I picked up the microphone.
My voice was not loud.
But every word echoed clearly throughout the hall.
—Since Mr. Pho has decided that he doesn’t want this engagement, I agree.
The hall became even quieter.
Pho Minh Te stared at me.
He probably hadn’t expected me to agree so quickly.
Neither had anyone else.
Luong Tinh Nghi’s expression relaxed slightly.
Tang Hoai Tu even let out a quiet breath.
Perhaps they thought I had finally understood my position.
Perhaps they thought I would leave quietly.
I smiled.
—But since the engagement has been canceled, there is one thing that needs to be settled tonight.
Pho Minh Te frowned.
—What?
I pointed toward the giant screen.
—The financial support connected to this engagement.
The screen changed.
Three documents appeared one after another.
The first:
Tan Thi Investment Fund — Guarantee Agreement for the Thanh Dong Project.
The second:
Tang Group — Emergency Bridging Capital Authorization.
The third:
Chu Family Overseas Acquisition — Credit Support Letter.
The entire hall erupted.
“What is that?”
“Isn’t the Thanh Dong project funded by the Pho Group?”
“Why is the Tan Thi Fund involved?”
“Wait… Tan Thi Investment Fund is hers?”
Someone gasped.
—She’s the controlling shareholder?
Another voice immediately followed.
—How much money did she put into the Pho family’s project?
I looked at Pho Minh Te.
—Three years ago, when the Pho Group couldn’t obtain enough financing for the Thanh Dong project, I personally authorized the guarantee.
His face changed.
—Tri Van—
I raised my hand.
—Let me finish.
He stopped.
I continued:
—The guarantee expires tonight.
A lawyer beside the main table stood up abruptly.
—Miss Tang, are you sure?
I nodded.
—Completely.
He immediately checked his tablet.
A few seconds later, his face turned pale.
—The termination notice has been received.
The Pho family froze.
Luong Tinh Nghi stepped forward.
—You can’t do that.
I looked at her.
—Why not?
—The project is already underway.
—Exactly.
She clenched her teeth.
—You know what will happen if the guarantee is withdrawn.
I smiled.
—I know.
—The bank will reassess the entire credit structure.
—The additional collateral will be required.
—And the Pho Group may have difficulty maintaining the current financing.
Her face turned white.
—Tri Van, this is business.
—You were the one who said that.
I calmly pointed toward the screen.
—You told me this morning that love is love, and business cannot be affected.
—So I’m separating them.
No one spoke.
Then Pho Minh Te walked toward me.
His face had lost the confidence he had shown ten minutes earlier.
—You planned this?
I looked at him.
—No.
—Then why did you prepare everything?
—Because I knew that one day I would need to protect myself.
He stared at me.
—You knew I’d cancel the engagement?
I shook my head.
—I knew you had stopped choosing me a long time ago.
His lips parted.
But no words came out.
Then another document appeared on the screen.
Tang Group — Suspension of All Personal Capital Support.
Tang Hoai Tu shot to his feet.
—Tri Van!
I turned toward him.
He looked furious.
—What are you doing?
—I am withdrawing all personal guarantees and capital commitments made through my name.
—You can’t abandon the family!
I laughed softly.
—The family?
He walked toward me.
—We raised you!
I looked at him quietly.
—Then you should remember how much you raised me with.
He froze.
I continued:
—After my mother died, the Tang family took custody of me.
—But the house I lived in was paid for by my mother’s estate.
—My education was paid for by my mother’s trust.
—The shares I inherited were transferred to me when I turned eighteen.
—And every major investment the Tang family made during the last six years used capital from my account.
Tang Hoai Tu’s face changed.
—That’s impossible.
I looked at the lawyer standing behind me.
He immediately handed me another folder.
—The records are all here.
I opened it.
—Six years.
—Forty-eight transfers.
—Total amount: 186 million yuan.
The room exploded.
Someone whispered:
—186 million?
Another guest stared at the Tang family.
—Then who actually funded them all these years?
I closed the folder.
—Apparently, the daughter they kept calling an outsider.
Tang Hoai Tu’s lips trembled.
—Tri Van, you misunderstood us.
—No.
I shook my head.
—I’ve understood everything.
Then my phone vibrated.
Giang Nghien sent a message.
The third termination has been completed.
I looked at the screen.
Then I raised my eyes toward Chu Niem Duong.
She was standing beside Pho Minh Te.
Her face had become pale.
I said:
—The Chu family’s overseas acquisition financing has also been withdrawn.
Her eyes widened.
—What?
Her voice finally lost its usual softness.
—No.
She rushed toward me.
—Sister Tri Van, please!
I looked at her.
—Please what?
—That project has nothing to do with us.
I smiled.
—The financing agreement has your family’s name on it.
—And the collateral guarantee has mine.
—So now that we are no longer family, I’m simply removing my guarantee.
She looked at Pho Minh Te.
—Minh Te…
He didn’t answer.
For the first time, she turned toward him with genuine fear.
But Pho Minh Te wasn’t looking at her.
He was looking at me.
—How much money did you have?
I didn’t answer.
He asked again.
—How much?
I smiled.
—Enough.
The hotel manager suddenly approached.
—Miss Tang, there is another matter.
I nodded.
He handed me a tablet.
—The Pho family’s private banking representative has requested an emergency meeting.
I looked at the screen.
There were already three missed calls.
Then another.
Then another.
I turned the tablet off.
—Decline them.
The manager hesitated.
—But they said the project could collapse without immediate support.
—That’s no longer my problem.
Pho Minh Te heard it.
His expression became complicated.
—Tri Van.
I turned toward him.
