Chapter 20 — Passionate About A Twisted Love

After a moment of heavy silence engulfed the meeting room, Thien Lam stood up, his voice rang out decisively, without any hesitation. "With all the evidence presented, I recommend that the board of directors vote to immediately dismiss all positions of Mr. Cao Ba Vinh at Lam Phong Group, and at the same time transfer all case files to the investigation agency to clarify criminal responsibility."

"I have no right to do that." Cao Ba Vinh finally regained his voice, although it was shaking a lot compared to his usual calmness. "You still hold fifteen percent of the shares in the corporation, you have the right to speak up to defend yourself."

"You have every right to that." Thien Lam replied, his voice cold. "But ownership of shares does not mean immunity from criminal liability for fraud, falsification of documents, and most recently, intentional acts of causing traffic accidents that are dangerous to the lives of others."

The whole meeting room stirred when they heard this latest allegation. Cao Viet Hung stood up and proposed to conduct an immediate vote in accordance with the group's regulations.

In the moment of preparing to vote, two elders in the council, who had received a private call from Cao Ba Vinh two nights ago, looked at each other slightly, their hands still hesitant to raise. Realizing that hesitation, Cao Viet Hung spoke up in front of the entire meeting room, his voice strong. "If any of us are still hesitant because of what Ba Vinh whispered in private these days, let's remember that his hands were shaking and he couldn't answer a single question about the cash flow, about the threatening phone call, about the fake signature. Voting today is not because of feelings for anyone on either side, but because of a truth that has been clearly proven before all of us." Those two hesitant arms finally rose, a beat later than the others but no less decisive.

Each member of the board of directors in turn raised their hands in favor of dismissing Cao Ba Vinh from all positions, with only one abstention from himself.

The voting results were announced with an overwhelming majority, officially ending more than a decade of power that Cao Ba Vinh had quietly built based on long-hidden crimes. He stood silently in the middle of the meeting room, his face pale, without any strength left to resist any longer.

Nha Dan sat quietly in the back row, her hands clasped tightly on the armrests, her eyes met Thien Lam's eyes for a brief moment amid the chaos of the whole room. Not a word was said, but with just that look, she knew for sure that no matter how many legal procedures remained to be completed, the most important battle, the battle to regain her father's honor, had truly ended right here.

"Security, take Mr. Vinh out of the building and confiscate all his access cards and system access rights immediately." Thien Lam ordered, his voice uncompromising. "The group's legal team will coordinate with the investigation agency to hand over all related documents."

Two security guards approached, politely but firmly took Cao Ba Vinh out of the meeting room. Before being led away, he turned to look at Thien Lam, his eyes filled with bitter hatred. "You will regret treating me like that, Thien Lam. I have sacrificed for you for so many years, taught you every business move, and guarantored my loan when I returned home empty-handed. Without you, there would be no Lam Phong Group today." His voice suddenly dropped, almost pleading. "Are you going to throw away all that effort just for a girl named Vu?"

"You have never sacrificed for me." Thien Lam interrupted, his voice sharp. "You are just trying to hide your crimes by putting on the guise of a devoted uncle. You taught me the ways of business, and you are the same person who taught my father how to trust the wrong person at the cost of his life. From today, you no longer have any connection with this family and this corporation."

Cao Ba Vinh was taken away in the contemptuous silence of all those present. That same afternoon, Lam Phong Group's legal team completed the documents and officially filed a denunciation with the police, requesting an investigation to clarify property appropriation fraud, document falsification, slander and intentional injury related to Nha Dan's traffic accident.

News of the incident quickly spread throughout the media and the city's business community. Economic reporters rushed to report on the shocking truth behind the collapse of Cao Nguyen Thinh twelve years ago, one of the biggest economic scandals that was hidden for more than a decade and was only recently revealed.

Quynh Chi, as the first journalist to grasp the entire story, was assigned by the editorial office to write a series of in-depth investigative articles, exposing every detail of Cao Ba Vinh's sophisticated plot, while clarifying the injustice that Mr. Vu Dinh Bao's family had to endure over the past twelve years.

