Chapter 19 — The Mighty, All-Powerful Genie

That morning, Nhã Kỳ woke up before the alarm bell rang. She lay still in the dark, looking up at the ceiling, clearly hearing her heart beating rapidly. Today is the signing ceremony. The most important day in Đường Gia's history since she took over the group.

Her phone was silent all night. No message from Bách Nguyên. Since the night he proposed a divorce, the two had almost stopped talking to each other, only exchanging a few short sentences about housework when absolutely necessary. She wanted to call him, wanted to ask him if he was going to attend the ceremony, but her pride once again stopped her.

She stood up, put on her favorite ash gray suit, carefully applied makeup, trying to hide the dark circles under her eyes from insomnia. Looking in the mirror, she told herself: today is not the day to be weak.

The hall of the city's largest five-star hotel shines brightly under stage lights. Hundreds of guests filled the rows of chairs. Domestic and foreign reporters spread cameras around every corner. On the stage, two signing tables were placed parallel, flags of Đường Gia and the multinational partner corporation fluttering on both sides.

Nhã Kỳ stood backstage, adjusting her vest, her hands shaking slightly.

"Five minutes left until the ceremony." Newspaper assistant.

She took a deep breath and walked out onto the stage.

The ceremony opened smoothly. Nhã Kỳ's opening speech sounded fluent, confident, and true to the style of an experienced CEO. The representative of the partner corporation nodded with satisfaction. Camera lenses record every moment for live broadcast on financial news channels. Everything seems to be going perfectly.

Until the host opened the question and answer session before the official signing ceremony.

"Before proceeding with the signing, the organizing committee would like to take a few minutes for a speech from the shareholder representative." The host announced, following the customary polite opening of major financial events. "Please invite Mr. Hứa Việt Long, Chairman of Long Thịnh Group, currently holding twelve percent of Đường Gia shares."

The whole hall was buzzing. Nhã Kỳ was dumbfounded on the stage.

Twelve percent. She had no idea the number was so large. She did not know that Việt Long had secretly bought enough to have the right to speak at his own ceremony.

Việt Long stepped onto the stage, wearing a jet black suit, a cold smile on his lips. He held the microphone and scanned the hall before speaking.

"Congratulations to Đường Gia Group on this important cooperation deal." He opened his mouth, his voice calm, full of fake politeness. "But as a major shareholder, I have a responsibility to share with my partners and all shareholders some important information, before anyone puts pen to paper."

Nhã Kỳ clasped her hands behind her back. Her heart beat rapidly.

"Did you know, the head of this corporation is on the verge of divorcing her husband?" Việt Long spoke frankly, without beating around the bush. Murmurs spread throughout the hall. "A marriage, I know, was originally just a condition in the will of the late President Đường Vĩnh Bảo, and did not come from true love."

The camera lens simultaneously rotated towards Nhã Kỳ. She stood frozen, her face pale.

"And that husband," Việt Long continued, his voice gradually becoming colder, "didn't have any personal records before the wedding. No birth certificate. No educational history. No trace. A man from nowhere, married the heiress of a trillion-dollar corporation, right after the old boss passed away suddenly. Don't you find this suspicious?"

The hall was in chaos. Representatives of the partner corporation turned to each other, whispering, their faces full of concern. A senior leader from the partner side leaned into the assistant's ear and quietly asked if the ceremony should be postponed.

"Mr. Việt Long, I think you should stop," Nhã Kỳ spoke up, trying to keep her voice calm even though her whole body was shaking. "My personal life is not related to my ability to run a corporation."

"Isn't that relevant?" Việt Long raised his eyebrows, his tone was sarcastic. "A CEO who cannot maintain his own marriage, is he sane enough to maintain a trillion-dollar corporation in the face of market fluctuations? I think this is a question that all shareholders deserve to have answered, right before they put their trust in a big cooperation deal like this."

