Chapter 2 — From Grandmother to Capitalist Queen

Co Dinh Xuyen breathed a sigh of relief, the corners of his lips pulled up into a comforting smile: "Tri Y, let me introduce you, this is To Van Tinh, we..."

“Director To.” Lam Tri Y turned to look at To Van Tinh, her eyes were calm as if looking at an item, "You dance really well."

“The late lady is so complimentary.” To Van Tinh bowed slightly, her tone was modest and moderate, "I'm only temporarily practicing dancing with Mr. Co. Tomorrow there's a charity ball, he's afraid he won't dance well..."

“No need to explain.” Lam Tri Y interrupted her, her tone incredibly gentle, "I understand."

She turned to look at Co Dinh Xuyen, and suddenly there was something in her eyes that he couldn't understand - not anger, not sadness, but an alertness that was almost pity.

“Dinh Xuyen, I have something to tell you.”

“What?” Co Dinh Xuyen vaguely felt something was wrong. Lam Tri Y's tone was too calm, the calm was like the sea before the storm.

Lam Tri Y took the phone from her handbag, opened a photo, and turned the screen towards Co Dinh Xuyen. Not a series of photos taken secretly in an apartment. But a much simpler photo — Pregnancy examination records at the Obstetrics Department of People's Hospital No. 1 of Tan Hai City. It was clearly printed on it: Pregnant woman's name To Van Tinh, Document maker: Co Dinh Xuyen, Pregnancy week: 12 weeks... Co Dinh Xuyen's face instantly turned gray.

“I—”

“Director To.” Lam Tri Y took back the phone, turned to To Van Tinh, her voice suddenly rose a bit, enough for half the people in the banquet room to hear, "12 weeks pregnant, the person who made the records wrote down my husband's name. Can you explain a little?"

The whole auditorium was buzzing. Three hundred pairs of eyes simultaneously turned towards them. A flash flashed from a certain corner — a journalist had mixed in. To Van Tinh's face immediately lost all blood. She instinctively hugged her lower abdomen, her lips moved a few times, releasing a broken syllable: "I..."

“Tri Y!” Co Dinh Xuyen lowered his voice, grabbed her wrist tightly, the force seemed to crush her bones, "This is not the place to talk. Follow me."

“Let go.”

Lam Tri Y didn't struggle, just bent down to look at the wrist he was holding tightly, then raised her eyes, looking at him with a cold gaze that he had never seen before.

“Co Dinh Xuyen, let me go.”

Her voice wasn't loud, but each word was like nails in the air. Co Dinh Xuyen's hand slowly loosened. Not because he wanted to let go, but because of what was in Lam Tri Y's eyes - it was not the eyes of a wife looking at her husband, it was the eyes of a person who had given up everything and had nothing left to worry about. He suddenly felt an indescribable panic.

"Tri Y, listen to my explanation, Van Tinh is her..."

“Van Tinh?” Lam Tri Y raised her eyebrows, the corner of her mouth curled up in a mocking smile, "That's a very intimate call."

She took a step back, increasing the distance from him, then turned to face the three hundred shocked, excited, sympathetic, or excited faces watching the show in the banquet room.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I'm very sorry to disturb your evening.” Her voice was as clear as a stream, each word clear, "I just want to use this opportunity to announce something."

She stopped for a moment, her eyes scanned the whole yard, finally falling on Co Dinh Xuyen's face.

“I, Lam Tri Y, from today on—”

She held up the phone and the photo Pregnancy examination records on the screen shine brightly under the light.

“—Unilaterally terminated the marital relationship with Mr. Co Dinh Xuyen.”

It was as quiet as paper. After three seconds of silence, the banquet room exploded like a pot of boiling water. Co Dinh Xuyen's face turned from gray to red, then from red to pale. He reached out to grab the phone, but Lam Tri Y leaned to avoid it, the tip of her high heel drawing a sharp line on the floor.