Laila silently observed everything that was happening. She was well aware of the current situation in the company, and it was precisely because she knew that she made the decisions she did. The reason was simple: she felt that her rise had been too rapid.
The current Phoenix Entertainment was no longer the small company that used to produce B-grade movies and was on the brink of bankruptcy. In just two years, propelled by the success of Laila Films and the New Talent Project, it had become one of the hottest movie production companies in Hollywood.
The once-empty five-story building was now crowded with new employees, and she had to find another place for the newly established 'Dragon Soul Film Company'.
When hiring employees, they did recruit those they considered to be talented, but being good at their jobs didn't mean they excelled in all areas. Laila's goal was to use this crisis, on the brink of collapse, to test the character of the company's employees. Those who fit in would naturally stay, and those who didn't would be better off leaving early, to avoid causing problems in the future.
So, what she needed to do now was to manage her current workload and observe the situation.
Today was a good day. Early in the morning, she took a flight to the headquarters of Victoria's Secret. There, she received her rightful reward: a 20% stake in Victoria's Secret! In other words, from today onward, she was one of the major shareholders of Victoria's Secret.
No one, not even the most stringent members of the board, would object to this development. Laila's arrival had caused the value of their stocks to increase several-fold in a short period, and everyone could see that these stocks had even better prospects in the future.
No one would turn a cold shoulder to someone who had helped them earn a significant amount of money. As for the Victoria's Secret Angels, even though they had no say in the shares, their love and gratitude for Laila were evident. A Super Bowl halftime show and the title of a Victoria's Secret Angel had elevated their status to the ranks of the world's top supermodels. In such circumstances, who wouldn't welcome Laila's joining?
After attending the dinner that Leslie had specially arranged for her, Laila declined his offer to book a hotel for her and took a flight back to Hollywood.
Hollywood had long become the place where she felt most at home. If she were in any other place, she would genuinely be worried that she wouldn't be able to sleep.
But even when she returned to her home in Beverly Hills, she still had trouble falling asleep. There was no way around it; in her previous life, she had begged and flattered countless people for a few hundred thousand to several million dollars. Now, in just a few months, she had earned a contract for a 20% stake in Victoria's Secret. She knew what the future held, and she understood just how significant this 20% was in her previous life. Suddenly receiving so much money, even someone like her who had earned hundreds of millions at the box office multiple times still felt her heart racing with excitement.
Her excitement made it impossible for her to sleep. She turned on the TV, looking for a boring program that would help her fall asleep. However, she forgot that for Americans, 11 or 12 p.m. was still an acceptable time to be out and about, so it couldn't be considered late at all. Consequently, she couldn't find any dull programs and ended up flipping through the channels, eventually coming across a familiar face.
It was a well-known late-night talk show. Laila wasn't particularly interested in talk shows; she had heard of them but rarely watched them.
"Roy, how did you feel when you found out that Director Moran had given you a song to sing? Were you surprised?" the host asked the handsome young man casually lounging on the couch.
Roy made a hand-to-forehead gesture, "I was thinking at the time, did she mistake me for her? Did she think just about anyone can be a genius at everything?"
"So, did you refuse her at first?"
"Of course not. I told her I'm the best singer in Hollywood," Roy said, winking at the camera.
His response drew laughter from the audience.
The host laughed along, "So, did you know right from the beginning that you would be singing at the Super Bowl?"
"No, no," Roy shook his head repeatedly, "My boss, she's the kind of person where if she wants to tell you something, you won't hear it unless you're on stage. Everyone knows her plans are kept under wraps. Even the media only found out when we were on stage."
The host chuckled, "What about your feelings when you found out? You'd be singing in front of millions of people, and over a billion viewers worldwide through live broadcasts. You're an actor, weren't you afraid of messing up?"
Roy grinned, "How could I be? I think my boss has a great eye for talent. She immediately picked me, the best singer in Hollywood, to be the singer."
Laila couldn't help but laugh at this guy's shamelessness. Was he complimenting her or himself?
"Haha," the host and the audience knew he was joking and couldn't stop laughing.
Talk shows like this one loved guests who could play along and entertain the audience effortlessly. Just a few words from him had already put everyone in a good mood, ensuring high ratings for the episode.
"Let's talk about your boss. I heard she discovered you on the street?"
This wasn't the first time he had been asked this question, but every time it came up, Roy couldn't help but recall the situation, feeling deeply grateful for his good fortune.
"Yes, I bumped into her on the street, and her clothes got torn," Roy said. Perhaps because of the lively atmosphere, he revealed details that he hadn't shared before.
The host's eyes lit up, immediately following up, "And then she saw your potential and brought you to Hollywood? That sounds so romantic!"
Roy chuckled, "No way! I was scammed. I didn't even know what happened. She tricked me into compensating her for her torn clothes, and when I found out her clothes were worth over a hundred thousand dollars, I almost passed out."
"Haha," the audience burst into laughter.
The host also laughed heartily, "That's right. She's a devoted supporter of Janet Moran. It's said that she wears only Morland brand clothing not available for sale. So, what happened next?"
Roy shrugged, "I was already in too deep, so I thought I might as well compensate her since I had no money. I figured I'd work for her for the rest of my life. But now I know that she had planned to deceive me into coming to Hollywood all along. She even arranged a bunch of exhausting courses for me. Wait until you see 'Kill Bill,' I played a supporting role in it and had a fierce fight scene with Charlize. That's real talent!"
Laila listened and couldn't help but smile. This guy always had thick skin, whether he was praising her or himself.
"Haha," the host and the audience were amused by Roy's words. They knew he was joking.
Late-night talk shows loved guests who could entertain and engage the audience effortlessly. Roy's humor undoubtedly ensured high ratings for this episode.