Chapter 4 — Ten Years of Loving You, A Lifetime of Learning to Love Yourself

I kept pressing the remote. Each line of complex code appears on the screen.

“Tinh Tran algorithm, the foundation that helps the company stand firm.”

“I told everyone that it was the result of me leading the research team day and night.”

“But I forgot.”

“The original architecture of this algorithm... is my college graduation project.”

“In order to make it the company's property, I gave up the rights to the author's name.”

There was an immediate stir in the meeting room. Even many directors here are learning for the first time about stories that have been buried for many years. Tran Thuy's face became whiter and whiter.

"I... I said nonsense! It was the result of both of us!"

I curled my lips slightly. On the screen, each photo appears one by one. A social banquet table lit up with lights. I held the glass of wine and blocked the wine for him over and over again. My stomach hurt so much that I couldn't stand up straight. Four o'clock in the morning at the airport. As soon as I landed in this city, I pulled my suitcase and immediately flew to another city, only to meet an extremely difficult customer on his behalf. One night it was pouring rain. I held an umbrella and stood in the middle of the project site, supervising the final equipment installation stage.

“Tran Thuy.”

“Look at these pictures.”

“Then tell me... what you call 'together', where are you?”

“When I was running up and down everywhere…”

“You're sitting in your heated office, waiting for good news from me.”

“When I drank until my stomach bled because of work…”

“I'm having dinner in a fancy restaurant with my new lover.”

“When I was soaked in the rain at the construction site…”

“You are in our house, enjoying everything I have prepared for you.”

“And I…”

“In all the places you've never seen…”

“Step by step, every obstacle on your path to success has been cleared.”

Tran Thuy opened his mouth. But couldn't say a word. Finally, the screen stops at the Shareholding Agreement. His eyes immediately lit up. Like a drowning person who just grabbed a straw to save his life.

"Agree!"

"The agreement clearly states that you are the owner! You have the right to manage the company!"

I nodded calmly.

“You are the one who is in charge of the household.”

“But it seems... you forgot something.”

“Any contract... has additional terms.”

“The day I signed, I only looked at the front.”

“Never turned to the back.”

I enlarged the back of the agreement onto the screen. An extremely small line of text immediately appeared before everyone's eyes. Additional clause 11.7: During the marriage, if the person named in the household name, Mr. Tran Thuy, seriously violates the marital obligations of fidelity, leading to the breakdown of the marriage, this agreement will automatically become invalid. The actual owner, Ms. To Nhien, has the right to unilaterally and unconditionally revoke all of the shares currently held in the household's name, and at the same time, the person in the household's name must unconditionally cooperate in completing all transfer procedures. Tran Thuy's eyes were glued to that line. The pupils contract and then immediately dilate. Finally... He remembered. Ten years ago. When signing this agreement, I smiled and said to him:

“Ah Thuy, please add this clause.”

“Consider this my promise to you.”

“I will never betray you...right?”

At that time, he didn't care at all. Grab your pen and sign now.

“Of course!”

“Don't say one term, add a hundred terms!”

He always thought that... It was just a little love between husband and wife. A joke not worth worrying about. He never thought... That very joke... would become a mine buried under his feet.

“No way…”

He muttered, his body starting to stagger. Take a step back. Then one more step. Finally, his legs went weak, and his whole body fell heavily onto the chair behind him. The entire meeting room fell into dead silence. I turned off the projector, slowly stood up, and looked around the room.

“Now…”

“Does anyone else doubt my character?”

No one spoke up. I looked at Tran Thuy sitting motionless, his face as gray as ashes. Say each word slowly.

“The debt of the past ten years…”

“Today…”

“We're just starting to count.”

The conference room door closed behind me. Tran Thuy was left behind in that space filled with the smell of failure, like a statue that had lost its soul. Uncle Ly followed behind, his voice full of emotion.

“Nien Nhien, over the years... you have suffered a lot of self-pity.”

“Uncle Ly, everything is over.”

I calmly replied.

“Now, the most important thing is to get the company back on track.”

“You're right.”

He immediately returned to working mode.

“The audit company has already contacted you, they will come to work this afternoon. In addition, there are a few department heads brought in by Tran Thuy, they have no ability, they are only good at flattery. How are you going to handle it?”

“Give me the list.”

I walked and talked.

“Before leaving work today, let them write their own resignation letters.”

I walked down the long hallway. The employees in the work cubicles all secretly raised their heads to look out. Their eyes were no longer pity or curiosity. And be careful.