"Boss," Demi arrived at the filming location during the shoot and brought some bad news to Laila. "People outside somehow found out about the extras quitting a few days ago, and now the media is buzzing about it, saying that our movie might not get made."
Laila looked at the just-finished scene playing on the screen and responded nonchalantly, "Why bother with all that? As long as we do our best, that's all that matters."
"But..." Demi hesitated for a moment. "Over on 'The 13th Warrior,' they're using this as an opportunity to create publicity. Aren't you going to address it?"
As a secretary, Demi had come to understand her boss's temperament over the past two years. She felt that Laila wasn't someone who would tolerate others stepping on her and climbing over her.
Indeed, Laila was that kind of person. Cooperation was fine, but if someone tried to use her as a stepping stone, she wouldn't be pleased. And when she wasn't pleased, those responsible for making her unhappy would be even less pleased.
"It seems that Faiza is too idle," Laila remarked. When it came to "The 13th Warrior," extras, and such, it was obvious who was behind these behind-the-scenes maneuvers.
Laila squinted her ice-blue eyes and reached out for her phone, saying to her secretary, "Give me my phone."
Demi quickly retrieved her boss's phone and handed it to her, eagerly anticipating how her boss would handle the chaos brewing outside.
Laila dialed a number without hesitation after opening her phone.
"Al Nadeem, we're about to finish shooting here. Are you interested in joining the celebration party afterward? Theron will be there too."
Since Faiza seemed to care most about Al Nadeem, she wanted to take him away from her and release the Prince's affection for Charlize Theron. Would he not happily come running when he learned of Theron's involvement?
Of course, Laila didn't actually expect Theron and the prince to be together. She just wanted Faiza to know that they had had some private contact. Given Faiza's exaggerated jealousy, merely seeing Theron and the prince together for a few days without saying a word was enough to make her furious.
But she could never have imagined that things would deviate from her original plan, and what attracted the prince's attention wasn't Theron but her.
Upon receiving the invitation, Al Nadeem remained silent for a few seconds before responding weakly, "Give me the time and location." Then he hung up the phone.
"This person, hasn't he eaten?" Laila heard the click of the phone being hung up on the other end and stared at her phone in confusion for a moment before tossing it back to her secretary. She had grown accustomed to using smartphones, so handling a regular phone like this was difficult for her.
"Boss, what's going on?" Demi didn't understand her boss's intentions. They had just been discussing another film, so why did it turn into an invitation for the prince to join a party? Did she hope to persuade her fiancé to intervene with the other fiancée? The boss didn't seem like someone who would handle issues gently.
Laila smiled but didn't explain further, simply saying, "You'll find out when the time comes."
Well, as her boss's secretary, Demi decided to trust that she would work her magic once again to make things go smoothly.
A few days later, under Laila's command of "CUT, it's a wrap," the entire shoot officially concluded, and cheers erupted on the set.
This time had been truly challenging for Laila, even more so than her previous film, "Rush Hour." The action scenes in this movie were more magnificent and intense, with a greater number of female characters, making it more challenging to shoot. It wasn't because the female actors performed poorly; it was because Laila's demands were extremely strict. To achieve the desired effects and to tap into the actors' talents, she shot scene after scene repeatedly.
Al Nadeem arrived in the afternoon, seemingly annoyed, and sat in the tearoom, drinking one tasteless cup of tea after another while gazing out the window.
"Your Highness, shall I ask someone to bring you a fresh pot of tea?" The bodyguards were at their wit's end. When had their pampered prince, accustomed to a life of luxury, been content with just a pot of tea to pass the whole afternoon?
"No need!" Al Nadeem's tone was stiff, and his eyes were fixed on the faint figure visible outside the window. He didn't know what he was feeling.
In fact, these days he had been trying various ways to banish the image of Laila from his mind. No matter what he did, whenever his mind quieted down, those icy blue eyes would start flashing before him, unsettling his thoughts.
He knew he was smitten, much like when he had first seen Theron's character on the big screen. It was even stronger than that, at least Theron didn't keep appearing in his mind the way Laila did.
Upon receiving Laila's call, he had eagerly dressed up and arrived early at the filming location. However, Laila, upon seeing him, immediately displayed an expression of disapproval, as if asking, "Why are you here so early?" Then she left a teapot and disappeared. Apart from someone occasionally coming to add water to his teapot, no one else paid any attention to the poor prince.
In the past, Al Nadeem would have undoubtedly left in a huff. But now, he kept pouring tea, seemingly venting his frustration and he couldn't bring himself to leave.
How had he become so useless? With a loud "thud," in the eyes of his bodyguards who thought he was acting like a lunatic, the prince knocked his head against the table, creating a series of thudding sounds.
"What's wrong with you?" When Laila entered the room, she heard the noise coming from inside. She walked into the tearoom and found the foolish prince banging his head against the table.
"... " Al Nadeem raised his slightly red forehead and saw the icy blue eyes that had been spinning in his mind lately. He said in a vexed tone, "My head itches. Can't I do this?"
Laila's eye twitched. Okay, she had to admit that she couldn't understand the prince's thoughts at all. If his head itched, did he have to bang it on the table? Then what if his heart itched? Would he start poking his chest?