Chapter 22 — Seventy-Eight Billion And The President Has No Heir

The chest was not taken. It was hidden in the woodshed.

Vu's mother's old maid took us through a narrow door. She said she had promised to keep the chest until Vu returned, but Khai threatened her nephew.

Inside the chest was a will, a notebook and several unsent letters. The book records the amounts Father Vu intends to return to workers after restructuring.

I read to the last page. There is a name that sends chills down my spine: Pham Quoc Tai.

Father Vu knew Tai was embezzling, but kept him because he needed someone who understood the system. That mistake created a hole big enough for Khai to step into.

Last letter written to Vu:

"Don't try to be the perfect heir. Be the one who takes responsibility when your decisions hurt others."

Vu reads letters in the car. He didn't cry, but for many minutes he couldn't start the engine.

“Your father wants you to keep the corporation?” I asked.

“You want me to return it to the people who built it.”

We took the will to an independent notary office. When they confirmed, the news spread. Khai immediately asked the court to freeze the documents, accusing me of stealing family property.

Hoang Nam prepares a counterclaim. I had to go to court that day, wearing the suit I used at the shareholders meeting.

Reporters surrounded the gate. Someone asked me if I was Vu's lover.

I'm back.

"I am a shareholder and the one who is answering questions about documents. If you want to know about private life, ask someone who has no evidence."

In the courtroom, lawyer Khai put the lottery ticket on the table, saying I used unexpected money to get into Le's family.

I looked at the judge.

"My money doesn't make a will real or fake. Signatures, timestamps and witnesses do that."

Vu sat in the back and was not allowed to speak. When the trial adjourned, he said:

“You don't have to bear it all.”

"I'm used to having someone else sign for me. This time I want to sign it myself."

That afternoon, an expert appraiser confirmed the original will was valid. But before the court issued a protection order, the safe stored at the notary office was broken into.

Only one thing was missing: the notebook.