Chapter 6 — Cashing Out of a Broken Past

Ha Lam’s father oversees a massive maritime empire in the foreign nation of M, a sprawling business matched only by the size of his large family. Three years ago, Ha Lam suffered from a severe bout of depression and was sent back to his home country to recuperate, placed under the care of a distant aunt. Unexpectedly, a half-brother, hungry for inheritance and fearing Ha Lam’s future claims, bribed the aunt to conspire and have him forcibly committed to a mental institution. Ha Lam’s father, misled by these machinations, grew deeply disillusioned with his son, while Ha Lam remained imprisoned, stripped of his freedom and any means to plead his case to the outside world—at least, until he met me. After I successfully returned him to the Ha family, his father bestowed upon me a vast estate as a gesture of gratitude. I never imagined that he would have such a devoted brother.

I set down my drink, observing them. Both men shared the same striking features: raven-black hair, obsidian eyes, elongated, phoenix-like lids, and thin, sharp lips. Yet, while Ha Lam still possessed the vibrant, reckless energy of youth, his older brother’s eyes were pools of unfathomable depth, radiating a sense of seasoned maturity. He reached out a hand toward me.

"Miss U, I am Ha Dinh. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I was away on business when you brought A Lam home, so I have yet to thank you properly."

Ha Lam nudged his brother’s shoulder. "Brother, her surname is Manh! Why are you just throwing titles around?"

Ha Dinh’s eyes flickered with surprise. I quickly interjected, "A Lam, I haven't had the chance to tell you yet. Before I went abroad, I changed my name. I am now using my mother's surname, U."

"U Tue Yen."

I took Ha Dinh’s hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ha."

Ha Dinh’s expression softened into a look of relief. "The surname U is quite rare. It is a beautiful character." He held out the jewelry gift bag that Ha Lam had been carrying and presented it to me. "This is a pink diamond necklace I acquired at auction a few days ago. Please accept it as a small token of my appreciation. I hope it meets your approval."

Watching him speak in such a formal, rigid manner made me want to smile. Though they shared the same face, Ha Dinh and Ha Lam were polar opposites. Where Ha Lam was fluid and spirited, Ha Dinh was composed and calculated, down to the very precision of his speech. Just as I reached out to accept the gift, my peripheral vision caught a figure moving quickly behind him—a man wearing dark sunglasses, cutting a straight path toward us. It was a sweltering day, and the beachgoers were clad in bikinis and swim trunks, yet this man wore a baggy, dark shirt. He began to slowly raise his hand.

"Watch out!"

Instinct took over; I yanked Ha Dinh backward with all my might. The sharp crack of gunfire shattered the air. Pandemonium erupted as beachgoers screamed and scattered in every direction. Ha Dinh reacted instantly; one arm swept me behind him for cover while the other reached into his jacket to produce a pistol.

"Don't be afraid."

He covered my eyes with his free hand. I heard a dull, muffled gunshot, followed by even louder screams. Ha Dinh exhaled, his voice dropping to a low, steady murmur. "It is over now." Sirens wailed in the distance, growing rapidly louder. Ha Dinh stared at me, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and intensity.

"Miss U, you saved my brother’s life, and now you have saved my own. I owe you a debt that cannot be easily repaid. Should you ever need anything, all you have to do is speak the word."

In that moment, the veneer of his polite, businessman persona seemed to crumble, leaving behind a gaze that was raw and fervent. A faint scent of pine needles drifted toward me, and his tall, imposing frame seemed to pull me entirely into his orbit. Flustered, I gave a soft, dry cough and pulled away from his embrace.

"The police are here. We should let them handle the situation first."

Ki Tu Han had waited in agony for three days, yet he had not received a single scrap of news regarding Manh Tue An. His assistant had discovered that she had never boarded that flight to Switzerland, but they were simultaneously unable to track where she had gone. Manh Tue An had chartered every single flight out of the city for those three days, effectively erasing her path into thin air.