Chapter 3 — From the Day No Longer Belongs to You

I replied calmly.

“Yesterday, I also carried a box of paper and left the company.”

Luc Chieu took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Okay, I'm wrong about this. But listen to my explanation first. The cutoff list is decided by the human resources department, I just..."

“Just sign your name.”

I interrupted him.

"You are the department director. Without your signature, the list cannot be approved. Luc Chieu, we don't need to continue acting."

The smile on his face completely disappeared.

"Ha Quan Ninh, what do you want? Do you want me to kneel down and apologize to you? You thought you would leave me..."

“You're still alive and well.”

Having finished speaking, I closed the door. There was silence outside for a few seconds. Immediately followed by the sound of him kicking the trash bag hard, then the sound of footsteps getting farther and farther away. I leaned my back against the door, my heart beating rapidly. Not out of fear. But because I feel satisfied. In the afternoon, I went to see the house and made a deposit on the spot. The landlord is a very easy-going middle-aged woman, and told me I could move in at any time. On moving day, I alone dragged two suitcases and called a car to help. Seeing that I was alone, the driver enthusiastically helped carry another load. The new apartment has two bedrooms and a living room. The light is very beautiful. From the living room window, you can see straight to the small park opposite. I stood in front of the door frame, looking at the green trees outside. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, spreading onto the floor in warm patches of light. From today... This life only belongs to me. But I still have a vague feeling in my heart. Things won't end that easily. At exactly ten o'clock at night, my mother called.

“Luc Chieu's mother just called me.”

I leaned back on the sofa, my voice calm.

“What did she say?”

"She said I caused trouble for no reason, voluntarily quit my job and then blamed Tieu Luc. She also blamed me for moving without discussing it with him, saying I was too ignorant."

"Mom, he was the one who cut me down. And he did it right in front of his female colleague who just joined the company."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment.

"... Did he cut me off? But he told me that I quit my job on my own."

“He lied to my mother.”

I briefly told the whole story. From the cut list. Then I signed the resignation form right on the spot. My mother was silent for a long time.

“Asshole.”

Her voice became lower. My mother is sometimes quite practical. But once she knew her daughter was being bullied, she always sided with her family first. At this moment, she was even angrier than me.

"Okay mom, I broke up. Don't answer the Luc family's calls from now on."

“But what about my work…”

"I'm looking for it. Don't worry, Mom."

After hanging up the phone, I started calculating the next journey. Ninety-six million is not a small amount of money. You cannot leave it in your account to lose value. It is also impossible to put everything into high-risk investment products. After all, I also studied finance. That knowledge cannot be wasted. The next morning, I went to the bank. The destination is not a regular transaction counter, but an area for private banking customers. The person who received me was an account manager named Phuong Huc. He is in his thirties and wears gold-rimmed glasses. After seeing the balance in my account, his eyes widened ie change.

“In what direction does Ms. Ha want to allocate assets?”

“I prioritize stability.”

“Thirty million in term savings combined with purchasing government bonds.”

“Twenty million invested in low-risk asset management products.”

“Ten million put into monetary fund to ensure flexible cash flow.”

“Leave the rest alone first, I will consider it further.”

Phuong Huc nodded. His eyes gradually turned from surprise to respect.

“You are very knowledgeable.”

“Ever studied this major.”

After completing the asset allocation, I do one more thing. Not a big business. Just a small studio specializing in brand planning. Three years of marketing at Thinh Hang helped me accumulate many customers. Among them, many people choose to cooperate because they trust me. Now I have left Thinh Hang. They are not sure if they still want to continue working with the old company. Complete business registration procedures, rent an office and purchase equipment, the total cost is less than three hundred thousand. I rented a place in a co-working space, starting small. When everything was stable, I called the three customers I had worked with most closely. The first person is General Director Vuong of Hoanh Dat Real Estate.

“Manager Ha, have you really retired to Thinh Hang?”

His voice was full of surprise.

"That's right. I'm going out on my own."

"That's great. To be honest, the new person at Thinh Hang in charge of my project did a terrible job. When you're free, come see me and talk."

The second person is Ms. Truong, owner of the restaurant chain. The third person is General Director Ly in the field of educational transformation. No one refused. All three asked me to arrange a time to discuss work. Just when I thought things were slowly going in the right direction... Luc Chieu started taking action. When I was working at Thinh Hang, I signed an agreement to limit competition. Through the legal department, Luc Chieu sent me a lawyer's letter, claiming that after quitting my job, I continued to operate in the same field, violating the non-compete clause. They asked me to pay five hundred thousand in compensation for breach of contract and immediately terminate all transactions with Thinh Hang's customers. The lawyer's letter was delivered by express delivery to the new apartment. He still found my current address. I held that letter in my hand and looked at it quietly for a long time. What a unique move. It's true that I signed a non-compete agreement, but that was just a standard form of contract when I first joined the company. There is an extremely important provision: after the employee quits his job, the company must pay monthly compensation for the competition restriction clause to take effect. I reopened the previous electronic contract, reading each line carefully. Article fourteen clearly states: After Party B quits his job, Party A must pay anti-competitive compensation monthly, at a rate equal to thirty percent of the average salary of the twelve months before quitting. If Party A fails to pay on time, the anti-competition clause will automatically lapse. Thinh Hang has never paid me even a penny. I laughed. Perhaps Luc Chieu thought that just using a lawyer's letter would be enough to make me hesitate. He really looks down on me. I immediately sent the contract to one friend is a lawyer. Her name is Tan Van, she is my college roommate, currently working at a quite famous law office in the city.

“This case is a sure win.”

After reading the contract, Tan Van immediately confirmed.

"If they don't pay compensation, the anti-competition clause is completely invalid. If you want to fight back, you can also sue them for illegally terminating the labor contract to request additional compensation."

I didn't hesitate at all.

"Okay."