Chapter 18 — Tears in the Frost

Ten days after the request to convene an extraordinary shareholder meeting was submitted, while the evidence preparation work was taking place urgently every day, Thư Nhã received a strange call in the middle of the afternoon, when she was alone in the file storage room, diligently reviewing the latest bank documents that the forensic audit expert had just sent. The phone number displayed on the screen was not in her contacts, but an uneasy feeling made her still pick up the phone.

"Hello Miss Thư Nhã." Tống Khả Di's familiar voice rang out on the other end of the line, sweet but cold as ice. "I think it's time we talk frankly with each other, without any intermediaries."

Thư Nhã tightened her grip on the phone, trying to keep her voice calm even though her heart was pounding. "What do you want to say?"

"I know you and Bách Việt are secretly investigating Hằng Phát," Khả Di spoke, her voice did not hide the threat, every word she uttered was as sharp as a knife. "I have to admit, you're a lot smarter than I thought. But I advise you to stop, because the path you're on may have consequences you don't foresee."

"Are you threatening me?" Thư Nhã asked, her voice was firmer even though her heart had begun to tremble, her hand unconsciously placed on her stomach as a protective reflex.

"I'm just reminding you of reality," Khả Di replied, her voice turning cold and chilling. "You are pregnant, right? In a state of prolonged stress and pressure like this, no one can guarantee the health of the child. I think, for the sake of yourself and your child, it is best for you to advise Bách Việt to stop this useless investigation, and let me take over Việt Thịnh peacefully."

*

The blood in Thư Nhã's body seemed to freeze. She never thought Khả Di could stoop so low as to use her own child as a tool of intimidation. "Do you dare to threaten an unborn child? Do you still have any conscience?"

"I'm not threatening anyone." Khả Di smiled faintly, her voice pretending to be innocent. "I'm just talking about the objective risks that can occur when a pregnant woman has to endure too much stress. If something unfortunate happens, I believe you don't want to regret for the rest of your life for stubbornly pursuing a hopeless fight, right?"

The call ended abruptly, leaving Thư Nhã standing dumbfounded in the middle of the storage room, her hands shaking so much that the phone almost fell out of her hand. She sat down on the chair, her hands clutching her stomach, tears flowing uncontrollably, not out of fear for herself, but out of extreme worry for the innocent child growing inside her body.

She sat there for a long time, trying to calm her chaotic breathing, gently rubbing her stomach as if trying to comfort the child, even though she knew the child was still too young to feel her mother's fear. "Mom, I'm sorry, you don't deserve to hear such cruel words before you were even born," she whispered, her voice choked. But soon, a strong indignation welled up, dispelling some of the initial fear — she would not let such a cruel woman have the opportunity to instill fear into her child's life from the very first days.

*

That evening, when Thư Nhã recounted the entire call to Bách Việt, his face changed color, his anger flared up so fiercely that it took him a long time to calm down enough to say anything.

"She dares to threaten our children," he said, his voice shaking with rage, his hands clenched into fists until his knuckles turned white. "I won't let her touch a single hair of yours or your child's, Thư Nhã. We need to increase security immediately."

"I don't think she will directly cause harm," Thư Nhã said, although her voice was still shaking. "It's just a psychological blow, trying to make us panic and give up the investigation. If we step back now, she will gain even more momentum."

"But I can't risk the safety of you and the baby," Bách Việt said, his eyes full of worry. "Maybe we should reconsider and find a safer alternative."

Thư Nhã grabbed his hand and looked straight into his eyes with strong determination. "Bách Việt, if we back down out of fear, she will win now, and we will have to live the rest of our lives in fear of her manipulation. I don't want our child to grow up in a world where his mother once succumbed to such vile threats. We will increase security, we will be more careful, but we will not stop."

*

Bách Việt looked at her, his heart filled with admiration mixed with sadness. He knew she was right, but his heart as a father and husband still couldn't help but worry extremely for the safety of the people he loved the most. That night, he called Tạ Khắc Bình to come and arranged additional security guards to follow Thư Nhã wherever she went, even when she simply went for a routine prenatal checkup or visited her father on the weekend.

"From now on, I will arrange two more people to always be near Ms. Thư Nhã, no matter where she goes, even inside the company campus," Khắc Bình said, his voice was serious, different from his usual calmness. "I will also have the apartment's security system thoroughly checked, making sure there are no loopholes that could be exploited."

"Thank you, Khắc Bình." Bách Việt patted the shoulder of the loyal driver who had been with his family for many years. "I trust you with Thư Nhã's safety." A few days later, another incident made the situation even more tense. Doctor Đặng Thảo Lam called to give the news, her voice was somewhat worried. "Thư Nhã, I just received a strange call, asking about your medical records. I refused to provide any information, but I think you should know this just in case."

"Did the caller identify himself, doctor?" Thư Nhã asked, her heart tightened with worry.

"No, that person just claimed to be a 'family acquaintance', but the tone of voice and the way the question was asked made me feel like something was wrong, so I immediately refused and let you know," Doctor Lam replied. "From now on, I will ask the clinic to increase the security of your records to the highest level, no one can access them without your direct consent."

"Thank you very much, doctor," Thư Nhã said, her voice trembled slightly but she still tried to stay calm. "I'm sorry for making you worry more about this, doctor."

"Don't say that, your health and the baby's health is my top priority," Dr. Lam replied, her voice warm and determined.

Thư Nhã tightened her grip on the phone, clearly feeling that Khả Di's siege was getting tighter and tighter around her private life. "Thank you doctor for informing me. I will be more careful."

She hung up the phone, looked out the apartment window, the sunset dyed the entire city sky red, a brilliant red color but also evoked in her heart a vague feeling of insecurity that was difficult to name. In her heart, fear and anger mixed together, but above all, an iron determination was gradually strengthening: she would not let Tống Khả Di have the opportunity to turn her child into a bargaining tool. She will fight to the end, not only for herself, not only for Bách Việt, but for the future of the child growing inside her, worthy of being born in a world not dominated by threats and hatred.

That night, while lying next to Bách Việt, his arms wrapped around her protectively, Thư Nhã whispered to the child in her womb promises of a safe, warm future, even though the road ahead, she knew well, was still full of thorns and the toughest challenges were waiting for her whole small family.

"Go to sleep," Bách Việt whispered in her ear, his voice was deep and warm like a lullaby. "With me here, no one will be able to harm you and the baby."

Thư Nhã closed her eyes, letting the warmth from his arms soothe some of the insecurity that still lingered in her heart. She knew that the coming days would bring even more difficult challenges, but at least now she no longer had to face them alone, and that, for her, was a greater source of strength than anything else in the world.