When the two girls let out startled cries, Laila and Roy both burst into laughter, while little Eli simply shot them a cold glance with the face of a domineering CEO and turned his head away.
"..."
Feeling as if they'd just been completely looked down on, the two girls exchanged an awkward glance. Seeing Laila and Roy smiling kindly at them, they flushed with embarrassment and quickly returned to their seats.
Their faces turned an instant crimson, and even their necks were glowing red. God knows they had never felt so humiliated before—shrieking like that right in front of their idols!
"S-Sorry…" they both mumbled with their heads lowered.
Roy shifted Eli in his arms so that the little one could be seen more clearly.
"No need to keep apologizing. This is my child—his name is Eli," he said gently, brushing Eli's hair affectionately. "He's still very young. We don't want to expose him to the public eye just yet. I hope you can understand."
"We understand! Absolutely! We won't tell anyone!" the girls nodded frantically. Just being able to see the legendary couple's child was enough to make them feel like they could die happy. There was no way they'd do something their idols wouldn't want.
"He's so beautiful," said the girl with short hair, her eyes practically glued to him. "Like a little doll!"
"Yeah, his eyes are absolutely stunning," the other girl sighed, unable to help herself. Black eyes are common among East Asians—no matter how pretty they are, people just get used to them. That's why unusual eye colors tend to be more attractive. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many varieties of colored contacts on the market.
As for the two awe-struck big sisters, little CEO Eli clearly didn't care. The fragrant food in front of him was far more satisfying.
The meal was lively and enjoyable. Under Laila and Roy's warm and approachable manner, the girls gradually relaxed and started talking nonstop. Laila couldn't help but worry for their safety—how could they so casually spill everything about themselves like that? At this rate, the only thing they hadn't pulled out was their household registration booklet. Was it really safe to be out and about like this?
"If we were bad people, you'd really be in trouble," Laila felt the need to at least remind them.
But the two girls just laughed and waved it off. "We're not that dumb. We're only like this because it's you guys." If it were just any other celebrity, they wouldn't be this careless. But a top-tier Hollywood director and an A-list superstar? What bad intentions could they possibly have?
Interested in their looks? Please—Laila and Roy were so stunning that anyone would feel inferior standing next to them.
After their family's money? That was even more of a joke. The lowest-grossing film either of them had ever done probably earned more than their families did in a whole year.
Being so trusted by their fans made Laila and Roy both happy. The girls' lively chatter was actually quite endearing. No matter how much Laila loved peace, deep down she still had the heart of an East Asian who loved a bustling atmosphere. Sometimes a noisy dinner table could really whet the appetite.
After the meal, they led the girls back to the hotel. This time, however, they took a different route. After contacting the hotel staff, they were guided to a private elevator that led straight to the top floors.
Reporters weren't allowed to wander upstairs freely, and the hotel staff certainly wouldn't reveal the room numbers of their guests. On top of that, Laila and Roy were staying in the presidential suite on the top floor, and they'd booked out the entire level for their entourage. So even if reporters spent the money to stay at the hotel, getting a shot of them would still be extremely difficult.
Laila didn't personally witness the "spectacle" in the hotel lobby, but the moment she opened her laptop and went online, a flood of related information was waiting for her.
This was a top-tier hotel, known for its excellent service and strict privacy policies. Most guests who stayed here were either very wealthy or high-status individuals who didn't want to be disturbed.
The reporters were clearly here for Laila and Roy, but their presence inevitably disturbed the original guests—or those planning to check in. If this continued, once word spread about the number of reporters hanging around, many of the hotel's clientele would likely choose to stay elsewhere.
Not because the guests necessarily had shady secrets, but simply because many preferred peace and privacy. Who wants to be coming and going with a horde of journalists blocking the entrance? Even if they claimed they were only there for Laila, would they really pass up reporting on someone else if something juicy popped up?
So before Laila even said anything, complaints from other guests started pouring into the hotel.
The hotel management was frustrated too, but could only politely ask the reporters to leave. That got rid of the regular ones, but there were still a few who had checked in as guests, and those were much harder to get rid of.
Fortunately, not many could afford to pull that off. After all, not every journalist had the budget to stay here. Even the cheapest room would burn through their salary in a few days. And if they didn't get any usable news, the expenses couldn't even be reimbursed.
So some decided to cut their losses and try their luck elsewhere—like staking out local tourist attractions in hopes of a chance "encounter." That was much cheaper than staying at the hotel.
When the bodyguards reported this update, Laila just smiled and shrugged it off. With the private access provided by the hotel, they didn't need to use the main entrance at all. From the elevator, straight down to the parking garage, they could go wherever they wanted without it affecting their trip in the slightest.
Wasn't that perfect?
The only change was the unexpected addition of two little girls to their itinerary.
To the reporters waiting outside the hotel, their targets were Laila, Roy, a group of bodyguards, and possibly a baby. So all eyes were fixed on a foreign family of three surrounded by foreigners.
Although Laila and Roy had altered their appearance a bit, anyone paying close attention could still guess who they were. That's when the two girls volunteered to help. Since it was technically their fault the reporters had tracked them here, they insisted on helping to fix the situation.
Their solution was surprisingly simple: split Laila and Roy into two separate groups, with each of the girls accompanying one of them. That way, their appearance wouldn't arouse suspicion.
One foreign woman walking with an East Asian girl, and one foreign man holding a child while accompanied by another East Asian girl—it was far from the image the reporters had in mind. And surprisingly, the plan worked.
They even tested it by walking through the hotel lobby, and sure enough, no one recognized them.
In an ordinary hotel, foreign guests might stand out more. But in this upscale establishment, most foreigners were businesspeople visiting from the West, and the average guest had a higher spending power.
After several days of waiting, the reporters finally reached their breaking point.