He dropped to his knees before the billionaire and bowed his head repeatedly, begging for mercy.
“That company is my life’s work! Everything I’ve devoted myself to is there. Please… I’m begging you to give me a chance to survive!”
His voice shook with panic.
The man who had moments earlier stood proudly onstage accepting praise from powerful business partners was now kneeling before one of them, pleading for the survival of his company.
Tran Thien Phong looked down at him.
“A chance to survive?”
A cold, contemptuous smile touched his face.
“You have your chance at life. But your father-in-law, the man who gave you the opportunity to become part of his family, the man who raised the kind and devoted woman who helped you build your career, was humiliated by your own family.”
He gestured toward Lam Van Son.
“Your mother threw a shoe at his face, and you stood there watching!”
His anger grew more evident with each word.
“A man who has no respect for his elders, who is ungrateful for the kindness he has received, has no right to do business with me!”
Truong Ham remained on his knees.
There was nothing he could say.
Every word directed at him reflected something the guests had already witnessed.
He had not been deceived.
He had not been falsely accused.
He had watched his injured father-in-law being publicly humiliated and had chosen to protect his social standing instead of defending him.
But the consequences did not end with the cancellation of a single contract.
Tran Thien Phong turned toward the other major business partners attending the ceremony.
He looked across the gathering.
A brief signal from him was enough.
The communications director representing the powerful financial group immediately stepped onto the stage.
Facing the stunned guests, the director began announcing a series of decisions made by other businesses.
“Hoa Thanh Construction Group officially announces that it is withdrawing its entire investment from Tan Huong Company!”
A wave of shock passed through the gathering.
Then came another announcement.
“Hangzhou Commercial Bank is also officially recalling the credit loan extended to Truong Ham!”
The words fell with devastating force.
One major financial connection after another was disappearing.
The investments that Truong Ham had relied upon were being withdrawn.
The credit that supported his ambitions was being taken away.
The business empire he had devoted so many years to building was collapsing in front of the very people he had invited to witness its rise.
Truong Ham could no longer remain upright.
His strength seemed to abandon him.
He collapsed completely onto the floor.
Years of flattery, calculated favors, and desperate attempts to climb into the highest social circles had brought him to this ceremony.
Yet in less than fifteen minutes, everything he had struggled to obtain had fallen apart.
The grand-opening celebration had become the public unraveling of his professional life.
Vuong Que Hoa was no better.
The woman who had stood before the guests with her hands on her hips, issuing insults and commands, no longer possessed even a trace of her former arrogance.
She clutched her chest, struggling for breath.
Her face was pale.
Her frightened eyes darted around the gathering, searching for someone who might still support her.
But the people she had once considered loyal business associates were already turning away.
These were the same influential guests who had surrounded her with compliments and flattery earlier that day.
Now they avoided her gaze.
Some whispered among themselves.
Others openly displayed their contempt.
In their eyes, she was no longer the untouchable woman who commanded respect through wealth and influence.
She was the person who had publicly humiliated a retired firefighter and helped destroy the very celebration she was supposed to host.
Amid the turmoil, Lam Nha slowly rose from her knees.
She carefully helped her father stand.
His injured leg still made every movement difficult, and the marks of what had happened remained visible on his face.
But she held him firmly.
Then she looked toward her husband.
Truong Ham was still on the floor, overwhelmed by the loss of his business.
She turned her eyes toward her mother-in-law.
The woman who had insulted and attacked her father now appeared frightened and helpless.
For a moment, Lam Nha stood between the family she had married into and the father who had devoted his life to loving and protecting her.
Something within her had changed.
She no longer felt the longing that had once kept her tied to her marriage.
She no longer felt the same consuming pain.
Instead, an unexpected sense of relief settled over her.
She had seen her husband’s indifference with her own eyes.
She had witnessed her mother-in-law’s cruelty.
And she finally understood that there was nothing left for her to preserve by remaining with them.
