kilometers away from him.

"Go to the bank first."

At 3:30 pm, I completed all procedures at the bank. Chinh Hang Capital's voting rights at Tham Thi Group were officially transferred from the trust fund to my personal name. From this moment on, every decision Tham Yen Bach makes in the company must legally have my signature to be effective. Of course... He doesn't know yet. He didn't even know who was in actual control of Chinh Hang Capital. During the past four years, Chinh Hang's investment in Tham Thi has always been operated through a trust fund structure. All foreign documents were signed by Uncle Tien. Tham Yen Bach only knows that Chinh Hang is his biggest investor. He doesn't know... The person who poured the capital was me. I don't know... What's my real name? Previously, my last name was Khuong. But "Khuong" is just my mother's surname. As for my father's surname... Printed on the list of the twenty richest people in Forbes China.

"Miss."

Lawyer Lieu's voice pulled me back to reality.

"Are you sure you don't need to inform... General Manager Tham?"

"Announcing what?"

"Notice of your withdrawal of capital. According to the contract, if you want to withdraw capital, you must notify in writing 30 days in advance..."

"Article 7, Clause 3."

I didn't raise my head, just finished signing the final document and spoke calmly.

"If the legitimate rights and interests of a major shareholder are physically violated by the actual controller of the invested company, they can immediately exercise the right to divest capital without prior notice."

Lawyer Lieu paused. Then she bowed her head and looked at the original contract in her hand. Article 7, clause 3. Black on paper and black ink.

"He put me in detention."

I put down the pen.

"That also counts as physical abuse, right?"

Lawyer Lieu closed the file.

"Then there's nothing more to announce."

I stood up, holding my bag next to me.

"Go to the airport."

At 9:30 p.m., I sat in the airport's business class lounge. There was an hour and a half left until boarding time. I drank a cup of hot milk and scrolled through my phone. Breaking news without any movement. Tham Yen Bach's wedding is tomorrow, today the top position is only filled with entertainment news. I scrolled a few more times and suddenly saw a notification being pushed up. This is a post from a local lifestyle news site. The title reads: 【The most famous wedding in the city is revealed! Chairman of Tham Thi Group Tham Yen Bach will hold a wedding tomorrow, the bride is her childhood friend Hua Nhuoc Tinh】 The illustration is the scene decorated for the wedding ceremony. White rose arch, crystal chandelier, silver tablecloth. My thumb stayed on the screen for two seconds. Then scroll through.

"Miss." Lawyer Lieu sat down next to him and lowered his voice. "Just now General Manager Tien called."

"He said... General Director Tham's side just sent someone to the detention center."

I turned my head to look at her.

"When did it happen?"

"Just now. About half an hour ago. General Director Tham's assistant brought someone to the detention center, saying he wanted to 'comfort' her. As a result, the warden said she had left at 2 p.m."

The corners of my lips curled slightly. Even the day before the wedding, he finally remembered me? Incorrect. It's not that he remembers me. It's that he wanted to confirm that I was still locked inside. Confirm that I won't suddenly appear at the wedding tomorrow.

"And then what?"

"Then that assistant called back to General Director Tham. General Director Tien said... it seems General Director Tham only asked one question."

"'Where did she go?'"

"Just one sentence?"

"Just one sentence. Then hang up."

I bowed my head and smiled softly. Just one sentence. In the end, it's just worth a question.

"Don't pay attention to him."

I put down the phone, closed my eyes and leaned against the sofa.

"Call me when it's time to board the plane."

The plane took off on time. As the lights in the cabin gradually turned off, I quietly watched the lights of the city outside the window getting farther and farther away. They get smaller. In the end, they were just tiny stars, then completely disappeared under the clouds. Tham Yen Bach. His wedding. His white moonlight. And his Tham Thi Group. It has nothing to do with me anymore. Ah, that's not right. Soon... Tham Thi Group will no longer have anything to do with him. I pulled down the window shade and wrapped the blanket tightly. At 30,000 feet. I had the most restful sleep I have had in the past four years. The next day. It's Tham Yen Bach's wedding. The weather was very nice that day. The sky is clear blue without a single cloud, 26 degrees, light wind. It is said that Hua Nhuoc Tinh chose a wedding dress hand-sewn in France, the skirt is 3 meters long, and is studded with 800 Swarovski crystals. It is said that there were more than 600 guests attending, of which nearly half were leading figures in the business world. It is said that that day Tham Yen Bach wore a dark blue suit, her hair was combed softer than usual, and the corner of her lips always had a hint of a smile. All of those stories were told to me later by Uncle Tien. At that time, I was in a hotel in Zurich, adjusting to the time zone difference and eating breakfast brought by room service. A croissant, smoked salmon and a cup of black coffee. Outside the window is Lake Zurich. The surface of the lake is calm, each swan gently glides by, leaving long ripples on the water surface. While sipping a piece of bread, I read the messages Uncle Tien sent. 【Uncle Tien: The lawyer's letter has been signed and received. Tham Thi's legal department is in an uproar.】 【Uncle Tien: The wedding is taking place. It seems Tham Yen Bach still doesn't know.] 【Uncle Tien: His secretary called me 7 times, but I didn't answer.】 I placed the phone face down on the table and took a sip of coffee.