At that moment, Mr. Quy frowned in confusion, still stunned after hearing his beloved daughter mention the word “military.”

  – “Hold on, who exactly are you talking about that’s connected to the military?”

  My leaned back in her chair, her tone laced with irritation and jealousy.

  – “It’s the girl that Trúc Di?n chose to marry. I had someone investigate her and found out she’s the daughter of a tycoon — from a royal bloodline, no less. Their organization has global influence, and the rest of her information is protected behind a military-grade firewall.”

  Mr. Quy froze, his face turning pale with shock. His voice trembled with concern.

  – “A tycoon’s daughter? With royal blood and military connections? My God, My, do you even know what kind of people you’re dealing with? Our family’s fortune isn’t even worth a single hair compared to theirs!”

  Mrs. Lan’s eyes widened in disbelief as she exclaimed:

  – “So Trúc Di?n is really marrying a tycoon’s daughter? That man’s truly blessed. But… did you have anyone look into Trúc Di?n himself?”

  Mr. Quy immediately shot his wife a sharp glare, his tone stern.

  – “Are you planning to investigate him? Do you want to get sued?”

  My suddenly sat upright, her eyes flashing with determination.

  – “I forgot. I’ll have someone look into him right now.”

  Mr. Quy shook his head heavily, his voice weary but firm.

  – “You’ll have to take responsibility for whatever you do. If he finds out, he could sue you for invasion of privacy — and not even I could save you then.”

  But at that moment, My could no longer hear anything beyond the sound of her own jealousy and blind obsession. She pulled out her phone and dialed Quang’s number. As soon as he picked up, she ordered coldly:

  – “Find me everything you can about Trúc Di?n — and make it fast.”

  Quang, still shaken from what he had learned about Lita the night before, nevertheless jumped at the chance to win My’s favor and possibly profit from it. He replied quickly:

  – “Alright, alright. I’ll get on it right away. You’ll have the information as soon as possible.”

  Inside a luxurious high-rise apartment, Quang was focused on his laptop while Quan was tirelessly typing, searching for information about Trúc Di?n. The room was so silent that the only sound was the steady rhythm of keyboard clicks. Suddenly, Quan shouted in panic:

  – “Boss! We’re in big trouble!”

  Startled, Quang spilled his cup of coffee all over the table. He snapped harshly:

  – “What the hell are you screaming for? Spit it out!”

  Quan’s voice trembled as he stammered out his words:

  – “It’s worse than big trouble, boss! This Trúc Di?n guy—he’s also from a royal bloodline! His personal data is protected by a military-grade firewall, just like that girl Lita! But… they’re not part of the same organization! His security network carries a crest of a serpent wearing a crown, while hers has a pair of spiral horns with a burning flame and a floating crown above it. Boss… they’re both from royal-blooded tycoon families!”

  Hearing that, Quang froze in place, his face drained of all color. He stammered out in disbelief:

  – “What… what do you mean, royal, tycoon, military? My God—does that girl My have a death wish? Why does she keep messing with powers like these?!”

  ---

  Meanwhile, at the Th?o ?i?n villa, My was pacing back and forth, her nerves burning with impatience. The moment her phone rang, she snatched it up.

  – “Well? Did you find anything?”

  Quang’s shaky voice came through the line as he recounted everything they had just discovered. When My heard it all, she froze mid-step, utterly stunned.

  Her father, Mr. Quy, approached cautiously, his tone filled with worry:

  – “Did you get any information about Trúc Di?n, dear?”

  My collapsed onto the sofa, eyes wide in shock, her voice trembling:

  – “Trúc Di?n… he’s the same. His information is protected by a military firewall… and he’s of royal descent too.”

  Mrs. Lan gasped, her face lighting up with disbelief and awe.

  – “Good heavens! So Trúc Di?n is also a royal-blooded tycoon? And yet he’s so humble!”

  Mr. Quy’s expression turned grim, his face pale as he muttered:

  – “Then that monk, Master V?nh, must be no ordinary man either. This is terrifying…”

  He turned sharply to his stubborn daughter and warned with a grave tone:

  – “I’m warning you, don’t you dare get involved with people like that. You’ll end up in prison for life — and I won’t be able to save you.”

  At the Bình Chánh royal headquarters, the elegant breakfast had just concluded. The air was serene, filled with the scent of morning dew as sunlight filtered through the treetops, scattering golden rays over the courtyard like a painting. Members of the royal bloodlines were leisurely enjoying their tea while Prince Arian played a gentle violin piece — each note flowed like silk, soothing every soul present and wrapping the garden in a peaceful melody.