In another corner of the city, Lam Viet Dang was also watching a special news report about this shocking incident on an old TV in his small apartment. When he saw the image of Nha Dan standing next to Thien Lam in a short interview for the press, her face beamed with happiness mixed with relief, he smiled slightly sadly, finally understanding everything she had to go through, the troubles that she could not confide in him before.

He sent her a short message: "I understand everything now. Congratulations on finding happiness and justice for your family. I hope you are always at peace." That was the last message he sent her, closing an unfinished but respectful emotional chapter in both of their lives, so that each person could peacefully continue on their own path.

Nha Dan read that message that night and let out a long sigh as if she had just put down a stone that had been pressing on her chest for the past few months. She left a few lines of sincere thanks, thanking him for everything he had given her during the most difficult time, then ended the conversation, officially closing a page of the past to focus wholeheartedly on the future ahead.

Nha Dan sat in the villa's living room, watching the news broadcast live on television, the scene of Cao Ba Vinh being escorted out of the group's headquarters by the police after the official investigation agency got involved, her heart was filled with emotions. It was not a simple joy of victory, but a mixture of relief and sadness when thinking about the long and painful journey her family had to go through to get to this day.

Thien Lam walked over, sat down next to her, grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. "It's finally over."

"Not yet." Nha Dan shook her head, her eyes were still heavy, thinking of her father's thin face in the last photos before he passed away. "There's one more important thing we need to do, which is to officially exonerate your father in front of the entire public, so that his name won't have to suffer another day of injustice."

Thien Lam nodded and squeezed her hand tighter. "We will do it, together. I will personally announce it, using the prestige of Lam Phong Group to vouch for this truth to the public."

A few days after the shocking board meeting, Cao Tuyet Mai suddenly came to Thao Dien villa. Her appearance was completely different from her usual sharp and arrogant appearance. She stood in front of the door, hesitated for a long time before ringing the bell, and when Nha Dan opened the door, she bowed her head, a gesture that no one ever thought this proud woman could do.

"Please forgive me." Cao Tuyet Mai said, her voice choked. "For so many years, I have blindly trusted Cao Ba Vinh, and even helped him cause trouble for you. I did not expect that the person the whole family trusted the most was the one who caused all this tragedy."

Nha Dan stood silently for a moment, still clearly remembering the harsh words she had said to her in front of the whole family, but looking at the sincere regret in the eyes of the old woman in front of her, she could not bear to keep the resentment in her heart forever. "I understand, you are just another victim of this plot, like Mr. Lam, like my father. It's over, we should move forward."

Cao Tuyet Mai held Nha Dan's hand, her eyes filled with rare sincerity. "Thank you for your generosity. From now on, I will be the person who supports you and Thien Lam the most in this family, I promise."

That afternoon, Nha Dan and Thien Lam went to the hospital to visit her mother, who was still recovering from surgery and her health had improved significantly. When Nha Dan told the whole story, from the evidence collected to the shocking board meeting, Ms. Anh Tuyet hugged her daughter, tears falling from her eyes.

"Finally, justice has been served." She said, her voice shaking with emotion. "The three children in heaven can surely rest in peace."

"Mom, I have one more thing to do." Nha Dan said, holding her mother's hand tightly. "I want to hold a public ceremony to exonerate my father, so that everyone who has misunderstood him will know the truth."

Mrs. Anh Tuyet nodded, her eyes filled with pride looking at her daughter, who resiliently overcame many ups and downs to finally bring justice to her family, and at the same time found her own true happiness next to the man standing quietly behind her, his eyes following mother and daughter with unprecedented gentleness.

Before leaving the hospital, Thien Lam approached the bedside and bowed politely to Ms. Anh Tuyet. "Auntie, I'm sorry that my family has caused so much pain to your family over the past twelve years. I promise to use the rest of my life to make up for it, to take good care of Nha Dan." Mrs. Anh Tuyet looked at the young man bowing sincerely in front of her, then reached out and patted him gently on the shoulder. Her eyes were warm as if she had completely let go of all the resentment she had accumulated over the years.