"I'm not done yet," he interrupted her when she was about to argue further, undeterred. "I also want to announce that, as the second largest shareholder of the group, I will officially propose to convene an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders immediately after today's event, to vote on the management capacity of the current CEO. Is a person who is not transparent enough in his own married life, transparent enough to lead a trillion-dollar corporation?"

Chatter echoed throughout the hall, much louder than last time. Several reporters began typing quickly on their phones, sending hot news stories to the editorial office. Nhã Kỳ stood on stage, feeling like hundreds of eyes were weighing heavily on her shoulders, and she couldn't find any words strong enough to refute Việt Long's seemingly reasonable argument.

At that moment, a voice rang out from the end of the hall.

"I think, before you continue, I should be the one to answer."

All eyes turned to the hall door. Cảnh Bách Nguyên walked in with a calm gait, cold eyes looking straight at the stage, carrying a black leather briefcase in his hand. He strode across the aisle between the two rows of seats, not at all in a hurry, but each step carried a certainty that caused the whole hall to automatically move aside to make way.

Nhã Kỳ looked at him, her heart tightened. She didn't know when he came from, or how much he had heard.

Việt Long raised his eyebrows, the smile on his lips never wavered. "Ah, the mysterious husband has appeared. Just in time."

Bách Nguyên walked straight onto the stage, standing next to Nhã Kỳ. He didn't look at Việt Long first. He looked at her first.

"I'm sorry for being late," he spoke softly, just loud enough for her to hear. "But I won't let you face this alone."

Nhã Kỳ looked at him, for a moment, the emotions pent up over the past few days seemed to burst. But she didn't have time to say anything. Việt Long spoke first, his voice now carrying a bit of obvious provocation.

"Who are you to dare to come on this stage, in the middle of an event for shareholders and senior partners?" He asked, glancing at Bách Nguyên from head to toe with undisguised contempt.

Bách Nguyên placed the leather briefcase on the table, unzipped it, pulled out a thick file of documents, and arranged them neatly in front of him.

"I am Miss Nhã Kỳ's husband," he spoke, his voice deep and firm, echoing throughout the silent hall. "And I am also the person who has spent the past three years quietly collecting evidence that Long Thịnh Group, under the direct direction of Mr. Hứa Việt Long, has repeatedly used shell companies to manipulate the market, sabotage Đường Gia's supply chain, and most recently, quietly acquired shares through a network of fake investment funds."

Việt Long paused, for the first time during the ceremony, the smile on his lips disappeared. His eyes were glued to the documents on the table, a moment of insecurity passed before he could regain his composure.

"You're making it up to protect your wife," he said, trying to keep his voice scornful, but no longer as certain as before. "There is no evidence whatsoever to substantiate those baseless allegations."

"Well then, I invite you all to watch," Bách Nguyên replied, his hand placed on the file, his eyes scanned the hall, stopping for a moment where the camera lens was pointing straight towards the stage. "I have all the evidence, and I will present every detail, right here, before everyone."

The whole hall held its breath. It was no longer a simple signing ceremony. It had become a public confrontation, and no one in the hall, including Nhã Kỳ who was standing silently next to Bách Nguyên with her heart racing, knew how it would end.

The representative of the partner corporation stood up from his chair, his face tense. "We need to pause the ceremony until everything is clarified," he spoke, his voice decisive but unable to hide his concern. "A deal worth trillions of dong cannot be signed in this questionable situation."

Việt Long, standing on the other side of the stage, slightly raised his lips. In his eyes, that pause was a small victory, even though the real battle was not yet over. "I completely agree with the proposed suspension," he said, his voice calm again. "But I also want to remind, every accusation made today needs to have solid evidence, otherwise, it is the person making the accusation who will be responsible before the law for slander."

Nhã Kỳ squeezed Bách Nguyên's hand that was placed on the table, a small gesture but enough for him to feel the trust she had just decided to give him completely right in the middle of this life and death moment for both the corporation and their marriage.

"Then please sit down, Mr. Việt Long," Bách Nguyên said, his eyes did not tremble at all. "For proof, I have enough."