Saying she wasn't as good as Cameron, that she was young, or that she relied on little tricks to promote herself—those things didn't bother her. But accusing her of leveraging her background for publicity? That was crossing a line. Anyone who knew Laila would know just how low-key she was. If it weren't for reporters tailing her every day, she wouldn't even interact much with the public.
And now, to think that people believed her success was just hype?
The people agreeing with that nonsense must be blind. Did they think someone like her needed to resort to hype?
Laila had considered breaking that record, but for her, the more important goal was to fulfill the dream from her past life—to conquer the Oscars with a work that was truly her own. That was why she'd been so thrilled when she read Buddy's script. She saw potential in it, something she believed she could elevate to greatness.
She hadn't expected that, upon her return, there'd be all these bizarre rumors.
The more she read that article, the more it felt like Cooper's handiwork—but for now, she couldn't figure out why. Was he just trying to smear her out of spite? Or was there a deeper scheme at play?
When Cooper was involved, no one could blame her for thinking in terms of conspiracy theories. That man wasn't exactly new to dirty tricks.
"Everyone wants the title of all-time box office champ. But right now, I've got a film I want to make, so I probably won't have time for anything else."
Laila's words made Louise visibly disappointed. "Alright then. Let me know if you need me."
"Don't look so disappointed. Just because I don't have time now doesn't mean I never will. Besides, are you that sure I can take that number one spot?" Laila looked at her with amusement.
Louise smiled and said nothing more before leaving.
But she did believe it. She believed that if Laila wanted it, she could claim that top spot. Just look at her past films—not just the blockbuster franchises that brought in mountains of revenue for the studio, but even her lower-profile projects. The ones that seemed destined to flop in anyone else's hands somehow turned into golden eggs in hers.
Take Chicago, for example. Before filming began, no one thought a musical like that could gross hundreds of millions. Moulin Rouge! had pulled in just over a hundred million, and that was already considered a huge success.
Louise believed that if Laila could turn an art-house film with no box office ambitions into a massive hit, then what kind of numbers could she achieve if she was aiming to make money?
That's why Louise had so much faith in her. She wanted Laila to show the world that it wasn't that she couldn't be number one—she simply never tried to be.
Still, if Laila had other plans, she could only bury that thought in her heart for now. But she wasn't giving up. As long as Laila had the time, she would keep bringing it up—because someone needed to slap those slanderous writers in the face with a box office record!
Not long after Louise left, Demi also took her leave.
Laila finally pulled out the now dog-eared script and resumed her revisions. But as she worked, she hit upon a problem that she simply couldn't avoid: the two male leads had to go somewhere remote and dangerous. Only in that kind of setting could they ally, set aside their differences, and overcome challenges together.
Places like that weren't hard to find. The Earth was full of harsh environments and perilous terrain. The real issue was that if they were going to shoot in those kinds of places, as the director, she'd have to go too.
She had just gotten back from a life-threatening ordeal. There was no way her family would let her walk into danger again so soon.
"This is going to be a problem." She leaned back in her chair, scratching her head in frustration.
"What's the problem?" Roy's voice called out from outside.
Laila looked up and saw him walk in, carrying a bouquet of pink roses in his hand.
"What made you think of bringing me flowers?" she asked, standing up and stepping out from behind her desk, happily taking the bouquet into her arms.
"As long as you like them, that's all that matters." Roy smiled, pleased by her reaction. Even for longtime couples, a little romance now and then was important, let alone for them, who weren't even married yet.
Of course, Laila liked them.
She used to think giving flowers was a waste of money, never really understanding why women looked so happy hugging a bouquet. But once she fell in love, she realized that receiving anything from someone you liked brought a kind of joy that was hard to describe. Especially something as beautiful and fragrant as flowers.
Roy leaned down and kissed her. Just as he was about to say something, he caught sight of the blue diamond ring on her finger. That beautiful color, once a symbol of happiness, now carried a shadow thanks to Martin. "Laila, let me get you another ring. This one… doesn't suit you anymore."
Laila looked down at the ring, already knowing what he was thinking. "Why would I replace it? You went through a lot to find this diamond. I love it."
"But if it weren't for that ring, Martin wouldn't have noticed you." The memory still sent a chill down Roy's spine. What if Martin hadn't been interested in her for her filmmaking skills but had fixated on the ring instead? What would they have done?
Laila set the bouquet aside and cupped Roy's face in her hands, making him look directly into her eyes. "Roy, even without the ring, he would've gone after me. Don't you remember Flander? He deliberately made Martin notice me, hoping the people backing me would help him get revenge. So really, you don't need to worry about that ring."
Roy let out a soft sigh. "Alright." Not wanting to make her worry over his hang-ups, he quickly changed the subject. "So, what were you saying was a problem just now?"
"Oh, the script again," Laila explained what she'd been thinking earlier. "What do you think the odds are that they'll let me go shoot in a dangerous location right now?"
Roy's eye twitched. "Not even fifty percent. Didn't you swear to Janet that you wouldn't go near any more dangerous places? And now you're going back on that in just a few days?"
Laila rubbed her nose awkwardly. "You've read Buddy's script. Do you think it would be nearly as effective if it weren't filmed in a place that felt dangerous?"
"There's gotta be another way to work around it, right?" Roy said, though even he wasn't sure. He'd read the script too and knew that only a genuinely dangerous environment could create the tension needed to bring the two leads together. Trying to simulate that in a safer location might not cut it.
But she wasn't wrong either. As the director, Laila would have to be on-site. And after what had happened with Martin, there was no way the Moran family would just stand by and let her put herself in danger again.