Chapter 16 — My Husband's Secretary Announced Pregnancy

Tram Mac's case was tried publicly at the city's Intermediate People's Court. Because of its serious nature and the large amount of money involved, the case attracted a lot of attention from the media. I didn't go to the trial, I just asked my father to use his connections to get two seats to sit in the audience, assigned two assistants from the lawyer's office to attend and take notes of all the proceedings. Just as lawyer Vuong predicted, on the day of trial, Tram Mac immediately changed his testimony. He turned himself into a victim, deceived by his subordinates and betrayed by his lover. He said he always loved his family and his wife and children, but because he was busy with work and could not monitor the company closely, he let Lam Uyen take advantage of the loophole. He shed tears, accusing Lam Uyen of taking advantage of his trust to gradually drain the company's finances, and plotting to harm him and falsifying evidence in order to appropriate property and be with someone else. The performance was excellent, with an earnest tone and emotional expressions, worthy of an Oscar. If it weren't for that chain of ironclad evidence, people who don't know the real story would probably believe his words. The prosecutor in turn presented evidence: bank statements, fake contracts, and the contact history between Tram Mac and the woman in Macao. Tram Mac's defense attorney tried to argue that all of these acts were done by Lam Uyen on her own without Tram Mac's knowledge, and that the signatures were all forged by her. The two sides faced off fiercely, fighting endlessly. The focus of the trial quickly turned to the most important witness - Lam Uyen. She was led into the courtroom by police. She looked very calm, even healthier than the last time I met her. She wore clean clothes, her hair was neat, her face was expressionless. She walked up to the witness stand and sat down.

"Witness Lam Uyen," the judge asked, "defendant Tram Mac testified that all of the company's illegal financial manipulations were carried out by her without his knowledge. Do you plead guilty?"

All eyes turned to her. Tram Mac also stared at her, his eyes filled with threats and warnings. Lam Uyen did not look at him, she raised her head, looked straight at the judge, and answered decisively:

“I plead guilty.”

As soon as the words ended, the whole courtroom was in an uproar. A proud smile immediately appeared on Tram Mac's face. His lawyer also breathed a sigh of relief. Even the prosecutor and lawyer Vuong frowned, clearly not expecting that Lam Uyen would change sides at the last minute. The judge knocked his gavel hard, signaling everyone to order.

"Witness, are you sure? You must understand, giving false testimony is a violation of the law." The judge seriously reminded.

“I'm sure.” Lam Uyen nodded, her voice extremely determined. “It's all my doing.”

"I forged the company's fake contract. I transferred the money. I also opened a bank account in Switzerland, using his name without his knowledge."

The more she spoke, the clearer the smile on Tram Mac's face became. He definitely thought he had won. He thought Lam Uyen was afraid and took all the blame on himself.

"But..." - Lam Uyen's voice suddenly changed, becoming sharper - "I did it, not for me. But for him! For Tram Mac!"

Tram Mac's smile froze.

"I love him! I'm crazy in love!" – Lam Uyen suddenly became Excited, she stood up, pointed at Tram Mac, and screamed indignantly - "He said his wife is an ugly, useless old wife! He said earlier that he wanted a divorce, but because his wife's family has money, he didn't want her to benefit!"

"He asked me to help him transfer money! Said that if he just withdrew all the money from the company, filed for bankruptcy, dumped all the debt on his wife's family, he could get a divorce without losing a penny, then take me and all my assets abroad to live happily!"

"He said he loved me! He said he would marry me! He would let me be the righteous Mrs. Tram! It was because I believed those lies that I did such unconscionable, immoral things!"

"I gave everything for him! Because of him, I got pregnant and had an abortion! Because of him, I betrayed my conscience and ruined my future! What about him? What does he see me as? A tool that is used and then thrown away?!"

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, tears falling like rain.

"Tram Mac! Look at me!" – she turned to him, screaming in despair – "Do you dare say you never said those words? Dare you say you never touched me? Dare you say the child in my belly is not yours?!"

Her painful cries and accusations echoed throughout the courtroom. Flashlights from the row of reporters' seats flashed rapidly. Tram Mac was completely stunned. He stared blankly at the woman in front of him screaming like crazy, not knowing what to do. He thought Lam Uyen would object and defend, but never expected that she would use such a "risky" method to drag him down to hell. She took all the blame on herself, destroying her honor and future. Then immediately, with the status of "victim of blind love", all of his dirty and cruel deeds were exposed to the court. A woman, when she no longer needs honor and future, is invincible. Her words may not be enough to be direct evidence before the law. But in terms of morality, in terms of public opinion, she announced the death sentence for Tram Mac.