Chapter 21 — Female Lawyer and Torn Will

Six months after taking over the leadership position, when Anh Vu began to feel the first signs of stability in the group's business operations, a new threat suddenly appeared, this time not coming from family secrets, but from the harsh financial market itself. An investment fund named Kim Phat Group, which has been quietly collecting shares of Thanh Dat Textile and Garment Group for many months through small transactions on the stock exchange, suddenly announced that it held twenty-five percent of the company's shares, and officially proposed an extraordinary shareholder meeting to vote on changing the board of directors.

"This is a typical hostile takeover," Mr. Doan explained to Anh Vu and Tue Minh in an emergency meeting convened as soon as the news was announced. "They took advantage of the time when the group's stock price was still low after the scandal, along with the skepticism that still existed among some shareholders about Mr. Vu's leadership capacity, to quietly gather enough shares necessary to put pressure on changing the management structure."

Mr. Vu held the official notice from Kim Phat in his hand, reading and re-reading each line as if trying to find some loophole that could help him better understand the invisible opponent that was silently threatening everything he had worked so hard to build. “I don't understand,” he said, his voice somewhat confused. "Over the past six months, I have done everything I can to prove my capabilities. Revenue has begun to increase again, major partners have returned to cooperate, employees are much more satisfied than before. Why do people still want to overthrow me at the exact moment when everything is gradually moving into a stable orbit?"

"That's the paradox," Mr. Doan said, his voice thoughtful and full of experience. "Kim Phat did not acquire the corporation when it was on the verge of collapse, because then there would not be much real value left to exploit. They chose this right time, when they had stabilized the foundation but the stock price was still low due to the echo of the scandal, which was the most ideal time for them to buy valuable assets at cheap prices."

"Who is behind Kim Phat Group?" Tue Minh asked, her mind began to operate in the direction of familiar legal analysis.

"We are investigating, but there are signs that this may be an alliance between several competitors in the textile industry, wanting to take this opportunity to acquire the group's production technology and customer network at a cheap price," Mr. Doan replied. "More worryingly, we also discovered that a number of small shareholders who were loyal to the old leadership under Quoc Hung seem to be being mobilized to vote in support of this proposed change of leadership."

This news dealt a heavy blow to the spirit of Anh Vu, who had just begun to feel more confident in his leadership role after months of tireless efforts. “I tried my best to rebuild trust,” he said, his voice filled with fatigue and frustration. "But perhaps, for some people, my humble background and lack of experience have always been a weakness that could easily be exploited, no matter how hard I tried to prove myself."

"You must not be discouraged now," Tue Minh said, her voice resolute, holding his hand in a strong gesture of encouragement. "We have overcome challenges together that are much more difficult than this. This is just another battle, and I believe, with careful preparation and the support of partners who truly believe in you, we can completely protect your legitimate leadership position."

The extraordinary shareholder meeting is set to take place within three weeks, a short period of time that requires a quick and effective counterattack strategy. Tue Minh, although no longer serving as the group's official lawyer, volunteered to return to support Anh Vu during this crisis period, coordinating closely with the company's internal legal team to thoroughly review the company's charter and identify legal defense measures that could be applied.

"We need to convince the majority of shareholders that, despite being young and inexperienced, I am still the best choice for the long-term future of the corporation, much better than letting it fall into the hands of a coalition of competitors that are only interested in acquiring assets and technology for short-term profit," Anh Vu said in the first strategy meeting with the advisory team.

"We need a comprehensive shareholder advocacy campaign," suggested Ms. Vu Thi Lan Huong, operations director. "Focus not just on the financial numbers, but on the real story of positive change you've brought about — from the corporate culture, to the relationship with workers, to the commitment to transparency that no one in the previous leadership team ever dared to implement."

In the following days, Anh Vu and his team began an aggressive campaign, meeting directly with each major shareholder group, holding public presentations on the group's long-term development plan, and announcing initial positive results from the governance reforms he had implemented over the past six months — including a significant reduction in employee turnover, improved relationships with supplier partners, and the return to profitability after a period of decline. initial revenue.

Duy Bach, although not directly involved in this legal and business battle, is always by his side providing emotional support to both Tue Minh and Anh Vu during stressful moments. "I believe you both will overcome this challenge," he said on a rare evening they had time to rest together. "After all I have seen, I have never seen anyone as steadfast and upright as Anh Vu is showing, even in the face of such terrible pressure."

"I'm just worried that integrity is sometimes not strong enough to resist the cold calculations of the financial market," Tue Minh said, her eyes full of concern. "Kim Phat has huge financial resources, and they do not hesitate to use all tactics, including those at fragile legal boundaries, to achieve their goals."

"But you also have your own resources — truth, integrity, and a team of people who truly believe in the values that Anh Vu represents," Duy Bach replied, his voice filled with encouragement. "Sometimes, that is the most powerful weapon in battles that seem to revolve only around money and power."

Those words of encouragement gave Tue Minh strength in the following days, as she and the legal team worked tirelessly to prepare for the decisive shareholder meeting, knowing that its outcome would not only determine the future of Anh Vu and the group, but also be an important test for the belief that integrity and transparency can truly triumph over the cold calculations of greed.

Carefully reviewing the company's charter, Tue Minh discovered an important provision that perhaps Kim Phat himself had not anticipated - according to the regulation that Mr. Vinh Thanh put into the charter many years ago, any change in the position of chairman of the board of directors must reach a minimum consensus rate of sixty-five percent of the total number of voting shares, much higher than the usual majority of fifty percent plus one that many other companies apply.

"This could be the key to helping us turn the situation around," she said, her voice filled with excitement as she presented this discovery to Anh Vu. "With only twenty-five percent of the shares in hand, Kim Phat will need to convince at least another forty percent of shareholders to side with them to reach the necessary sixty-five percent threshold. That is no small hurdle, especially if we can consolidate support from loyal shareholder groups and long-term investment funds that value stability over short-term profits."

"So exactly which shareholder groups do we need to focus on persuading?" Mr. Vu asked, his eyes flashing with new hope after many gloomy days.

"First of all, pension funds and long-term investment funds are holding about fifteen percent of the shares," Tue Minh replied, pointing to the shareholder structure analysis that the legal team had painstakingly compiled. "They often prioritize stability and transparency over the promises of quick profits that Kim Phat can offer. If we can present a convincing long-term development plan, I believe they will be on our side."