Chapter 373 - Gradual Maturity

She had never seen him in this light. Compared to when she first met him, Roy from just now seemed to have undergone many changes. Even if she hadn't paid much attention, the recent incident made her realize that the boy she had lured to Hollywood from the streets had grown up. He had gradually shed the greenness of a boy and started to exude the charm of a man.

There's a saying, isn't there? The child of poor parents matures early. Roy's previous life experiences had made him mature much earlier than most people his age, allowing him to have the maturity that usually takes until one's thirties to develop, even in his twenties.

Laila, who had never seen this side of him, had to admit that at that moment, she felt a spark of attraction and couldn't help but wonder how many people, both men and women, would be captivated by this image if it were in a movie.

She couldn't help but think that she had done something truly right, hadn't she? She had plucked him from the streets, watched him develop his talents step by step, and used that talent to reach the pinnacle of Hollywood.

The original "Pirates of the Caribbean" had turned Johnny Depp into the highest-paid actor in Hollywood in one fell swoop. She believed that her version was not much worse than the original, and in some ways, it might even be more refined.

After all, when Disney was making the film, they didn't believe they would succeed. They only wanted to use the movie to promote their theme park. They even dismantled the props after finishing the first film, only to hastily rebuild them when the movie unexpectedly gained massive popularity and they needed to shoot sequels.

Considering the immense pressure that the director and Johnny Depp faced in that situation where Disney hadn't expected success, and the troubles they encountered during filming, Laila's situation was much better. She had poured all her resources into this film, even having costumes personally designed by Janet.

With Roy's outstanding performance and his extraordinary looks, Laila could fully believe that she had created a monster, one that could make the whole world fall for him!

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. Laila woke up the next day with dark circles under her eyes. Ironically, when she walked out of her room, she saw Roy, who also had a pair of dark circles.

"You didn't sleep well either?" They spoke simultaneously, then smiled at each other.

Going downstairs, Claire had prepared a nutritious breakfast.

"Roy, I'm going to the East for a trip. Do you have any plans?" Laila asked Roy while they were having breakfast, as he was reading the newspaper.

"How long will you be gone?" he asked, putting down the newspaper.

"Not sure. Maybe ten days, maybe two weeks, and if things go smoothly, it might even be a month or two. You know, I've always been interested in that part of the world and I want to take the opportunity to explore it and evaluate the investment environment."

Roy looked at her. "Do you want me to go with you?" If she said that, then all the decisions he made last night could be thrown in the trash!

Laila looked at him in surprise. "If you want to go, you can."

Roy understood. His travel plans were not taken into account at all.

"Forget it, I'll stay in Hollywood. My agent sent me a few scripts, and I might take one of them." He picked up the newspaper again with an expressionless face, and his lowered eyelids concealed the disappointment in his gray eyes. He knew what kind of person she was, so why did he still have some unrealistic expectations?

Laila glanced at him and felt that he seemed a bit absent-minded. But seeing his dark circles, she understood.

"In fact, you don't need to worry so much about your friend's situation. Gold always shines. If you want him to do better, you can help him."

Roy let out a faint sigh in his heart but continued with her conversation. "How can I help him? I'm afraid he's not the type to accept others' sympathy."

"Well, that's good," Laila said thoughtfully, "it means he still has his self-esteem. If there's one thing that can help someone who feels like a failure, it's self-esteem. If you can't even respect yourself, how can you expect others to respect you?"

Her words made sense, and Roy took this topic seriously. "He used to be a very talented actor. What do you think I can do for him? Can I help him find a role?"

"How talented was he?" Laila asked with interest, hearing that word. "Compared to you?"

"I won't lose to anyone!" Roy replied in the same tone she used to say, "I will never fail."

Laila couldn't help but notice the tone. She gave him an exasperated look before continuing, "If he's really not bad, you can ask someone from our company's talent management department to evaluate whether he still has that 'talent.' If he does, the company will sign him. Given the speed at which our company is producing films these days, it should be easy to find him some roles."

"But he probably won't be so obedient in accepting my advice. And..." Roy hesitated for a moment, realizing that her suggestion was a good one, but there were some troublesome issues with that guy. "He has a drug addiction problem, and he's been to jail."

"That could be a problem," Laila said, stroking her chin. "If he's as miserable as you say, maybe you can try to get him to stay away from those things by appealing to his love for his son. It comes down to the same thing. Opportunity always comes to those who are prepared. Whether he can prepare for the opportunity depends on his own choices. Neither you nor anyone else can make that choice for him."

Roy nodded. "I know what to do."

He wasn't a fool. She had spoken to this extent, and if he couldn't understand her intentions, he would be too stupid.

Laila didn't ask any further about the identity of the person Roy was talking about, and Roy didn't intend to say. If she knew he was talking about Robert Downey Jr., she would probably overturn everything he said and push him to get Robert to join the company.

Joking aside, if watch such a future legend slip away from her side, it would be a real loss. Unfortunately, it wasn't until a long time later that she found out he was talking about himself.

While Roy was figuring out how to motivate Robert Downey Jr., Laila and her team had already boarded a private plane and set off for their long-awaited "homeland."

For this trip, in addition to the eight indispensable bodyguards, she also brought Demi along. There was also Quentin Sanders and his team.