Chapter 16 — Stupid But Strong

Bach Duy and Tang Ninh's private investigation began with the documents Tang Ninh had secretly kept many years ago. She brought out all the copies of old papers and scattered notes she had scribbled during her years working at the family company, spread out on the largest table in the Vom La restaurant one night when the restaurant was closed.

"I remember there is an original will of your father, fully notarized, clearly stipulating the transfer of shares when you turn twenty-five years old," Tang Ninh said, flipping through the pages that had become slightly yellowed over time. "But I also remember there were at least two other documents, drawn up a few years later, bearing your father's signature but the content authorized all the rights to decide on stock investments to my father and my uncle, with a term lasting until you were thirty years old."

Bach Duy picked up a copy of the authorization document, frowned and carefully observed his father's supposed signature. "This signature," he said slowly, "is not the same as the signature you remember my father using when signing school records or household papers. The strokes of the pen are harder, and the way of signing is somewhat different."

"I think so too," Tang Ninh nodded. "But we need a signature expert to have official evidence, we can't just rely on our senses."

Lam Nha Thu, when informed of this clue, quickly contacted a reputable document forensic expert in the industry, who had cooperated with the entertainment company in several previous legal cases. After carefully reviewing both the original kept at the notary office and other samples of Tu Quang Binh's signature collected from old documents in their church, the expert came to a preliminary conclusion full of hope.

"There are notable irregularities in the handwriting, especially in the signature at the end of the document," he said during a meeting with Bach Duy and Tang Ninh. "However, to make an official legally valid conclusion, I need more time for more in-depth analysis, and it's best to have more originals instead of just relying on copies."

Bach Duy decided to find someone who might hold a more important clue - the old lawyer who was in charge of all the legal procedures for his adoption and guardianship in the past, is now retired and living in seclusion in a small suburban town. He and Tang Ninh drove together to visit him on a weekend morning, carrying the faint hope that he might still retain important original documents.

The old lawyer, even though he was over seventy years old, was still lucid and recognized Bach Duy as soon as he entered. "You are Tu Quang Binh's son, right? I still remember your face, even though many years have passed." When he heard Bach Duy explain the reason for his visit, his face darkened.

“I have kept a complete set of records about the adoption and your father's will,” he said, his voice heavy. "To be honest, at that time I was a little suspicious about a few additional requests from Mr. Nhieu Trong Nhan, but because there was no clear evidence of wrongdoing, I could not refuse to comply with the legal procedures he requested. If you now need those documents to protect your legitimate rights, I am willing to hand them over all."

He led them into a small room at the back of the house, where dozens of boxes of old files from his years of practicing law were kept. After nearly two hours of searching, they finally found a set of documents with the name Tu Quang Binh, inside there was the original fully notarized will, along with another important document - the family meeting minutes recording Mr. Nhieu Trong Nhan's own testimony about "absolutely respecting the wishes of his deceased friend, not interfering with Bach Duy's property ownership rights when he reaches full adulthood."

"This is evidence that the later authorization document is completely contrary to what my father once committed to and what Uncle Nhan once promised in front of the lawyer," Tang Ninh said, her voice shaking with emotion as she held that precious document in her hand.

On the way back to the city, Bach Duy was silent for a long time, looking out the car window, his heart filled with emotions. "I didn't expect that in the end, the adoptive father who said he would love me like his own child would be the one to betray that promise," he said, his voice sad. "But at least, now we have strong enough evidence to confront."

Tang Ninh placed her hand on his shoulder, comforting him. "We still need more time to fully prepare before making everything public. But you're right, this is the most important step forward since we started this investigation."

Before leaving, the old lawyer also told an important detail that he had just remembered. "There's one thing I've always felt guilty about all these years," he said, his voice thoughtful. "A few months after completing the additional authorization procedure, Mr. Nhieu Trong Nhan called me, asking about the possibility of drawing up another direct share transfer document, in the name of the company controlled by his younger brother. I refused to draft that document because I realized it was not in accordance with the spirit of the original will, and advised him to reconsider. After that he did not contact me about this issue anymore, but I always wondered if he would go to a law office. whether it is easier for others to complete that intention or not."

That detail made Tang Ninh and Bach Duy look at each other and realize that the case might be even more complicated and larger in scale than they initially imagined. They thanked the old lawyer, promised to keep in touch if they needed more support from him in the process of clarifying the truth, then brought the precious documents back to the city.

As soon as she arrived at the entertainment company's office, Lam Nha Thu gathered a group of lawyers and financial experts to review all newly collected documents. They worked all night, comparing every number, every date, every signature, gradually building a comprehensive picture of how Mr. Nhieu Trong Nhan and Nhieu Trong Khai had gradually manipulated control of Bach Duy's assets over many years, through a series of delicately drawn up authorization documents, each time expanding only a little more authority to avoid attracting attention.

"If we present this entire series of documents to the public and the authorities in the correct chronological order, it will be very difficult for Mr. Trong Khai to deny or justify," a lawyer commented during the meeting. "But we need to be extremely cautious until everything is fully prepared, otherwise, he may disperse or destroy the remaining evidence before we can act."

Both did not know that, right while they were on their way back with those precious documents, Trong Khai's accountant, through an old relationship with the old lawyer's office, began to suspect about this unusual visit, and immediately reported it to his boss, making Trong Khai even more panicked and more drastic in his next sabotage plan.

That night, returning to his apartment, Bach Duy sat alone and reread each page of the file he had just found, stopping for a long time at the old photo tucked inside - a photo of his father and Mr. Nhieu Trong Nhan standing next to each other in front of the company's first day of establishment, both smiling brightly, holding hands like the closest brothers. He couldn't understand how a friendship that was once so close could degenerate into a cruel betrayal of his deceased friend's only child. But that pain, instead of making him falter, made him even more determined to bring the whole truth to light, not only for himself and Tang Ninh, but also for the honor of his deceased father, who deserves to be remembered as someone who trusted his child's future to the right person, not an innocent person who was taken advantage of.

He put the photo in a drawer next to an old leather notebook, turned off the light, but sleep that night came to him late, mixed with pain and a new hope gradually growing in his heart. He knows that from tomorrow onwards, the battle to regain justice for his father and for his own love will enter a much more drastic phase, and he is ready for that, even though he has to confront the person he once called his uncle head-on.