Chapter 2: A Pain Without a Name

Three days later, Diệu Anh stood in front of the Tống Corporation tower, soaring over the heart of the city. She walked into Bách Việt’s office on shaking legs, but with a steady gaze.

“I want to know,” she said bluntly, “why you disappeared back then. And why you’ve shown up now.”

Bách Việt sat behind his desk, a pain he couldn’t name flickering in his eyes. “Back then, I found out who had framed your father. But I wasn’t strong enough to stand up to him. I had to leave and quietly rebuild a career from nothing, just so that one day I’d be strong enough to come back and bring him down.”

“Who is he?” Diệu Anh clenched her fists, her voice catching.

“The chairman of the Hoàng Kim Group, Hoàng Tử Phong. He fabricated evidence and pinned an embezzlement charge on your father so he could buy up all of the Ngô Group’s shares for next to nothing.” Bách Việt stood and walked toward her. “I need you to help me recover the original evidence your father hid before he was arrested. In return, I’ll help you clear your family’s name and get revenge on the man who ruined you.”

Diệu Anh looked deep into his eyes, hope and doubt tangled together. “How can I trust you, after you abandoned me?”

“Because I never stopped trying to protect you, even if you didn’t know it,” Bách Việt said quietly, with a rare sincerity in his voice.