"Do you know me? "Al Nadeem was dumbfounded.
There were thousands of Arabian princes at the very least. Laila, even if she racked her brains, wouldn't be able to remember so many names and faces. The reason she guessed he was a prince mainly had to do with his last name and the fact that he could appear in this place.
However, she wouldn't reveal such a superficial guess, so she smiled mysteriously and changed the topic, "Do you need me to call Charlize over?"
Al Nadeem was about to sit down on the beach chair next to her, but after hearing her words, he lost his balance and plopped onto the sand.
He stared at Laila as if she were a monster, "How do you know? Was it them? No, they couldn't have revealed my identity! So, how did you find out? Who told you?"
"Tell you what?" Laila elegantly picked up a nearby drink and took a sip, "Tell that you wanted to befriend our Charlize through American Express[AmEx], or tell you that you're the pursuer who doesn't even dare to show his face and only lurks in the background?"
"Do these even have a difference?" Al Nadeem scrambled to his feet from the ground, his followers immediately helping him brush the sand off. More people stood nearby, suppressing their laughter.
Laila nodded in agreement, "You're right, fundamentally speaking, there isn't much of a difference."
Al Nadeem dejectedly sat down on the beach chair, "Director Moran, you're much more formidable than I imagined."
"Thank you." Laila accepted his "compliment" without any false modesty. Being called formidable by a prince, if this wasn't a compliment, she didn't know what was.
But Al Nadeem didn't think that way. He frowned, "I'm not... never mind. Director Moran, do you think I can be friends with Miss Theron?"
Laila found it hard to understand what he was saying, "Why are you asking a stranger like me instead of asking the person right here? If I disagree, are you going to keep your distance from her?" This was probably the most absurd thing she had ever heard.
"I saw her beautiful figure yesterday, but I couldn't get close to her to express my admiration," Al Nadeem lamented, lowering his head, "She's like the sun in the sky; I feel like I'd be melted by her radiance if I got near her."
"Wait a moment." Laila interrupted his overly romantic description, "So, what you're saying is that you want to be friends with her, but you can't even get close to her?"
"Yes..." Al Nadeem lowered his head even further.
"Since you can't get close to her, how can you be friends with her?"
"That's why I'm asking for your permission!" Al Nadeem said desperately.
Laila was taken aback. Was this some Arabian logic or a result of cultural differences? She instinctively looked towards the Arabian man who seemed like a butler behind him. They all firmly shook their heads.
No! This can't be the normal thinking of our Arabian people!
Alright, she thought she understood now. It seemed that the prince's thought process was something an average person like her couldn't fathom. It was better not to waste brain cells on this.
"In that case, my answer is no. Goodbye, Prince Al Nadeem." She waved and bid him farewell.
"How can you be like this? You're depriving her of her freedom! Aren't you Americans the ones who value freedom and democracy the most?" Al Nadeem protested, standing up and looking indignant.
Laila glanced at him, "You came seeking an answer from me, and I gave you an answer. Is there a problem?"
"A huge problem!" Al Nadeem felt like he had been caught up in some bizarre vortex. "This isn't right!" Hadn't his bodyguards told him that no one would refuse his sincere request? Why was he rejected? And so decisively?
Laila was amused by his reaction, "How should it be, according to you?"
"You should have agreed based on my sincere request and allowed me to befriend Miss Theron!" Al Nadeem seemed to be losing his grip on reality. Maybe he had never had a request rejected before. Encountering someone like her who didn't play by the rules was probably puzzling for him.
Laila looked at him curiously, "Even if I agreed to let you be friends, if you can't get close to her, how are you going to be friends with her?"
Al Nadeem was confused by her question, "We can... Yes! We can communicate! And we can exchange emails!"
Laila was truly baffled. This prince, who knew what rank he held, had a rather handsome face. His deep facial features and profound eyes, his well-defined facial structure, all made him look like someone who could become a star. Moreover, his presence here clearly indicated that he was one of those wealthy princes, not a penniless one hiding behind a princely title.
With his looks, pursuing a girl should be easy. So why did he act in front of her like a shy young man who hadn't seen a woman in hundreds of years?
"Are you saying that you only want to communicate with her and exchange emails?" She confirmed once again, incredulous.
Al Nadeem hesitated for a moment and then nodded firmly, "Yes, I sincerely request this!"
Laila raised her head and looked at the Arabian man who seemed like a butler behind him, "Is he telling the truth?"
"Yes, esteemed Miss Moran. After seeing Miss Theron's appearance, Prince Al Nadeem has been deeply attracted to her and wishes to have further communication with her."
"Fine then, if that's the case, I'll call her over to ask for her opinion and then give you an answer, alright?" Laila was speechless.
Just as she was about to call, Al Nadeem hurriedly stepped forward and covered her mouth, "Wait! Please wait!"
"Hey, take your damn hands off her!" A furious shout rang out, and a fist swung towards the prince.
No one had expected such a turn of events, not even the prince's bodyguards, who, out of consideration for their master's privacy, had stayed some distance away. Fortunately, there was still a butler present, who stepped forward to intercept the punch.
This was a real mess. The bodyguards rushed in like a hornet's nest, surrounding the man and pointing their guns at him.
All of this had happened in just a few seconds, so fast that it was hard to react. Laila's face turned cold when she saw the guns, "Prince Al Nadeem, who are those guns aimed at?" At the same time, she stood up, ignoring the guns pointed at her, and pulled Roy to her side.
"Stop! Put down your guns now! It's a misunderstanding, all of it is a misunderstanding!" Al Nadeem was flabbergasted. He hadn't thought that within mere seconds, things would escalate to the point of drawing guns.