After that passionate night, Ngọc Lam's heart felt shackled by a secret love. She accepted to sacrifice everything in this relationship without a name, even though she knew she was wandering in a dark maze with no way out. She tried to conceal it, but under the shared roof of the company, the curious glances and whispers were like sharp blades, cutting into her honor little by little. The excessive favoritism of the director – from fast-tracking her official contract to late-night dates after work – made the other interns murmur spitefully: "That girl is shameless, lacking self-respect."

The long-time employees in the company watched it like a fun show. Because sometimes no one knows the boss better than their own employees.

Look: A beautiful pure tea flower is also tainted by the lust for fame and fortune.

Minh Anh – the boy who always directed his gaze at her – stood silently in the office, hearing the gossip about the girl he desired, his heart feeling like it was stabbed. He blocked Ngọc Lam before the elevator, his voice choked: "Can you... accept me? Just nod, and all the rumors will vanish into thin air!"

Ngọc Lam responded with a firm shake of her head, a forced smile tinged with guilt: "Minh Anh, I truly appreciate your feelings. But I cannot reciprocate."

"Then what about what they say... about me and the director..." – his voice broke.

"The one I love... is not the director; I just want to focus on my career. Those malicious rumors are merely the jealousy of other interns trying to tarnish my name."

Having said that, she turned and walked away, leaving the sincere heart of the young man falling to the ground, shattering into a hundred pieces.

In the golden-hued evening, the elderly couple – Ngọc Lam's parents – two teachers nearing retirement, still maintained their simple lifestyle. After coming back from teaching, they often took walks around the park, then, as a habit, stopped by a small café to savor the fragrant drip coffee. They thought that life in old age would only consist of the laughter of their children and grandchildren, not knowing that one afternoon, they accidentally encountered their daughter's colleague.

The conversation with Minh Anh in the sidewalk café left them in shock.

"I heard that... Ngọc Lam is in love with someone who is already married," – the young man lowered his head, his voice filled with sadness and regret.

Ngọc Lam's mother turned pale, her hands shaking as she tried to swallow a bitter sip of coffee: "My daughter is gentle; how could she dare to do such a thing?!"

"Perhaps she doesn't know..." – Minh Anh said as if the cup was overflowing – "She is still very young and easily deceived."

That night, the small room was filled with sighs. Ngọc Lam bit her lip, listening to her mother advise: "Daughter, blind love is just a fire that burns your future!" She nodded like a machine, her heart aching as she remembered the director's arms, which still held a warmth on her skin.

"I don't love anyone; please don't listen to baseless rumors."

Ngọc Lam reassured her parents, but inside she was full of resentment and sorrow. What love could be so rational? Especially the first love for a young girl just stepping into life. It was passionate yet full of blindness, overwhelmed with temptation. Like the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, she could not stop longing for it.

The next morning, a bouquet of deep red roses sat prominently on her desk. The gilded card bore words from Tuấn – the director of a large company, her company's new partner, a man who had pursued her just after meeting her once, causing a stir in the entire company. The whistling and scrutinizing glances from colleagues made Ngọc Lam feel suffocated. She stared at the soft petals, wondering: "Am I stepping from one abyss into another?"