"I want money." After much hesitation, she finally uttered her decision.
How could Laila not see what she really wanted? Smiling, she asked, "Are you sure? Once decided, you won't have a chance to change your mind."
Kathy nodded firmly, "I'm sure! Mom and Dad want to travel, I know. With this money, they can go wherever they want."
"Kathy!" The Thompson couple embraced her, moved by her decision.
"Dear, we know you want to be an actress. Go ahead, choose what you truly want! When you become a big star, we'll have more opportunities to travel, won't we?" Mrs. Thompson affectionately touched her daughter's fluffy hair, all the anger from her naughty escapade disappearing.
Watching this family's strong bond, Laila couldn't help but think of her own family. If it were them, they would probably wish for her to fulfill her dreams too, right?
"Kathy." She beckoned her over, calling her to her side. "Do you want to be an actress?"
After a moment of hesitation, Kathy nodded. Of course, she wanted to. No one wanted it more than her!
Laila remembered the girl she saw on the surveillance video. Ignoring her real age, it was undeniable that she was a beautiful and seductive woman. People like Cole must have a vast understanding of women, probably more than some women understood themselves.
Kathy had a conversation with him, and he didn't find anything strange about her. This meant that not only did she dress well, but she also had good acting skills. Otherwise, if she looked mature but acted like a child, Cole would have seen through her immediately.
Laila thought this might be Kathy's innate talent, like Roy's, a natural acting ability. Did this mean that perhaps she could also surprise her like Roy did?
"Kathy, if I say you can play a role in my movie, I'll give you a salary of $100,000. Would you take on this role?"
"Ah!" Kathy's beautiful eyes widened instantly. "I'm willing! I'm willing! Oh my God! I'm willing!" She excitedly jumped up.
Another movie role, a salary of $100,000 – could there be better conditions than this?
"Thank you, Director Moran." The Thompson couple could easily see this was a special favor for their daughter. They weren't oblivious parents only concerned with their happy child.
After thanking them profusely, Laila anxiously waited for news from Xiao Ye. He went to retrieve the things the kids had filmed, hoping nothing unexpected had happened.
After about an hour and a half, Xiao Ye finally returned to the office.
"How did it go?" Laila asked him about the results with an expressionless face.
Xiao Ye had initially wanted to feign disappointment, but seeing her anxious look, he lost interest in teasing her. "With me in action, do you think it's possible to fail?" He said, taking out a DV camera from his bag.
Laila nervously held the DV in her hands. "Have you seen what's inside?"
"Not yet. I rushed back as soon as I got it." Xiao Ye shrugged. If he didn't know she would be waiting in the office, he would have taken a sneak peek already. Who knew what was recorded inside had piqued his curiosity.
Opening the footage captured by the DV, there were several well-shot videos. Judging from the characters appearing on the cover, it was easy to determine that the last two were what they hoped to see this time.
First, they opened the last one. The video began with several girls dressed maturely, and Kathy, who had caused a big commotion, appeared among them.
"It's Kathy's turn now. Her task is to sit at the bar and wait for a man to approach her. If no one comes within fifteen minutes, she has to treat each of us to a week's worth of ice cream!"
A girl close to the camera said these words. Next to her were several giggling girls who clearly treated the upcoming events as a game, completely unaware of how dangerous it could be.
Then Kathy walked towards the bar. In the footage, you could see that in the first few steps, she was a bit timid, but when she reached the bar, she had a different look. It seemed as if the soul of an adult woman had taken residence in her, instantly changing her demeanor.
Laila's gaze darkened. Once again, she confirmed that this girl probably possessed a natural talent for acting. To portray the sensuality of an adult at the age of 14—besides innate talent, she couldn't explain it with anything else. After all, she was just an ordinary girl, not a trained actress.
Even if she were an actress, how many 14-year-old actors could achieve her level? Making a man rolling in the hay with women completely oblivious to her peculiarities, and even carrying out the act of spiking a drink.
The camera faithfully recorded everything that happened in the next fifteen minutes, including a young man approaching, being driven away by Cole, then taking out a pill and tossing it into Kathy's drink, and finally, Downey, sitting diagonally behind her, knocking over her drink. Everything was documented.
Until the brawl broke out on both sides, causing chaos in the bar, the girls seemed to realize they had caused trouble and, forgetting about filming and the "game," all slipped out of the bar.
The video ended here. Laila satisfactorily placed the DV camera on the table.
Xiao Ye chuckled, "Now you can rest assured."
"Yeah, Downey is lucky."
Laila was well aware that once this video was released, everyone currently cursing Downey would feel ashamed for their actions. Coupled with the hero image created by the upcoming release of "Iron Man," if he didn't become famous now, there would be something wrong!
Looking at it this way, his luck was indeed good. The more he was scolded now, the bigger his reputation would be when things were clarified. It was truly a heaven-sent opportunity.
However, this matter was too dangerous. If she hadn't luckily obtained this video, even with ten mouths, he wouldn't have been able to explain his situation. Even if he lost the lawsuit to Cole and ended up in jail, it wouldn't have been out of the realm of possibility.
So, she truly didn't want to go through such a test of heart resistance again.
"Should we release the video now?" Xiao Ye asked.
Laila smiled slightly, "Of course not. Now is not the right time."
"Why am I not surprised by your decision at all?" Xiao Ye looked at her "kind and gentle" smile and felt a chill down his spine. He was willing to bet his hair, which could be used to advertise shampoo, that this woman was planning something. "If I didn't know the truth, I would think you planned the whole thing."