The Undercover Chief

At the highest floor of the Grand Plaza Hotel, beneath chandeliers that scattered light like a thousand teardrops, the Hoàng Gia Group’s victory celebration was in full swing. The suffocating scent of money mixed with expensive perfume and aged wine. This was the stage for the elite, where superficial smiles were colder than ice, and compliments were mere disguises for deep-seated envy.

At the center of attention stood Hùng, a man in his early thirties, arrogant and impeccably groomed. His custom-tailored Italian suit hugged his physique, and his slicked-back hair reflected the lights, radiating the success he’d achieved by trampling over his past. His arm was firmly wrapped around the waist of Lan, his newlywed wife, and the very third party who had broken his previous marriage. Lan was ostentatious in her radiance: a high-bridged nose from costly surgery, plump red lips, and a dazzling diamond jewelry set that seemed to defy the universe. She was a living ornament, a trophy Hùng proudly displayed after discarding his former wife.

Three years prior, Hùng had thrown Thanh—the devoted wife who had shared instant noodles and weathered the hardships of his early career—out of the house with only divorce papers and empty hands. He deemed her provincial, unable to shine, and embarrassing in front of his partners. He needed Lan, a woman who knew how to use her beauty and charm to embellish his reputation.

While Hùng was boastfully sharing his achievements with his pot-bellied associates, Lan subtly tightened her grip on his arm, her voice sweet as honey yet edged with a cold blade: “My love, look who is here.”

Hùng narrowed his eyes and followed the direction of Lan’s slender, crimson-tipped finger. In a secluded corner of the hall, near the staff entrance, a lone female figure was standing quietly. She was dressed in a simple, gray business suit, her hair neatly tied back with a wooden hairpin. She was utterly out of place amidst the sea of silk and brocade.

“Who is that? A new cleaner?” Hùng frowned, his tone full of disdain. He detested anything less than luxurious entering his line of sight.

The woman turned around.

It was Thanh.

The moment their eyes met, the atmosphere seemed to freeze. Contrary to the misery and desperation Hùng had expected, Thanh’s bare face exuded an unusual composure. Her eyes were bright and deep, reflecting no trace of hatred or sorrow. She stood there, holding a blue folder, looking like someone awaiting an important meeting.

Thanh’s presence was a stain, a reminder of Hùng’s poor past, boiling his blood. He wanted to see her groveling, begging for scraps, not standing there with such cool dignity.

Lan recognized the anger in her husband’s breath. She sneered and whispered, “She’s probably run out of money and sneaked in here to beg or apply to wash dishes. Let me go say a quick hello to ‘her.'”

With that, Lan pulled Hùng by the hand, marching determinedly toward Thanh. The clack-clack-clack of her high heels on the marble floor sounded like a judge’s gavel preparing to pronounce a death sentence.

“Oh, my! Who do we have here?” Lan deliberately spoke in a high-pitched voice, drawing the attention of the crowd. “Isn’t this Thanh, my husband’s ex-wife? Why are you here? This area isn’t for… common folk.”

Thanh looked straight at Lan and Hùng. Her gaze swept over Hùng’s smug face and settled on Lan, showing no fear or hesitation. She simply curled her lip slightly, a faint smile so subtle it was almost missed. “I have business here.”

“Business?” Hùng cut in, hands in his pockets, adopting a superior air. “Did you come to ask for a cleaning job? Or did you hear I was hosting a party and came to beg for money? I recall throwing you a few dozen million when we divorced. Did you spend it that quickly?”

The surrounding crowd began to murmur, their prying, scornful eyes fixed on Thanh. “They say she’s the ex-wife. No wonder she was dumped, looking so unsophisticated. She must be desperate, sneaking in to freeload.”

These whispers felt like needles, yet Thanh stood tall. She calmly closed the blue folder, her voice steady and resolute: “Hùng, you are as self-important as ever. My presence here has nothing to do with you. Get out of my way, I have work to do.”

“You tell me to get out of the way?” Lan hissed. The inherent jealousy of the mistress took over. A dark idea, a cheap but effective scheme, flashed in her mind.