He lowered his voice.
—We can talk.
—About what?
—The engagement.
I looked at the woman standing beside him.
—You already made your decision.
—That was a mistake.
The hall went silent.
I stared at him.
—A mistake?
He took a step closer.
—I was confused.
—You weren’t confused when you held her hand.
His face tightened.
—I was trying to protect her.
—You weren’t confused when you announced it in front of hundreds of people.
He stopped.
—Tri Van—
—You weren’t confused when you told me I couldn’t marry someone who didn’t love me.
I smiled.
—You were very clear.
His eyes turned red.
—I didn’t know you would do this.
That sentence made me laugh.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was finally honest.
—That’s your problem, Pho Minh Te.
—You never knew me.
Luong Tinh Nghi suddenly slapped the table.
—Enough!
Everyone turned toward her.
She pointed at me.
—Do you know what happens if the Pho Group loses that guarantee?
—Thousands of employees could be affected!
I nodded.
—I know.
—Then you’re willing to destroy an entire company because of a broken engagement?
I looked directly at her.
—No.
—I’m refusing to save a company that publicly rejected me while privately spending my money.
Her face went rigid.
—You are too ruthless.
I smiled.
—Maybe.
Then I turned toward the guests.
—But before tonight, nobody called me ruthless when I signed the guarantees.
—Nobody called me foolish when I transferred emergency capital.
—Nobody called me family when I gave.
—So I don’t think anyone has the right to call me cruel now that I’ve stopped.
No one spoke.
That night, the engagement party ended before the scheduled dinner.
The flowers were still there.
The cake was untouched.
The giant screen still showed the photographs of Pho Minh Te and me.
Except now, the photos had become almost absurd.
Because everyone in the room knew the truth.
The woman standing beside him had chosen him.
And the man who had chosen her had just lost the financial foundation beneath his feet.
I walked out of the hotel alone.
Giang Nghien followed me.
—President Tang.
—Hmm?
—The termination notices are all active.
—Good.
—What about the Pho Group?
I stopped.
—Don’t destroy them.
He looked surprised.
—We don’t?
—No.
I turned toward him.
—Give them thirty days.
—Thirty days to find new financing.
—If they can survive without me, let them survive.
—And if they can’t?
I looked back at the ballroom.
—Then they should finally learn how much they were depending on someone they never respected.
Three days later, the financial news exploded.
Pho Group’s Thanh Dong Project Faces Emergency Financing Crisis.
Pho Group Seeks New Guarantee After Major Investor Withdrawal.
Tang Group Suspends Personal Capital Support.
Chu Family Overseas Acquisition Financing Under Review.
My name was never mentioned directly.
But everyone in our circle knew.
Then something unexpected happened.
Pho Minh Te came to my office.
No assistant.
No driver.
No expensive suit.
He stood outside my office for almost an hour before I finally let him in.
He looked exhausted.
—Tri Van.
I didn’t ask him to sit.
—What do you want?
He swallowed.
—I’m here to apologize.
I remained silent.
—The engagement was my decision.
—I know.
—I hurt you.
—I know.
—I was wrong about Niem Duong.
I raised an eyebrow.
—That’s between the two of you.
He looked at me.
—There was never anything between us.
I smiled faintly.
—That doesn’t matter anymore.
He took a deep breath.
—Can we start over?
I looked at him for a long time.
Three years.
Three years of believing that one day I would become his wife.
Three years of protecting his family.
Three years of allowing myself to be placed second.
And then, one evening, he had chosen another woman in front of everyone.
I shook my head.
—No.
His face went pale.
—Why?
—Because you didn’t lose me tonight.
—You lost me long before tonight.
He lowered his head.
I continued:
—Tonight you only lost access to my money.
He stood there silently.
Then he smiled bitterly.
—I really didn’t know you.
I nodded.
—That’s true.
He turned around.
Before leaving, he stopped.
—Did you ever love me?
I looked at him.
—More than I should have.
He closed his eyes.
—Then why are you so calm now?
I smiled.
—Because I finally love myself more.
He left.
I never saw him again.
Six months later, the three families had completely changed.
The Pho Group survived.
Barely.
They found another investor, but they had to sell several properties and give up control of one major subsidiary.
The Tang family lost most of the privileges they had enjoyed through my mother’s estate.
As for the Chu family, their overseas acquisition was canceled.
Chu Niem Duong left the country soon afterward.
And I?
I moved the headquarters of my investment fund to another city.
I changed my office.
Changed my number.
And changed the way I lived.
One afternoon, Giang Nghien brought me a document.
—President Tang, the new foundation has been approved.
I looked at the cover.
Tang Foundation for Women’s Education.
I smiled.
My mother had once told me:
“Money is only useful when it gives you choices.”
For years, I had used my money to keep other people comfortable.
Now I was using it to give young women the choices I had once been denied.
I signed the document.
Then I looked out the window.
The city stretched beneath me.
Bright.
Busy.
Alive.
My phone suddenly rang.
An unknown number.
I didn’t answer.
It rang again.
Still no answer.
Then a message appeared.
Tri Van, it’s me.
I deleted it.
There were no tears.
No hesitation.
No regret.
Because on the night of my engagement party, everyone thought I had been humiliated.
They were wrong.
That was the night I finally understood my own value.
They thought I was the bride who had been abandoned.
The woman whose fiancé chose another woman.
The daughter who should quietly accept whatever her family decided.
But they had forgotten one small detail.
For three years, they had been spending my money.
And on the night they chose to leave me behind…
I simply chose to stop paying for the privilege.
The engagement ended that night.
So did my old life.
And for the first time, the future belonged entirely to me.
