Chapter 6 — Reverse Chess

His eyes shone with a cold and cruel light: "She is dead. Everything in her name... including intangible assets... according to the law, will be received by the legal heir." “The…heir…” I mumbled, my voice caught in my throat. Luc Can Ngon slightly raised his lips, showing a cruel, confident, and ambitious smile: "That's right. It's you... and my 'poor fiancee', Hua Du Du, who is about to go to jail." He leaned over, his cold breath like ice passed over my face, his voice was slow and low: "And now, Hua Du Du has been taken away. Whether he can get out or not... I still don't know." “So you think…” He paused for a moment, his deep black eyes glowing with an undisguised greed: “Who will be the sole heir… the legal, sole, and absolute one… of the entire Hua family property?” In that moment, I understood. He wants me. Or rather… He wanted my title of “sole legal heir”. You killed my mother to take over the patent. He pushed Hua Du Du to death, to remove all legal barriers. And now… you say all this, because you firmly believe… I have completely fallen into your trap. He was enjoying my despair. Enjoy the moment your prey realizes they have no way out. Enjoy the feeling of being in control of everything. My heart was heavy, sinking to the depths, as if being pulled into a bottomless, cold, suffocating abyss. But at that moment... a stream of hot blood suddenly rose in my chest, burning brightly, burning away all paralysis, burning to the end of sadness. Are not. I can't kneel down in front of him. I collapsed... that means admitting my mother died unjustly. I collapsed... meaning I could never take revenge. I slowly raised my head, my eyes gradually became bright and cold, the corners of my lips curled up into a thin smile, sharp as a blade. “Luc Can Ngon…” I smiled softly, my voice was hoarse, but each word fell, carrying a kind of calm that made him momentarily pause: “You think… you won?” “Luc Can Ngon,” I looked straight at him, my eyes so calm that it made the other person hesitate, “do you think... you are sure to win?” My reaction made Luc Can Ngon a bit surprised. He raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes shining with a hint of suspicion mixed with interest. I let out a breath, suppressing the trembling in my heart. My voice was calm but carried an unprecedented coldness: "I admit... you are very smart, good at calculating, good at planning. You think you are three steps ahead of us, you think everyone in this chess game is under your control." I paused for a moment, then slightly curled my lips, showing a smile as thin as a knife's edge: "But... I miscalculated something." His eyes darkened, but remained calm: "Oh?" His voice was low, deep, lingering with excitement: "So tell me... where did I miscalculate?" I slowly tightened my hand, looking straight at him, not hiding, not trembling: "You miscalculated... about my mother's precautions against you." “You also miscalculated… about her love for me.” Having finished speaking, I slowly raised my hand to my neck, took out a simple silver necklace, the pendant was a small key, at first glance it seemed normal, nothing special. I held it between my palms, squeezing it tightly, feeling the cold metal penetrating straight into my skin. My voice lowered, carrying a layer of sadness and strength: "This... is something my mother... gave me a few days before she passed away." “You said, if anything happens… I have to use this key… to open the safe you keep at the Swiss bank.” “She said… inside there, was my ‘final dowry’.” I smiled faintly, that smile was bitter, bitter to the end: "At that time... I was stupid, I believed it was really just part of the 'dowry'." I raised my eyes and looked straight at Luc Can Ngon, my voice cutting straight into the cold space: "But now... I understand. In that safe... there is no 'dowry' at all." My breathing became more stable, my voice gradually became steady and strong: "My mother... never truly trusted you for a second." “She saw through your malice… and the cruelty you hid under a veneer of perfection.” “She has been wary of you for a long time.” I took a breath, raised the key, the white light from the hallway reflected on the cold metal surface, a beam of light flashed, straight into Luc Can Ngon's eyes: "All the original documents about that technology... all the core data, all the models, all the clinical trial reports... my mother kept them in the Swiss bank's safe." “She knows… in this world, there is only one place that is absolutely safe.” I held the necklace tightly, my voice was like a blade pulled from its sheath, cold and sharp: "And the only key that can open that safe..." I looked straight into his eyes, each word sharp like a hammer hitting the heart: "...only one." I raised my hand, letting the key sparkle silver in the white light: "It... is in my hand." In that moment, Luc Can Ngon's face finally completely changed. No more fake calm. No longer the noble and noble figure who always controls everything. Instead… there was a moment of real shock, horror and disbelief. His eyes were glued to the key in my hand, the hand next to him clenched into a fist, his knuckles were white, his shoulder trembled ever so slightly - but I saw it. I saw him for the first time… losing control. I smiled, my smile was thin but cold, my voice was low like a tidal wave: "I think... killing her... will give me everything." “You are wrong.” I raised my head, my eyes shining under the light, my voice firm, each word as heavy as steel: "My mother... has long prepared every retreat for me." "She left me," my voice was low, each word as heavy as a rock, "not a billion-dollar fortune, but the final weapon... enough to make you paralyzed, unable to raise your head forever." I lifted the necklace, put the key back on my neck, placed it close to my chest, clearly feeling the cold air passing through my skin. Raising my head, my eyes were like a shining blade, I looked straight at Luc Can Ngon: "What you want... you can never get it in your whole life." "I will keep it with me. And I will watch you with my own eyes, step by step, step by step... falling into the abyss." "Luc Can Ngon, what you did to my mother... I will make you pay. The heaviest price." I took a deep breath, my lips slightly curled into a smile smiled coldly: "The chess game... is just starting now." After saying that, I didn't bother to glance at him again. Leaving his face contorted with anger and loss of control. I turned around, held my head high, and strode straight into the thick night outside. Behind me, I heard Luc Can Ngon's gasps filled with frustration, his breath seemed to be holding back a volcano about to erupt. I don't return home. It's all too dangerous. Instead, I drove to a place that no one in the world knew existed — the safe apartment I had bought a long time ago, using my own savings, quietly in my own name. That place... is the only fortress I can still trust. As soon as the door closed, I sat down on the chair, took a deep breath, forced myself to stabilize my heart rate, then took out my phone. My fingers trembled slightly, but I still dialed the familiar number. The phone only rang twice before someone picked up. “Hello?” The voice was low and steady, carrying a familiar sense of haste. I opened my mouth, my voice was a bit hoarse but still decisive: "Uncle Truong... it's me, Hua Niem." The other end of the line was stunned for a few seconds, then his voice suddenly became low, carrying obvious tension: "Nim Niem?! Are... are you okay? I just saw the news... about... about your sister..." I closed my eyes, cutting him off without hesitation: "I'm okay." I took a deep breath, my voice was solid and cold. “Uncle Truong, I called you because I need you to do something.” “I want to… activate the emergency plan that mom left behind.” The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds, only heavy breathing could be heard through the receiver. A moment later, Lawyer Truong's voice rang out, calm but heavy like lead stone: "Nien Niem... are you sure? Your mother once told you... once that plan is activated... there will be no turning back." “That means…” his voice hesitated, as if wanting to confirm one last time: “You will have to confront… with Luc Can Ngon.” He paused, then added, his voice even lower: "...and the entire Hua family."