Laila and Cooper both knew very well that when it came to burning money, Faaris and the Moran family weren't even starting on the same playing field. If Dawud were still alive, he might've had the strength for a fight. But now, he was nothing more than a stray dog.
Cooper, having come to terms with this, felt a bit dejected—but at the same time, a glimmer of hope sparked within him. Laila's strength had once been a source of torment for him, but now, it gave him a strange sense of security. It was ridiculous, really—finding comfort in someone who used to target him relentlessly. But it was the truth, plain and simple.
The question was: how could he get her to go up against Faaris?
"Miss Moran, you do have more money and power, but I've seen him with my own eyes—taking people away, only for their bodies to be found at the bottom of the ocean. Someone like him doesn't value human life. If he really wants to, your life—and your family's lives—could be in danger. Have you considered them at all?"
"Mr. Cooper, my family's safety is well taken care of by professional bodyguards. Instead of wasting time with useless warnings, how about you start by telling me exactly why you called me in the first place?" Laila was having none of it.
She wasn't some clueless rich girl, nor was she an ivory-tower academic with no sense of the real world. In her past life, she'd clawed her way through the entertainment industry—a place so cutthroat that outsiders often summed it up with: "That circle is a mess." She'd seen too much, experienced too much. Cheap tactics like this? Please. That stuff stopped working on her centuries ago.
Cooper was furious at how she kept breaking his rhythm, yet he had no counter. The truth was, he wanted her to go up against Faaris—preferably take him down, or at least drive him out of the U.S. But how could he say that out loud? If she asked, "Why should I help an old rival like you?" what could he possibly say?
He wasn't completely clueless about social dynamics. If he were in Laila's shoes, not only would he refuse to help—he might even stomp on his enemy just to make sure they never got up again.
He had gathered all his courage to make this call, thinking he might be able to sweet-talk her into solving his problem. But now the situation had completely slipped from his control. If she didn't want to help, he had no grounds to ask for her help at all.
He couldn't forget how he'd been going after her ever since she inherited Reynolds' company. Who in their right mind would help someone who had tried so hard to bring them down? He certainly wouldn't.
So what now?
Cooper was spiraling into confusion.
"Moran, do you really not want to eliminate this threat? Sure, you and your family may have bodyguards watching you 24/7—but can you guarantee they'll protect you even in the blink of an eye? Your child is still young, right? Are you really okay with him living under constant threat?"
To be fair, Cooper's off-the-cuff remarks did hit a nerve.
A dying enemy's final strike is rarely rational. If Faaris were ever truly cornered, he might really try to drag someone down with him. People like him weren't known for their reason—if he were the reasonable type, he wouldn't have stayed in the U.S. for years just to feud with her out of spite.
Laila could entrust her own and her family's safety to professional security—but that didn't mean she wanted her child involved in any of this. He was still young, completely defenseless compared to an adult like her.
Maybe she really did need to make better preparations. After all, this world wasn't the one she used to know. In a place where even guns weren't banned, who could genuinely feel safe? That little pistol she carried?
That was a joke.
But internal vigilance was one thing; on the surface, she wasn't about to let Cooper profit from the situation. You don't make it in Hollywood without having some brains. If Cooper hadn't run into serious trouble, there's no way he'd be calling her now and saying all this.
What she needed to know now was—how big the trouble really was, and more importantly, what she stood to gain from it. She was a filmmaker, yes, but also a businesswoman. There was no reason for her to let someone—especially an old rival—take advantage of her. Right?
"Mr. Cooper, you don't need to worry about what I should or shouldn't do. If Faaris really wanted to make a move on me, he would've done it already—why now? Besides, even if he did want to target me or my family, he'd still have to weigh the consequences of going up against us. Do you really think he's in the same league as we are?"
They both knew the answer. Just because Cooper pretended not to see it didn't mean he could sweep it under the rug. But he had no choice—getting the two of them to clash was his only hope for survival. Yes, he hated Laila—but if Faaris were the one left standing, he'd be in trouble too.
So, yes, he genuinely wanted to work with Laila. The problem was, he was so used to scheming that even now, he couldn't help but play mind games to try to maximize his own gain.
The idea wasn't wrong—unfortunately, he'd misjudged his target.
Laila might seem young to these people, but youth didn't mean stupidity. His little tricks were as obvious to her as if they were written in black ink on white paper. And yet, he had no idea—still thinking his plan was airtight.
"Miss Moran, are you really not worried about someone lurking in the shadows, watching your every move, waiting to strike? Do you know how Faaris has been investing his company's funds over the years? All of it's gone into films with award potential—just to dilute your chances of winning. He's been trying to ensure you never get what you want!"
"So what?" Laila already knew about this.
She found it laughable—Faaris and Cooper's ridiculous schemes. Backing multiple films just to block her from winning awards? Sure, maybe they'd stolen a trophy or two that rightfully belonged to her. But she honestly didn't care that much. She had a secret no one else knew: a past life.
That experience had taught her that simply being able to make good films was already a stroke of luck, a source of joy. Awards? Nice to have. But if she didn't get one, it wasn't something she'd lose sleep over.
In front of someone who felt joy just from the act of filmmaking, talking about awards as bait? They had seriously miscalculated her ambitions.
Yes, she was ambitious, and of course, she wanted awards—but what could bring her more happiness than making films themselves?
She had already swept up awards in her past life that she never even dared to dream about. Even if she never won anything again in this life… well, okay, always being the runner-up would be a bit annoying. But she wasn't about to admit that in front of Cooper!