Laila playfully pushed Roy aside, who was like a bantam rooster, patting him on the back to console him. Then, she extended her hand toward the prince, saying, "Hello, Prince Al Nadeem."
"Don't be so formal; just call me Al Nadeem," the prince said, gripping her hand excitedly and hesitating to let go for quite some time. "It's been a long time, and I'm genuinely thrilled that you could come this time."
"It's my fault; I should have greeted you more often," Laila replied with the customary words, which she didn't believe, but the dim-witted prince took them to heart.
"Yes! I've been locked away by my father at the company for such a long time, and he won't let me have any contact with the outside world. If you had called me earlier, it would have been so much better," he said.
Laila couldn't help but understand why he hadn't bothered her for so long. She had initially thought Roy's appearance had made him give up, but now it seemed she would need to come up with other ways to make him give up for good.
The flight crew members were arranged by the following people, and Laila and Roy proceeded to the lavish hotel that Prince Al Nadeem had prepared for them.
Using the excuse of being tired, Laila dismissed the prince's suggestion of a celebratory dinner. She then took out the special phone that Jia Xiaoming had given her. It was an encrypted satellite phone created through unconventional means, ensuring high security and no risk of eavesdropping. As long as you were on Earth, there was no risk of not being able to make a call.
"I've arrived at the location. What should I do next?" She called Jia Xiaoming to inquire about the next steps.
"My team will gather at the airport tonight, and they will cause the airport systems to malfunction for about half an hour. You just need to prepare the people on the plane, and when the time comes, let them on board," he instructed.
"Got it. I'll have them prepared, and we'll leave the airport for the United States early tomorrow morning. I've brought some first-aid supplies on the plane. You take care of the rest."
Jia Xiaoming fell silent for a moment and then thanked her sincerely, "Thank you, Laila. You're saving their lives, and from now on, my life belongs to you."
"Don't say such cheesy things. We're friends, aren't we? I'll need your makeup skills to help me win a few Oscars in the future."
Jia Xiaoming thought she was joking and laughed heartily, "No problem, however many you need, I'll get them for you." He was well aware of his limitations. Playing with disguises was one thing, but winning an Oscar trophy was an entirely different challenge.
In his mind, the Oscar was a highly prestigious award that only truly great filmmakers could achieve. He never considered himself a part of the film industry, so how could he ever dream of receiving such an honor?
It was only after he actually received the Oscar trophy not long after this conversation that he realized it wasn't as hard as he had thought. Of course, because of his overwhelming fame, everyone who was jealous of him joined forces to teach him a lesson. But that's a story for another time.
That evening, Laila was invited to the prince's residence to attend the birthday banquet he had organized for her. She initially thought it would be a small, private gathering. To her surprise, when she arrived at the venue, she was greeted by a crowd of more than a hundred people.
What was going on?
"Laila, you're here!" Al Nadeem saw her and immediately rushed over, "Come, let me introduce you to my brothers and friends!"
Completely ignored by the prince, Roy elegantly led Laila to the side away from him and said with a smile, "Thank you very much, Prince, for your invitation. We are quite curious about your country's royalty."
Al Nadeem responded disdainfully, "If you're curious, go and have fun on your own. There's no place for you here!"
"Is that so?" Roy didn't care about his harsh tone and glanced at Laila. "The prince says there's no place for us here."
"Oh, that's a shame. We'll take our leave then." Laila lifted her skirt, took Roy's arm, and was about to return the way they came, assuming the attitude of "If you won't let us in, we'll leave."
Al Nadeem, seeing this, almost coughed up blood. If he had known that his father would lock him up as a laborer when he was in the United States and that the woman he liked would be taken away by another man, he would have gone to the United States to find her, even if it meant dragging his bruised butt back!
Now he had finally seen her, but she had become someone else's.
Nevertheless, he wasn't in a hurry. Even marriages had their divorces, and he didn't believe he wouldn't be able to have her in his embrace one day!
Regretfully, he glanced at Laila, who seemed "bewitched," and sighed with frustration, "Come with me."
After Laila and Roy exchanged glances with each other in silent understanding, they both burst into laughter without making a sound.
Despite her dislike for such occasions, Laila had attended numerous events with her grandfather and mother in the past. She could gracefully handle curious onlookers and engage in conversation without giving anyone a reason to complain.
Laila had high expectations for Roy at the beginning and he had received training for such events, and with his outgoing nature, he could quickly make friends with most people there, except for Al Nadeem and Faiza. Furthermore, his recently released "Pirates of the Caribbean" film was still quite popular, and he was well-received by both adults and children at the event.
This irritated Al Nadeem. He had specifically invited Laila to showcase her charm, not for his "rival" to steal the spotlight.
"Laila, come see the gift I got you!" He finally found an opportunity to draw her aside while someone else distracted Roy.
"Before that, I need to talk to you about something," Laila said as she walked with him to the side.
"What is it? You can tell me anything. In other places, I might not be able to do much, but here, I can help you with anything!" Al Nadeem now spoke with a great deal of confidence. He couldn't understand why his father had imposed such tests on him before, preventing him from contacting foreign countries when any issues arose. He was finally able to set that aside.
Following his father's instructions, all he had to do was ensure that Laila had a good time and ask the media outlets from the Moran family to say a few good words about them once she returned home. With the Moran family's media support, he believed they could improve the two countries' currently strained relationship.
"It's not a big deal. It's just that our plane has some issues and needs to leave early tomorrow morning. Can you help with the arrangements?" Laila asked.
"Is that all?" Al Nadeem eagerly agreed, "It's very simple. You won't even need them to come pick you up when you return; I'll have my family arrange for your transportation."
Laila nodded in agreement, appreciating his hospitality.
Little did they know, not far away, a pair of eyes were almost shooting flames as they watched them closely.