If things really ended up that way, even if the movie never got released, it would still be a devastating blow to Laila and her film. Even if she truly fulfilled her earlier "bold declaration" and miraculously broke Avatar's box office record, all that would await them in the end would be doubt, criticism, and condemnation.
They didn't want that outcome, couldn't accept it, and certainly couldn't afford it!
Laila pressed her lips tightly together, staring at the surveillance screenshot on the computer screen. Her icy blue eyes gleamed with a sharp, chilling light.
"I'll take care of this. What you need to do now is follow through with the original plan—there absolutely can't be any more mistakes!"
"Don't worry about that," Louise replied instantly, without hesitation. "But what are you going to do?" The matter was too serious; she had no idea how to handle it herself. One wrong move, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
Laila curled her lips coldly. "There's always a way, isn't there?" She hadn't grown up in a greenhouse. In her previous life, she had encountered a wide range of situations. And now, she had the powerful Moran family backing her.
After Louise left, Laila sat staring deeply at the computer screen for a long time.
She had seen the man in the screenshot before. After all, she'd spent a few years with Phoenix, and while she might not remember his name, his face definitely looked familiar.
This wasn't the first betrayal she'd experienced—but it was likely the most dangerous one yet. If he had succeeded, her reputation, her company's credibility—everything—would have been crushed under public outrage, leaving no room for a comeback.
The reason she was so adored and admired by many was simple: her films consistently delivered impressive box office results. While box office numbers might not be the only standard for judging whether a movie was a classic, they were absolutely the main metric for determining its success.
Her enemy had struck with cruel precision, aiming straight at her most vital point from the very start. What was even scarier was that if luck hadn't been on her side, they might've actually succeeded!
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel grateful that her cheap father, Reynolds, had at least left her with someone like Louise, who had such an extensive network.
This couldn't be brushed off. The movie premiere was in two days—she had to settle the issue before then. Her grandfather might help investigate, too, but it didn't seem reliable to expect him to uncover everything in such a short time.
Which meant—it was time to bring out her secret weapon again.
She picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Xiao Ye, I need your help."
Xiao Ye arrived quickly after getting the call. Despite leaving his previous post, his special background still meant he had connections in the right places.
After listening to Laila's explanation, he didn't quite grasp how serious it was and even joked, "People always say Northeasterners are a lively bunch, but I guess America's got its fair share too?"
Laila nearly exploded with rage at that, slamming the table and giving him a rundown of how serious the consequences could be.
"It's really that bad?" Xiao Ye was taken aback. He honestly hadn't expected the situation to be that severe. In the East, even if this kind of thing came to light, at most you'd get cursed at online for a while—nothing truly damaging.
"Yes, it's exactly that bad!" Laila saw that he finally understood and breathed a sigh of relief. If he had gone into this investigation half-heartedly, one slip-up could've meant disaster.
Xiao Ye nodded. "Got it. I'll get someone to start investigating right away. But if things are really as bad as you say, you'd better start making some other preparations in advance."
It wasn't that he lacked confidence—it was just that ever since the South Africa incident, he had developed a deep respect for the phrase "what if." Back then, he had already reached the level of presidential security detail, and Laila had still ended up getting kidnapped.
Now, with trouble surfacing again, even if he was confident, he couldn't ignore the possibility of something going wrong. If something happened this time, too, even if Laila didn't kick him out, he wouldn't have the face to show up again!
Laila thought for a moment and nodded. "I understand. The rest, I'll leave to you."
Xiao Ye straightened up. "Alright."
After he left, Laila made several more calls. By the time Roy came upstairs to get her, she was still on the phone.
"Busy?" he asked, approaching after she hung up.
Laila let out a soft sigh and explained what had happened today. It should've been kept confidential, but she didn't see Roy as someone who needed to be kept in the dark.
Roy wasn't some amateur like Xiao Ye. As soon as she mentioned tampering with box office numbers, he immediately understood how serious the situation was.
"Who would do something like that?" he asked. "It's the definition of hurting others without helping yourself."
Bribing company employees or theater personnel wouldn't come cheap. You couldn't move them without significant money. So who would spend that kind of cash just to frame Laila? What kind of grudge did they have?
Laila shook her head. "Don't know yet. Hopefully, we'll find out soon." If she found out who did it, she'd make sure they paid dearly. It was absolutely disgusting.
The word "disgusting" popped into her head, and just as she was about to grab her coat and leave, she froze for a second.
If she had to think of someone disgusting, the first person who came to mind was Cooper!
"What is it?" Roy noticed her pause and picked up her coat for her.
"Nothing." Laila shook her head after a moment's thought, dismissing the possibility. Cooper's specialty was using words to disgust people—he didn't seem like someone capable of bribing her staff and sabotaging her company.
Still, she kept it in mind and decided to ask Xiao Ye to check him out as well—just in case.
And Xiao Ye's skills weren't just talk. Who he contacted or how he did it, Laila had no idea, but by the next morning, just as she walked into the office, she received an email from him.
After downloading the attachments he sent, Laila felt her scalp tingle.
It turned out, it wasn't just one person who had been bribed—Xiao Ye had uncovered five people already, and there might still be more!
They were all the type of people who were tight on cash and didn't think too carefully before spending. But what chilled Laila most was that among them were not only employees from her company, but also people from the Moran Group!
Just imagine: once the media exposed the story, and the public saw that it wasn't just her company involved but also her grandfather's, who would doubt the authenticity of the claims? At that point, even with hard evidence, not many would believe her side of the story!
Laila immediately called Xiao Ye. "Is it just those five people?"