After reading through the project proposal for a while, it was soon time for Roy to pick her up from work.
He arrived a little earlier than usual today, so when she said she still had a few things to finish up, he simply sat quietly across from her, just like always, patiently waiting for her to wrap up the rest of her work.
By all rights, the office was quiet and conducive to productivity. But even so, Laila soon put the proposal down.
"Roy, how am I supposed to concentrate with you staring at me like that?" Even without looking at him, she could feel his gaze on her — a searing heat that made her feel like she was about to catch fire. His eyes were like an open flame: wherever he looked, it burned.
Despite all the years they'd spent together, being looked at like that — with such love, by a man so devastatingly handsome and sexy — still made her heart race. It always felt like he might just swallow her whole in the next second.
Roy curled his lips into a soft smile. "I'm just looking at the woman who's about to become my wife — is that not allowed?"
Wife. His wife.
Just the thought that she would soon truly become his wife made him feel like he had the whole world. That was why he'd come so early today. After seeing their son, with those eyes that looked exactly like hers, his longing for her had only grown stronger. He couldn't wait any longer, so he came to pick her up before the agreed time.
Laila looked at him, and even his usually cold blue eyes seemed to melt, softening with tenderness. "Sure. Of course you can."
And with that, she had even less motivation to keep working. She grabbed her coat and walked over to him. "Let's go. Let's head home."
Roy glanced at the thick stack of documents on her desk. "Are you sure it's okay to leave it unfinished?" In his memory, it was rare for her to push work to the next day.
Laila slipped her arm through his. "I can read it tomorrow. Going home is important too, isn't it? My dear husband."
She emphasized the word husband, echoing his earlier use of wife.
Roy visibly trembled, like he'd been shocked, then looked at her with a joy he couldn't hide. "What did you just call me?"
"Darling," Laila replied, pretending to misunderstand him.
"No, not that — the other one!" Roy pulled her into his arms. "Say it again."
Laila stood on tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Darling… husband."
Roy's eyes went hot, and he kissed her fiercely — leaving her no chance to pull away. His arms locked tightly around her, as if he wanted to fuse her into his own body, to show her the heart that beat only for her, to make her understand just how important she was to him.
As he looked into Laila's clear blue eyes, now clouded with desire because of him, Roy felt that nothing else in the world could make him prouder or happier than this.
Just then, Demi was about to knock on the door when she happened to glimpse through the slightly open gap — and saw her boss in Roy's embrace. The kiss between two gorgeous people was certainly a beautiful sight, but she quickly turned away and returned to her desk with the documents she'd meant to deliver.
She'd also found someone she liked and had an adorable little cutie at home. But every time she saw her boss and Roy together, she couldn't help feeling envious.
This is what soulmates must look like.
When they stood together, no one else could squeeze between them. People either quietly left with a smile, like she had, or stood off to the side watching them with admiration, genuinely hoping they could one day experience this kind of fairytale love for themselves.
Demi felt truly lucky that she had stuck with Laila all this time, no matter how tough things got, and never gave up. She'd learned so much along the way, and she'd changed so much, too. If she had stayed with someone like Reynolds, she probably would've wasted her whole life in a daze — never imagining that, a few years later, she would be standing where she is today.
On the way home, Laila and Roy chatted about the new film.
"I get the feeling you're especially invested in this one. Is there a particular reason?" Roy asked, after listening to her talk excitedly for a while.
"Mhm." She admitted it without hesitation. "This film is very meaningful to me — you could even say it's a kind of trial or tribulation."
"A tribulation?" Roy, who had recently gotten hooked on Chinese web novels, was no stranger to the term. "So once you get through this one, are you going to ascend to the heavens?"
Laila laughed. "I'm not quite at the ascension level yet. But forming a golden core? That I can probably manage."
Roy didn't fully understand what she meant by calling it a "tribulation," but at the very least, he now knew this movie was incredibly important to her. "If there's anything I can do, just say the word. You know I'm a full-time stay-at-home dad now — I've got plenty of time on my hands."
"Of course. There's no way you're getting out of it. Not just you, either — I'm counting on Mr. Leslie Cheung too. I believe when the two of you appear on the big screen, your performances will leave everyone speechless."
Laila had edited the film herself, and she would never forget those frames that had moved her to tears or filled her with excitement. This was without a doubt her best work to date — outstanding performances, an excellent story. Everything about it was the best she'd ever achieved as a director.
Not that she thought it would break any box office records. She was fully aware that trying to beat The Avengers with Silence was pure fantasy. Silence didn't have that kind of fanbase, nor that level of public buzz. If it made even a third of what Avengers did, she'd consider it a huge win.
Of course, from an outsider's perspective, even breaking the billion-dollar mark would be considered a massive success.
At that thought, Laila suddenly remembered — she'd forgotten to notify Leslie Cheung to start promoting the film.
Just as she reached for her phone, the car pulled into their driveway, and there was little Eli, waiting at the front door.
She chuckled and put the phone back into her bag. It could wait until tomorrow — half a day wouldn't make a difference. She missed her little Eli so much after just one day!
And after all, making an Asian man one of the film's male leads was bound to stir up controversy once the movie was released.
It wasn't like Hollywood had never cast Asians as leading men before. Jackie Chan and others had done it. But aside from kung fu movies, it was rare to see Asian male leads in other genres.
Choosing an Asian actor this time… she couldn't deny there was a bit of selfishness involved. She simply wanted someone she'd admired in a past life to have a chance to shine — to reach the heights he deserved through his own talent.
But no one could deny his acting skills or his passion for film.