Chapter 10 — Champion Bodyguard of the Female President

Chu Nha Ky arranged to meet Tue Lam and Bach Nguyen at a quiet cafe hidden in a small alley, away from the eyes of reporters still loitering around the company headquarters area. She came with a laptop and a thick file, her face showing excitement mixed with caution.

"I've figured out quite a few things," Nha Ky said as soon as the three of them settled down, her voice lowered even though the restaurant was quite empty. "Hung Thinh Capital Company that I once mentioned, turns out to be just one of nearly a dozen small investment companies established in the past two years, all of which have the same denominator - using the same law office to advise on business establishment, and contributing capital to buy Kieu Phat shares in a very discreet way, only buying a small amount at a time to avoid having to disclose information according to regulations."

She opened her laptop and displayed a complex diagram showing the cross-ownership relationship between these companies. "I spent nearly two weeks tracking down each layer of legal entities, and finally found a common link — all of these companies had an anonymous shareholder through a family trust, registered in the name of a representative lawyer. After looking more closely, I discovered that the representative lawyer had worked exclusively for a single client for many years."

"Who is that?" Tue Lam sat up straight.

"Luong Khac Viet," Nha Ky replied, pointing to a name circled in red on the screen. "This entire chain of front companies ultimately leads to a trust fund that he secretly controls. Up to now, through these companies, he has quietly gathered approximately eighteen percent of Kieu Phat's shares, only a few percent less than enough to combine with the shares he is holding publicly, forming a power block that can dominate most of the company's important decisions."

Bach Nguyen, sitting quietly listening from beginning to end, spoke up. "So that means, his goal is not simply to pressure you to make concessions, but to legally acquire complete control of the company, through gathering the necessary number of shares."

"Exactly," Nha Ky nodded. "And if I guess correctly, the attacks on you, Lam, are not simply intended to harm you, but also to make you panic, lose concentration, and may even force you to sell off your shares to get cash to deal with security risks, creating an opportunity for him to collect the remaining shares."

Tue Lam was silent for a moment, feeling as if each fragmented puzzle over the past three months had now come together to form a complete picture, although that picture was colder and scarier than she had ever imagined. "So do we have enough evidence to denounce his market manipulation behavior?"

"Not enough," Nha Ky shook her head, looking regretful. "What I have now is only public data combined with logical inference, not direct legal evidence proving that Luong Khac Viet is the person behind this entire network of front companies. His lawyer has certainly built up many layers of legal protection. If we publicly denounce this now without specific evidence, we could be counter-sued for slander."

Lawyer Tran Huu Khang, who was invited to participate in the meeting via video call, also agreed with this statement. "Miss Lam, we need more direct evidence, be it internal transaction documents, email exchanges, or insider testimony, to have enough weight to bring to light before the law and before the Board of Directors."

"So what should we do next?" Tue Lam asked, her eyes full of determination even though her heart was unavoidably worried.

"We need to find out who within the company is helping him." Bach Nguyen folded the file. "The recent attacker clearly knew my schedule, which proves that someone inside is leaking information. If we find that person, we can trace the entire network and collect all the necessary evidence."

The group spent nearly another hour discussing the details of the next plan, agreeing to quietly monitor individuals with access to Tue Lam's schedule, and at the same time, Nha Ky would continue to dig deep into Luong Khac Viet's financial network, looking for any unusual transactions that could become direct evidence.

On the way back to the apartment after the meeting, sitting in the car, Tue Lam looked out the window, feeling heavy. "Do you think," she asked Bach Nguyen, who was driving next to him, "that the person Uncle Viet planted in the company could be?"

Bach Nguyen was silent for a moment, his eyes still focused on the road ahead. "I can't say for sure yet, but there is someone who has caught my attention for a long time."

"Who is that?" She held her breath waiting for the answer.

"Pham Trung Nghia," he replied. "My head of security. On the day of the assassination, when it came to who had access to your schedule, I noticed that lawyer Khang's attitude was a bit strange in the split second when his name was mentioned. And he himself, although outwardly professional, his reaction to my abilities was a bit too probing, unlike a person who is simply curious."

Tue Lam frowned, trying to remember her interactions with Pham Trung Nghia. He has worked for the company for nearly eight years, always showing dedication and professionalism, and has never shown any unusual signs that made her suspicious. "But he has been with the company for a long time, I have never seen him show any suspicious signs."

"Sometimes, the most dangerous people are the ones who skillfully hide themselves the best," Bach Nguyen said, his voice low. "I don't want to rush to conclusions without concrete evidence, but we need to carefully observe more, and absolutely not reveal any suspicions to the outside, lest we alert him and erase all traces before we can collect enough evidence."

Tue Lam nodded, although she couldn't help but feel heavy at the prospect of having to doubt the very colleagues she had worked with for many years. But she also understands that, in the current situation, caution is more necessary than ever, when the enemy may be hiding right in the very team that she has always trusted with her safety.

That night, when he returned safely to his apartment, Bach Nguyen stood alone on the balcony, looking down at the busy traffic below. The name Luong Khac Viet is no longer a vague question, but has become a clear target, associated with both Tue Lam's dangerous present and his own painful past. He knew the road ahead would still be thorny, but for the first time in eighteen years, he felt he was closer than ever to the truth he had been searching for since he was a nine-year-old boy standing frozen in the middle of a sea of fire.

Tue Lam walked out onto the balcony and stood next to him, wearing a thin sweater because the night wind had become cold. "Are you still not sleeping?"

"I was thinking about what Nha Ky just told us," he replied, his eyes still following the traffic in the distance. "Eighteen percent of the shares, almost enough to control. He has been preparing this plan for a long time, probably even before my father fell ill."

"Do you think my father's coma is directly related to this plan to collect shares?" Tue Lam pulled the hem of her sweater tightly, not sure if the shiver running down her spine was because of the night wind or because of the question she had just blurted out.

"I think so," Bach Nguyen nodded. "Once Uncle Nghia is still in control, it will be difficult for him to collect the necessary number of shares without being detected, because Uncle Nghia is very knowledgeable about the market and always closely follows shareholder movements. But when he suddenly fell ill, all attention was focused on treatment and stabilizing the company, creating just enough space for him to quietly carry out his plan."

Tue Lam tightened his grip on the balcony handrail, a smoldering anger rising in his heart when thinking about the possibility of his father being harmed simply because of the power ambition of a man who was once considered a close friend of the family. "If it's true that he did harm my father, I won't let him get away with it easily."

"We will find out the truth," Bach Nguyen said, turning to look at her, his eyes still shining with unwavering determination in the dark night. "And when that day comes, I will stand next to you, facing it all with you."

The night wind blew, carrying the cold air of the city late at night, but standing next to each other on that small balcony, they both felt an incredible warmth, as if just having each other, all the dangers ahead, no matter how big, would become less scary.