Pure friendship between men and women? Al Nadeem couldn't help but curl his lips. This was why he didn't like foreign women; they couldn't even focus on one man.
But he wasn't foolish enough to say such things outside his country. Saying them here would only cause a lot of trouble. He had called Jia Xiaoming over earlier because he had noticed the Eastern appearance, and in his impression, people from the East had a better understanding of loyalty.
"To be honest, I think they get along well for a reason," Jia Xiaoming said, seeing the prince's strange expression. To prevent any misunderstandings, he quickly added, "Roy was brought to Hollywood by Laila from the streets. It seems she saw his acting talent at a glance and is currently using the entire company's resources to cultivate him. He's already played roles in several movies, and the results have been quite good."
While Jia Xiaoming said it was because of Roy's acting talent, he didn't think much of it. After all, acting talent wasn't something that showed on one's face. Roy was probably chosen because of his looks! Although he didn't want to admit it, that guy was indeed a bit more handsome than himself. However, he had always gone for the elegant and refined route, so it was hard to say who would win in a true comparison.
"..." After hearing Jia Xiaoming's explanation, Al Nadeem felt even worse. Even the fact that he had been inexplicably engaged to someone hadn't made him as unhappy as he was now.
"Hmph." Thousands of words were condensed into a cold snort from the prince. A mere little actor, who hadn't even become famous after appearing in several movies, didn't seem that impressive in his circle. "Appearing in a few movies and not getting famous yet... it seems he's nothing special."
"Uh..." Jia Xiaoming hesitated. Should he go along with the prince's words, or should he tell him that the little actor was already considered a rising star in Hollywood? The reason he hadn't appeared in many other movies was said to be a special arrangement by Laila.
Fortunately, Al Nadeem didn't really expect him to answer, so he quickly shifted the topic to Laila, subtly trying to inquire about her.
With the prince's intelligence, the concept of "subtle inquiry" really wasn't suitable for him, especially in front of Jia Xiaoming. This made Jia Xiaoming very uncomfortable. He had to pretend not to see the prince's intentions while trying to answer in a way that satisfied him.
Laila continued filming for the afternoon, and Al Nadeem suffered through it as well. As soon as the filming was over, he disappeared like a rabbit released from a cage, leaving behind a slightly disappointed prince who had "enjoyed the conversation."
"Thank you so much for your help today. How about I treat you to dinner to express my gratitude?" Laila was not a stingy person. After using up half a day of his time, she felt she should at least make a gesture.
Al Nadeem's eyes lit up, and he was about to agree eagerly, but then he felt that he might come off as too eager. He cleared his throat and said, trying to appear composed, "Since you've invited me so sincerely, it would be impolite for me not to accept. Let's make arrangements then."
Laila glanced at the sky and took a deep breath before reluctantly suppressing the urge to walk away and leave him to dine alone. Did he really think she was eager to have dinner with him? She also had no appetite for that!
"If it's too much trouble for you, forget it."
"Huh?" Al Nadeem was dumbfounded. Wasn't this supposed to be the development he had hoped for? Hadn't he already agreed?
Laila only remembered that they had mutual antipathy, and since neither of them liked the other, why force themselves to have dinner together for appearances' sake? So, she passed this glorious and arduous task to Roy...
She left gracefully, leaving behind Roy, who knew that Al Nadeem had "ulterior motives," and Al Nadeem, who knew that Roy was Laila's "male friend."
Jia Xiaoming had originally considered going back to pack up and leave, but when he saw this scene, he immediately walked away without looking back. Seriously, that was a battlefield, and he would be stupid to risk getting involved. After all, the prince's bodyguards were already back, so he could disappear as far as possible.
It could be imagined that this would be the most unpleasant meal the prince had ever eaten. The entire dinner, he looked as dark as the bottom of a pot. Roy, on the other hand, was fine. He had grown up in an environment where he had to fight for even a piece of ham, so now, with Laila's card, why wouldn't he choose the most luxurious place for dinner? He wasn't about to let one sour face ruin his mood.
However, even though Laila didn't have dinner with Al Nadeem, news of the prince's appearance at her filming location quickly reached Faiza's ears.
The prince's itinerary had never been hidden, and it was not surprising that some of his bodyguards were bought off. If before Faiza just wanted to suppress Laila, now it had turned into a relentless battle. She couldn't stand becoming just one of the prince's wives, especially when she was sure she wouldn't be his equal.
So, what had started as a simple rivalry now escalated into a fierce battle between two women for the attention of one man.
"I will never fail! This time will be no exception. All obstacles in my way will disappear from the world forever!"
Looking at the cloudy night sky outside the window, Faiza clenched her teeth and made her vow.
At the same time, Laila rubbed her suddenly itchy nose and suppressed a sneeze that was about to come out.
"What's wrong?" Claire draped a coat over her. "If you're not feeling well, you should speak up. Your recent workload has been way over the limit."
"It's nothing, just a sudden itch in my nose." Laila smiled and patted Claire's hand resting on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Once this movie is finished, I'll take a proper vacation."
Claire found it hard to believe her. "I've heard that line many times before. When have you actually taken a break?"
"Hehe." Laila awkwardly laughed a couple of times. In reality, she truly hadn't had any time for a vacation. After Claire left, she returned to her study to review her upcoming schedule and realized that she wouldn't have any free time until at least the first half of next year.
"Kill Bill" would finish filming in another half month, followed by post-production work. Then, several horror films would be released successively in major theaters. Among them, the one directed by Wen Ziren[James Wan], "SAW 2," would carry her banner and premiere on Halloween day.