Chapter 14 — The Photograph Without a Third Person

Finding a new space for the studio turned out to be more difficult than Ha thought. Over the course of a week, she went to see nearly a dozen locations, but every time she was about to sign the contract, the homeowner would suddenly change his mind for vague and incomprehensible reasons. Arriving at the seventh location, Ha began to suspect that Tran Dat was behind it, silently putting pressure on the homeowners through the group's extensive business relationship network.

"We cannot let them continue to manipulate like that," Minh Tuan said when listening to Ha's story. "I will ask a friend who is a real estate broker to find a place where the homeowner does not have any connection with Phan Group's partners."

Finally, thanks to that help, Ha found a small house in another neighborhood, farther from the center but quiet and affordable. The homeowner was a retired lady who did not have any business connections that could be pressured, and she agreed to sign the contract immediately upon hearing Ha's story, even though she did not understand the entire situation.

"You do a good job, taking photos to preserve beautiful moments for people," the old lady said, patting Ha on the shoulder. "I believe you will overcome any difficulty."

That simple word of encouragement moved Ha to tears. Amidst the intense pressure from the Phan Group, the unexpected kindness from a stranger was like a breath of fresh air, reminding her that the world still had many good things worth fighting to protect.

***

While Ha is busy with moving the studio, Minh Tuan continues to promote legal procedures. He completed a petition to the court, requesting the reopening of Gia Bao's medical records, and submitted an official denunciation to the construction management agency about the incident at Lam Dien project, fully attaching the collected evidence.

"The construction management agency has received the complaint," he informed Ha by phone one afternoon. "They will send an independent inspection team to re-survey the Lam Dien project next week. This is an important step, because the inspection team's conclusion will be officially legal and difficult to deny."

"What about Mr. Bao's medical records?" Ha asked.

"The court is considering the petition. Since this is a complicated case, involving falsification of death records, I think they will need more time to handle it carefully." Minh Tuan stopped for a moment. "But there is not so good news - I heard that Tran Dat has hired a team of very famous lawyers, specializing in handling sensitive cases involving large corporations. They will find every way to delay, complicate the case, or find legal loopholes to deny our petition."

Ha felt a bit discouraged by that news, but she quickly regained her spirits. "We've come this far. I don't plan on stopping just because they have more money to hire good lawyers."

"I think so too," Minh Tuan replied, his voice also full of determination. "And I believe justice, no matter how slow, will still come, as long as we don't give up halfway."

***

That evening, while Ha was arranging furniture at her new studio, Khanh Vy suddenly appeared, alone, without warning. Her face was haggard, clearly having spent many sleepless nights since learning the truth about her husband's family.

"Miss Ha," Khanh Vy said, her voice shaking. "I need to talk to you."

Ha invited her in, poured a glass of water, and waited for the young girl to regain her composure. After a moment of silence, Khanh Vy began to speak, her voice filled with pain.

"I don't know what to do anymore," she said. "I love Gia Huy, but I also cannot accept what he did. Every time I look at him, I think of my twin brother who is living in darkness because of his silence."

"I understand it's very difficult for you," Ha said softly. "But I think, the decision to stay or leave is yours alone, no one can decide for you."

"I know," Khanh Vy replied, wiping her tears. "But I didn't come here to ask you about that. I want... I want to help. I want to do something right, even if it means destroying my marriage."

Ha looked at the young girl in front of her, feeling the sincerity in her words. "How can you help?"

"My family also has business ties with the Phan Group, and I know some inside information that might be helpful to your investigation," Khanh Vy said, her voice gradually becoming more determined. "Tran Dat not only arranged Mr. Gia Bao's case. I heard, through my father's conversations with his partner, that he had engaged in similar behavior in at least one other case in the past — another employee who dared to speak out, had also mysteriously 'disappeared' from the company."

This information stunned Ha. If this is true, then Tran Dat is not only guilty of Gia Bao alone, but may also be a pattern of repeated behavior, oppressing anyone who dares to challenge his authority.

"Can you help me find more information about that case?" Ha asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though a new excitement and indignation were rising in her heart.

"I will try," Khanh Vy replied, nodding fiercely. "I owe Mr. Gia Bao an apology, even though I've never met him. My husband's family took his life, and I can't continue to pretend like I know nothing about it."

After Khanh Vy left, Ha sat quietly for a long time, contemplating what had just been revealed. She realized that this story could be much bigger than she had initially imagined — not just a family tragedy, but possibly a pattern of systematic oppression that Tran Dat had used repeatedly to protect his power and interests.

She immediately called Minh Tuan and recounted the information she had just received. His voice became much more serious when he finished listening.

"If this is true," he said, "then our case is more than just a personal dispute. This could become a systemic case, affecting many more victims that we don't even know about yet. We need to investigate further, but we also need to be more careful than ever — the more Tran Dat has to hide, the more desperate he will be to protect that secret."

After hanging up the phone, Ha couldn't sleep. She sat at her desk in the new studio, reopening all the files she had collected so far, trying to find any clues that might be related to the other "victim" case Khanh Vy had just mentioned. She searched through old articles about Phan Group, looking for the names of employees who held important positions but suddenly left the company in the past few years.

Near midnight, she found a name: Dang Van Son, once the head of the group's internal audit department, suddenly "quit his job due to health reasons" three years ago, just a few months after a short article mentioned that the audit department was "reviewing some unusual expenses in construction projects". After that, there was no more information about this person.

“A repeating pattern,” she muttered, jotting down the name in her notebook. If it is true that Tran Dat has applied similar tactics to silence anyone who discovers financial or technical violations within the corporation, then the scope of this incident may be much broader than she ever imagined.

The next morning, she sent information about Dang Van Son to Minh Tuan, asking him to find a way to contact her for verification. A few days later, Minh Tuan reported that he had found Mr. Son's current address - a small house in the suburbs, where he lives quietly with his wife, no longer related to the construction industry.

When Minh Tuan contacted, Mr. Son initially refused to talk, his voice was full of fear on the phone. But after learning about Gia Bao's case, and knowing that Ms. Kim Oanh was ready to testify, he gradually became more open.

"I discovered illegal expenses in the financial reports of some projects," he said over the phone, his voice still shaking even though three years have passed. "When I reported to my superiors, I was called into a private meeting with Mr. Tran Dat. He did not threaten directly, but implied that if I continued, my family would be in trouble. I was scared, so I accepted 'leave of absence for health reasons' in exchange for compensation and silence."

Mr. Son's account, although not as serious as what Gia Bao experienced, is still important evidence that Tran Dat has a repeated pattern of behavior in oppressing those who dare to speak up. Minh Tuan recorded all of his testimony, promising to keep Mr. Son's identity secret until it was necessary to reveal it in court.

“We are building a much more comprehensive picture,” Minh Tuan told Ha after that call. "Not just a single incident, but evidence that this was systematic, intentional behavior that lasted for many years. This will give our case a lot more weight in court."

Ha felt a new hope arise in her heart, but it was also accompanied by a deeper worry. If Tran Dat was willing to do such cruel things to protect his secrets in the past, then when he feels cornered this time, how reckless can he be?