After checking the latest news from the U.S., Laila turned her attention to Asia—especially the reviews coming in from the Eastern continent.
To her delight, the consensus was overwhelmingly positive. Most viewers genuinely liked the film and gave it high praise.
"Feeling relieved now?" Roy teased with a knowing smile.
"Mhm, I am," Laila nodded in satisfaction.
Though she looked composed, that was only because she was using every ounce of willpower to suppress the urge to scream. If she weren't worried about scaring him, she might've already been rolling around on the bed, celebrating like a maniac.
But she had clearly overestimated her self-control. The joy bubbling inside her was becoming unbearable.
"Roy, I'm so happy. What do I do?" she looked at him with sparkling eyes. "I've never felt this happy before!"
"Because of the movie?" Roy raised an eyebrow.
Laila nodded enthusiastically.
"Silence means so much to me, and its success means even more. My heart is racing—I feel like my blood is about to boil."
Roy watched her place a hand over her chest, her flushed cheeks so irresistibly adorable he almost couldn't stop himself from leaning in to bite her.
Her joy was contagious.
He had never seen this side of her—not even when they got married had she looked this excited.
And though he was genuinely happy for her, a tiny bit of jealousy still crept in.
"Darling, I thought the happiest moment of your life was when we got married?"
Laila paused, then tilted her head thoughtfully.
"I think I was more moved when we got married."
"So… you weren't happy back then?"
Seeing him playfully pout, Laila smiled and kissed his chin.
"Of course, I was happy. But you see, the heart can only hold so much. Back then, most of it was filled with emotion, so there was only a little room left for joy. But now? My heart is filled with happiness!"
Roy laughed and kissed her back.
"Alright, you win."
"Let's take a look at what everyone's saying about your masterpiece," he said, pulling her onto his lap and scrolling through the various media reviews of Silence.
The hottest topic right now was the ethical dilemma presented in the film—those two impossible choices.
When faced with a similar situation, would you:
Choose to forgive, to let go of the hatred for your destroyed family and allow the powerful perpetrators to go unpunished, so that their fall wouldn't destabilize society and cause countless innocent families to suffer from poverty, hunger, and unpaid bills?
Or:
Choose justice, to fight back no matter the consequences, seeking a proper trial through the legal system, and if that failed, to even consider taking justice into your own hands, even if that meant more innocent families would suffer as a result?
Neither choice could be called "wrong."
If your family had been torn apart by evil people, wouldn't seeking justice—even revenge—be justified? Especially when the initial goal is a legal trial, not blind vengeance?
And yet, the other side isn't wrong either. Roy's character had chosen to recover the list to protect the greater good—hundreds, even thousands of families' well-being, at the cost of one ruined Asian family.
Wasn't that the "correct" choice too?
Laila had told this story with an open ending, presenting the dilemma without providing a clear-cut answer. She wanted audiences to reflect—to ask themselves what they would choose.
Whatever Laila's personal stance may have been, she couldn't show bias within the film. Her goal was to make people think—not to hang herself on the pyre of ideological warfare.
And just as she'd hoped, the outside world had taken up the debate fiercely. But discussions like this rarely have a definitive answer. As long as Silence remained in theaters, the debate would continue—which meant the film's heat wouldn't die down, and the box office would keep climbing.
But Laila hadn't made this film for box office numbers.
Her true motivation was to test whether her real strength—without any cheats or second chances—could carve out a space for her in the world of cinema.
And now, it seemed the answer was yes.
People were genuinely interested in her film. There was no resistance toward her directorial style.
Nothing could make her happier.
Because it meant that even without her rebirth cheat, she had become a true director.
If the old her was still like a child nestled in her mother's arms, then the present her was someone who could finally smile, spread her wings, and soar toward her own sky.
No one could truly understand just how deeply happy she was at this moment.
Not Roy, not Janet, not even anyone else in her family.
To them, their little Laila had already been the most brilliant director in the world ever since she stepped into Hollywood all those years ago.
Having finally faced the truth she had been trying to avoid, Laila saw no reason to continue her vacation. She returned to the U.S.—
She missed little Eli.
No matter how nice the vacation was, it was unrealistic to say she didn't miss that little rascal after a whole week.
She picked him up from her mother and, with Roy and Eli, returned to their home in Beverly Hills.
"Did little Eli miss Mommy?" Laila asked as she carried the boy upstairs, showering his soft cheeks with kisses.
Don't be fooled by his perpetually stern little face—his baby-soft skin was irresistibly kissable.
"Papa!"
Little Eli wriggled in her arms, trying to escape the barrage of kisses. But stuck in her embrace, there was nowhere to run.
He could only look to his dad for rescue.
Grandma had told him: A real man doesn't get spoiled. A true man protects the women in his life—just like the superheroes in the movies!
He loved Mommy dearly…
But being treated like a baby all the time?
Come on, he was already grown up!
Roy laughed heartily and scooped his son into his arms.
"Our little man prefers Daddy, right?"
"Daddy—like. Mommy—like."
Little Eli did his best to articulate the words he knew.
He was still young, and his vocabulary was limited. But one thing he had been trained very well in was clear pronunciation.
Unlike other kids who often mumbled or slurred their speech, Eli spoke clearly—even if it took effort.