Chapter 3 — Love Awakens After Leaving

Mysterious Woman

Rumors about the "mysterious woman" next to general director Doan Bach Vu had been spreading among Hanoi's upper class for more than a year, and at the party celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the establishment of Doan Gia Group held at a five-star hotel in the city center, those rumors once again flared up stronger than ever.

Tuyet Nhi stood in the corner of the banquet room, holding a thin file of documents, her eyes observing every small corner in the large space sparkling with crystal chandeliers. She wore a simple but sophisticated navy blue evening gown, enough to blend into the luxurious atmosphere of the party without attracting too much attention - that was always the unspoken rule she set for herself every time she had to appear with Bach Vu at events.

"Miss Tuyet Nhi, long time no see." An elegant middle-aged woman, the wife of a major partner, approached, a smile on her lips carrying a hint of undisguised curiosity. "You're always by Mr. Vu's side, everywhere you go, you see the two of you together."

"Yes, I am Mr. Vu's assistant, so my job requires me to closely follow his schedule at important events." Tuyet Nhi replied, her voice polite, her smile just professional enough.

"What kind of assistant is so close?" The woman smiled softly, her eyes sparkling with scrutiny. "You know, people out there say that you are Mr. Vu's secret relationship. For the past three years, I haven't seen him publicly date anyone, but you're always standing next to me."

Tuyet Nhi felt that searching look trying to find a confused reaction, some tacit acknowledgment on her face. She kept her smile steady, not revealing any excess emotions.

"You're exaggerating. I'm just doing the job of an assistant." She said, then cleverly asked permission to leave with the excuse of needing to check the guest list, leaving the woman standing there with a half-believing, half-incredulous smile.

Passing by the banquet area, Tuyet Nhi accidentally heard another group of guests chatting, their voices not lowering even though they were standing quite close to her.

"I heard that the general manager of the Doan family is about to have an engagement with the young lady of the Tong family."

"What about that assistant? I thought you two had something."

"It's probably just a rumor. There's no way the general director of such a large corporation would pay attention to an ordinary assistant. It's what people consider."

Tuyet Nhi walked past that group of people without stopping, but each sentence was still like small needles stuck in her heart. She had heard rumors that the Doan family was considering an arranged marriage for Bach Vu a few weeks ago, through a few phone calls she accidentally overheard while working in the next room, but nothing was official yet. Hearing outsiders talk about it publicly like that made her feeling of insecurity even more obvious.

She recalled that just a few months ago, also at this same hotel, during a new product launch event of the group, a business magazine published a photo of her standing sideways and whispering something into Bach Vu's ear in the crowd, along with a meaningful caption about "the mysterious pink shadow behind the youngest general director in the real estate industry". That photo was shared across social networking forums for many days, drawing hundreds of comments guessing about her real identity. Some people claimed that she was the daughter of an unnamed tycoon, while others said that she had studied abroad with Bach Vu. No one, not even one person, thought about the possibility that she was just the daughter of a housekeeper.

She found a quiet corner near a large window, stood looking out at the sparkling city lights below, trying to regain her composure before having to go back to work. From afar, she saw Bach Vu standing in the middle of a group of older businessmen, chatting with his usual calmness, occasionally nodding, occasionally shaking someone's hand. He wore a black tuxedo, stood straight, exuding the aura of the head of a large corporation, completely different from the image of the boy who used to run barefoot on the brick yard behind the backyard.

"Tuyet Nhi." A familiar voice rang out behind her, causing her to turn around in surprise.

Bach Vu had already come to her side, holding a glass of orange juice instead of wine like everyone else at the party - he didn't drink alcohol at important events, afraid of losing his composure, a habit that only Tuyet Nhi knew well to always prepare the right type of water for him at each party table.

"What do you need?" Tuyet Nhi asked, quickly regaining her usual professionalism.

"No need for anything." Bach Vu stood next to her, looking out at the city scene outside the window. "It's just that seeing you standing alone here, it seems uncomfortable."

Tuyet Nhi was a bit surprised by that subtle observation. "I just need some air, the banquet room is a bit stuffy."

"Are people spreading rumors about you again?" He asked directly, without beating around the bush, his sharp eyes looking at her as if trying to read something hidden behind her calm expression.

Tuyet Nhi was a bit startled because the question was too precise, but quickly regained her composure. "It's just baseless rumors, bro. I don't care."

Bach Vu looked at her for a moment, as if he was about to say something more, but then stopped and turned his head to look out the window. "Those rumors," he said slowly, "are sometimes not entirely false."

Those words made Tuyet Nhi's heart skip a beat. She turned to look at him, trying to understand the true meaning behind that vague statement, but Bach Vu's face remained as calm and unpredictable as ever, making her unable to be sure whether he was talking about the trust he had for her at work, or about something deeper that she didn't dare hope for.

"Mr. Vu is here." Another voice rang out, breaking the short moment between the two. It was an imposing middle-aged man, accompanied by a young girl wearing a bright red dress. Her face was beautiful but her eyes held an arrogance that was difficult to hide. "Let me introduce, this is Van Khanh, my daughter."

Tuyet Nhi immediately recognized the familiar appearance of an arranged meeting. She took a step back, giving space, watching Bach Vu shake hands with the other man, while the girl named Van Khanh looked at Tuyet Nhi from head to toe with a cold, appraising look, as if valuing an unremarkable item.

"Who is this girl, Mr. Vu?" Van Khanh asked, her voice sweet but containing subtle contempt.

"My assistant." Bach Vu replied briefly, without further explanation.

"Ah, assistant." Van Khanh smiled, his eyes glanced at Tuyet Nhi again and then turned away, as if she was no longer worth worrying about for another second.

Tuyet Nhi stood there, her professional smile still on her lips, but her hand holding the glass of orange juice had tightened around the rim of the cold glass, her fingertips turning white without her even realizing it. She looked at the way that man - she later learned that his name was Tong Ba Nghiem - talked intimately with Bach Vu, how he skillfully mentioned business cooperation projects between the two families, and how Van Khanh stood next to Bach Vu with the confidence of someone who already thought he belonged in that position.

Before leaving the party, Tuyet Nhi also overheard another conversation between two guests standing behind a decorative screen, perhaps they didn't know she was standing nearby rearranging the list of guests to leave.

"Mr. Tong Ba Nghiem is having a difficult time doing business these days. I heard he borrowed from everywhere to invest in a project in the west of the city." A man spoke softly, his voice full of meaning.

"That's why I hastily married my daughter to the Doan group. Once we have a marriage contract, everything about getting loans and cooperation will be much easier." The other person replied, smirking. "That Miss Van Khanh is not average. I heard she is more calculating than her father."

Tuyet Nhi pretended not to hear anything and continued her work, but in her heart she silently memorized every word. As an assistant who worked closely with Bach Vu for three years, she clearly understood the importance of capturing information, even if it was just unverified rumors. Her professional intuition told her that Bach Vu's upcoming marriage might not be simply a matter of marriage as Mr. Chi Kien thought.

The party ended late. On the way home, sitting in the car with Bach Vu, Tuyet Nhi silently looked out the window, her heart heavy with thoughts that could not be named. She knew that the rumors about the "mysterious woman" next to general manager Doan, no matter how true they were in her heart, would forever remain just rumors, never publicly acknowledged. Because tonight, she clearly saw the image of the person who would stand next to Bach Vu in the future, and that was definitely not a girl with the status of a housekeeper's daughter like her.