Chapter 21 — Tears in the Frost

One week after the extraordinary shareholders' meeting, the stock market management agency officially launched an investigation into Hằng Phát Investment Fund based on the denunciation that Việt Thịnh sent. Preliminary investigation results confirmed everything Thư Nhã and the forensic audit team discovered: the seven shell companies used to buy shares all had direct contact with Tống Khả Di, the cash flow was circulated through many layers of intermediaries to hide the true origin, seriously violating regulations on transparency in stock transactions.

At the same time, Việt Thịnh's Board of Directors officially passed a resolution to permanently ban all forms of cooperation, investment, or transactions with Hằng Phát Fund and any legal entities connected to Tống Khả Di in the future. The resolution text was widely published in the financial media, not only to protect the corporation's reputation, but also as a warning to all investors about the true nature of this investment fund.

Phùng Nhược My, under pressure from other shareholders and the risk of being prosecuted for receiving illegal financial benefits from Khả Di, was forced to announce his resignation as a member of the board of directors, and at the same time divest all his shares according to a separate agreement to avoid being caught in legal trouble. The position she left is temporarily vacant, waiting for a new election at the upcoming annual general meeting.

*

At Tống Khả Di's penthouse, which was once a symbol of her powerful return just a few weeks ago, now only suitcases are left neatly stacked by a few silent maids, no one daring to look directly at their owner's face.

Khả Di stood by the window, looking down at the city one last time, her eyes were empty, no longer sharp and proud like the first days back. Her personal assistant, Lam, walked in, his voice careful. "Madam, the lawyer has just confirmed that if you leave the country before the official investigation is concluded, it may be considered an act of evasion of legal responsibility, causing more disadvantage for you in the future."

"I don't care anymore," Khả Di replied, her voice was so tired that she no longer had the strength to be angry. "Whether I stay or leave, I've lost everything I've tried to build over the past three years. At least, if I leave, I can still keep the last bit of dignity."

*

The Tong family, in order to protect their remaining business reputation, quickly issued a public statement cutting off all connections with Khả Di's activities at the Hằng Phát Fund, seen as a way to deny joint responsibility. Her father, who had supported his daughter's ambitions for many years, now also kept his distance, no longer willing to stand up to protect her from public opinion and the law as before.

Khả Di sat alone in the empty living room, looking back at the entire journey of the past three years as if she were watching a movie in which she no longer recognized herself as the main character. She once believed that if she was smart enough, cruel enough, persistent enough, she could regain everything she lost — both love and dignity. But now, when all her plans had completely collapsed, she realized that what she lost was not just a man or a position in the business world, but also the honest person she used to be before letting ambition overshadow all reason.

Lam walked in and announced that the car was ready to take her to the airport. Khả Di stood up, put on a thin robe, glanced at the apartment one last time before walking out the door, carrying nothing but a few suitcases and a bitterness that would stick with her for a long time to come.

The last night before leaving the country, Khả Di made a single phone call, not to her family, but to Bách Việt. The call was connected via speakerphone, and Thư Nhã, sitting next to her husband in the living room, listened silently.

"I will leave," Khả Di said, her voice had completely lost its usual sharpness, leaving only a tiredness. "I don't expect you to forgive me for what I've done. I know I don't deserve forgiveness. But I want to say one last thing, Bách Việt - cherish what you have. I've traded everything in pursuit of power and prestige, and in the end I only received emptiness. Don't let your life fall into the same trap as mine."

"I will remember," Bách Việt replied, his voice no longer had any anger, only the calmness of someone who had completely let go of the past. "I hope you find true peace, Khả Di, wherever you go."

The call ended, and with it, the final chapter of a three-year feud came to a complete close.

*

The next morning, news about Tống Khả Di leaving the country, along with Hằng Phát Investment Fund officially declaring dissolution due to being involved in a serious legal scandal, flooded all financial newspapers. Việt Thịnh shares, after a short period of fluctuations due to concerns, quickly recovered and grew stronger than before the crisis occurred, thanks to shareholder confidence reinforced by the transparent and decisive way the management handled the entire incident.

At the office, the working atmosphere gradually returned to its normal rhythm, but one thing had completely changed compared to before: no one was looking at Thư Nhã with curious eyes or whispering behind her back anymore. Even the employees who had been reserved and distant towards her because of false rumors before now proactively came to greet her, their eyes shining with sincere respect for a woman who silently shouldered a great responsibility without a word of complaint. Instead, she received true respect from her colleagues, who now clearly knew that it was her sharp analytical ability and courage that were the decisive factors that helped Việt Thịnh overcome the biggest crisis in the corporation's history.

"Miss Thư Nhã, everyone in the company respects you very much," Đinh Bội Quyên said, stopping by his friend's office with a bright smile. "Everyone said that it turned out that the silent hero who saved Việt Thịnh was the secretary who everyone thought only knew how to work hard, not knowing that she was right next to such an excellent strategic mind."

"I just hope that work will be a little less stressful in the near future, so I can have time to prepare for my baby's birth." Thư Nhã smiled and gently rubbed her already round belly. Bội Quyên laughed, pulled out a chair to sit next to her friend, and the two of them reviewed the past stressful days with a mixture of relief and pride, like two soldiers who had just gone through a tough battle together and won a worthy victory.

Thư Nhã smiled, gently placed her hand on her belly, feeling the baby's increasingly stronger kicks. "I simply did what was necessary to protect the people I love, Bội Quyên. But honestly, I'm very grateful that everything ended well in the end."

That afternoon, Bách Việt convened a short meeting with the entire senior management team, officially announced the appointment of personnel to replace the position left by Ms. Phùng Nhược My, and announced a plan to restructure the shareholder relations department to increase transparency in management, drawing profound experience from the entire recent incident. The whole hall listened in absolute agreement, without any doubts about his leadership ability as at the most tense moment of the crisis.

Late that night, when returning to the apartment, Bách Việt sat next to Thư Nhã on the sofa, his hand gently placed on her belly, feeling every little movement of the child. "Our child will be born into a world that is much safer than what his parents experienced," he said, his voice filled with a simple happiness that he had never allowed himself to fully feel in all these years.

"Yes, a world with no more secrets, no more fear," Thư Nhã replied, leaning her head on his shoulder, her heart felt more relieved than ever. Outside, winter is gradually giving way to the first warm rays of spring, as a symbol of a new chapter about to open in both people's lives, a chapter no longer covered by secrets, hatred, or cold calculations of the past.