Chapter 16 — Tears in the Frost

Thư Nhã spent the next week converting the old file storage room on the thirty-eighth floor into her own secret investigation center. She brought there her personal laptop, a small whiteboard purchased from a stationery store near her house, and began to reconstruct the entire diagram of the shell companies that she suspected were connected to the Hằng Phát Fund, based on the clues she had collected.

She worked with the meticulousness of someone who had managed thousands of pages of contracts during her career as an executive secretary, not missing any small detail — from the date of establishment of each company, legal representative, business registration address, to share transfer transactions publicly announced on the stock exchange system.

Every night, after Bách Việt fell asleep, she quietly got out of bed, put on a thin robe, and went down to her private office to continue reviewing data, sometimes working until two or three in the morning even though her belly had begun to protrude more clearly. She knew she needed to maintain the child's health, but her concern for the safety of the whole family made her unable to allow herself to delay even one day.

"Look," she said to Bách Việt one evening, pointing to a whiteboard filled with lines connecting the names, "three of these seven companies are all registered to do business in the same office building, the twelfth floor of Nguyen Trai Street. And if I'm not mistaken, this is the same address mentioned in an old legal document I found related to a financial consulting company previously owned by the Tong family."

Bách Việt looked at the board, his eyes filled with admiration mixed with worry. "You did all this in just one week?"

"I have had experience handling complex data for many years," she replied, smiling slightly, even though her face was clearly tired from staying up late for many nights in a row. "But I need more time to get solid enough evidence, not just logical inferences. We need to find the direct financial connection, the specific cash flow flowing from Hằng Phát to these shell companies."

*

To get more specific evidence, Thư Nhã decided to seek the help of an independent forensic audit expert, whom she had cooperated with on an internal audit project several years ago and knew his trustworthy expertise. She kept this person's identity a secret even from the majority of employees in the company, only reporting directly to Bách Việt and Mr. Chính Nghĩa to avoid information leaking out before there was enough evidence.

"Based on what you provided, I believe there is a cash flow circulating through at least four layers of intermediary companies before reaching small shareholders to buy back shares." The audit expert spoke in a closed meeting at a separate law office, away from Việt Thịnh headquarters to avoid prying eyes and ears. "This is a quite sophisticated capital laundering technique, often used by shady investment funds to hide the true identity behind the acquisitions."

"Can you determine the ultimate source of this cash flow?" Bách Việt asked, his voice tense.

"It takes more time, but I believe it's possible, if we get access to some specific bank transaction records." The expert replied. "However, this requires extreme caution, because if the other side discovers that we are investigating, they can completely erase their traces or change tactics immediately."

*

While the investigation quietly progressed, Thư Nhã did not forget her role as executive secretary at the office, continuing to maintain all daily tasks perfectly as if no disturbance had ever occurred. She understood that, if she had any unusual manifestations at work, it could make those who were monitoring Việt Thịnh's internal situation - possibly including Khả Di's people planted inside - more suspicious and wary.

One afternoon, while preparing documents for a regular board meeting, Thư Nhã accidentally caught Phùng Nhược My chatting on the phone in a deserted corner of the hallway. Her voice was low but still enough for Thư Nhã to faintly hear a few words: "...I need more time to think... can't make a hasty decision..."

Thư Nhã walked past as if not paying attention, but in her heart she remembered that detail as another important piece of the puzzle. Mrs. Phùng Nhược My was being approached by someone, and for all she knew, there was a high possibility that it was someone from Tống Khả Di.

That evening, she shared this discovery with Bách Việt and Mr. Chính Nghĩa in a three-person private meeting at the apartment. "If Ms. Nhuoc My is drawn to Hằng Phát's side, combined with the twelve percent of shares that Khả Di has quietly gathered, the total could be up to twenty percent of shares in her favor in any vote." Thư Nhã analyzed, her voice serious. "That's a large enough number to put significant pressure on any major board decision."

*

Mr. Chính Nghĩa nodded, his face full of worry. "We need to consolidate support from other neutral shareholders, and accelerate the collection of evidence before Khả Di has the necessary votes to convene an extraordinary shareholder meeting."

"I will contact long-time shareholders who have been with Việt Thịnh since my grandfather's time, people who have trusted relationships built over many generations," Bách Việt said, his voice decisive. "We need to show them clearly the true nature of Hằng Phát, even though there is not enough public evidence, at least enough to make them more wary of attractive offers from the other side."

Thư Nhã looked at the two men in front of her, clearly feeling a big change within herself. No longer the woman who only knew how to suffer silently and plan to leave in silence, she has now become an indispensable part of the strategy to deal with the takeover plot, contributing with the sharp analytical ability that she has honed over many years of work.

"I think we should also prepare a backup plan," she spoke, her voice calm but determined, her eyes scanning the solemn faces sitting around the small table in the apartment. "If Khả Di really intends to convene an extraordinary shareholder meeting to bring down Mr. Viet, we need to have a full set of documents available, not only proving the current takeover plot, but also her connection to the financial leak three years ago. Only by exposing the entire personal revenge motive behind all her actions can we fully convince the board of directors and hesitant shareholders."

Bách Việt looked at her, his eyes filled with undisguised pride and love. "When did you become a real strategist?"

"Since I realized I had nothing to lose, and so much to protect," Thư Nhã replied, her hand gently placed on her belly, where the child was growing day by day, a living symbol of everything she was determined to preserve, for a future that she would definitely win with her own hands and intelligence.

That night, all three people continued to work late into the night, building each specific step for the upcoming counterattack plan. Mr. Chính Nghĩa is in charge of mobilizing support from veteran shareholders, Bách Việt focuses on strengthening relationships with strategic partners to ensure they are not wavered by false rumors, and Thư Nhã continues to play a central role in collecting and analyzing financial evidence.

Before leaving, Mr. Chính Nghĩa stopped at the door and looked at Thư Nhã with respectful eyes. "You know, I've lived long enough to realize that truly strong women are not those who are never afraid, but those who still move forward even though their hearts are full of fear. You are that kind of woman, Thư Nhã."

Meanwhile out there, Tống Khả Di is continuing her acquisition web, unaware that the opponent she despises the most — the secretary she once called a "meaningless pawn" — is the one who is secretly weaving the web that will cause her entire plan to collapse.