Chapter 23 — Debt Book at the End of the Alley

Two days after the meeting, lawyer Khoa called Dieu with a rare urgency in his voice. "Can I come to your office now? My people have already found out the information related to the phone number and email on the business card."

Dieu quickly ran forward, his heart pounding all the way. In the office, lawyer Khoa spread out a printed copy of the search results in front of her.

"Tran Minh Phat," he said, pointing to the first line of information, "thirty-two years old, permanent residence in another district, but what's worth noting is — this person used to be the temporary legal representative for a financial consulting company that dissolved two years ago. And that company, when still active, shared the same business registration address with one of Kim Phat's founding shareholders."

Dieu feels that the final pieces of the puzzle are gradually fitting together into a complete picture. "So Phat is Kim Phat's man, installed in the village in advance to scout and select targets?"

“Very likely,” lawyer Khoa confirmed. "But this is still just an inference based on public data, not enough to officially charge. I submitted a denunciation with all the evidence to the economic police agency this morning, including suspicions of signature forgery, cross-company ownership diagram, and now additional information about Tran Minh Phat. They have received it, and will have an official meeting with his children and representatives of households next week."

That's good news, but it also means that things are about to enter a more tense phase — no longer a silent investigation, but an official confrontation with those behind it.

On the way home, Dieu's phone rang with a strange number. She hesitated a bit then picked up the phone.

“Hello Dieu,” a deep, polite but menacing male voice rang out on the other end of the line. “I'm Phat, you've probably heard of me.”

Dieu was stunned, her hand tightened on the phone. “What do you want?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though her heart was racing.

“I just want to give you some good advice,” Phat said, his voice still remaining artificially gentle. "Business and borrowing matters are best resolved peacefully within the civil sphere. The bigger you make it, the more you involve the police and the press, the people who suffer the most are not us, but your family, your whole small neighborhood. Bad things can happen at any time, to anyone."

The last sentence, although said gently, carried a naked menace that sent chills down Dieu's spine. “Are you threatening me?” she asked bluntly, trying not to let her voice shake.

"I'm just giving you honest advice," Phat replied, then hung up immediately, leaving Dieu standing still in the middle of the road, his hand still shaking holding the phone with the screen turned off.

She hurriedly called lawyer Khoa back and recounted the entire call she had just received. He pondered for a moment before speaking. "I saved that phone number and took a screenshot of the call as evidence. This is exactly a threatening act, which can constitute another crime in the denunciation file. But I have to tell the truth, the situation from now on may be more complicated and risky. You need to be careful, avoid going alone at night, and you should notify the local police about this threatening call."

Dieu returned to the shop in a state of still being exhausted Shocked, he told Uncle Tu and Huong everything. After Uncle Tu heard, his face darkened with anger, but he tried to suppress it, keeping his voice calm to reassure Dieu.

"From now on," he said, "you are not allowed to go alone anymore, especially at night. I will arrange for someone to pick you up, even when going to the market or to the bank. Our neighborhood is now united, I will ask a few young men in the neighborhood to take turns keeping an eye, ensuring the safety of you and Ms. Suong's family as well."

Huong also sat down, holding her friend's hand tightly, her eyes full of worry but not wavering. "I'll stay at the bar with you for the next few nights, I won't leave you alone. I've come this far, I can't go back anymore, I just need to be more careful."

That night, even though Huong was by her side, Dieu still couldn't sleep, Phat's vague but powerful threat kept echoing in her head. She looked at the photo of her mother placed on the small altar in the house, silently promising that no matter what happened, she would not back down, not giving those evil people a chance to continue spreading fear on her family and the entire alley she loved.

The next morning, a strange motorbike drove slowly past the front of the shop twice. The person sitting on the motorbike wore a full helmet and did not stop, but his eyes seemed to be carefully observing every movement inside. Uncle Tu, standing at the car repair shop opposite, immediately recognized the abnormality, immediately called Dieu and wrote down the license plate number to provide to the police, marking a new tense chapter in the confrontation between her family and the underground forces trying to take over Ben Cat alley.

Dieu brought the license plate number and a copy of the threatening call to report to the ward police that morning. The lieutenant who received the file, a young man with a serious demeanor, carefully recorded every detail she presented, occasionally asking additional questions to clarify the timeline.

"We will coordinate with the economic investigation team that is processing lawyer Khoa's denunciation," he said, folding the file. "This case shows signs of intimidation and coercion related to organized black credit activities. It is no longer simply a civil dispute. You can rest assured, but you should still be vigilant and limit traveling alone during quiet hours as recommended."

Leaving the police headquarters, Dieu felt somewhat relieved to know that the incident had been officially recorded, but the insecurity was still there, smoldering like a dark shadow lingering behind every step she took. She called back to inform Uncle Tu and lawyer Khoa about the meeting, both of whom told her to be extra careful in the coming days.

At noon, while Dieu was helping Huong set up the table, a text message from Nam suddenly appeared on the phone screen: "I heard internal news, it seems the company is having an emergency meeting because they discovered an information leak. Be careful, maybe they are trying to find the source." After reading the message, Dieu felt a new worry arise — not only for himself and his family, but also for Nam, who was facing no less serious risks because he chose to stand on the right side.

She called him immediately, her voice filled with worry. "Do you need to take refuge somewhere? Or take a few days off to be safe?"

“No need,” Nam replied, his voice trying to be clear appeared calm even though Dieu could clearly hear the tension hidden behind it. "If I suddenly disappear right now, it will make people even more suspicious. I will just continue to work normally, pretending to know nothing, I just have to be more careful in contacting you. From now on, we will limit direct text messages about sensitive things. If there is anything important, I will find a way to meet in person."

Dieu agreed, although she still couldn't help but feel restless. That afternoon, she spent time with Huong reorganizing all the documents that people in the neighborhood had brought to contribute - more than ten sets of loan documents from different credit sources, of which up to six households confirmed that they had been approached and asked for financial information by a man named Phat or with similar characteristics in approximately the same time period.

"Looking at this number," Huong said, neatly folding the stack of documents, her voice was both indignant and sorrowful, "it becomes clear that this is not a coincidence at all. A systematic campaign, aimed directly at the most disadvantaged households in the neighborhood."

Dieu nodded and carefully time-stamped each set of documents before putting them in a separate box to bring to lawyer Khoa's office the next morning. Looking at the stack of documents growing thicker, she felt heartbroken at the scale of the conspiracy that was gradually being exposed, and felt a stronger determination than ever to bring the whole truth to light, protecting not only her family but also the neighbors who had entrusted her with this valuable evidence.

Late that night, before turning off the lights and going to bed, Dieu stopped by the hospital to visit her mother, even though visiting hours were almost over. She sat by the bed and quietly told her mother what was going on, even though she knew it was difficult for her mother to understand all the complicated details. But when it was mentioned that the whole neighborhood had united to stand up, her mother gently squeezed her hand, her eyes shining with a light of pride that did not need to be expressed in words. Dieu bent down to kiss her mother's forehead, whispering that even though the road ahead was full of thorns, she would never let those evil people have a chance to win on the very land that raised her family.