While the world outside was fiercely debating over Laila's new movie, the person at the center of it all was leisurely walking down a winding mountain trail with Roy. They were staying at an estate loaned to them by one of Roy's friends—a vineyard said to produce the finest grapes in the region. If they wanted, they could head to the cellar anytime and grab a few bottles of wine to get drunk.
They chose this place mainly because Laila didn't want to go anywhere too lively. She was trying to avoid being recognized, or worse—being "kindly" informed about things she wasn't quite ready to hear.
The estate turned out to be perfect for this vacation. There weren't many people around, just a few workers, who—having been briefed by the owner—knew to keep conversation strictly to daily life. Photos were fine; the key was to treat the guest as a VIP, not a typical celebrity.
This kind of life suited Laila perfectly. Waking up to sunshine, spending the entire day lounging on a cozy sofa… If the weather had been warmer, she could've gone outside to play on the swing under the big tree during the golden hours of midday.
Unfortunately, it was still quite cold. But once spring returned, there would be sprawling flower fields and beautiful flower walls to admire.
On cold days like this, nothing was more comforting than snuggling in a warm room with good food, movies, music, and—of course—a sexy husband.
After a blissfully shameless week, Laila finally managed to snap out of vacation mode… only to sit blankly in front of her laptop.
"Want me to turn it on for you?" Roy finally asked after watching her stare at the screen for over an hour.
Laila practically jumped out of her chair like she'd been electrocuted. "No need!"
"Are you sure?" Roy placed his hand lightly on the laptop, smiling teasingly. "If you check now, you should be able to see the first week's box office numbers."
"I know, but I…" Laila looked up at him with the pitiful expression of a kitten afraid of being abandoned.
Roy wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I just don't understand what you're so afraid of. Why are you so scared of failing? You said this film meant something special to you—but didn't all your previous films mean something, too?"
"Of course they did! Every one of my films is as precious to me as little Eli!"
To a woman who believed she was born to make movies, her films were her most treasured creations. It was only after she met Roy and had a child that something else managed to claim a significant portion of her heart. Otherwise, nothing could compare to filmmaking.
"Exactly," Roy said, planting a kiss on her cheek. "So, would you reject your child just because they're not good-looking?"
Laila instantly understood what he meant. Whether Silence was good or bad, it was still her "child." Very few mothers would disown their children just because they weren't pretty.
"You're right. I was overthinking it."
His words snapped her back to reality. She realized how absurd she'd been acting. Silence held immeasurable significance for her. Now that it had premiered, the outcome—good or bad—was already decided. There was nothing left to run from.
The truth she wanted to know but was afraid to face was already out there—and it would remain there. Unless she planned to spend the rest of her life offline and off the grid, she'd eventually run into that information.
That thought firmed her resolve.
With Roy's support, she reached out and pressed the power button on her laptop.
The system booted up quickly. She took a deep breath, opened her browser, and navigated to the official website of The Entertainer's Gazette from her bookmarks.
She was being extra cautious—she knew her own media outlet wouldn't dare harshly criticize her. Even if they didn't sugarcoat things, at the very least, they'd publish real data. With other media platforms, she might not even find the numbers before being enraged by nasty commentary.
Right on the homepage, in a fairly prominent position, was the first-week box office figure for Silence—$135 million!
It was an excellent number, and Laila's heart soared instantly.
Pulling in $135 million in just seven days was a figure that could rival big-budget blockbuster films. With numbers like that, there was no longer any fear of the movie flopping.
"See? I told you you wouldn't fail." Roy couldn't help but chuckle at the look of stunned joy on her face. He reached out and pinched her cheek.
What exactly had she been so worried about? Was this that thing Easterners always said—"pregnancy makes you dumb for three years"? If so, then he'd have to watch her extra closely until Eli turned three, in case she did something silly during one of her "brain fog" moments.
Laila batted his hand away, but the tension in her face finally gave way to a smile.
As she scrolled through movie news, she realized just how much had happened after the premiere.
First, a few critics had teamed up to publish scathing reviews in influential outlets. Then Cooper had stepped in to argue with them. After that, fans shared their own heartfelt experiences to prove how good the movie was. Finally, audiences from around the world where the movie had premiered joined the discussion, debating Silence's deeper meanings.
Report after report left Laila wide-eyed in disbelief. She had no idea that while she was hiding out for a week, the world outside had gotten so heated.
She wasn't the least bit surprised by the initial criticism—terms like "fallen from grace" or "out of ideas" didn't even faze her. She'd heard it all before. Especially during her early years in Hollywood, every film release came with at least a few critics saying the same things.
It wasn't until she had firmly established her place in the industry—when critics saw that her films were consistently well-received by audiences and unlikely to fail—that they shifted their approach, analyzing her movies from different angles instead.
What truly surprised her, though, was Cooper's support—and not just once. Throughout the entire "battle phase," he had engaged in multiple rounds of online combat with the other critics, especially on Facebook.
But it only took a moment's thought for Laila to understand. If Cooper could now appear publicly without concern, that meant his personal safety was no longer at risk—meaning the threat from Faaris's side had likely been neutralized.
She didn't know the full extent of what had happened. After her grandfather took over handling the matter, she'd stopped asking questions. To her, once Grandpa took over, that meant there was nothing more to worry about. And if even he couldn't resolve the issue, then she'd have no choice but to accept her fate.