Chapter 13 — The Bride Strikes Back: Exposing the Liar

My cousin. Just hearing that name made my chest choke up like it was being squeezed. How could it be her? Uncle Vuong's voice still rang through the phone.

“The transfer note is a ‘referral fee’.”

“To Thanh affirmed that it was just a normal business transaction.”

"Because the Bao Ca group is also involved in many other shady activities, we cannot directly link this money to your case for the time being."

“But the timing is too coincidental.”

“You should be careful with this cousin.”

I tightened my grip on the phone, my knuckles turning white. Not a coincidence. This is clearly a hand behind, silently pushing everything to this end. To Thanh's face appeared in my mind. We were only a year apart, grew up together, but were never really close. She was beautiful, well-spoken, and always "someone's child" in the eyes of her relatives. Only I know, under that obedient shell, how much jealousy and cold calculation lies. When I was young, when I ranked first in the class and was rewarded with a new dress by my parents... Her eyes when looking at me at that time were never the eyes of a relative. She would stand in front of everyone and compliment me on how beautiful my dress was, then turn around and "accidentally" spill ink on it. Growing up, I had a stable job, had a lover, and she sat at family gatherings, laughing and talking sarcastically.

"Du Du is truly lucky, unlike me, I have to try my best for everything."

I used to think it was just a petty rivalry between girls. I never thought her jealousy would degenerate into something so cruel. She... wants to destroy my whole life. The Trieu family is the knife, Bao Ca is the blade. As for her, she is the one standing in the darkness, exchanging knives and swords. The other 500,000 yuan is the "introduction fee", thanks to Ca Ca for leading Trieu Quoc Cuong into gambling and coordinating to set up the trap. The only purpose was to see me cheated out of all my assets, then saddled with debt, never to be able to raise my head again. A move that is both cold and poisonous. I shivered, cold from my feet to the top of my head.

“Du Du, are you still listening?”

Uncle Vuong's voice pulled me out of my dark memories.

“Yes, I'm here.”

My voice was unusually calm.

"Don't tell your parents about this for now, and don't let your eldest uncle know."

Uncle Vuong was a bit surprised.

"To Thanh is an accomplice, this is a crime, it must be handled by the law."

“I know.”

I said softly.

“But before that, I want her to admit it herself.”

“I want to know… why she did that.”

“That's very dangerous.”

“I won't let myself be in danger anymore.”

My eyes looked out the window, cold as night water.

“When dealing with snakes, we must use the method of a snake catcher.”

“I just want to give her a chance… to enter the cage herself.”

Hanging up, I opened To Thanh's WeChat. Her latest post was yesterday, nine sparkling selfies and a sumptuous cup of afternoon tea. Caption: “Sunny mood, everything is fine.” Everything okay? I looked at that fake smile, my stomach felt like it was flipped over. I dialed directly. The bell rang for a long time before someone picked up.

"Hello? Du Du?"

Her voice was full of surprise and fake concern.

“Why did you call me so late?”

“I heard something happened to you recently, are you okay?”

Acted really well. My voice had no emotion.

“Sister, are you free tomorrow? I invite you to come drink coffee.”

The other end of the line paused for a beat. Obviously she didn't expect me to proactively make an appointment.

“Are you free?”

She quickly returned to her friendly tone.

“I also want to talk to you.”

“What about the newly opened restaurant ‘Starlight Kiss’? I heard it's very nice.”

I replied briefly.

“Tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock.”

Hanging up, I leaned back on the sofa and closed my eyes. This chess game was started by her. Then… the ending will be written by me. Tomorrow, that coffee shop will not be the place where women confide. It's my interrogation room.