News of Valko's escape reached Tomi and Mina just as the two returned from the corporation. The guard who delivered the report barely finished speaking before Tomi's face twisted with rage. She slapped him hard across the cheek, then kicked his legs out from under him. He fell flat on the floor with a choked groan.
But he scrambled up instantly and knelt before Tomi and Mina, back straight, trembling.
"You useless bunch!" Tomi roared. "Just one man and you still let him slip away!? Is this what I pay you for—your incompetence!?"
Mina and Satoru stood silently to the side, watching in calm detachment. The guard slammed his forehead onto the floor.
"My deepest apologies, Madam! It was our negligence. That cunning Valko tricked me into opening the door to 'search' him, then attacked while my guard was down. That's how it happened—I accept any punishment!"
Tomi snorted coldly.
"Punishment is the least of what you deserve. I should make an example out of you! How could that wretch escape so easily!?"
Her eldest son, Hiroshi, stepped forward, analyzing the situation.
"Valko was raised in the Jou family. He must've learned plenty of dirty tricks. It's likely he used some scheme to get out, Mother."
Tomi furrowed her brows, rubbing her temple. That explanation wasn't impossible. She had probably let his scholarly, harmless appearance lower her guard.
"Then tell me," she asked sharply, "what do we do now? That bastard Valko knows far too much about the Kamakiri family. Letting him loose is a massive risk."
"We have to hunt him down," Mina cut in, her voice firm and cold.
"Alive or dead, Valko belongs to the Kamakiri family. We cannot let him run. Auntie, I suggest mobilizing every unit we have. Stop him from leaving the country at all costs. The worst-case scenario is that he sells information to the police—even after we already arranged for him to avoid taking the fall. That would be disastrous."
Tomi found her reasoning sound. Her voice turned sharp as steel as she raised her hand.
"Send out the scouts immediately. Deploy all cars—search the entire city. Block every route to the airport if necessary. Whether alive or dead, I want him found. Move!"
Everyone—Mina, Satoru, Hiroshi, and the entire Kamakiri household—answered in unison:
"YES, MA'AM!"
They scattered to carry out their orders. The search needed to be fast—and extremely discreet.
A moment later, Mina and Satoru stood on the balcony of the Kamakiri estate. Mina's eyes were icy as she watched the long line of vehicles pour out of the garage and onto the streets.
Now that they were alone, she could speak more freely.
"Where is that bastard now?" she asked, her tone commanding.
Satoru pulled out his phone. A map glowed on the screen, showing Valko's exact location.
"As you predicted, Miss Mina—he went back to the hotel he once stayed at with his mistress."
Mina let out a mocking laugh, laced with contempt. "Of course he did. He needs his passport to leave the country, and she'd be keeping it. And where is she now?"
Satoru bowed his head. "She checked out of the room and booked a flight south. Seems she no longer wants to deal with Valko—but she isn't returning to Canada either."
Mina turned away, frowning in thought. "Strange. She really believed that cheating bastard would take care of her. She even threatened me once… Her behavior lately is odd, like she's rushing to do something."
Satoru's eyes widened, and his voice rumbled with low fury like a growling bear.
"What!? That woman dared to threaten you face-to-face!? That filthy— If you want, I'll deal with her right awa—"
Mina lifted a hand lazily, cutting him off.
"Not necessary. She knows picking a fight with me is a death sentence. She probably just lost her composure. She's harmless. Ignore her."
"Yes, Miss Mina," Satoru replied.
Mina folded her arms and lifted her chin elegantly. Her posture was breathtaking—beautiful yet unreadable. She muttered under her breath:
"…Everything is unfolding as planned. We must get to Valko before Aunt Tomi does… And by the way…"
Her expression softened unexpectedly as she turned back to Satoru, hiding the faint blush on her cheeks.
"And… Duyen. How is she right now?"
Satoru blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that shift—not in tone, not in demeanor.
