Chapter 16 — Champion Bodyguard of the Female President

While Bach Nguyen and Phong Vu left for the northern border, Tue Lam stayed in Saigon to continue running the company with the close support of Thuy Linh and the replacement security team. She still kept Bach Nguyen's instructions, carefully observed all movements around her, especially paying more attention to Pham Trung Nghia than usual, even though she tried not to show any signs of suspicion on the outside.

On Wednesday afternoon, while reviewing the internal security camera system according to the request to increase security after the apartment break-in, a young technician of the information technology department discovered something unusual and reported it directly to Thuy Linh instead of through the usual channel, because she suspected it was related to the head of the security department.

"Miss Linh, I discovered that there is an account with unauthorized access to the internal schedule system, logging in from a strange IP address at unusual hours, usually after eleven o'clock at night," the technician explained, his voice somewhat timid. "The strange thing is, that account was authenticated with Uncle Pham Trung Nghia's login information."

Thuy Linh immediately reported to Tue Lam, and they both reviewed the detailed access log. What they saw made them both shudder - over the past three months, Pham Trung Nghia's account had repeatedly accessed Tue Lam's travel schedule system at unusual times, not related to normal security work, and most notably, these accesses all took place just a day or two before each attack on her.

"We need to verify more carefully before concluding anything," Tue Lam said, although in his heart he was almost certain about this suspicion. "It's possible that his account's login information was stolen, but it's not necessarily that he was the one who did it."

"I also thought about that possibility," Thuy Linh replied, "but the login IP address matches Uncle Nghia's home area, according to the registered personnel file. If it was an outside hacker, the possibility of such a geographical coincidence would be almost impossible."

Tue Lam decided to immediately contact lawyer Tran Huu Khang to advise on how to proceed cautiously, avoiding causing alarm that would give Pham Trung Nghia the opportunity to escape or destroy evidence if truly guilty. After discussion, the group decided to quietly monitor for a few more days, and at the same time coordinate with the investigation agency to have a legal arrest plan when there is enough evidence.

Three days later, while Bach Nguyen was still in the North trying to reach old Khe with herbs, an unexpected development accelerated everything. One evening, security cameras near the company headquarters recorded images of Pham Trung Nghia secretly meeting with a strange man at an empty cafe, exchanging a thick envelope before leaving in two different directions.

The investigation team led by lawyer Khang and the police quickly determined that the strange man was one of the low-level employees working for To Manh Kha's network, who directly led the attack at the previous Tue Lam apartment. With clear visual evidence combined with unusual access data collected, the authorities decided to interrogate Pham Trung Nghia the next morning.

Tue Lam, despite being mentally prepared, still couldn't help but be shocked when she witnessed with her own eyes the police inviting Pham Trung Nghia into a private interrogation room right at the company's headquarters, before the stunned eyes of all the employees present. He, when presented with the evidence, initially tried to deny it, but faced with the undeniable weight of images and data, he finally had to bow his head and admit it.

"I... I only received money to provide schedule information," he declared, his voice trembling with regret. "I don't know what they will use that information for. I swear I didn't know they intended to assassinate Ms. Lam."

"Who contacted you first?" The investigator growled.

"A person claiming to represent an investment group interested in the company's shares," Pham Trung Nghia replied, "they said I only needed to provide schedule information for them to 'monitor the business situation', and paid very well. At first I didn't think there was anything wrong, just regular schedule information. But gradually, they asked for more and more details, to the point where I started to get suspicious, but by then I had received the money too many times, there was no way back."

"Do you know who is behind that investment group?" the investigator continued to ask.

"I have never met the leader directly," Pham Trung Nghia shook his head, "only worked through an intermediary named Kha. But one time, I overheard a call from that intermediary, mentioning the name 'Uncle Viet' in a very respectful tone, as if reporting work to a superior."

This information, although not direct evidence to incriminate Luong Khac Viet, had significantly reinforced the chain of suspicions that Tue Lam and Bach Nguyen had been diligently building for many weeks. Tue Lam stood outside the interrogation room, listening to everything through the surveillance screen. Her heart was both relieved to have found the insider and heavy because of the feeling of being betrayed by someone she had trusted with her safety for many years.

"Are you okay?" Thuy Linh asked, standing next to her with a worried look.

"I'm fine." Tue Lam rubbed her temples, her voice somewhat tired. "It's just sad because I realize that even the people I trust the most can sometimes be swayed by money. But at least, now we know for sure, Uncle Viet is behind this whole thing, it's no longer speculation."

She immediately called to inform Bach Nguyen who was in the North. On the phone, his voice became unusually serious when hearing the latest news. "This is an important step forward," he said. "With Pham Trung Nghia's testimony combined with the evidence we are collecting here, hopefully it will be enough to completely overthrow his plot in the near future. I will be more careful, because once he knows his plan is about to be revealed, he may take more reckless actions to save himself."

Tue Lam nodded even though he couldn't see it through the phone. Her heart was both filled with hope and a new anxiety, knowing that, once the beast was cornered, it would become even more dangerous and unpredictable than ever.

After Pham Trung Nghia was detained for investigation, Tue Lam faced another pressing practical problem — the company's security department was lacking a leader right in the middle of the most sensitive period. She convened an emergency meeting with lawyers Khang and Thuy Linh to discuss a temporary plan, and carefully considered choosing a replacement, because the lesson of Pham Trung Nghia clearly showed her that outward loyalty is not always absolutely trustworthy.

"We need to review the entire security team, not just the chief position," lawyer Khang proposed. "If Pham Trung Nghia was bribed, it cannot be ruled out that there are other personnel in this department who were also affected in the same way."

Tue Lam nodded in agreement, ordered a comprehensive review, and temporarily assigned security coordination authority to a deputy who had many years of experience but was not on the suspect list according to unusual access data. Even though she was busy handling a series of arising tasks, she still did not forget to take the time to call Bach Nguyen to update the situation every night, like a habit that had naturally formed over the past weeks, giving the two a solid connection even though they were hundreds of kilometers apart.

That night, lying alone in an apartment that was more deserted than usual because of the absence of Bach Nguyen's familiar presence, Tue Lam suddenly realized that in just a few short weeks, he had become an indispensable part of her life, not only as a protector, but also as the strongest spiritual fulcrum amid the storm surrounding her life.

She took the small wooden box containing childhood mementos out of the drawer, sat quietly looking at each old item under the dim light of the table lamp - a faded red thread bracelet, a few glass marbles, and a photo of two children smiling brightly under the old poinciana tree from years ago. She picked up the phone to text him a good night, typed half a line and then deleted it, just because she didn't know how to describe the feeling of the apartment being completely empty without the familiar sound of footsteps outside the living room.