Chapter 6 — The Photograph Without a Third Person

Khanh Vy first noticed something unusual on the wedding night, when Gia Huy suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, sweat pouring down her forehead, muttering a name she couldn't hear clearly. He didn't explain, just said he had a nightmare because he was so tired after a long wedding day, then hugged her as if to reassure them both. She believed him, because what other reason was there to be suspicious in the happy early days of their new marriage?

But similar nights repeated, gradually becoming fewer and then thicker, enough for Khanh Vy to begin to notice. Gia Huy became much quieter than the confident, energetic man she had loved for two years of dating. He often stands silently in front of his private office window, looking out into the distance as if searching for something unreachable. One time she caught him quietly opening a small wooden box kept in a locked cabinet. Inside was only an old photo with worn corners, of two identical twin boys standing next to a bicycle.

"Who is this?" she asked, trying to get a better look at the photo.

Gia Huy quickly closed the box, his voice a bit urgent. "Nothing. Just old photos from when I was little."

Khanh Vy did not ask further, but the unusual haste in her husband's actions made her unable to help but wonder. She had never heard Gia Huy mention having twins. During all the family meetings before the wedding, Mrs. Kim Oanh always talked about her "only son".

***

Meanwhile, at Ha Studio, Dieu Thao spent three consecutive nights technically analyzing all the photo data from the wedding, using the knowledge she learned from the short-term digital forensics training course she attended before switching to photography.

"I found something interesting," she told Ha one morning, her eyes dark from lack of sleep but shining with the excitement of someone who has just solved a difficult math problem. "The RAW file's metadata shows the exact time of shooting, GPS coordinates, and even the angle of the camera at that time. I compared it with the map of the villa grounds, and the position where the man was standing - right behind the marble pillar - was exactly on the straight line from the side gate leading into the family's private house."

"It means he didn't come in from outside through the main gate," Ha said, piecing together the pieces of information.

"Exactly. And one more thing." Dieu Thao opened another file on the screen. "I found traces of another photo, taken about forty minutes ago, at a different camera angle, also accidentally capturing the back of a person standing near that area. The photo was too blurry to identify the face, but the figure and outfit matched the man in the main photo."

Ha looked at the blurry photo on the screen, and a cold feeling hit her spine again. "So he didn't just appear in a random moment. He was there, watching from afar, for a long time."

"That's right. And if he stood there forty minutes without anyone from the security team noticing, then either the mansion's security system is very lax — which is unbelievable for such a wealthy family — or..."

"Or he knows the way around that campus better than the security team," Ha continued, his voice low. "Like someone who lived there."

The two looked at each other and understood the same thing: if Phan Gia Bao had grown up in that very villa, he would have known every corner and every secret passage that no one else could imagine.

***

That afternoon, when Ha was preparing to close the studio to go to the car repair shop as usual, a strange man walked in, wearing a neat black suit, with the professional appearance of a senior employee in a large corporation.

"Miss Ngoc Ha? I am the personal assistant of Mr. Tran Dat, senior advisor of Phan Group," the man said, his voice was polite but something made Ha feel uneasy immediately. "Mr. Dat wants to invite you to the group office to discuss some things related to the recent photography contract."

"I have completed the contract and given all the photos to my family," Ha replied, trying to keep her voice calm. "Are there any issues that need to be discussed further?"

"Mr. Dat just wants to make sure everything is handled smoothly, avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings that could affect both sides." The assistant smiled, but that smile didn't reach his eyes. "I think you should come, for your own good, Miss Ha."

The last sentence, though spoken in a polite tone, carried an unmistakable tone of threat. Ha looked straight into the man's eyes, trying not to reveal the anxiety rising in her heart.

"I'll consider it and get back to you later," she replied, her voice more determined than she thought she could muster in that moment.

The assistant nodded, placed a business card on the table and left without another word. Ha stood watching, her heart pounding. The name "Tran Dat" immediately reminded her of Minh Tuan's words — about the possibility that there was one person behind the entire fake death of Phan Gia Bao.

She immediately called Dieu Thao and recounted the entire meeting. "They're switching from seduction to pressure," she said, her voice unable to hide the tension. "It means they realize more and more that you won't give up easily."

"Are you going to meet Mr. Tran Dat?"

Ha looked at the business card on the table and considered carefully before answering. "I thought I would come. But this time, I won't go alone."

She called Minh Tuan immediately afterward, recounting the entire meeting with the assistant. He listened quietly, then asked carefully about every detail — how the assistant dressed, how he talked, even whether he left a direct contact phone number.

"Who is Tran Dat?" Ha asked. "I heard this name for the first time."

"I looked up a little information," Minh Tuan replied, his voice serious. "He has been a senior advisor, almost the right hand of the Phan Group for more than twenty years, holding the position of CEO before retiring to the position of consultant a few years ago. In other words, if there is anyone powerful enough and experienced enough to orchestrate a big incident like the fake death of a chief engineer, that person is most likely him."

Those words made Ha feel a cold streak running down her spine. She looked out the studio window, where the streetlights began to turn on in the pale dusk. "So if you go to meet him, what should you prepare?"

"Don't reveal anything you already know," Minh Tuan advised. "Listen more than you talk. And most importantly, don't go alone. I'll go with you as legal counsel, which is a good reason for me to be present in any official meeting."

After hanging up the phone, Ha sat alone and looked at the business card again. The name "Tran Dat" is printed in prominent gold letters on a luxurious black background, with the title "Senior Advisor" below. She wondered, how many secrets had a man in such a position of power lived through, how many cold decisions were made just to protect the interests of a corporation, without once hesitation about the people caught up in that wheel.

She thought of Nam, of his tired eyes every time he mentioned the past, of the fact that he had to give up his entire identity just to survive. If Tran Dat is really the person behind it all, then he not only robbed a person of his career and honor - he also robbed him of his right to live a true life for four long years.

Dieu Thao entered the room, carrying two cups of hot tea. "What are you thinking with your face so tense?"

"I'm thinking, if I meet Mr. Tran Dat tomorrow, how calm will I have to stay so as not to reveal anything," Ha replied, taking the cup of tea, the warmth spreading through her palm like a small comfort amid the mounting worries. "But I also thought, this might be an opportunity for me to see more clearly who is really in control of all this mystery."

Dieu Thao sat down next to her, took a sip of tea and was silent for a long time, as if considering something. "Miss Ha, I don't want to seem pessimistic, but I think I should prepare myself for the worst possibility. If that assistant dared to come to the studio to say such things, it means they no longer consider you a normal photographer. They see you as a real threat."

"I know," Ha nodded, her eyes flashed with a bit of worry before regaining her familiar determination. "But that's why I can't step back. If I step back now, all my efforts up to now will be meaningless, and Nam will forever have to live in that darkness."

The last sentence made Dieu Thao look at her friend more attentively. "You call him 'Nam' so naturally. Not 'the man in the photo' or 'Phan Gia Bao' anymore."

Ha paused, realizing what Dieu Thao had just pointed out. She was silent for a moment, then smiled softly, a smile mixed with embarrassment. "I think, even though I know he can have another identity, to me now, he is still Nam - the meticulous auto mechanic, quiet, but always treats me kindly. His real name will return when he is ready, not when I force him."

Dieu Thao smiled, did not say anything more, just shook her head slightly as if she had just realized something about the feelings that were silently growing in her close friend's heart.