"About the girl named Duyen… Yesterday she, the OPA chairwoman, and the Wang family's young lady visited the Jou Liu Yu estate. They found nothing."
Mina's eyes lowered. A quiet sadness flickered across her face—too subtle for Satoru to notice.
She knew Dao would dig into things out of concern for her, even if it interfered with her plans. But what hurt more was imagining Duyen, Shana, and Dao together… while she stood alone here in this cold estate, fighting through everything by herself for the sake of her ideals, principles, and love.
A moment of loneliness. A small ache in her chest.
But she couldn't turn back. She could only continue forward.
Her voice became soft—like the rustle of leaves—but still clear enough for Satoru to hear.
"Keep an eye on Duyen for me. Not just Valko…"
She paused, then spoke firmly.
"…Even Duyen—I don't want her leaving the country under any circumstances."
Satoru stared at her. Something was different about her now. Minutes ago, she was a cold, calculating strategist. But now… something about her felt eerie, intense—almost obsessively passionate.
Why? Over another woman?
It made no sense. What did that girl have to do with the Kamakiri succession or the family's future?
He couldn't hold back.
"Forgive me, Miss… but I don't understand. What does that girl, Duyen, have to do with your plans? She's just some nobody. She is just the daughter of a pho seller. I investigated and found nothing unusual about her… Is she really that important?"
Mina didn't speak.
But Satoru felt it—a chilling pressure radiating from her, like a sudden drop in temperature. Did he say something wrong?
When Mina finally spoke, her voice dropped two tones, cold enough to freeze bone.
"Satoru… As the future commander's right hand, you should know better than to ask too many questions. Just do what I tell you. And…"
Her voice snapped like a whip—
"…do NOT speak her name with such disrespect ever again."
Despite being a hardened enforcer and killer for the Kamakiri family, Satoru felt his stomach twist. Mina's tone had shifted into something dangerous—something he couldn't describe.
All this… over that girl?
Duyen must be far more important than he realized. Maybe more important than he was.
He lowered his head.
"My apologies, Miss. I won't speak of Miss Duyen disrespectfully again. And I'll follow your command—watch her closely. I won't let her leave the country."
Mina nodded gracefully and cleared her throat. The two turned and walked back into the estate.
---
Valko had to risk his own life to run back to the old hotel where he and Eri once stayed together—because she still had his passport. On the way, he ducked into a clothing store and changed into a fresh outfit, secretly tossing his old yukata into the store's trash bin. He left with a hooded jacket pulled tight around him, moving with extreme caution.
His face had grown haggard, unshaven, exhausted from hiding. The charming playboy he once was no longer existed. He was certain the Kamakiri clan was hunting him down mercilessly. Earlier that same day, Valko had already booked a plane ticket back to Taiwan.
He hurried toward his presidential suite, excitement bubbling in his chest. The moment he reached the door, he flung it open wide, spreading his arms.
"ERI! I'M HOME!"
Strangely enough, after being locked up in the Kamakiris' underground prison, the outside world felt intoxicating. He missed his luxurious life—missed the wild nights with his lovers. Everything unraveled because he got involved with Kamakiri Haruna. Had things gone smoothly, he might have even won Mina's heart by now. At least, that's what he believed.
But now? His reputation was ruined, his wife had publicly disowned him, and every mistress he ever had refused to help. There was only one person left—one foolishly devoted girl who would never abandon him.
Or so he thought.
What greeted him was nothing but an empty hotel room.
Valko froze in place, unable to process it. Then he burst into every room, shouting:
"Eri? Eri!"
He searched the dressing room, the bedroom, the bathroom—nothing. Even her clothes in the closet were gone. Valko stood there, bewildered.
"What the hell…?"
Frustrated and exhausted, he dropped onto the bed—only to feel something beneath him. A paper. He picked it up. It was a handwritten letter from Eri.
