CHAPTER 3: THE FIRST SLAP
1049 Words
Morning arrived beneath a cloudless sky.
After an entire night of rain, the city looked brighter than ever.
Inside the Tran family mansion, every servant was already busy.
Footsteps echoed through the hallways.
Phones rang without stopping.
Luxury vehicles entered and left the estate one after another.
Only one piece of news had spread across the country's business world overnight.
The missing heiress of the Tran family had returned.
Inside her bedroom, Linh stood before a floor-to-ceiling mirror.
She wore a simple white dress that reached just below her knees.
No expensive jewelry.
No diamonds.
No elaborate hairstyle.
Only a pair of pearl earrings.
Yet she looked more elegant than any celebrity on television.
Her calm expression carried an invisible pressure that made people afraid to meet her eyes.
A maid carefully handed her a cup of tea.
"Miss."
"The media has been waiting outside since six this morning."
"They've already filled the entire entrance."
Linh accepted the teacup.
She took one slow sip before placing it back on the table.
"They can wait."
Her voice was gentle.
But no one questioned her decision.
Uncle Tran entered quietly.
"The chairman is already in the conference room."
"The directors have all arrived."
Linh nodded.
"I'll be there soon."
Before leaving the room, she glanced once at her reflection.
Three years ago...
She had left this mansion as a woman blinded by love.
Today...
She was returning as the future leader of the Tran family.
No one would ever see the weak Linh again.
Across the city...
Nguyen Group Headquarters.
The atmosphere inside the executive conference room was unusually tense.
More than twenty senior executives sat around the long conference table.
The moment Nguyen Khang entered...
Everyone stood.
"Good morning, President Nguyen."
He gave a slight nod.
"Sit."
His expression remained as cold as ever.
"Let's begin."
The financial director connected his laptop to the large display.
Charts and quarterly reports appeared on the screen.
Just as he began presenting—
The display suddenly switched automatically.
Breaking News.
Everyone frowned.
The company's internal television system had interrupted the presentation.
A female reporter appeared on screen.
"Breaking News."
"The mysterious heiress of the Tran family has officially returned after disappearing for three years."
"The Tran family is holding a press conference at this very moment."
The camera shifted.
Dozens of luxury cars stretched across the entrance of the enormous estate.
Hundreds of reporters crowded behind the security barriers.
Camera flashes illuminated the entire driveway.
Then...
A Rolls-Royce stopped.
The rear door slowly opened.
A woman stepped out.
The room instantly became silent.
Khang's pupils narrowed.
Linh.
She looked completely different.
No longer the quiet woman who waited for him every evening.
No longer the obedient wife who silently accepted every cold word.
Today...
She looked untouchable.
Confident.
Powerful.
As though she had always belonged above everyone else.
One executive whispered unconsciously,
"She's... the Tran family's heiress?"
Another looked pale.
"How is that possible?"
No one answered.
On the television, reporters rushed toward her.
Microphones surrounded her from every direction.
"Miss Linh!"
"Where have you been for the last three years?"
"Is it true that you secretly married someone?"
"Are the divorce rumors true?"
"Will you inherit the Tran Group?"
Questions came one after another.
The noise was overwhelming.
Yet Linh remained perfectly calm.
She waited until the reporters became quiet.
Then she spoke.
"Yes."
"I was married."
The crowd immediately erupted.
Camera flashes became even brighter.
She continued calmly.
"And now..."
"I am divorced."
Her voice was steady.
Without bitterness.
Without anger.
Simply stating a fact.
Inside the conference room...
No one dared make a sound.
Every executive secretly glanced toward Khang.
His face revealed almost nothing.
Only the slight tightening of his jaw betrayed his emotions.
Outside the mansion...
One young reporter raised his voice above the crowd.
"Miss Linh!"
"Do you regret marrying him?"
Silence.
Even the cameras seemed to stop moving.
For several long seconds...
Linh simply looked into the distance.
Then...
She smiled.
A small smile.
Elegant.
Calm.
Beautiful.
But somehow...
Terrifying.
"No."
She answered softly.
"I don't regret loving someone."
She paused.
"But..."
"As for regret..."
"It doesn't belong to me."
The meaning behind those words struck everyone instantly.
The reporters gasped.
Within seconds, the quote exploded across every livestream.
Inside Nguyen Group...
Someone accidentally dropped a fountain pen.
The sharp sound echoed through the room.
Nobody bent down to pick it up.
The pressure was suffocating.
Khang suddenly stood.
"Meeting adjourned."
His voice was colder than ice.
Nobody objected.
Everyone watched him leave the room in silence.
Back at the Tran mansion...
The heavy gates slowly closed.
The reporters remained outside, still shouting questions.
Linh never looked back.
Inside the entrance hall, Uncle Tran walked beside her.
"The first step is complete."
"The entire business community already knows you've returned."
Linh nodded.
"Good."
"The second step?"
Uncle Tran asked carefully.
She stopped walking.
Her expression gradually became colder.
"Begin purchasing."
Uncle Tran understood immediately.
"Yes, Miss."
"No matter the price?"
Linh smiled faintly.
"I don't care how much it costs."
"I only care about one thing."
"I want Nguyen Group to realize..."
"The game has already begun."
Less than an hour later...
Inside the president's office at Nguyen Group...
Khang stood before the window, staring silently at the city skyline.
His phone suddenly rang.
It was the head of the investment department.
He answered immediately.
"What is it?"
The voice on the other end sounded unusually nervous.
"President..."
"We have a serious problem."
"What happened?"
"There has been a large-scale acquisition of our shares this morning."
Khang frowned.
"Which investment fund?"
The man swallowed hard.
"It's not an investment fund."
"It's..."
"The Tran family."
Silence.
"They've quietly acquired nearly thirty percent of Nguyen Group through several overseas companies."
"They've become our largest external shareholder."
For the first time in years...
Khang's expression changed.
"What..."
"...did you just say?"
His voice was dangerously low.
No one dared speak again.
At the Tran mansion...
Linh stood before the enormous French windows overlooking the city.
The morning sunlight reflected softly in her eyes.
Beautiful.
Cold.
Unreadable.
She gently lifted her teacup.
A faint smile appeared.
"Nguyen Khang..."
She whispered quietly.
"You gave me a divorce."
"So I'll give you something in return."
"My first gift..."
"...is only the beginning."
- Writer
