Chapter 22 — Passionate About A Twisted Love

Life at Thao Dien villa gradually returned to a peaceful rhythm after a series of turbulent days. The harsh rules of the past had now been mostly removed by Thien Lam, replaced by a sincere, natural concern that no longer needed to be hidden or acted in front of anyone. Mrs. Xuan Lan was overjoyed every time she saw the two of them having dinner together, chatting happily, no longer had the cold, awkward atmosphere like the first days Nha Dan first moved in.

One peaceful evening after all the storms had temporarily calmed down, Thien Lam invited Nha Dan to his private office, where everything between the two of them started from the cold engagement contract that year. He placed a stack of papers on the table, and when Nha Dan looked closely, she realized it was the original contract she signed the first day she stepped into his life.

"Do you remember the day we signed this contract?" Thien Lam asked, his voice was deep and warm, completely different from the cold, authoritative look of the past.

"You remember, how could you forget?" Nha Dan replied, her eyes looking at the stack of papers with mixed emotions. "That was the day I felt the most hopeless, but it was also the day fate brought me to you."

Thien Lam took the contract and slowly tore it into small pieces in front of her. Each sound of tearing paper sounded as if declaring the end of a period full of calculations, coercion and misunderstandings. "From today, all terms in this contract are no longer valid. I don't want our relationship to continue to be bound by any cold piece of paper anymore."

Nha Dan looked at the scraps of paper falling on the table, her heart beat fast, not knowing what was waiting for her behind that action. "So... what will we do?"

Thien Lam did not answer immediately, but stood up, walked out of the desk, and walked towards her. He knelt down on one knee, making Nha Dan stunned, his hands suddenly covering his mouth in surprise. From his vest pocket, he took out a small velvet box, inside was a sparkling diamond ring, delicately designed with a small amber stone in the middle, exactly the same sandalwood color as the old anniversary bracelet.

"Vu Nha Dan." He called her name, his voice trembling with emotion, a rare thing for a man who always had absolute control over his emotions. "Fourteen years ago, a clumsy teenager gave me a sandalwood bracelet, hoping that it would bring me luck throughout my life. He did not expect that fate would ironically separate the two of us for twelve years, pushing them both into an unnecessary hatred. But that same fate gave him the opportunity to meet you again, to love you again, this time with a much more mature and sincere heart."

Nha Dan's tears fell continuously, she stood still, not daring to believe what was happening before her eyes.

He remembered every moment from the day she knelt before him in the office, begging him to save her mother's life, to the days he deliberately set up a series of harsh rules to hide the confusion in his heart, and the nights he silently told Mrs. Xuan Lan to take care of her without daring to admit it was out of genuine concern. All those disparate pieces have now come together to form a complete picture of the journey of his heart gradually changing, from hatred to love, from a man who only knows revenge to a man willing to kneel for sincere love. "I no longer want to bind you with any contract or obligation." Thien Lam continued, his eyes earnestly looking at her. "I want to ask you, with my own heart, without any calculation or coercion: Vu Nha Dan, do you agree to be my wife, not in name, but truly become my partner for the rest of my life?"

Nha Dan knelt down, kneeling at his level, holding his face with both hands, tears and smiles mixed together. "I agree. I agree, Cao Thien Lam, no matter how things started in the past, now I love you with all my heart, without any doubt or hesitation."

Thien Lam put the ring on her finger, his hand trembled with extreme happiness. He pulled her into his arms, the first kiss truly came from the sincere love between the two of them, no longer entangled by any roles or calculations, sweet and warm like a promise for a perfect future.

"I have one condition." Nha Dan said softly as they let go of each other, her eyes were rare and mischievous.

"What conditions?" Thien Lam asked, slightly raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Our wedding must be held in the same garden with the purple bougainvillea trellis, where we first met in the past." She said, her eyes shining with anticipation. "I want both of us to start a new beginning right where our story began."

Thien Lam laughed, a rare, hearty laugh that Nha Dan had never heard before. "Okay, I will have someone restore that entire garden, including the purple bougainvillea trellis, so that it returns to the way you remember."

He held her in his arms, and they both looked out the window, where the moonlight was full tonight, illuminating the peaceful sleeping city of Saigon.

That same night, unable to contain her happiness, Nha Dan immediately called her mother to tell her the good news. Mrs. Anh Tuyet, even though she was preparing to go to bed, still burst into tears over the phone when she heard her daughter tell the whole story of the romantic proposal that had just happened. "I'm so happy for you, Nha Dan. You've finally found your own true happiness."

Nha Dan also did not forget to call Quynh Chi, her close friend who had accompanied her throughout the entire difficult journey. Quynh Chi shouted with joy over the phone, asking questions about the ring and the wedding plan, making Nha Dan unable to help but laugh at her friend's overwhelming enthusiasm. "I have to be the maid of honor, no one can compete with me for that position."

"Okay, okay, you will definitely be the maid of honor." Nha Dan smiled in response, her heart filled with warmth when thinking of the loved ones who were always by her side and supported her during the most difficult times of her life, from Quynh Chi who persistently accompanied her in the investigation, to Mrs. Xuan Lan who silently took care of her like her own daughter for many months.

Even Phan Dinh Long, who had silently witnessed Thien Lam's entire change journey over the past few months, when hearing the news from Ms. Xuan Lan, could not hide the rare smile on his always serious face. He prepared a bottle of premium wine and brought it to the office to congratulate the two of them, joking that he finally no longer needed to worry about arranging complicated schedules to hide his boss's true feelings.

The next morning, news about Thien Lam proposing to Nha Dan quickly spread throughout the Cao family. Cao Tuyet Mai was the first person to call to congratulate her, her voice was much brighter compared to the cold, distant look of the day. "I'm very happy for you two. This time, I promise to personally take care of the wedding as a way to make up for what happened before."

Cao Viet Hung also sent his blessings, along with a meaningful gift: an ancient calligraphy that he had kept for many years, written about harmony and a new beginning, a gift he gave to both Mr. Nghi and Mr. Bao's family long before the incident happened, and now has the opportunity to give it to the right person at the right time.

Nha Dan held the calligraphy in her hand, her fingers tracing each line of ink that had faded over the years. Twelve years ago, when the storm of hatred struck, no one in the two families dared to dream that one day a gift like this would be given to the right person at the right time - not a formal apology, but sincere acceptance and love from the bottom of each person's heart.

Late at night, when all the congratulations had subsided, Nha Dan and Thien Lam still sat together on the bedroom balcony, looking at the starry night sky. After so many storms, misunderstandings, pain and even malicious plots, in the end two hearts that once stood on opposite sides of the battle line found their way back to each other, no longer a cold exchange, but a true, complete and sincere love.