[Dear Valko, It's been days and I haven't heard anything from you. I figured you must be hiding somewhere to avoid trouble. I saw on TV that the food poisoning scandal at SCJ has been resolved, and your name wasn't mentioned. I'm relieved that the Kamakiri family is protecting you—more than I ever could. I know you probably don't want to see me. I understand. You must be trying to calm your wife down.]
[Valko, listen to me—Mina never loved you. Don't believe a word she says. I won't abandon the child in my belly. I don't care what you say. I'm flying to Nha Trang to start a new life, and I'll raise the baby on my own. I'll always wait for you to come find us whenever you're exhausted and need somewhere to return to. I'll always love you, Eri]
Valko's breath caught as he read the letter. A choked, inexplicable emotion swelled in his chest. She was keeping the baby? And she flew to Nha Trang instead of returning to Canada?
He stood there silently, thinking. Even if Eri was waiting for him in Nha Trang, he couldn't go with her. He had to return to Taiwan. Staying in this country was a death sentence hanging over his head.
But… the baby?
He forced the thought away. He couldn't afford to care. Not now.
Valko shot to his feet, yanked open drawers, and desperately searched for his passport. Miraculously, it was still there. Clutching it tightly, he told himself he needed to leave for Taiwan as soon as possible.
But then a thought flashed through his mind. If the Kamakiri clan wanted him dead… shouldn't he strike back?
He dialed a number—a man who once owed him a favor. After two missed calls, the line finally picked up.
"Mr. Thuy? It's me. Valko," he said urgently.
The man on the other end gasped. "Valko? This is bad! Don't call my phone!"
"Calm down, Thuy! I already booked my flight back to Taiwan. I just need to ask you something. The deal we talked about—collecting signatures from all SCJ shareholders—"
Mr. Thuy snapped, "Mrs. Tomi ordered everyone to stop giving you their shares."
Valko wasn't surprised, though disappointment flickered in his eyes. But Mr. Thuy continued.
"And you're going back to Taiwan? Do you know who showed up at the last shareholders' meeting? Your sister."
Valko frowned. "My sister? Yu? Why would she be there?"
"How would I know? But she became the Jou family's replacement representative after you. Meaning the Kamakiris are still allied with the Jou family. But trust me, nobody said anything good about you at that meeting."
"…What?" Valko muttered. "Why would she suddenly appear? My own people couldn't even find her…"
"Things are complicated," Mr. Thuy said hurriedly. "I'm at SCJ right now—I can't talk. Bye."
"Wait—!" Valko shouted, but the call had already ended, leaving him drowning in confusion.
He had searched for Yu for months with no trace. Now she surfaced as the Jou representative? Who gave her that right? And that snake ring Satoru showed him—clearly a Jou symbol. Was Yu trying to help? Or was it her mother?
Impossible.
He paced the room restlessly. Suddenly, his alarm chimed. 8 PM. Time to head for the airport. The Kamakiri clan would likely ambush him there. He had already bought cheap clothes to change into inside the airport bathroom.
Valko hailed a taxi to Tu Linh International Airport. It would take around an hour to get there, plus thirty minutes for check-in.
He forced himself to relax in the backseat, though every passing SUV made him jump. Was that the Kamakiri hounds? They couldn't see inside, but he instinctively ducked down.
Then the taxi's radio crackled with a breaking news report.
[And now, urgent news from Taiwanese police—]
"Huh?" Valko looked up.
[Authorities have released footage from the hospital room of telecommunications chairman Jou Jin Tian before his death. It shows his son, Valko Jou—the vice chairman—removing his father's oxygen tube while no nurses were present. The video was provided by Mr. Jou Jin Tian's family. Taiwanese police, in cooperation with Vietnamese authorities, have issued a special international wanted notice for Valko Jou. Anyone who sees him or has information must report to the nearest police station.]
"…What?" Valko whispered, stunned.
The taxi driver shook his head. "Killing his own father, huh? What a heartless bastard."
What? What? What's happening?!
Valko sat frozen in the backseat, eyes wide, his entire world collapsing.
What the hell is going on?!