Lan feigned a dizzy spell, then suddenly lunged forward, bumping hard into Thanh. Ah! Lan shrieked, collapsing dramatically into Hùng’s arms. The red wine glass in her hand was flung up, but strangely, it missed her silk dress entirely, splashing instead across Thanh’s gray suit, creating a dark red stain like blood.

“My darling, are you hurt?” Hùng rushed to steady Lan, acting as if she had been hit by a truck.

Lan clutched her chest, grimacing. Then, she suddenly widened her eyes, felt her wrist, and yelled: “My bracelet! Where is my 5 billion diamond bracelet, my dear? It’s… it’s gone!”

The entire hall gasped in astonishment. 5 billion Vietnamese dong was no small sum, even for the wealthy guests present.

Hùng glared at Thanh and roared, “What did you do to my wife? Hand over the bracelet immediately!”

Thanh frowned, gently dusting the wine from her suit, her eyes meeting Lan’s with sharp clarity. “I took nothing. You deliberately stumbled into me.”

“Liar!” Lan burst into genuine-sounding sobs, crocodile tears washing away her thick mascara. “You clearly bumped into me, your hands were flailing around! You were the only one close to me! Everyone, she is a thief! She is jealous of me, poverty has turned her into a criminal!”

The crowd began to point at Thanh with contempt. In their eyes, Thanh was the epitome of destitution turning to crime, a stinking sewer rat that had wandered into a phoenix feast.

“Check her bag!” a man in the crowd shouted.

“Exactly! Check her bag!” Hùng chimed in, stepping forward aggressively, attempting to snatch the cheap canvas bag from Thanh’s hand. “If you’re innocent, why are you afraid of being searched? Or does it contain the evidence?”

Thanh took a step back, clutching her bag tightly. “You have no right to search my personal belongings. This is an invasion of privacy.”

“Privacy, my foot!” Lan tore herself from Hùng’s grip, lunging like a cornered animal. In a flash, she yanked the bag from Thanh’s grasp. Rip! Lan emptied the bag onto the floor. Notebooks, pens, and a few personal items tumbled out. And there, lying amongst the ordinary objects, glistening under the chandelier light, was the dazzling diamond bracelet.

The silence was instant, followed by an explosion of shock.

“Oh my God! She really is a thief! I can’t believe it!”

“Poverty truly breeds thieves! This kind of person belongs in jail!”

Lan picked up the bracelet, holding it high like a trophy, her triumphant face distorted by a wicked smile. “See, everyone? Here is the clear evidence! Can you still deny it? You thief! You lowlife!”

Hùng looked at Thanh, his eyes filled with the deepest contempt mixed with utter satisfaction. “Do you have anything else to say, Thanh? I thought, since we were once married, I would spare you some face. But you’ve disappointed me so much. To steal right here at my party.”

Thanh stood isolated, encircled by criticism, but her face showed no sign of panic. She looked at the bracelet in Lan’s hand, then at Hùng, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. “Your staging was quite clever. But are you sure you want to escalate this?”

“Escalate? Ha ha ha!” Lan laughed shrilly. “Are you scared now? Scared of prison time? Too late, darling! Today, I’ll teach you a lesson!”

Hùng pulled out his phone, his finger swiping decisively across the screen. He wanted to savor this feeling of power, of driving someone into a corner. “I’m calling the police. The Chief of this precinct is an acquaintance of mine. Prepare to sleep in a holding cell tonight.”

He dialed, turning on the speakerphone for the crowd to hear, flaunting his connections: “Hello, Tuấn? Hùng here. I apologize for the trouble, but could you send some men down to the Grand Plaza Hotel immediately? We have a major case of theft involving valuable property. Caught in the act with the evidence. Yes. It’s my wife… no, my ex-wife. Just follow protocol, please. Handcuff her and haul her away to teach her a lesson.”

Hanging up, Hùng looked at Thanh with the smugness of a victor. “Your life is over, Thanh. Don’t blame me for being cruel; blame your miserable fate.”

Contrary to Hùng’s glee, Thanh calmly pulled up a nearby chair, crossed her legs, and sat down with perfect posture. She took out her phone, not to call for help, but simply to browse the news, treating the surrounding crowd as if they were air.

