Chapter 31 — Post-Divorce Rebound: Claiming My Daughter and Starting Over

The share price of the Co Corporation plummeted instantly. Though the initial drop was not yet catastrophic, the downward trend was deeply alarming. Partners who had previously been hesitant now retreated into extreme caution, with a significant number of projects abruptly halted under the guise of pending internal audits. Co Dinh Tham was worked to the bone, rushing back and forth in a frantic attempt to extinguish one crisis after another. Yet, those who had once clutched at his coat tails and addressed him with familiar warmth now vanished at his approach. His face became etched with profound exhaustion and irritability. Even Lam Vy Vy, usually a master at masking her emotions, found she could no longer soothe him.

Lam Vy Vy’s own days were no better. Co Dinh Tham’s attitude toward her had grown distinctly cold and distant, laced with a lingering sense of scrutiny and suspicion. He spent less time at home, and whenever he did return, he would either lock himself in his study or watch her with a frigid, silent intensity, as if she were a total stranger. Chu Bich Hoa, meanwhile, blamed every misfortune on her, constantly resorting to sharp barbs, mocking insults, and passive-aggressive digs. She labeled her a jinx, claiming that since the day she stepped foot into the Co household, nothing but misery had followed. Even the three children felt the suffocating atmosphere of the home, becoming increasingly rowdy and difficult to manage. Co Tu Hien, in particular, would throw tantrums at the slightest provocation, hurling objects and screaming incessantly about how his father no longer wanted them and how much he despised their home.

Amidst this internal and external collapse, the facade of gentleness Lam Vy Vy had so carefully maintained began to show deep, jagged cracks. The dark circles under her eyes, no matter how thickly layered with powder, refused to be hidden. Sometimes, catching her reflection in the mirror, a look of wild, near-desperate mania would flicker in her eyes. The old iron box was moved from one hiding place to another, and she became so frayed that the mere rustle of grass would make her jump. Every one of these developments was relayed to me through private channels by Tham Du Minh and To Tinh.

Public sentiment is already beginning to turn, Tham Du Minh analyzed over the phone. The pressure on Co Dinh Tham will only continue to mount. This is the moment when he is most vulnerable and the most likely to commit a fatal error.

Regarding Lam Vy Vy, our investigation has also made progress, To Tinh added. Her offshore cash flows all lead back to a shell company abroad, and that company shares a very close connection with the competitor who originally reported the Co Corporation for regulatory violations.

Do you mean to say that Lam Vy Vy might be colluding with Co Dinh Tham’s enemies? I asked, stunned.

We cannot rule out that possibility, Tham Du Minh replied.

But what is her motive? Is it for money, or is there something else at play? I wondered aloud.

Ms. Diep, To Tinh interjected calmly, we believe the time to approach Lam Vy Vy is nearly ripe. When Co Dinh Tham’s suspicion reaches its zenith, and she herself feels she can no longer hold on, that will be our breakthrough point.

What should I do?

Wait, Tham Du Minh replied. Wait for the opportunity—an opportunity that will make Lam Vy Vy realize that, outside of you, there is no one left to turn to.

However, that opportunity arrived much faster than we anticipated, and it was far more cruel. That afternoon, the sky grew heavy and bruised, as if the heavens were about to collapse. I was rushing to finish an illustration for my new column when my phone suddenly rang. It was the teacher from the kindergarten, her voice choked with tears on the other end of the line.

Nuan Nuan’s mother! Something terrible has happened! Nuan Nuan… Nuan Nuan has just been forcibly taken into a car by an old woman right in front of the school gates! We couldn’t stop her—she was so strong, and she was screaming and cursing at us the entire time!

My head spun, a dull roar filling my ears. My hands trembled violently, and my stylus clattered to the floor, leaving a jagged, ruinous streak across the screen.