Laila finally remembered what he was talking about. She had been busy here for the past month, and she had hardly had time to care about what was happening outside.
"So, you were talking about her. What has she done now?"
Her indifference was seen as a stubborn attitude by the prince, and he sighed in resignation. "Sometimes, you need to know where you've failed to make amends. Whether you genuinely know it or pretend not to, I don't care. But since this whole thing started because of me, and you're somewhat involved, I decided to come to Hollywood to help you out. How about it? Are you touched?"
"Heh," Laila smirked without much emotion. "Should I be sobbing with gratitude?"
"No need for that," Al Nadeem waved his hand generously.
Before he could say anything more, Laila stood up and pulled open the door, gesturing outside. "It seems you have a lot of free time. Our theme park is right outside. If you have nothing else to do, go explore. I won't keep you entertained!"
She felt like she had lost her mind for even entertaining his nonsense. She had known about his playful nature during their time on the island. Even though she had made a mistake by listening to him, she believed she had been infected by some kind of idiot virus from him.
"You, woman, really!" Al Nadeem had never seen a woman as unreasonable as her. Foreign women were indeed different from the gentle ones from his own country!
"I already told you, I came here specifically to help you. Is this how you treat such a helpful friend?"
"I don't think I need your help with anything."
Al Nadeem looked into her eyes and sighed. "You are a truly cold woman. Whether you want it or not, the fact is that this whole situation started because of me, and as a man, I will handle it for you. So, rest assured."
A man who couldn't even speak to women? Laila found it amusing. "How do you plan to handle it for me? Are you going to have a conversation with your fiancée? But can you face her in person?"
Al Nadeem clutched his chest, feeling like she had just stabbed a knife into his heart. "Has someone ever told you that your mouth is very wicked?"
"Don't worry, you're not the first one to say that," Laila waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, what exactly do you want to do? You have five minutes to explain. I'll be going back to work after that."
"Alright." Al Nadeem sighed in resignation. "Isn't Faiza's film going to compete with yours? Their promotional efforts seem quite intense. How about I buy some ad space in major newspapers for you?"
"Just that?" Laila raised an eyebrow, looking at him as if he were a fool. Did she look like someone who lacked money?
"No good? Their advantage over you seems to be in marketing and investment, right? Even if you invest more, you might not surpass them. So, why not focus more on promotion?"
Laila chuckled and shook her head. "It seems like I gave you too much time. I thought I would hear an interesting proposal from you. What a pity."
"Isn't this how film promotion works? Besides grabbing newspaper ad space, what else can you do? How about plastering Times Square screens, roadside billboards, and public transportation with advertisements?"
Even though it would cost a lot of money, Al Nadeem had to accept it. After all, this whole situation started because of him. As a man, he couldn't back down from such a matter!
Laila stood up and walked to the door, giving him a meaningful look. "Thank you for your kindness. But do you think I'm someone who can be defeated by just anyone spending a little money? Please remember, I am Laila Moran. No matter how much you spend, you won't be able to defeat me."
Al Nadeem had no intention of stopping her from leaving this time. Instead, he stared at her retreating figure for a long time, still in a daze. It was the first time he had seen such a confident expression on a woman. It was as if even the most absurd words from her mouth were believable.
At that moment, he felt like he saw a dazzling light burst from her, shining so brightly that he could hardly keep his eyes open. Yet, he couldn't help but follow her figure with his gaze.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" one of the bodyguards asked when he saw Al Nadeem sitting there in a daze.
"Huh?" Al Nadeem exclaimed and then placed his hand over his heart, saying, "I'm fine, but it seems like something happened…"
The bodyguard was puzzled. Did something happen, or did nothing happen?
"Your Highness, do you feel uncomfortable in your chest?"
"Just now, it suddenly started pounding like it was about to jump out." Al Nadeem looked down at his hand placed on his chest and muttered to himself, "It seems like something did happen."
He realized he was in the throes of an unexpected attraction. Al Nadeem, of all people, was falling for a woman who was always in the public eye! How was that possible? He was supposed to like beautiful, graceful, and seductive women like Charlize Theron, not suddenly be attracted to a woman who was fierce and sharp-tongued.
Something was definitely wrong!
"Your Highness?"
"I'm fine. Let's go back to the hotel," Al Nadeem said, still somewhat stiff as he walked out of the tea room with his bodyguards.
As they stepped outside, they saw Laila talking to someone not far away. The two of them seemed to be discussing something serious, and their expressions were solemn.
Seeing the stern-looking Laila, Al Nadeem suddenly smiled a friendly and warm smile. If anyone who knew her saw that expression, they would guess that she was up to something.
But Al Nadeem didn't know that he was amid a budding infatuation. As he watched her, he felt like he was seeing countless flowers blooming behind her, making her seem so different and suddenly not as detestable.
Ah, it turns out she's quite pretty!
As this thought emerged in his mind, the temperature on his cheeks rose several degrees. And when he saw Laila walking toward him with a smile, he even felt a suffocating sensation, as if his breath was about to stop.
"Prince Al Nadeem, you said you wanted to help me, right?" Laila looked at him with a playful smile, or rather, she looked through him at the bodyguards behind him.
"Yes, yes. Whatever you need, just let me know. I promise not to let you lose too miserably!" Al Nadeem patted his chest and agreed readily.