Chapter 581 - Almost Exposed

"About Roy?"

"Oh, so you already know!"

Janet thought that since Laila asked like that, she must have known, and suddenly felt a sense of relief.

"If you had told me you knew earlier, I wouldn't have been so restrained. You have no idea how difficult it is for me to pretend nothing happened!"

Laila's mouth twitched slightly; she wanted to tease her—she acted so obviously that it was hard for her to pretend she didn't know. But what interested her was what rumors about Roy had surfaced for her mother to bring up even the engagement.

"What's going on?"

Thinking that "she already knew," Janet no longer concealed it, "Yesterday, a reporter under your grandfather got hold of a photo of Roy and a woman coming out of the hospital. Because he knew your identity, the reporter didn't publish it. Instead, he took some money and brought the photo to us. It's from a well-known maternity hospital, understand?"

Laila nodded knowingly, "So you think Roy and that woman had a child?"

"Yeah! Roy is an adult man, and considering the long time before you two can get married, it's not surprising that he has moments of impulsiveness. Anyway, I think young Roy is quite good; you two will have a very beautiful baby together!"

Laila was defeated by Janet's words, "Mom, shouldn't you be telling me to break up with him at a time like this? He has a child with someone else, and you still want me to get engaged to him? If this is true, Roy is definitely a scumbag. Why would I engage with someone I know is a scumbag?"

Janet seemed not to have thought about this, and after a moment, she said, "Oh, right! You didn't say, and I didn't think about it." Her daughter was the most precious treasure in the world; how could she engage with a cheating man?

"... There's no one like you, a mother so straightforward."

Laila shook her head with a smile but didn't say anything.

However, Janet became anxious, "Darling, there must be a misunderstanding. Young Roy is not that kind of person. You must ask and find out, okay?"

"Okay, I know." Laila patted her hand reassuringly.

But Janet seemed a bit different from usual, nervously grabbing her hand and repeatedly asking for assurance, "Promise me, my dear, promise me that no matter what happens, you'll make sure to understand the situation. Sometimes what you see with your eyes may not be the truth, and what others say may not be right. You need to use your own eyes, your own heart, and your own methods to figure out the truth, okay?"

This attitude was not typical for Janet, and Laila looked at her unexpectedly, "Mom, have you ever had a misunderstanding with someone?"

Janet fell silent for a while before saying, "It was your father, Reynolds."

"Okay." Laila didn't plan to ask further. She didn't want to know what had happened between her parents. In her heart, her father was a symbol that was neither here nor there. Whatever happened, it had been so long ago, and there was no need to reopen it and let her mother go through the pain again.

"I promise you that even if I see it with my own eyes, I won't believe it without solid evidence, okay?"

Janet finally nodded, but her slightly reddened eyes revealed that her inner calmness was not what it seemed.

Laila couldn't help but think that it was lucky that the photo was discovered by a reporter from the Moran Group; if it had been another media outlet, it might have been widely reported the next day. Luck wouldn't always be on someone's side. Perhaps she should call Roy and ask him directly; it was time to clear things up.

At the agreed-upon time, Laila's phone rang promptly.

Since Roy's schedule sometimes involved nighttime shoots, they usually scheduled their calls before the previous one ended to avoid the urgency of not getting through.

"Laila, I can come back for Christmas in two days."

After the call connected, Roy's voice came from the other end, carrying an unmistakable joy. It was genuine happiness overflowing from the depths of his heart. Anyone hearing him wouldn't doubt his good mood.

Laila confirmed upon hearing his unchanged voice that the photo must be an accident. It couldn't be the kind of thing her mother imagined. But she still needed to ask, after all, she was his girlfriend; a little jealousy was appropriate, right?

"Do you have anything you need to tell me recently?"

"A lot! I'm afraid you'll find it boring—all things that happened during filming."

Roy didn't catch the doubt in her words and thought they were having a normal chat.

So Laila decided to be straightforward, "A reporter took a photo of you and some woman coming out of a hospital, and coincidentally, that hospital specializes in maternity care."

A series of chaotic sounds, followed by a curse that needed to be muted, echoed through the phone.

"Hey, hey? Can you hear me? I threw my phone away. Is it broken?"

Roy anxiously held the phone.

Laila was amused, silently covering her smiling lips and letting her voice go deep, "Hmm, I hear you very clearly."

"As long as it's not broken." Roy anxiously ran his fingers through his hair, "Listen, I swear I didn't do anything to hurt you. That day, an actor in the crew got injured, and I also had a minor scrape. The director asked the two of us to go to a nearby hospital to take care of it. I had no idea it was a maternity hospital; it was the crew who took us there. And it wasn't just the two of us; there were three of us! There was even a driver waiting in the car!"

"I don't doubt you," Laila laughed softly. "I know you're not that kind of person."

He liked going to bars and hanging out with friends, but even before they were together, he never had too much contact with some overly playful women. That was why, even though she knew he often went to those places, she only said it casually without strict prohibition.

2

"Although I believe you, think about what would happen if the photo was exposed."

"Uh-huh," Roy responded, "I don't care what others think. As long as you believe me, it's enough for me." Did he care about people who had no connection to him? Did he need to worry about other people's opinions?

"You can't say it like that. You're a star; your reputation and popularity matter. You don't care what others think?" Laila smiled, "In any case, being a bit cautious won't hurt. Cover up when you go out, try not to let others recognize you."

"Don't worry, I know what to do."

Roy answered confidently, but not long after, he realized he had made an unreliable promise.