Chapter 14 — Passionate About A Twisted Love

A few days after the tense family meeting, Thien Lam had to attend an event to launch the group's new real estate project, and as usual, Nha Dan had to appear next to him as his fiancee.

The afternoon before the event, Ms. Xuan Lan helped Nha Dan prepare her outfit, a custom-made wine-red evening dress that accentuated her slender figure. "You look so beautiful in this outfit, it will definitely make the master look again." Mrs. Xuan Lan smiled teasingly, skillfully resetting the hairpin for her.

"Don't tease me anymore." Nha Dan blushed, although inside she couldn't help but feel nervous and expectant. Over the past few days, since the family meeting, she clearly felt a subtle change in the way Thien Lam treated her, the looks lasted longer, the caring gestures were no longer hidden like before.

"The boss seems really happy these days. I've worked here for many years and have never seen him smile so much." Ms. Xuan Lan said, her eyes shining with satisfaction. "It's probably thanks to you."

Nha Dan smiled and did not respond, but in her heart she also secretly hoped that what Mrs. Xuan Lan said was true, that she was really bringing Thien Lam a little warmth in the midst of his life, which was too cold and lonely.

When Thien Lam came downstairs, dressed neatly in a luxurious black suit, his eyes stopped on Nha Dan for a moment, a moment of surprise flashed before he could regain his usual composure. "Let's go."

He reached out his hand, a natural gesture that had never happened before, making Nha Dan a bit surprised but still placed her hand in his, they both walked out to the waiting car, heading towards the conference center where the important event was about to take place. The ceremony took place magnificently at the city's largest convention center, gathering hundreds of important guests from the business and media world.

In the middle of the party, when Thien Lam was busy welcoming a few big partners, a middle-aged man with a dashing appearance but eyes full of contempt approached Nha Dan and spoke with an undisguised sarcasm.

"Are you the fiancee of Chairman Lam? I heard that you are the daughter of Mr. Vu Dinh Bao, the person who caused this entire company to collapse." He took a sip of wine, his eyes filled with disdain. "I wonder what method you used to seduce someone who hated your family so much."

Nha Dan was stunned, her hands clenched the handle of her bag so tightly that her knuckles turned white, but before she could respond, Thien Lam appeared right next to her, interrupting the conversation with a cold voice.

"Mr. Hoang, I think you should apologize to my fiancee immediately."

The man named Hoang froze, realized Thien Lam's serious attitude, and quickly regained his warm expression. "I'm just joking, Mr. Lam, don't take it to heart."

"I don't think it was a funny joke at all." Thien Lam replied, his eyes were cold and unforgiving. "Nha Dan is the person I am about to marry. Anyone who insults her means insulting me. If you still want to cooperate with Lam Phong Group in the future, I advise you to be more careful with your words."

Mr. Hoang turned pale and quickly bowed his head to apologize to Nha Dan before retreating in confusion. Nha Dan stood silently, watching his back as he left, then turned to look at Thien Lam with eyes that were both grateful and surprised.

"You don't have to be so tense, it's just a few harsh words." She said softly.

"Impossible." Thien Lam replied, his voice still filled with anger. "I don't accept anyone insulting you in front of me, even if it's just a joke."

He took her hand and led her to the private balcony area of the convention center, where he could see the entire city at night, away from the hustle and bustle of the party. The night wind gently blew through, bringing gentle coolness amidst the sweltering heat that lingered from the day.

"You seem to be overreacting a bit about this." Nha Dan said, her eyes looked at him questioningly. "Is it just because of the contract?"

Thien Lam was silent for a long time, leaning against the railing, his eyes looking far away at the buildings sparkling with lights. "Maybe it's not just about the contract anymore."

Those words made Nha Dan's heart stop beating for a moment. She turned to look at him, not daring to believe what she had just heard. "What you mean by that..."

"I don't know exactly what I'm feeling." Thien Lam turned to look at her, his eyes for the first time revealing complete confusion, a rare thing in a man who always has absolute control over his emotions. "At first, I just thought this was an opportunity to see my enemy's daughter kneel before me. But the closer I got to her, the more I realized I no longer saw her as Vu Dinh Bao's daughter, but as a human being with her own pain, efforts, and dignity that I couldn't help but respect."

Nha Dan stood silently, tears suddenly rising to the corners of her eyes, not because of pain, but because of a strange warm feeling filling her heart. "Me too. At first I just thought this was a cold exchange, a price to pay to save my mother. But now, I'm no longer sure my feelings stop there."

Thien Lam turned around to face her, his hand gently lifted her chin, his eyes were so gentle that Nha Dan forgot how to breathe in that moment. "Nha Dan, I can't promise anything certain, because there are still too many complicated things between us that cannot be resolved. But I want you to know, what I do for you is no longer simply because of contractual obligations."

The distance between the two gradually narrowed, their breaths mingled in the quiet space of that private balcony. But right at the most tense and sweet moment, Thien Lam's phone ringing broke the atmosphere, bringing them both back to reality.

Thien Lam reluctantly stepped back and answered the phone with a somewhat frustrated expression, but when he heard the content of the call clearly, his face gradually became serious. "I understand, I'll be right back."

"What's the matter?" Nha Dan asked, worriedly noticing his sudden change in attitude.

"Work matter, I need to solve it urgently." Thien Lam replied, but his eyes still did not leave her, his hand gently squeezed her hand like an unfinished promise. "We'll talk later, okay?"

Nha Dan nodded, watching as he hurriedly left, her heart was still filled with the afterglow of the moment just now. She stood alone on the balcony, looking out at the sparkling city lights, her hand gently touching her lips, feeling like her heart was beating in a completely new rhythm, different from everything she had ever experienced before.

But at the same time, that fragile happiness was mixed with a dull fear. She knew that as soon as the secret about Cao Ba Vinh was exposed, everything good that had just blossomed between the two of them could collapse, because Thien Lam would have to face a truth much more painful than he had ever imagined, a truth directly related to the person he trusted and was most grateful to in his life.

Nha Dan took a deep breath, trying to dispel the heavy thoughts, temporarily allowing herself to enjoy this rare moment of happiness, before the storm of truth came and swept away everything she was trying to preserve.

She returned to the party alone, trying to keep a calm face even though the words Thien Lam had just said echoed in her heart. A few other guests approached to make small talk, asking about the upcoming wedding and the couple's future plans, and this time, Nha Dan answered with a new confidence, no longer having to force herself to act like before, because the emotions she expressed now mostly came from sincerity.

Near the end of the party, Phan Dinh Long came to her and quietly informed her. "Mr. Lam asked me to take you home first. He has to handle an incident related to one of the partner companies. He may return quite late."

"Is it serious?" Nha Dan asked, worry flashing through her eyes.

"It's nothing too big, just a few disagreements in the contract that need to be resolved urgently." Phan Dinh Long reassured her, but his eyes were slightly hesitant, making Nha Dan feel that something was wrong, even though she was not comfortable asking further.

On the way home, sitting alone in the car, Nha Dan looked out the window, the city lights passing by like a sparkling galaxy. She placed her hand on her chest, where her heart was still pounding because of what had just happened on that private balcony, wondering if this fragile, budding love would be strong enough to overcome all the storms that were about to come, when the truth about Cao Ba Vinh was still hanging like a time bomb, just waiting for the right time to explode, destroying everything good that they were both trying to build.