At this moment, Cooper was already teetering on the edge of a breakdown.
As with most artists, people in the arts often have vivid imaginations—and Cooper, being a literary artist, was no exception. His ability to imagine scenarios was top-tier.
In the span of this half-hour phone call, his mindset had undergone a dramatic transformation:
From wanting to profit a little from the deal,
→ to "I don't need to profit, I just want to get away,"
→ to "If you help me, I'm willing to make some sacrifices and stop being your enemy,"
→ finally landing on "I'll give anything—just help me!"
And all along the way, he had been furiously imagining things.
Like Faaris, he captures his wife and child, dumping them into the open sea to be torn apart by ravenous sharks. Laila's calm and indifferent attitude only made him more anxious—because he couldn't find a single reassuring hint in her words. That let his brain spiral into chaos, as worst-case scenarios flashed before his eyes one after another, like a carousel of doom.
That's also why he kept lowering his demands so quickly.
He knew very well that unless Laila herself was directly targeted, she probably wouldn't bother going up against Faaris. Why would she? If Faaris hadn't planned to touch her, but found out Cooper was making a move behind his back, he'd most likely act first. At that point, Laila would be the one in danger.
All those ideas of scoring a win in this transaction had long since collapsed under her relentless refusals. He didn't want anything anymore—he just wanted to live the rest of his life in peace with his family.
Looking back now, he was no longer young. Pushing sixty, what more was there to chase? Just a safe and peaceful old age—that was all he could hope for.
Laila paused in thought. "You're really willing to do anything?"
"I swear!" Cooper nodded eagerly the moment he heard a hint of concession in her tone.
Laila raised a brow. "The truth is, there's not much I can get from you. You don't really have anything that could tempt me." The only impression he'd left on her mind was his film critiques and articles—and, to be fair, those actually brought her a decent amount of publicity. Honestly, she genuinely hoped he'd keep opposing her just like before.
That might sound unbelievable, but it came down to one thing: Laila had confidence in herself. No matter how much he flailed, he couldn't escape the palm of her hand. So she watched him struggle like a fish flopping helplessly on the beach—with nothing but calm amusement.
With two decades of foresight, a past life behind her, and all the power she currently possessed, Cooper had never truly been an enemy in her eyes—just a free marketing tool promoting her films.
After all, someone is only an "enemy" if they can actually cause you harm. And Mr. Cooper? He didn't even qualify.
And it wasn't like he had anything she needed.
Money? If he had any, Faaris wouldn't have squeezed him to the point of fleeing.
Influence? Who held more power in Hollywood these days if not Laila herself?
Laila didn't even need him to stop being her enemy—so what could she possibly get from him?
Actually… there was one thing. Or rather, one unanswered question.
Just as Cooper was brooding over how he had nothing of value she might want, Laila finally spoke:
"Mr. Cooper, there is indeed one thing I'd like you to clarify for me."
"You want me to explain something? Of course!" Cooper jumped at the opportunity. "What do you want to know? People in Faaris's circle? His current whereabouts? I haven't been around for a while, but I still know his habits. Oh—right! I even have evidence of him killing a B-list celebrity. You want it?"
Laila hadn't expected him to be so bold. A murdered B-lister? Who?
Her curiosity was momentarily derailed by gossip, but she quickly reined it back in. With a slight cough to cover up her slip, she said, "I'm not interested in any of that. I just want to ask you one question, and I hope you'll give me a truthful answer. If your answer satisfies me, I'll take on this matter."
Cooper blinked. He hadn't expected such a good deal. But what could she possibly want to know? His bank password? She didn't seem like she'd need his money.
"Ask me anything. If I know it, I'll tell you."
Laila didn't hesitate, cutting straight to the point:
"What exactly happened between you, Reynolds, and Phoenix all those years ago? Why were you always targeting him—even extending it to me?"
God knows how long she'd been desperate to know the answer to that question. But the entire company had zero intel. The only person who might've known was Louise, and while she was easy to talk to about anything else, this one subject? Total silence.
"..." Cooper was quiet for a long while before he finally forced out a reply:
"Can we talk about something else? I really appreciate you being willing to help, so maybe ask something more important—like my connections or my collection?"
Laila almost laughed. Connections? Could he even compare with her? And what would she want with his collection?
"Mr. Cooper, I've been curious about that question for a very long time. If you can't give me a real answer, I'm afraid I won't have much interest in getting involved with you and Faaris's mess."
He couldn't even answer one question truthfully, and he expected her to spend money and manpower to deal with Faaris on his behalf? How naive can you get?
What Laila didn't know was that Cooper's expression at that moment looked like he'd just swallowed a dead fly. That incident had once been a source of pride for him—but now he wished it had never happened. Going after Reynolds had felt exhilarating at the time, but if given the choice, he'd rather have never crossed paths with the man.
His feelings were complicated. On one hand, he didn't want anyone to know. On the other hand, there was a weird sense of pride whenever he recalled it.
Laila, seeing him hesitate for so long, pressed further:
"You should realize—you don't have anything that would make me want to get involved. Going up against Faaris would require me to spend a lot of money and deploy a lot of resources. Do you really think I'm the type of person who would go that far just to help you for free?"
If it weren't for her obsession with what happened all those years ago, she would've already hung up. Honestly, whether Cooper lived or died had nothing to do with her.
Now she was just asking a single question about the past, and he was hemming and hawing like this?
Did he think that ancient secret was more important than the safety of his own wife and children?