Chapter 19 — The Heiress's Selection of a Husband

The trip to meet Mr. Dinh Van Tho went more smoothly than Anh Thu expected. The old accountant, living secluded in a small house in a remote town, was initially reserved, but when he saw half of the jade face and heard the whole story, he burst into tears, admitting that for the past twenty-five years, he was still tormented because he did not have the courage to speak up to protect his innocent colleague that day.

"I still have a copy of the original document, which I secretly copied before the official records were destroyed." Mr. Tho said, his hands trembling and he took out an old envelope that had been hidden in the bottom of the closet for many years. "I always hope that one day someone will need it to exonerate Dac Nghia. I will go to the ceremony and tell the truth, no matter what the cost."

With Mr. Tho's promise and the evidence collected, Anh Thu, Vinh Khang and Vinh Phong spent the entire night before the death anniversary to rearrange all documents and carefully rehearse each step they would present to the family. Vinh Phong, after hearing the whole truth, was stunned for a long time before squeezing Anh Thu's hand, her voice filled with determination. "You've endured too much alone. From now on, I will stand with you until the end."

On the morning of the death anniversary, the Chu family mansion was brightly decorated with flags and flowers, and the garden was splendidly decorated to welcome hundreds of guests, from near and far relatives to important business partners and several local officials. A solemn atmosphere covered the ancestral temple area, where the ancestral altar was fully decorated with offerings according to traditional rituals.

Chu Vinh Toan, despite his poor health, still tried to stand firm to preside over the ceremony, his eyes filled with pride as he looked at his children and grandchildren gathered together. No one at the ceremony knew that, behind that solemn appearance, an underground storm was waiting to explode.

Anh Thu stood in a simple ao dai given to her by Lam Ngoc Dung for this important occasion, clutching a small cloth bag containing all the evidence: half of a jade pendant, an old photo, a copy of Mr. Tho's documents, and photos of scraps of paper to practice signatures from years ago. She stood next to Vinh Khang, feeling the warmth of his hand gently holding her hand discreetly, like a silent encouragement in the solemn and pressured atmosphere. Mr. Dinh Van Tho, in an old but neat suit, stood quietly in a corner of the yard, waiting for the decisive moment. Vinh Phong stood opposite, his eyes never leaving Bach Dinh, ready to act if something unexpected happened.

Just as the incense offering ceremony ended, a luxury car suddenly entered the courtyard of the mansion, not on the guest list. Lam Vinh Phat stepped down, followed by two lawyers wearing serious black suits, striding straight into the middle of the ceremony field to the surprise of everyone.

"Sorry for coming uninvited." Lam Vinh Phat said, his voice rang out with challenge, his eyes scanned the crowd until stopping where Anh Thu was standing next to Vinh Khang. "But I have something important to take care of right here, in front of everyone."

The whole ceremony yard was buzzing. Chu Vinh Toan frowned and stepped forward. "Who are you, for what purpose do you come here?"

"I am Lam Vinh Phat, representative of Lam Phat Group. And that woman standing there," he pointed straight at Anh Thu, "is the fiancee who cheated, stole a large sum of money from my family and then ran away right before the engagement ceremony. I'm here today to bring her back to take responsibility before the law."

Panic whispers spread throughout the ceremony yard. Chu Bach Dinh, standing in the crowd, slightly curled his lips and smiled coldly, pretending to be as surprised as everyone else. "What is this? Miss Thu, do you have any explanation?"

Anh Thu stepped forward, her heart beating rapidly but her eyes did not waver. "I did not deceive anyone to get money. I ran away from the wedding because it was an arranged marriage full of calculations, nothing to do with love, arranged by people who only wanted to profit from my assets."

"What proof do you have when you say that?" Lam Vinh Phat smiled faintly, turned to his lawyer and gestured to hand over a stack of papers. "This is an official complaint, accompanied by evidence that she withdrew a large sum of money from the company account shortly before disappearing."