  Suddenly, Trúc Di?n’s phone rang, the sharp tone shattering the tranquility. A faint blue light flickered on the screen, causing Master V?nh to frown slightly.

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  – “An encrypted call… Is it from the Serpent Clan’s intelligence unit?”

  Trúc Di?n nodded and switched to speaker mode. On the other end, a secret agent’s respectful yet urgent voice reported:

  – “Your Highness, the Serpent Clan’s firewall has just detected a hacker attempting to access your personal information. The IP address matches perfectly with the one that infiltrated the Satan Royal Military Firewall earlier this morning.”

  The courtyard instantly fell silent. The violin melody ceased. The Demon King Satan arched an eyebrow, a thin, dangerous smile curling on his lips.

  – “Interesting… So that girl dares to stir up trouble with all of us?”

  The Grand Thái S? lifted her rose tea cup gracefully; the fragrant steam drifted through the cool morning air.

  – “It won’t be long before she tries hacking into Erion’s firewall next. That girl’s greed, wrath, and delusion truly know no bounds.”

  Din leaned back in his chair, his tone calm but dripping with mockery:

  – “Looks like that My girl is completely infatuated with Trúc Di?n. Just the way she lost her mind when she saw him with Lita was proof enough.”

  Yin smirked coldly, her eyes sharp as blades:

  – “Infatuation? Don’t make me laugh. A woman like her doesn’t love anyone — she hunts men for power and profit. Using her body to trap them… one day, karma will come knocking.”

  Trúc Di?n’s lips curved into a faint smirk as he glanced at the phone screen.

  – “Trace that IP’s location and have agents tail them. I have a feeling that woman isn’t just trying to make trouble — there’s something hidden behind all this.”

  The voice on the other end replied clearly:

  – “As you command, Your Highness.”

  Prince Arian gently set his violin on the table and took a slow sip of tea.

  – “I agree. There’s something foul about her — especially the kind of woman who’s willing to forsake all morals for greed.”

  H?ng Nhung nodded firmly in agreement:

  – “Exactly. Disgusting woman. She’s about to get married, has a lover on the side, and now she’s drooling over Trúc Di?n too.”

  Lita let out a cold, mocking laugh.

  – “Greed is one thing… but achieving it is another. My Trúc Di?n isn’t that easy to take.”

  It was the most chaotic Sunday morning the District 2 villa had ever seen. The quiet neighborhood had erupted into a storm of noise — crowds packed tightly in front of C?u D?ng’s mansion gates, shouting and waving their phones high. But no matter how many tried, not a single photo or video would record. Each time a camera turned toward the mansion, the image blurred completely, as if blocked by an invisible force.

  – “What the hell? Why isn’t the camera picking up anything?”

  – “I’ve tried three phones already — the screen’s pitch black!”

  Amid the chaos, the blaring horn of a Lexus echoed from afar. C?u D?ng glanced toward the gate and muttered under his breath:

  – “They’re here.”

  Charles struggled to push through the dense crowd, his voice calm yet commanding:

  – “Excuse us, please make way…”

  It took nearly five minutes for their car to crawl through the sea of people. When they finally reached Mr. Tài’s villa across the street, the three old friends stood frozen at the sight before them.

  Across the yard lay a frozen mansion, cloaked entirely in layers of glacial ice. The air was frigid like the Arctic — sunlight bounced off the surface, scattering cold silver reflections instead of warmth. Above it, a slice of the sky had transformed into a suspended ocean, vast and blue, hovering weightlessly in midair. Wisps of icy vapor swirled upward, shimmering beneath the floating sea, painting the scene in haunting, breathtaking beauty.

  Deep widened his eyes, whispering in awe:

  – “My God… part of the sky has turned into an ocean — it’s literally floating above us…”

  Tu?n stepped forward, squinting at the thick frost coating the iron gate. His brows furrowed.

  – “The ice around Mr. D?ng’s house… it isn’t melting. It’s actually getting thicker.”

  Ti?n, standing beside him, shook his head gravely:

  – “Science has no explanation for this. Whatever it is, it’s far beyond human understanding.”

  Charles let out a quiet sigh, his eyes deep with contemplation.

  – “This isn’t a natural phenomenon. It’s magic — powerful magic. All we can do now… is watch and pray.”

  ---

  On the coastal road leading to Long H?i fishing village, the morning sunlight gleamed gold across the tranquil sea. Rows of casuarina trees swayed gently in the breeze, mingling the scent of salt and wildflowers. The sky was clear as glass, and a few swallows glided gracefully overhead.