Just then, the shrill whoop-whoop-whoop of a police siren pierced the night and filtered through the hotel’s thick soundproof glass.

“They’re here! The police are here!”

Hùng’s eyes lit up. He adjusted his collar. Lan hastily wiped away her tears, positioning herself to look weak and vulnerable.

The grand doors of the banquet hall swung open. A squad of police officers in neat uniforms marched in, led by a stern-faced young officer, followed by two constables, handcuffs at the ready.

Hùng eagerly stepped forward, flashing his widest social smile. “Welcome, officers! I’m Hùng, the one who reported the crime. Thank you for coming so quickly. The situation is tense; I kept her here to prevent her from disposing of the evidence.”

The young officer nodded, his sharp gaze sweeping the scene. “Who is the victim? Who is the suspect? Where is the evidence?”

Lan immediately rushed forward, pointing at Thanh: “It’s me! I’m the victim! And her, she is the thief! Here’s the undeniable evidence!” She held the diamond bracelet high. “You must seek justice for me, put her away for good!”

“As you can see, officer,” Hùng added, “we have witnesses and solid evidence. I request that you cuff her and take her to the station immediately. Don’t let her disrupt our party.”

The officer looked at Thanh, who remained seated, composed. Her distinct aura caused him to pause slightly. However, protocol was protocol. He signaled to the constable behind him. “Ma’am, please stand up and cooperate with the investigation. We need you at the station to clarify the matter.”

Thanh slowly rose, adjusting the lapel of her suit. She looked directly at Hùng, her lips moving to utter a sentence only those close could hear. “Hùng, you will regret this moment.”

“Regret what, you fool!” Hùng scoffed, leaning close to Thanh’s face. “Worry about yourself first. Don’t expect any mercy from me. I’ll sue you until you rot in jail!”

A constable stepped up, pulling the handcuffs from his belt. Click! The cold sound of metal clanking. The handcuffs slowly moved toward Thanh’s slender wrist. Hùng held his breath, his eyes fixed on the cuffs, a wave of exhilarating pleasure running down his spine.

But just as the handcuffs were inches from Thanh’s hand, a deep, commanding voice, authoritative as thunder, boomed from the doorway: “STOP!”

Everyone flinched.

A middle-aged man walked in. He was tall and burly, with a resolute face, and on his shoulder epaulets gleamed with the golden stars of a Senior Lieutenant Colonel. It was Precinct Chief Tuấn, the man Hùng had called.

In sharp contrast to the familiar, casual demeanor Hùng had imagined, Tuấn’s face was flushed red, sweat beading on his forehead. His eyes weren’t on Hùng or Lan, but were fixed on Thanh with a look of extreme panic and profound reverence.

Hùng, blinded by his delusion of victory, failed to notice the anomaly. He rushed forward, trying to shake Tuấn’s hand, his voice loud: “Oh, Tuấn! You came at the perfect time! I’m so embarrassed! I didn’t mean to trouble you personally for such a minor thing. There’s the thief, your men were just about to cuff her. Please handle her strictly for me!”

Tuấn did not shake Hùng’s hand. He shoved Hùng away so forcefully that Hùng staggered and nearly fell. Hùng stared, bewildered. “Tuấn, what’s wrong? It’s me, Hùng!”

Tuấn didn’t spare him a glance. He took long, decisive strides toward Thanh. And then, the most unbelievable thing happened.

The powerful Precinct Chief suddenly stood at attention, heels clicking together, then slowly, very slowly, he bowed down to a perfect 90-degree angle, with the utmost respect and solemnity, before the woman in the simple gray suit.

“GREETINGS, CHIEF!”

The two concise, sharp words echoed through the hall, hitting the eardrums of every person present, creating a psychological shockwave stronger than an atomic bomb. The entire crowd held its breath.

Hùng froze, his jaw slack. He couldn’t reconcile the two images: one, Thanh, the unsophisticated wife he had discarded; the other, the Chief whom the Precinct Chief had to bow to.

“Wha… what is this?” Hùng stammered, his voice choked. Lan’s face was bloodless, her long legs trembling violently.