One of the two men in black suits following Lam Vinh Phat suddenly approached Anh Thu, intending to reach out and grab her arm as if ready to escort her away immediately. Vinh Phong quickly stepped forward to block the way, his voice was full of warning. "This is the Chu family mansion, not where you can do whatever you want. Back off now."

The man paused at Vinh Phong's unexpectedly tough attitude, glanced at Lam Vinh Phat, waiting for instructions. The atmosphere was tense to the point of suffocation, a few older guests began to whisper worriedly, a number of important business partners stood silently observing the developments with a questioning look, understanding that this could be a crisis that directly affected the reputation of Chu Nguyen Group.

Those were sophisticatedly fabricated documents, part of the plan that Bach Dinh and Lam Vinh Phat had orchestrated together. Vinh Khang stepped up to stand next to Anh Thu, her voice rang out with authority. "Before making any accusations, I suggest clarifying the true motive behind this unexpected visit. Mr. Lam Vinh Phat, are you here under the arrangement of someone in our own family?"

That unexpected question made Lam Vinh Phat pause for a second, his eyes unconsciously glanced towards Bach Dinh, a small gesture but enough for Vinh Khang, who was a keen observer, to recognize immediately.

"I don't understand what you're implying." Lam Vinh Phat replied, trying to regain composure, but the fleeting awkwardness could not be completely hidden.

Bach Dinh, sensing that the situation was turning unfavorable, quickly intervened. "This matter should be resolved by the law. There should be no noise in the middle of the family's solemn ceremony. I suggest inviting Ms. Thu and this guest into a private room to settle the matter."

"Unnecessary." Anh Thu said, her voice rang out clearly, without any tremor. "Because today, in front of everyone, I also have something to say, a truth that has been buried for the past twenty-five years, directly related to the Chu family itself."

Vinh Bach, standing next to his father from the beginning of the ceremony, took a step forward, standing on Anh Thu's side clearly in front of everyone. "Father, I think we should listen to everything she has to say. I have seen enough to believe that Ms. Thu is not the type of person who lies and takes advantage of her as just accused."

The words of the eldest son, who was famous for being strict and fastidious, made the crowd even more excited. Lam Ngoc Dung squeezed her husband's hand tightly, her eyes were full of worry but could not hide her curiosity at what was about to be revealed. The whole ceremony yard suddenly fell silent. Chu Vinh Toan looked at her, his eyes full of questioning and a vague premonition of insecurity. "What do you want to say?"

Anh Thu looked towards Vinh Khang, received an encouraging nod, then turned to look straight at Chu Bach Dinh standing motionless in the middle of the crowd, his face for the first time revealing a trace of panic that could not be hidden. She pulled out half of the lotus-shaped jade pendant from her pocket and held it high in front of everyone.

"Twenty-five years ago, there was a man named Ton Dac Nghia, who was Mr. Chu Vinh Toan's right-hand man and confidant. He was falsely accused of embezzling public funds, lost all honor, had to take his wife and children and flee this city. That man is my biological father. And I believe that the person who harmed him, fabricated evidence to rob him of his position and honor, is standing right in this ceremony yard today."

Panic whispers spread quickly throughout the ceremony yard like an unstoppable wave. Chu Vinh Toan staggered a step, having to hold on to Lam Ngoc Dung's arm to stand steady. His face was pale as if he had just seen a ghost of the past. "Dac Nghia... are you Dac Nghia's daughter?"

"Yes, sir." Anh Thu replied, her voice was choked but still maintained the necessary stability. "I don't come here to reclaim property or status, but just to find the truth, so that my father can be vindicated after twenty-five years of being unjustly accused."

Bach Dinh stood silently in the crowd, feeling like all eyes were gradually focusing on him, even though no one had officially named him. He tried to keep his expression calm, but the beads of sweat on his forehead were beginning to betray a panic that he could no longer completely hide.