Chapter 12 — The Dignity of a Signature

The law office is located in a commercial building in the city center. When I arrived, the lawyer in charge was already waiting. His last name is Lu, his name is Lu Thanh Hoa. Over forty years old, speaks very slowly but his eyes are extremely sharp. It was introduced by Lieu Than. After last night's call, he sent me another text message:

“Perhaps you will need a trustworthy lawyer.”

Below is Lu Thanh Hoa's business card.

“Miss Lam Ha.”

Lu Thanh Hoa flipped through the documents on the table and spoke.

“I have a rough grasp of the situation.”

“Your request has two parts.”

“The first is divorce.”

“Second is the right to sign the work.”

“The divorce part is relatively simple.”

“You two don't have any children.”

"Common assets are mainly the wedding house and a portion of savings."

"During the secret marriage, she did not use her status as 'Tham Hao's wife' to receive any commercial benefits, so the issue of property division will not be too complicated."

“My family doesn't need it.”

“Savings are according to the law.”

Lu Thanh Hoa raised his head and looked at me.

“Are you sure?”

“Which neighborhood is that house in?”

“Bich Lan Loan north of the city.”

“I think you know that place.”

He was silent for a few seconds. Everyone in the world knows how much a house costs in Bich Lan Loan.

“I'm sure.”

“I just took back what belonged to me.”

“So let's talk about the second thing.”

He closed the file.

“The issue of signing rights is much more complicated than divorce.”

"For the works she created during her time at Tham Thi, if there is no written agreement on ownership, in terms of labor relations, the company still has space to dispute."

“I am not Tham Thi's employee.”

He stopped.

“I have never signed a labor contract.”

“There is no social insurance.”

“There is no payroll.”

“I do not have any employment relationship with that company.”

“So what status do you work there?”

“Tham Hao's wife.”

I calmly replied.

“Do it for free.”

Lu Thanh Hoa leaned back in his chair and looked at me for a few seconds.

“You used your personal identity to provide free design services to Tam Thi, but you never signed any copyright transfer agreement?”

The corners of his lips moved slightly, as if he was trying to hold back some expression.

“So the situation will be completely different.”

He immediately sat up straight.

“You are not a company employee.”

“Her work is not considered ministry work.”

“In the absence of a written agreement…”

“The original creator will own full copyright and signature rights.”

"I know."

“You thought about this from the beginning?”

I don't answer. He looked at me for a few seconds. Then open the laptop and start typing.

“I will process the divorce agreement and the request to confirm signing authority in parallel.”

Lu Thanh Hoa spoke while typing on the computer.

“Master Phuong sent you all the original data, right?”

“Pack it up and send me a copy.”

He raised his head to look at me.

"This morning Tham Hao sent a message to the company group saying she stole the design results and intentionally created a scandal."

“This constitutes a violation of honor.”

“Do you want to sue too?”

I thought for a few seconds.

“Not yet.”

I said slowly:

“Compared to litigation, there is a much faster way to shut him up.”

Lu Thanh Hoa raised his eyebrows slightly. When I left the lawyer's office almost noon. I went to a roadside noodle shop to eat a bowl of noodles. Halfway through eating, the phone rang. It's Tham Hao. He used a new number so I couldn't block him yet. I picked up the phone. His voice was much calmer than last night. But that calmness gives the feeling of trying too hard to control yourself.

“Where are you?”

“Let's meet and talk.”

"What is up?"

“Let's meet and talk.”

“You choose the location.”

“No see.”

“If there's something wrong, let the lawyer talk about it.”

He laughed coldly.

“Have you hired a lawyer?”

“Okay, I'll rent mine.”

“But I'm not calling today because of that.”

“There's something you should know.”

“Hua Tu Tu went to the hospital this morning.”

My hand holding the bowl of noodles slightly stopped.

"She said she was too excited last night and her blood pressure was high so she had to go to the emergency room."

“Currently located at People's Hospital.”

His voice was very calm. As if just telling an unrelated story. But I can hear it. He said that on purpose. He's forcing me to feel guilty. What he means is: Your actions last night hurt a young girl. I should feel guilty.

“Her blood pressure is her business.”

“Is there anything else?”

“If not, I'll hang up.”

"Wait."

His voice suddenly lowered.

“What do you want anyway?”

“I give you money.”

“Give me a house.”

“Don't keep making a big deal out of it.”

“This doesn't benefit anyone.”

“I want a divorce.”

“Plus the right to sign my work.”

“Divorce can be negotiated.”

He spoke very fast.

“But the right to sign is not.”

“If ‘Quy Khu’ is confirmed to not be the work of Hua Tu Tu…”

“The Golden Crane Award will be revoked.”

“Do you know what that means for the company?”

“Customer trust will collapse.”

“Ongoing projects may be completely suspended.”

“More than two hundred employees…”

“Shen Hao.”

I interrupted him. He fell silent.