Thanh stood unperturbed. She nodded slightly, a small but commanding gesture, and spoke in a voice both deep and cold: “Stand up straight, Comrade Tuấn. This is not the office; no need for such formality.”

“Understood!” Tuấn called out, immediately straightening up, his hands glued to the seams of his trousers, still visibly anxious.

Hùng couldn’t bear the silence. He rushed forward, grabbing Tuấn’s arm. “Tuấn, what kind of joke is this? Are you drunk? Or did you mistake her for someone else? This is Thanh, my ex-wife! She’s a poor, unemployed country girl, a thief! Why are you calling her ‘Chief’? Snap out of it!”

SLAP!

A resounding slap landed squarely on Hùng’s face, not from Thanh, but from Tuấn himself. The force sent Hùng stumbling to the floor, a trickle of fresh blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Tuấn glared at Hùng, his eyes burning with fury, a stark contrast to his earlier deference to Thanh. “Shut up! Do you know who you are speaking to, you idiot?! You dare insult Senior Lieutenant Colonel Thanh, Deputy Chief of the Economic Crime Investigation Department? You have a death wish!”

“Deputy… Deputy Chief… Senior Lieutenant Colonel…?” Hùng clutched his cheek, stammering.

Conclusion

Thanh slowly walked toward him, the sound of her heels now like the countdown of Death itself. She looked down at Hùng sprawled on the floor, her eyes filled with pity mixed with contempt.

“Hùng?” Thanh said softly. “What did you think I was doing for the past three years? Sitting in a corner, crying and missing you? When I married you, I was already an undercover intelligence officer. The reason I retreated to the background, acting as the ‘unsophisticated housewife’ you spoke of, was to conceal my identity for a major case.”

She looked straight into Hùng’s terrified eyes.

“You mocked me for being poor and unsophisticated; I tolerated it. But you dared to use this despicable scheme to frame and victimize me… you have crossed my boundary.”

The surrounding crowd instantly changed their tune. They avoided her gaze, whispering with a completely different attitude: “Oh my God, she’s the Deputy Chief of the Economic Police… Hùng is finished!”

Lan, hearing Thanh’s rank, was utterly terrified. She quickly hid the diamond bracelet behind her back, attempting to slip away.

Thanh glanced at the young officer who was still awkwardly holding the handcuffs. “Comrade Tuấn,” Thanh instructed, “pull up the security camera footage of the ballroom immediately. Also, check the fingerprints on that bracelet. If I snatched it, my fingerprints will definitely be on it. If only hers are there… you know what to do.”

“No! Don’t check!” Lan screamed, falling to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably out of genuine fear this time. “Hùng, save me! I… I made a mistake! I just wanted to play a little trick on her!”

“A trick?” Thanh smirked coldly. “Falsely accusing someone of stealing valuable property, defaming their honor, and staging a trap to harm an active officer. The price for this ‘trick’ is quite high.”

She turned to Tuấn, her voice regaining its crisp, commanding tone.

“Comrade Tuấn, draw up an official report on the spot for false accusation and public disturbance. Detain the suspect Lan for further investigation into staging a crime, attempted fraud, and false accusation. Confiscate the bracelet as evidence.”

“Understood!” Tuấn bellowed, then turned to his stunned men. “What are you standing around for? Handcuff that woman for me!”

Clack! The cold handcuffs, the very item Hùng and Lan had eagerly prepared for Thanh, were now snapped onto Lan’s slender wrist. She shrieked desperately into the void.

Thanh watched Lan being escorted away, her cries fading. She turned back to Hùng, who was standing there, shaking and drenched in sweat. She raised the blue folder in her hand.

“Hùng, are you curious about what’s inside this?” Thanh asked gently. “Initially, I came here not for the party, nor to see you. I was executing an operation investigating a major case of tax evasion and money laundering involving…”

She paused, a mysterious smile blossoming on her face, letting the truth sink into Hùng like a fatal stab.

“… the Hoàng Gia Group.”

Hùng collapsed to the floor, next to the dried blood at his mouth’s corner, utterly devastated. He had abandoned a loyal wife for a mere piece of decoration, and now, the very wife he had scorned was the one holding the keys to his life and career, turning his world into a lost game of chess.