Chapter 12 Bách looked back at the stack of papers before him. He was dazzled by the potential profit if the deal went through. It would only take a bit of finesse on his part. Best of all, Bách saw an opportunity to do business with Lệ—the woman he had been fantasizing about and longing to possess, a desire that had been driving him relentlessly for the past month.
This stroke of luck had arrived two days earlier when Tuyến called to arrange a business meeting. Bách didn't know Tuyến—Lệ’s husband—personally, having only heard his name, but the moment his secretary mentioned Tuyến was on the line, he cut short a long-distance dícussion with the MetLife office to take the call. Tuyến spoke about insurance for a corporate consortium he was representing in an investment venture, noting that there were several issues requiring a private discussion.
Bách accepted immediately and suggested meeting the following day at the bar in the Hyatt Hotel. He wanted a discreet location, one not frequented by many Vietnamese people. Although it was a bar, Bách had instructed the staff to reserve a table in a small, private room designed for businesspeople—an elegant, refined space where patrons could enjoy privacy without prying eyes. Tuyến arrived on time; Bách shook his hand and invited him to sit.
The two men studied each other, weighing up the strengths and weaknesses. Bách observed Tuyến’s nearly bald head and his impassive, emotionless face; his upper lip seemed perpetually curled in a sneer, giving him an air of haughtiness that was easily off-putting. Yet, Bách was wary of Tuyến’s gaze. A man with a look that seemed to probe deep into one’s soul was a formidable adversary. That was the conclusion Bách reached about the man with whom he was planning to do business.
Tuyến, for his part, also felt a sense of wariness toward the man sitting across from him. Bách was notorious as a crook within the Vietnamese business community in Orange County. Tuyến had heard about Bách’s shady tactics regarding insurance sales. Early on, some customers looking for auto insurance through Bách Việt were lured into buying policies from obscure, little-known carriers. Instead of writing checks directly to the insurance companies, they made their monthly payments to Bách Việt.
For the first few months, Bách would pocket the entire premium payment himself, gambling on the hope that the customers wouldn't get into any accidents; he would only finalize the official paperwork with the actual insurance company after six months or so. Fortunately for him, he was never exposed, simply because none of his clients happened to get into a crash! It was only after a similar scheme at another insurance agency collapsed—resulting in someone being charged and jailed—that Bách finally got scared and stopped his practice of embezzling premiums.
Yet, through these few underhanded schemes, Bách had already made a fortune, giving him the capital and means to launch aggressive advertising campaigns to attract more customers. Another of Bách’s business ventures—one that benefited both the seller and the buyer—involved life insurance. He would have his staff scout for Vietnamese patients who had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and persuade their children to take out life insurance policies on them.
They didn't buy huge amounts—which might raise red flags—but rather policies worth a few tens of thousands of dollars. Bách would then falsify documents to show the policies had been purchased *before* the cancer diagnosis. When the patient passed away, the $50,000 payout would be split: Bách Việ\t took half, and the patient's children took the other half.
Since the payout amounts were relatively small, the insurance companies saw no reason to launch lengthy, complicated investigations and would quickly settle the claims. Bách was shrewd; he selected various insurance companies and handled only one or two claims with each over long intervals, avoiding undue scrutiny. He was careful not to overdo the scheme—perhaps repeating it with a different insurer only every two or three years. Pulling such stunts too frequently would inevitably lead to exposure sooner or later.
Yet, precisely because his schemes were clever and discreet—and yielded significant benefits for the complicit clients—Bách Việt’s business skyrocketed. He earned the trust of his fellow countrymen, and word-of-mouth referrals brought a steady stream of new clients to his door. As his clientele grew, Bách moved away from the risky, shifty tactics he had employed when first starting out; with such a large customer base, the monthly commissions paid by the insurance companies alone generated a handsome income.
He focused only on high-value deals that offered big payouts with minimal risk, having completely abandoned the brazen, petty scams of the past—schemes that yielded little profit but invited investigation and a quick trip to prison.
Although Tuyến hadn't said much about the business over the phone, Bách knew about the investment firm Tuyến and Lệ ran—which handled only major deals—and surmised that Tuyến’s proposal would be substantial enough to warrant his time. Tuyến got straight to the point:
"The matter I want to discuss with you is quite significant. I hope we understand each other: discretion is paramount. You agree, don't you?" "Yes. You’ve likely heard about me. Whatever else may be said, I prioritize confidentiality above all else. You can rest assured."