Chapter 23 — The Heiress and Her Scholarship Friend

A week later, the official DNA test results were sent, confirming with 99.99 percent accuracy that Tran Minh Dang was the grandson of Tran Bao Quoc, the only son of Tran Minh Khoi who passed away fifteen years ago. The results announcement was held privately at the family's private lawyer's office, with only the presence of Mr. Bao Quoc, Ms. Hanh, Minh Dang, Mr. Lam, and the representative lawyer.

When he heard the lawyer read the results aloud, Mr. Bao Quoc could not hold back his tears, stood up and hugged Minh Dang in a burst of emotion after fifteen long years of waiting. "Finally, I found you again," he said, his voice choked up. "I promise, from now on, I won't let anything harm you or your mother again."

Minh Dang, although still feeling confused by a new blood relationship, could not help but be sincerely touched by the warm affection of the grandfather whose existence he had never known until a few weeks ago. "I'm also happy to finally know the truth, sir," he replied, his voice equally choked.

Immediately after the announcement, Mr. Bao Quoc decided to hold an emergency family meeting to officially recognize Minh Dang as the legal heir, and also invited Tran Bao Long to attend - a bold decision to force all hidden plots to come to light instead of continuing to work silently in the dark.

At the meeting held two days later at the headquarters of Tran Gia Group, a tense atmosphere pervaded the large meeting room when key members of the board of directors and several legal representatives of the family were present. Tran Bao Long sat in the front row, his face trying to stay calm but his eyes could not hide the extreme tension.

"Today, I officially announce," Mr. Bao Quoc began, his solemn voice echoing throughout the meeting room, "my grandson, Tran Minh Dang, has been found after fifteen years of disappearance, with DNA test results confirming his full legality. From today, he will be officially registered in the family tree, and according to the original will that I made before, he will be the main heir of the entire Tran Gia group."

That statement made the entire meeting room stir, many eyes turned to Bao Long, who was trying to keep a calm face even though inside he was seething with anger and panic.

"Uncle," Bao Long spoke up, his voice trying to remain respectful but containing clear resistance, "I think we need to consider more carefully the legality of this. The boy has been raised entirely outside the family for fifteen years, without participating in any of Tran Gia's business activities. Is such a sudden grant of inheritance rights really fair to those who have devoted many years to the development of the corporation?"

Before Mr. Bao Quoc could respond, Mr. Lam stood up, his voice calm but full of weight. "Regarding the issue of legality, I have some more evidence to present to the council." He signaled his assistant to open a thick file, showing on the big screen the evidence that the investigation team had quietly collected over the past weeks — including call data, suspicious financial transactions, and especially a recording from the man who rented the truck that caused the near-collision on the road, confirming that he had received direct instructions from a phone number registered under the name of a shell company connected to Tran Bao Long.

"This is evidence that someone in this family deliberately hindered, even threatened the lives of Minh Dang and his mother, to prevent this truth from being recognized," Mr. Lam declared, his voice sharp. "We are also coordinating to investigate the possibility of a connection between these actions and the mysterious death of Mr. Tran Minh Khoi fifteen years ago."

The entire meeting room was shocked by the evidence revealed, everyone's eyes turned to Bao Long with increasing suspicion and indignation. His face was pale, no longer able to maintain his original fake composure.

"This is completely slander," Bao Long countered, his voice starting to tremble with panic. "You can't prove anything based on just a few vague recordings like that."

"We believe that the investigation agency will have enough authority and tools to clarify the entire incident in the most accurate way," Mr. Bao Quoc replied, his voice cold as never seen before as he looked straight at the nephew whom he once trusted with many important responsibilities. "From today, I temporarily suspend all of your executive positions at the corporation, until the investigation has a final conclusion."

Bao Long stood up in extreme anger and helplessness, knowing clearly that he had no way back from the evidence that had been publicly presented to the entire board of directors, leaving the meeting room under the scrutiny and judgment of all those who had been his colleagues and even his subordinates for many years.

After the meeting, Mr. Bao Quoc pulled Minh Dang and Ms. Hanh into his private office, his voice filled with relief after letting go of the burden of suspicion that had weighed on him for many years. "I'm sorry that you and your mother had to endure so much suffering because of the greed of one person in this very family," he said, his voice filled with remorse. "But I promise, from today, you will live in the protection and love you deserve."

"I don't blame you," Minh Dang replied, his voice sincere. "The most important thing to me is that my mother can finally live without fear or hiding anymore."

Mrs. Hanh, for the first time in fifteen years, let tears of true relief fall, no longer tears of fear or suffering, but of a huge burden that was finally lifted from her thin shoulders that had been carrying it for so many years.

That afternoon, on the way back to the city, Minh Dang immediately texted Khanh Vy, unable to wait any longer to share this shocking news with the person he trusted the most. Receiving the message, Khanh Vy immediately called, her voice filled with shock and joy when she heard Minh Dang tell the whole story.

"So that means, you are the grandson of the Tran Gia group?" she asked, her voice still shocked by that unexpected information.

"I'm still me, Khanh Vy," Minh Dang replied, his voice gentle but firm. "It's just that now, I know more about my true origins. That doesn't change who I am, or how I feel about you."

Khanh Vy was silent for a moment, complex emotions mixed between joy for him and a new ray of hope that had just flashed in her heart - if Minh Dang now truly has an equal position, even superior to Vu Gia, is this an opportunity to completely break down the wall of class prejudice that has separated them for so long? But she quickly put that thought aside, reminding herself that her feelings for Minh Dang have never been related to status or property, but come from the sincere, resilient person he has shown since the first day they met.

"I'm so happy for you," she said, her voice warm and sincere. "You deserve to have a family that loves you completely, after everything you've been through."

"There's something I want to ask you," Minh Dang said, his voice suddenly becoming more serious. "My grandfather proposed to hold a small party to introduce me to a few close associates of the family this weekend. Would you like to come with me? As... the most important person in my life."

Khanh Vy held her breath for a moment before that meaningful invitation. "I'd love to," she replied, her voice emotional. "But you know, I'm still bound by my grandmother's restraining order, and the engagement hasn't officially been canceled yet."

"I know," Minh Dang replied, his voice full of understanding. "I don't want to put any more pressure on you. It's just, I want you to know, even though everything around me has completely changed, the only thing that hasn't changed is my feelings for you."

Hanging up the phone, Khanh Vy sat silently by the window of her private room, her heart filled with complex emotions at the unexpected turning point in Minh Dang's life, along with a new determination that was gradually forming - that she would not let any barriers, whether marriage contracts or family prejudices, continue to separate her from her own true happiness any longer.