  Inside a luxurious Bentley Bentayga, Trang and Chen were enjoying the rare serenity. Erion, behind the wheel, drove smoothly, his gaze flickering across the sunlit road — until his phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID, he frowned slightly and turned on the speaker.

  Din’s voice came through — calm, but laced with disdain:

  – “That girl My is picking a fight with us.”

  Erion’s tone hardened.

  – “Explain.”

  Din replied with unhurried coolness:

  – “Earlier this morning, she sent a hacker to breach the Satan Royal Family’s military firewall. Not long after, she tried again — this time targeting the Serpent Clan’s system. Both attempts aimed to extract data about Lita and Trúc Di?n.”

  Trang chuckled dryly, tilting her head toward Erion.

  – “Trying to dig up their secrets? She must be losing her mind to mess with military-grade firewalls.”

  Erion smirked, voice low and steady:

  – “Crushing on that serpent is one thing… but unfortunately for her, she’s not even close to Lita’s league — the precious daughter of old man Satan himself.”

  Chen crossed his arms, a scornful glint in his eyes:

  – “Let’s see what that foolish girl can actually do. Her family’s hotel business isn’t even worth a single black-diamond koi pond in the General’s garden.”

  Trang rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the car window, her eyes narrowing slightly:

  – “Men with real power stay far away from women like her. Only the weak ones — those who leech off women to live comfortably or climb the social ladder — ever bow before someone like that.”

  In the spacious living room, the atmosphere was heavy — though the noise from the curious crowd outside made it far from quiet. Deep glanced at Tu?n, giving him a subtle signal with his eyes. Understanding immediately, Tu?n took a slow sip of his coffee, then set the cup down on the table. His gaze turned toward Anh Th?, the young woman sitting silently in the armchair, her fingers nervously sliding across her phone screen, her face visibly uneasy. Then, he shifted his attention to C?u D?ng.

  Tu?n spoke in a calm but firm tone:

  – “When are you planning to hold the wedding? Dragging it out like this isn’t good at all.”

  Ti?n quickly nodded, clearly ready to back him up:

  – “He’s right. If we wait too long, her belly will start to show, and gossip will spread everywhere. You’re a businessman — your reputation isn’t something you can afford to risk.”

  C?u D?ng leaned back in his chair, clicking his tongue in frustration:

  – “I want to get it over with too, but with the house in this state, what do you expect me to do?”

  Deep, munching casually on a crisp biscuit, replied in a relaxed yet pragmatic tone:

  – “Then just host it somewhere else. The boy’s family already agreed, didn’t they?”

  M? Linh set down her teacup and nodded in agreement:

  – “You’re all right. If we delay any longer and Th?’s belly starts showing, how will our family face anyone? The boy’s mother said she’d see a fortune-teller to pick an auspicious date — I’ll call her today and ask.”

  Tu?n added in a low, serious voice:

  – “Exactly. That boy got Th? pregnant, so he needs to marry her right away. If he changes his mind later, it’ll ruin her life.”

  Anh Th? remained silent, her head bowed, hands gripping her phone tightly. Her lips trembled slightly, but she said nothing. C?u D?ng’s expression grew heavy — his words sounded tough, but deep down, he was weighed with worry for his daughter’s future.

  ---

  Not far away, inside a small one-story house tucked deep in a narrow alley, sunlight filtered through the rusty tin roof, painting golden patches on the timeworn walls. Mr. Tín gently rolled his old Honda Dream out the gate, then called back into the house:

  – “Where’s Huy? Come lock the gate — your mom and I are heading out, you hear?”

  From inside, Huy’s voice echoed:

  – “Yes, Dad! I’m looking at some wedding invitation designs! Drive safely!”

  He rushed out, locked the gate securely, and watched as his parents disappeared down the alley. The rickety sound of the Dream’s engine blended with the morning bustle — vendors calling out, the smell of fresh Bánh Mì, and the rich aroma of brewed coffee filling the air.

  Sitting on the back seat, Mrs. Nguy?t sighed softly, clutching her handbag:

  – “There’s been so much going on with the in-laws lately — that’s why I finally have time to see the fortune-teller today. I just hope we can have a grandchild soon. The sooner the wedding, the better.”

  Mr. Tín nodded, his voice deep and resolute:

  – “You’re right. Our boy made the mistake — now he has to take responsibility. No matter what, that’s still our grandchild, our own blood.”

  The old Dream rode off down the sunlit street, leaving behind the gentle hum of the wind through the trees — like a quiet prelude to the storm awaiting both families ahead.