Chapter 5 — The 12th-Floor Kitchen Contract

A week after Diem Tram officially moved to live at the Zenith building, her life rhythm has gradually stabilized in a new rhythm - in the morning at the bakery with Hoai Thu, in the afternoon working as a dessert consultant at Cam Luong restaurant, and in the evening returning to the apartment shared with Khang, where the two often briefly discuss work before everyone goes to their own rooms.

"This weekend we have a party to celebrate the establishment of the restaurant chain, the entire board of directors and important partners will attend," Khang announced during breakfast, his voice becoming unusually serious. "This will be our first official public appearance as an engaged couple."

Diem Tram felt a little nervous before that news. "What do I need to prepare?" she asked.

"I've had someone prepare suitable clothes for you," Khang replied. "But more importantly, you need to prepare yourself mentally, because there will be a lot of camera lenses, many questions from the media in the industry. Uncle Phat will definitely be present, and he will not miss the opportunity to find any loopholes in our story."

***

The party was held at a luxurious five-star hotel, with the attendance of hundreds of guests from the business and high-end culinary world. When Diem Tram entered the banquet hall in an elegant emerald green evening gown, holding Khang's arm in a formal black suit, many eyes turned to them with obvious curiosity.

"Is this the mysterious fiancee that the whole business world has been talking about all week?" A culinary magazine reporter approached, unable to hide his excitement as he pointed the microphone at them both. "Can you share a little about your love story?"

Diem Tram glanced at Khang briefly before answering, trying to keep her voice as natural as possible according to the agreed script. "We met through work, and gradually realized we shared a deep passion for food, with meticulousness in the smallest details," she replied, smiling more naturally than she imagined. "It's the foundation that brings us together."

"Great answer," Khang whispered in her ear as the reporter left, his eyes shining with sincere approval. "You have the gift of improvisation."

***

In the middle of the party, Mr. Phat approached, carrying a young, elegant woman that Diem Tram had never met before. "Viet Khang, let me introduce, this is Ho Yen Chi, the daughter of partner Ho Gia Thinh with whom we just signed a strategic cooperation agreement last month," Mr. Phat said, his eyes shining with an unrecognizable calculation.

"Long time no see, Viet Khang," Yen Chi said, her voice was sweet but contained an intimacy that made Diem Tram feel uncomfortable. "You still haven't changed much, have you?"

Khang nodded politely, his voice maintaining its usual calmness. "Hello Yen Chi. Long time no see." He turned to introduce Diem Tram with purposeful solemnity. "This is Diem Tram, my fiancee."

Yen Chi's eyes softened for a moment before she regained her composure and gave a forced smile. "Congratulations to both of you," she said, though her tone held no sincerity. "I was really surprised, because before you and I were matched by two families, I thought..."

"That's a thing of the past," Khang interrupted, his voice becoming much tougher. "Now I have Diem Tram."

***

After Yen Chi and Mr. Phat left, Diem Tram couldn't help but be curious about the relationship that had just been revealed. "She used to be..."

"A matchmaking match arranged by the family, many years ago," Khang explained briefly, his voice somewhat tense. "I refused from the beginning, but her family still doesn't seem to give up on the idea, especially since the business cooperation between the two companies is going smoothly."

Diem Tram sensed a new complexity creeping into the already confusing picture of this contract, but she didn't say anything more, just nodded and continued to accompany Khang through the remaining social conversations at the party.

At the end of the evening, when the two stood alone in a corner of the balcony, enjoying some rare fresh air amid the noise of the party, Khang suddenly spoke up. "Thank you, for tonight," he said, his voice more sincere than usual. "You handled every situation perfectly, even with Yen Chi."

"I'm just doing what the contract requires," Diem Tram replied, although in her heart she felt a complexity that was difficult to name when she said that sentence.

Khang looked at her in silence for a long time, his eyes under the shimmering lights of the city at night contained something deeper than what the contract had stipulated. "Sometimes I wonder," he said softly, almost in a whisper, "if everything between us is really just a contract."

That sentence made Diem Tram stunned for a moment, her heart pounded in an inexplicable way. But before she could respond, another guest's call interrupted that moment, leaving both of them with an open question, hanging in the air that night, signaling that the boundary between fake and real in their contract had officially begun to crack.

***

On the way back to the apartment, the two sat silently in the car, the atmosphere between them becoming heavy because of the unfinished sentence just now. Diem Tram glanced at Khang out of the corner of her eye, seeing that he still kept his eyes focused on the road ahead, but his fingers tightening on the steering wheel revealed an inner tension that he was trying to hide.

"What do you mean by that?" Diem Tram finally broke the silence, unable to suppress the curiosity in her heart.

Khang was silent for a long time before answering. "I'm not sure," he replied honestly. "Perhaps, it was just an impulsive moment after a few glasses of wine. Don't take it too seriously."

Diem Tram nodded, even though she didn't completely believe that explanation. She turned to look out the car window, watching the rows of city lights passing by in the night, trying to sort out the confusing emotions that were creeping into her heart.

***

When the two arrived at the apartment, Khang suddenly stopped in front of Diem Tram's room, instead of going straight to his room as usual. “I want to make one thing clear,” he said, his voice serious again. "Whatever the meaning of what I said earlier, I don't want it to complicate our working relationship. You trusted me when you signed that contract, and I will honor the terms we agreed upon."

"I understand," Diem Tram replied, although in her heart she felt a little disappointment that was difficult to name at that somewhat withdrawn explanation. "Thank you for making it clear."

Khang nodded, then turned and walked back to her room, leaving Diem Tram standing alone in front of the room door, her mind still lingering on the words she left hanging on the balcony that night. She walked into the room, sat down on the bed, and looked out the large window towards the sparkling city lights, wondering if what she was feeling was really just temporary confusion, or had begun to become something much deeper than what the contract had predicted.

That night, sleep came to Diem Tram later than usual, her mind kept repeating the image of Khang's eyes on the balcony, with the open question still hanging, unanswered, like a silent prophecy of what was about to happen between the two in the months ahead.

In the next room, Khang also couldn't sleep. He lay looking up at the ceiling, his hand unconsciously placed on his chest where his heart was still beating faster than usual since the moment on the balcony. Over the years, he's gotten used to controlling all his emotions, treating them as variables that need to be tightly managed, the same way he runs a professional kitchen. But for the first time, something beyond his control was slowly taking shape, and it made him both confused and unable to deny a strange excitement creeping into his heart.

He thought of his own warning to Diem Tram earlier — about not letting impulsive emotions complicate their contractual relationship. But lying there, in the quiet darkness of the apartment, Khang couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to convince himself of something that his heart already knew was no longer true.