Leslie was slightly surprised by her sudden move, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he gently returned the hug.
"Thank you," he said softly.
His calm voice, paired with that faint smile, made Laila—now standing fully upright—feel her knees go weak for a moment.
Being reborn really was the best thing that ever happened to her!
"This award belongs to you," she whispered.
If he'd had the same opportunity in her previous life, he definitely would have stood on this stage, becoming a source of pride for all Easterners.
She did not doubt it.
Roy watched her excited expression from the side, smiling. As the person who knew her best, he would swear on his receding hairline that this hug had definitely been premeditated.
That just wouldn't do.
As her husband, he had to reclaim some of the spotlight!
"You're enjoying this a lot, huh?" he said with a smile as he gently turned her face toward him.
Laila felt a jolt go up her spine at the sight of his grin. "Was it that obvious?"
Roy chuckled and took her hand. "I think we'll have quite a bit to study when we get home. Don't you agree?"
They were both seasoned veterans now—well, more like an old married couple. Some things didn't need to be spelled out.
Laila raised an eyebrow. "And let me guess… the study room happens to be our bedroom?"
"If that's what you prefer, I'm more than happy to respect your decision," said Roy, playing the gentleman with his signature rogue charm.
Laila flicked his cheek with her finger, wondering just how thick-skinned he had to be to say things like that in this kind of setting. Thankfully, they were speaking in hushed tones. Otherwise, she'd have died of embarrassment.
Still, even so, when the camera panned past them, viewers at home caught a glimpse of the two whispering sweetly to each other—once again getting served a mouthful of "couple content" from the shameless pair.
Compared to the Oscars, the Golden Globes had a more relaxed atmosphere. Guests sat at round tables, enjoying wine and gourmet meals, making the entire event feel more like a grand party than a formal awards show.
Here, it wasn't unusual for hosts or guests to toss out the occasional risqué joke.
Why did audiences love the Golden Globes and elevate it to the status of a world-class awards show? It was this very lightheartedness—this comfort and joy.
The Oscars were formal and prestigious; the Golden Globes were all about fun and celebration.
The Golden Globes weren't especially "professional" in the strictest sense. The awards included both film and television categories, and were often interspersed in the ceremony. One minute they were announcing Best Original Score for a Film, and the next it could be Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series.
The upside? Viewers never knew when their award of interest would be announced, so they were more likely to watch the entire show.
When it came to Best Director, Laila didn't win.
Just as Roy had warned, even though she had two nominated films, that didn't necessarily mean she had better odds.
The award ultimately went to legendary director Martin Scorsese. His whimsical film Hugo had become a major contender this awards season, going head-to-head with the French silent film The Artist.
Laila believed that if Silence had been released just a little earlier, it might have been able to compete on equal footing and make it a three-way showdown.
Still, she wasn't too disappointed about missing out on Best Director. She knew that the Golden Globes had never quite vibed with her. There had been multiple times where she'd seemed like a surefire winner, only to walk away empty-handed. Not to mention the recent gender discrimination controversy that had swirled around the organization.
Besides, she was far more focused on the Oscars. That was the stage she truly wanted to conquer.
…Okay, fine—she was a little bitter about not winning.
After all, Silence was something she had poured her soul into. She had wrung every drop of creativity from herself to bring it to life.
Wasn't that worthy of a Best Director trophy?
She knew she had done a phenomenal job.
In truth, it wasn't hard to figure out what the judges were up to. It was all about dividing the cake.
Since Silence had already secured Best Actor, they needed to "share the love" in other categories—especially when the other contender was a master-level director like Scorsese. Given his age and legacy, giving him a slice of the glory made perfect sense.
As the ceremony neared its conclusion, Harrison Ford walked to the center of the stage as the final presenter.
The actor, who rose to fame as Han Solo in Star Wars, had starred in numerous classics—Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, Air Force One, and more.
He had brought to life countless iconic screen characters that would go down in cinema history, and remained a beloved figure to fans everywhere.
While he hadn't won many awards himself—largely because he stayed away from arthouse or Oscar-bait films—his influence and popularity were undeniable. The thunderous applause as he took the stage said it all.
"The nominees for Best Motion Picture – Drama are…"
Harrison read out the list, which included Silence among several other heavy-hitters.
This year's competition was especially fierce.
Aside from Scorsese's Hugo, the lineup included several films from renowned directors.
Fortunately, the Golden Globes divided their top prize into Drama and Musical or Comedy, otherwise The Artist—a crowd-pleasing silent film in the latter category—would've made the competition even more intense and overwhelming.
Even so, with the current lineup, Laila was facing some very formidable opponents.
"And the winner is—The Descendants!"
The result was announced clearly from Harrison Ford's lips.
Laila suddenly realized that Roy had somehow taken both her hands and held them tightly.
Seeing the concern in his eyes, she smiled.
"It's okay. Winning or losing—both are part of the game."
She said that, but there was no way she wasn't at least a little disappointed.
Silence meant so much to her.
Compared to getting two awards from four nominations, she had hoped to sweep the categories—prove that her achievements weren't just due to the cheat of rebirth, but were also the result of her own talent and hard work.
Unfortunately, reality had its own way of humbling people.
Two Golden Globes were all she would walk away with tonight.
Roy knew all too well how stubborn she could be.
She was laughing and making small talk with others, acting like it didn't matter—but if their roles were reversed, who could really watch such a coveted prize slip away and feel nothing?
The ceremony wrapped up with music, and from the other side of the room, Leonardo DiCaprio came striding over, eyebrows waggling playfully.
"Roy, how does it feel to get beaten?" he called out, grinning.