"How's the recent progress with your designs?" Laila didn't want to waste time on others; even if all those airlines went bankrupt, it wouldn't affect her a bit.
When it came to work, Janet's expression immediately changed. She eagerly pulled out a stack of design drafts and placed them in front of her, saying, "Take a look and help me pick some out."
Laila took them and saw that they were outfits blending the styles of Baroque and pirates, exactly what they had discussed last time.
"Aren't these beautiful? It's not an easy task for me to pick out a few from here." She complimented her mother and then started carefully examining each one.
Janet sat across from her, saying, "They are nice, aren't they? After our conversation that day, inspiration kept flowing out of me. I never thought I'd have so many ideas, and they've all turned into these designs in your hands."
Laila pointed at one of them, saying, "I like this bridal gown. The lovely pleats and lace. It carries a strong Baroque style."
"I like it too!" Janet took out a few wedding dresses separately, "Didn't they mention something about you and Zeni a while ago? I thought about designing some bridal gowns for you. Just imagine, you'll look stunning in them, don't you think?"
Laila was taken aback, "Mom, I'm not even twenty yet! And I'm not dating Zeni! Let alone getting married!"
"Age is not a problem!" Janet waved her hand dismissively, brushing off her "excuse."
Laila remembered then that her mother was an advocate of early marriage, and when it came to her, age wasn't a convincing argument.
"I have no intention of getting married right now."
Surprisingly, her firm refusal didn't faze Janet, who continued, "It's okay. Being prepared early won't hurt. Love always comes unexpectedly. Maybe someday you'll suddenly meet your Prince Charming. It would be chaotic if you prepared then, so it's better to be prepared ahead of time!"
Laila felt a headache coming on; she realized it was quite a challenge to have a conversation with her mother on this topic. "Up to you." She found it nearly impossible to convince her.
Janet grinned mischievously and glanced behind Laila, saying, "I think he's quite nice. Such a handsome face, it's impossible not to like him."
Laila didn't even need to turn around to know who she was talking about, "I brought Roy along to let him interact with the upper class there. He's going to be a key player in our company's future. Early exposure will be beneficial."
Janet thought for a moment, "You mean Charlize If you think she's also a good catch, I wouldn't object."
Laila was flabbergasted; her open-minded mother left her torn between feeling proud and wanting to scream.
"Mom, as I said, I have no interest in dating either guys or girls! Right now, I just want to focus on my career."
"Really?" Janet looked regretful, staring at her for a while as if trying to detect any signs of lying.
"Really!" Laila nodded vigorously. If she could summon God himself, she'd swear in front of him to prove her determination.
Seeing that she seemed serious, Janet sighed disappointedly, "How could a career be more exciting than a beautiful encounter? Love is the driving force that makes this world go round."
Laila rubbed her forehead and called out to someone who seemed to be pretending to read a newspaper while intently eavesdropping, "Grandpa, could you please take your daughter away?"
Oswald cleared his throat, "Sorry, I don't know her."
"Father!" Janet scolded him with a glare. "Aren't you supposed to help me convince her?"
"Ha-ha." The old man chuckled dryly.
Help? He'd rather toss every "rascal" who came near her into the river. How could he possibly advise her to start dating so early? He already had one unsuccessful daughter, and he didn't want all those messy things to corrupt his granddaughter, who was hard to come by.
"Father!" Janet went over to protest to her father.
As soon as she left, Laila felt like the sky had cleared up. Before she could even exhale a sigh of relief, she caught Roy, not far behind, doubling over and shaking with laughter.
"Have you laughed enough? If you keep shaking like that, the plane might lose control!"
Roy covered his mouth, raising a hand to signal that he was okay, but he didn't dare to lift his head to look at her. He was afraid that seeing her would make him burst out laughing uncontrollably. With the prominent figures of the Moran family nearby, he didn't dare to be so carefree.
"Roy!" Laila gritted her teeth. "Is it that funny?"
"Uh, no, not funny at all." Roy's words seemed to squeeze out from between his fingers. His entire body was practically burying itself into his legs, and his upper body was trembling as if he had a muscle spasm.
He was really on the verge of laughing himself to death. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who would believe that Laila who usually faced everything with composure would look so helpless when dealing with her mother? In front of countless audiences, she could confidently outwit others, but facing Janet, she was like a toothless crocodile, only able to wait obediently to be made into a crocodile-skin bag, rather than exuding the menacing aura of a jungle crocodile.
Laila sighed. She regretted seating Roy behind her. Originally, she was worried that this guy might act unpredictably at any moment and offend her grandfather and mother. She thought having him in her line of sight would be better. But now he had managed to catch a glimpse of her embarrassed side, and she wondered how she could maintain her boss-like image in front of him in the future.
Everyone else might be having their problems, but hers was just ridiculous. Her "father" was disappointing, and this "non-existent" problem was driving her crazy.