Laila felt fortunate that it was the year 2003; the internet was not as powerful as it would become in the future. When the paparazzi got wind of Downey's situation, their first instinct wasn't to expose it online. Instead, they chose to sell this significant piece of news to the media. This gave Laila some time to buffer and address the problem.
Unfortunately, she didn't know who the paparazzo was that witnessed the incident. If she did, perhaps she could have directly bought the evidence from him and destroyed it.
However, she was well aware that even if they found the person, police stations were not airtight. Some individuals would leak information about what happened today. When that time came, the storm would still rise.
Several news outlets were willing to pay a high price for such news. According to her speculation, media outlets led by the New York Post, especially those associated with the "Anti-Laila Alliance," would be more interested in such matters. They not only specialized in celebrity gossip but also had a personal agenda against Laila.
As the leader of the "Anti-Laila Alliance" media, the New York Post had consistently been at the forefront of tarnishing her image. Now that they had an opportunity to openly mock her, those people would undoubtedly seize it.
Laila absentmindedly tapped her fingers on the table, contemplating ways to handle the situation.
First impressions were crucial, whether concerning individuals or events. Once a first impression took root in people's minds, it became challenging to reverse. Even with the most substantial evidence presented, some individuals would persist in their beliefs, thinking that everyone was deceived by an "illusion."
With this in mind, she made a decision. Rather than passively waiting for the news to come out and then clarifying, it was better to proactively expose it from the beginning!
Soon after, Laila posted a message and a video on her Facebook account.
"Dear friends, I need your help to clear the name of a 'hero.'"
Since Laila had a considerable number of followers, many people left comments almost immediately after she posted the message. People who commented at such a quick pace probably hadn't watched the video yet; they were merely intrigued by Laila's words and wanted to leave their mark.
More people, driven by curiosity, clicked on the video. As they watched, their reactions were explosive! Downey's face was currently highly exposed due to the movie promotion, and almost everyone following Laila's account was a fan, well aware of the movie featuring Downey as the protagonist.
The video seemed to be shot from a surveillance angle, not staged. This made people speculate about what had happened that led Laila to make such a plea for help.
The video was the part Roy had copied from the police station. Laila had the company's team do some post-production work before releasing it. In the video, Cole's face was blurred, but the girl's face was still clear. Well, "clear" might be an exaggeration; after all, one couldn't expect high definition from surveillance cameras of that era.
The video began with Downey drinking in a bar-like setting. However, a red arrow appeared next to the blurred man, emphasizing his actions, especially his hands.
When the man reached forward, there was a pause in the video. To explain the situation clearly, a special subtitle here states that the blurred man had put something in the girl's drink during this action.
Although the girl's elbow blocked the view, guided by the subtitles, those watching the video immediately felt that the blurred man did indeed make a drugging gesture.
Next, just as the girl raised her glass to drink, Downey suddenly stood up and knocked the glass over. At this point, the video paused again, with a red circle highlighting the moment when the drink spilled on the girl. A caption underneath emphasized, "The drugged drink spilled on the girl."
Following this, the video showed the blurred man pushing Downey angrily, leading to a chaotic scuffle between the two. During the part where Cole slipped and fell to the ground, there was another pause, and subtitles explained that his fall wasn't caused by Downey but by slipping on the wet floor after the drink spill.
Towards the end of the video, rows of subtitles narrated Laila's plea.
"Now Downey has been taken to the police station. The man who fell on the ground plans to sue him for intentional harm. When I approached him with an apology, expressing a willingness to compensate for his losses, he demanded to break both of Downey's legs as compensation for him to consider a settlement.
I may not be the best boss, but I cannot tolerate my artist being treated unfairly. I believe Downey did nothing wrong; he is a hero, for saving that girl. If it weren't for him, one can imagine how that beautiful girl might have been treated.
Here, I request everyone's help. Please help us find the girl in the video. We need a piece of her clothing as evidence to prove that the drink was indeed spiked. If any of you know the girl, please leave a message on my Facebook account or call the Dragon Soul Film Company and the talent agency below. As a thank you, we will offer a reward of $100,000. Of course, if you are willing to play a role in our movie, that's also fine.
A hero should not be subjected to imprisonment, and those who truly commit evil should not escape justice. I ask everyone here, please help us find that girl!"
Laila's method was straightforward—it was essentially a "human flesh search." The girl in the video was young, and young people's circles weren't that vast. There would surely be a few who liked to browse the internet, and some would inevitably see this video.
Even if they didn't see it now, once Downey's incident was exposed by the media, they would likely come across this video during an online search. By that time, the $100,000 reward would play a significant role, motivating some people to pick up the phone.
The power of her release was also quite formidable. In a short time, major media outlets received the news and flocked to her account, trying to ask questions. However, Laila did not respond to any inquiries.
With the promise of a $100,000 reward and the opportunity to play a role in her movie, especially the latter, it was an incredibly attractive condition for Hollywood actors.