Chapter 18 — Passionate About A Twisted Love

The night before, after Quynh Chi had fallen asleep, Nha Dan was still awake, sitting by the small apartment window, looking out at the deserted street with dim streetlights. She held the sandalwood bracelet in her hand and turned it around, her heart torn between reason and emotion. A part of her wanted to believe in the explanation that Thien Lam could not say last night, remembering his worried eyes when she was in the hospital, remembering how he stood up to protect her in front of the whole family. But another part of her, the part that was so used to being hurt, kept whispering warnings to her to keep her distance, to not let her heart be trampled on again.

She fell asleep without realizing it amidst those chaotic thoughts, then woke up the next morning with her eyes swollen from crying too much, mentally preparing herself for a long and uncertain day ahead, not expecting that just a few hours later, the truth would be revealed in a way she had never dared to hope for.

The next morning, Phan Dinh Long brought Thien Lam the results of the investigation into the origin of the recording. "I have determined that the original recording is stored in the group's internal data system, only a few people have access to this archive. Access traces show that the account that downloaded the file is the account of Mr. Cao Ba Vinh's personal secretary. Normally he always borrows from outsiders, never revealing traces in the company's own system, but last night Ms. Nha Dan was still in the hospital, I tightened all access rights from outside to prevent prevention, so he was forced to send someone internally to get the original file in time. It was that haste that exposed the first loophole after twelve years."

Thien Lam clutched the report in his hand, his eyes were cold and chilling. "So it's clear. He didn't just stop at causing accidents and spreading fake rumors, but also deliberately edited my past to destroy the relationship between me and Nha Dan."

He did not waste another minute, immediately got in the car and went straight to Quynh Chi's apartment, where Phan Dinh Long had silently determined that Nha Dan was temporarily staying after leaving the villa. He stood in front of the small apartment door, holding the investigation report in his hand, took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

Quynh Chi opened the door and was a bit surprised when she saw Thien Lam, but when she recognized his steadfast and sincere eyes, she quietly stepped aside to let him in.

Nha Dan was sitting by the window, heard familiar footsteps and turned around, stunned to see Thien Lam standing there. She was about to get up and leave, but he quickly walked over, his voice urgent. "Listen to me, then if you still want to leave, I won't stop you."

Nha Dan hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly and sat back down, her eyes still full of caution and hurt.

Thien Lam placed the investigation report on the table and presented each detail clearly. "That recording was extracted from an internal meeting eight months ago, right after she first signed the contract. This is the original unedited data, you can clearly see the date recorded in the system. The person who downloaded and edited this recording is Cao Ba Vinh's personal secretary."

Nha Dan took the report and carefully examined each number and each time stamp clearly recorded in the internal data system, a system that she knew could not be easily tampered with. Her heart gradually calmed down, but there was still a nagging question in her heart.

"So that means, at that time, you really only saw me as a tool of revenge?" She asked, her voice soft but filled with hurt.

Thien Lam sat down opposite her, his eyes not avoiding her. "That's right. At that time, I didn't know who you were other than Vu Dinh Bao's daughter. I had lived for twelve years with hatred thick in my heart, and when you appeared, begging me for help, I saw it as an opportunity to satisfy my hatred. I did not deny it, because there was no use in denying it, and you deserved to know the complete truth."

He took her hand, his voice becoming more earnest. "But everything has changed a long time ago, Nha Dan. Since the day I saw the sandalwood bracelet on your wrist, since I realized that you were the little Dan girl I had feelings for in my youth, all my revenge plans have begun to shake. The closer I am to you, the more I witness your resilience, your self-esteem, your sincerity, the more I can no longer continue to see you as a tool."

Nha Dan was stunned by this unexpected revelation. "You... are you Kien?"

Thien Lam nodded, his eyes were rarely gentle. "I am Kien in the past, the teenager who gave her that bracelet in the purple bougainvillea garden. After the family incident, my mother took me to England, wanting me to forget everything related to that sad past, including the way I used to address her. I became a completely different person, carrying a grudge that I thought would never be resolved."

Nha Dan's tears fell again, but this time they were tears of emotion, of piecing together fragmented memories over the years. "So from the beginning, fate arranged for us to meet again."

"Maybe so." Thien Lam smiled slightly, a rare and sincere smile that Nha Dan had never seen from him before. "Nha Dan, I know I don't have the right to ask you to forgive me immediately for what I thought and said about you in the past. But I want you to know that, right now, my feelings for you are completely genuine, without any hateful intentions at all. I love you, Nha Dan, not because you are Vu Dinh Bao's daughter or not, but because of who you are, because of your resilience and kind heart."

This is the first time Thien Lam has said those three words clearly, without concealment or evasion. Nha Dan looked at him, her heart pounded, all doubts and hurts gradually disappeared before the sincerity evident in his eyes.

"Me too." She replied, her voice choked but filled with happiness. "I've also loved you since I didn't know it, even though I tried to deny it because of fear, because of the ironic situation between the two of us."

Thien Lam pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly as if to make up for the short but painful time apart. "We will face everything together, find justice for your father together, and together expose Cao Ba Vinh's true face. From now on, there will be no more secrets between the two of us."

Nha Dan nodded, resting her head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beating steadily and strongly, a feeling of security that she had never felt since the day her father passed away. She knows that there is still a tough battle ahead, but this time, she no longer has to face it alone.

Quynh Chi stood quietly in the corner of the kitchen, witnessing the whole scene, the corner of her lips curled up into a warm smile. When Nha Dan turned to look at her friend with grateful eyes, Quynh Chi just nodded slightly. "Go away, don't let my business with this laptop delay your happiness. But remember, I'm still continuing to investigate more about Cao Ba Vinh, I'll report anything new right away."

On the way back to Thao Dien villa, Thien Lam held Nha Dan's hand tightly the whole way, occasionally glancing at her as if to make sure she was really sitting next to him, not just a fleeting dream. When the car arrived at the gate, Mrs. Xuan Lan was already waiting, her face brightened when she saw Nha Dan getting out of the car with the owner.

"You're back, I'm so happy." Ms. Xuan Lan held Nha Dan's hand, her eyes were warm. "Master couldn't sleep all night. He kept going in and out of the front gate. I've never seen him so worried before."

Nha Dan smiled and glanced at Thien Lam who was trying to keep a calm face even though his ears were red because he was embarrassed by the housekeeper's story. She felt an unusual warmth in her heart, as if for the first time since her father's death, she truly felt the feeling of returning to a true home, where there were people who truly cared and worried about her.

That evening, when everything had calmed down, Thien Lam and Nha Dan sat together in the office, carefully discussing the next steps. "We need more evidence to directly confront the board and the entire family." Thien Lam said, his serious eyes returning to the usual sharpness of a leader. "Ms. Xuan Lan may be the important witness that lawyer Minh mentioned. I will find a way to tactfully question her. At the same time, we need to contact the independent auditing company from the past to see if they still have any original documents."

Nha Dan nodded, her heart filled with determination. "I will also ask Quynh Chi to continue looking for the anonymous accountant from the past. If she is found, direct testimony will be the most powerful evidence."

The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with absolute consensus and trust, mentally preparing for the journey ahead, where they would face the common enemy together, no longer alone like before.