Chapter 16 — It's Too Late, Doctor Vu

Lam Nhi spent the whole morning thinking about how to approach Vuong Tuyet Nhung in the most natural way, without making the other person wary. Finally, she decided to message Tuyet Nhung directly through an old social network account, pretending to be looking for an event organizer for a small charity activity of the community medical center where she was working — a completely reasonable reason, because Tuyet Nhung is still active in the event media field.

"Miss Nhung, I don't know if you still remember me. This is Lam Nhi. I used to work as a nurse at Anh Duong Hospital. We met at a fundraising event two years ago." She texted, trying to keep her tone natural and friendly, like an old acquaintance accidentally contacting her.

It took nearly a day for Tuyet Nhung to respond, the messages were short and somewhat reserved. But after a few discussions about work, Lam Nhi cleverly suggested a face-to-face meeting to "discuss event cooperation", an appointment at a public cafe, crowded with people, safe enough for both parties.

Before the meeting, Lam Nhi and Dinh Vu spent an entire evening planning in detail, calculating every possible situation. Dinh Vu wanted to go along himself from the beginning, but Lam Nhi convinced him that the appearance of both people would immediately make Tuyet Nhung wary, while she alone, as a harmless old acquaintance, would be much easier to approach. Finally, they agreed on a plan where Dinh Vu and Nguyen would sit and observe from afar, only intervening when absolutely necessary.

The meeting took place on Friday afternoon, Dinh Vu and Nguyen sat at a table not far away, pretending like normal guests, ready to intervene if the situation became unstable. Lam Nhi sat opposite Tuyet Nhung, trying to keep the conversation at a light level initially, asking about work and life, gradually rebuilding trust like old acquaintances.

In the middle of the conversation, when Tuyet Nhung became more relaxed, Lam Nhi gently changed the direction of the conversation. "Miss Nhung, recently I've heard some bad stories related to Dr. Vu. I wonder if you know anything?"

Tuyet Nhung paused, her hand holding the coffee cup shook slightly, her eyes flashed with panic for a split second before trying to regain her composure. "I... I don't really understand, why do you suddenly ask?"

Lam Nhi carefully observed the other person's reaction, immediately recognizing the signs of someone hiding something, a confusion that could not be completely hidden. She decided to take a risk, lowered her voice, her eyes became more sincere.

"Miss Nhung, I know you went to Dr. Vu's house that night." She spoke softly, not with a harsh accusation, but with a gentle understanding. "I also know you're having financial difficulties, and maybe you don't have many options. I don't blame you, I just want to know the truth, because it's my family, it's my daughter, that's being affected by all of this."

Tuyet Nhung was silent for a long time, her eyes filled with tears, her whole body trembled as if a burden that had been suppressed for too long had finally found a way out. "I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice choked. "I don't want to do this, but uncle Khiem... he holds my family's debt. He threatened that if I didn't do it, my family would lose everything."

Lam Nhi held Tuyet Nhung's hand across the table, a sincere gesture of comfort. "Can you tell me the whole truth? This is your chance to escape his control, and it's also the only way to end everything."

Tuyet Nhung hesitated for a long time, kept looking around as if afraid someone was watching, then finally nodded, and began recounting the whole story in a trembling voice — how Vuong Ba Khiem approached her, offered a loan to settle the family's debt, and then gradually forced her to participate in the orchestrated plan, from sneaking into the villa that night with a spare key he had obtained through his relationship with the security maintenance company, to preparing the pictures. Recent fake photos and messages.

"That night, Uncle Khiem gave me the gate code and a shirt, telling me to put it on to look like I just woke up." Tuyet Nhung continued, her voice trembling more and more as she reminisced. "I asked him where he got the shirt, he just smiled and said 'it's not difficult, the hourly maid at that villa receives extra money so he can do anything'. I guess he asked the maid to steal an old shirt from the laundry basket, not the shirt I wear every day." "He told me to just stay in the house until morning, make it look like I had just spent the night there, and then intentionally let someone see me when I left. I didn't know that person was Dr. Vu's wife. If I had known in advance, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to do this, no matter how threatened I was."

Lam Nhi heard this, her hand tightened around the handle of the bag on her thigh, feeling both sadness for Tuyet Nhung's forced situation and pain when imagining the meticulous details of the plan that had hurt her so deeply. But her shoulders gradually relaxed, her breathing became lighter — the last piece of the truth puzzle was finally in place.

"Did you keep any evidence of him directing you?" Lam Nhi asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though her fingers were clasped together under the table.

Tuyet Nhung nodded slowly. "I recorded a few calls, in case he later denied responsibility and did not clear the debt as promised. I also kept the messages he sent instructing me on how to carry out the plan."

This is the breakthrough that Lam Nhi and Dinh Vu have been waiting for many weeks. Lam Nhi gently persuaded Tuyet Nhung to provide that evidence, promising to help her be considered lenient by the law if she cooperated honestly, and pledged to find a way to help resolve the debt legally, completely separate from Vuong Ba Khiem's control.

After the meeting, when Tuyet Nhung left, Dinh Vu and Nguyen approached Lam Nhi's table, all three of them sat together, unable to hide their excitement at this important step.

"You did very well, Nhi." Dinh Vu said, his eyes filled with pride and appreciation. "I don't think anyone else could get her to open up so quickly."

"Just because I understand what it feels like to be trapped in a situation with no way out." Lam Nhi replied, her voice lowered, thinking about five years of living in her own secret. "I realized, Tuyet Nhung is just another victim in this whole conspiracy, no different from us."

That evening, when Tuyet Nhung emailed the entire recording file and screenshots of the messages to Lam Nhi as agreed, all three of them sat down to listen to each recording in Nguyen's office at the hospital, carefully backing it up into multiple copies to ensure the absolute safety of this important evidence.

Vuong Ba Khiem's voice rang out clearly in the recording, directing Tuyet Nhung step by step in detail, leaving no room for any denial. After listening, Dinh Vu clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented cold determination.

"We have enough evidence." He spoke, his voice low but full of weight. "It's time to face the truth directly, before the entire Board of Directors, before investors. I will not give him any more opportunities to harm my family or anyone else."

Nguyen nodded in agreement, but still maintained the necessary cool head in this situation. "We need to carefully plan when and how to announce it. If we don't do it well, Vuong Ba Khiem can completely counterattack, find a way to neutralize the evidence or put all the responsibility on Tuyet Nhung, making her the only one to blame while he himself is still safe."

"You're right." Dinh Vu pondered, rubbing his chin in thought. "We need a moment where he cannot hide or deny — a place with enough important witnesses, especially the presence of investors, so that everything is absolutely transparent, with no more room for any cover-up."

Lam Nhi sat listening to the two discuss, her hands clasped together on her lap, both worried and determined. She knew the next step would be the most important turning point, not only deciding the fate of Vuong Ba Khiem, but also deciding the future of the entire small family they were trying to heal, and the livelihoods of hundreds of employees attached to Anh Duong Hospital.

"So we will aim for the upcoming expanded Board of Directors meeting, just in time for the investors to be present to sign the final terms." She spoke up, her voice more certain than she expected. "That will be the time when no one can avoid the truth, and it will also be an opportunity for everything to be resolved once and for all."