Chapter 8 — World Chess Game

The next morning, with dark circles under my eyes, I went to the coffee shop at the appointed time. A name... both familiar and ironic. Everything here seems unchanged, the window seat, the familiar music, the smell of coffee and cakes wafting through the air. Only we... are different. I arrived ten minutes early, ordered a cup of black coffee, no sugar, no milk... just like my mood right now. The bitter taste spread on the tip of my tongue, as if deliberately pulling me back to reality, keeping my mind from being swept away in the chaos that was rising little by little. Exactly at ten o'clock, a tall and thin figure pushed the door open, his steps were determined, carrying an aura that made the whole space seem to slightly stagnate. It's Lam Phong. After two years of not seeing him, he had completely changed, no longer a bit of the immaturity of his student days, replaced by maturity and coolness emanating from every feature. His black suit was tailored to fit his tall body, making him look like a blade just unsheathed, so sharp that people didn't dare look straight at him. He walked straight towards me, pulled out a chair and sat down opposite me, without a word of greeting, without a word of courtesy. His eyes were as sharp as a knife, without any hesitation, assessing me from head to toe, as if wanting to see through all my struggles and tears over the past two years. I was looked at to the point that I felt a bit unnatural, so I quickly raised my coffee cup, using the drinking motion to hide my fleeting confusion. He spoke first, his voice even colder than on the phone, without any emotion.

“What happened in the end?”

I put down the glass, took a deep breath, and then recounted the whole incident briefly but completely, from Tham Hao's accident to the trapped insurance contract. I talked about the video on the dashcam, about Ly Thien, about the mysterious call and the recording that sent chills down people's spines. Don't hide it, don't omit it, because I know that in front of you, any concealment will only make me look more stupid. Lam Phong listened quietly, his expression unchanged, as if he was listening to a story that had nothing to do with him. Only when I finished speaking did he pick up the glass of water that had just been brought to him and take a sip, his movements were slow and cold.

“So now, I think my cousin was used by a person named Ly Thien to kill people of the Hoanh Dat Group.”

“And this person… is related to the Dang Duoc Group.”

I nodded, my eyes not avoiding.

"The golden wolf head symbol on the briefcase is your company's logo. I can't see it wrong."

He put down the glass, leaned forward slightly, his pressure immediately filled the space between us.

“Tham Nguyet, do you know what you are saying?”

“That is accusing Dang Duoc of conducting a commercial assassination.”

“This crime… neither you nor I can bear it.”

I looked straight at him, not backing down even a bit.

“I'm not accusing anyone.”

“I'm just saying what I know.”

"Lam Phong, I came to find you today, not so you can help me clear my name, nor so you can take care of anything for me."

“I just want to know… what the ‘second contract’ is all about.”

He was silent. Long, slender fingers tapped on the table, each "clack, clack" sound rang out, as if tapping straight into my heart, causing my breathing to become heavy. Music The inside of the restaurant still flowed gently, but our table seemed to be separated from the world, sinking into a space full of dangerous smells. A long time later, he spoke up, his voice so low that only two people could hear it.

“You're right.”

“The ‘Second Contract’… really exists.”

“That is your company's plan to acquire Hoanh Dat.”

“A plan… without any tricks.”

My heart sank.

“Mr. Truong of Hoanh Dat is the biggest obstacle to this plan.”

“He was stubborn, refusing any formal negotiations.”

“So… someone in the company suggested using ‘unofficial’ methods to make him disappear.”

I asked immediately, my voice almost instinctively coming out. His eyes wavered slightly.

“Our deputy general manager, Trieu Thien Thanh.”

“A person who does not stop at any means for his purpose.”

"Ly Thien... is most likely the chess piece he placed next to Mr. Truong."

Trieu Thien Thanh. This name is engraved in my memory.

“Currently…”

"Currently, Mr. Truong is seriously injured, Hoanh Dat is in chaos, his plan is considered half successful."

“Just need to get the core technical documents that Mr. Truong hid, which is also the 'contract' I heard about…”

"Then Hoanh Dat... will completely fall into Dang Duoc's hands."

It all… came together. This is no longer an accident.