Chapter 669 - Shaping a Hero

If Kathy wasn't just 14 years old, Laila wouldn't dare to do this. But with such a heaven-sent opportunity in front of her, how could she let it pass?

Her goal was to shape Downey into a hero. Only then could it align with the character he played in the movie, and only then could more people be drawn to the cinemas, accepting the "fact" that he is a superhero.

At first, she prohibited Downey from watching the news to prevent external reports from affecting him. Now, she still didn't want him to watch the news because things outside had become chaotic. To ensure that he wouldn't need a psychologist in the future, it was better for him to remain ignorant.

As for the rumors about Downey only getting the lead role in the movie because Laila slept with him, not many people believed it. After all, Laila had a boyfriend proclaimed as the "world's sexiest," and compared to Downey's mature appearance, more people believed that Roy was Laila's true love. Besides, Laila herself was beautiful, intelligent, and wealthy, certainly not the type to be interested in someone like Downey.

Seeing this kind of support, Laila became even more determined not to let Downey have any communication with the outside world. Having such comments thrown at him would be pitiful enough, even if they were willingly presented.

The accusations against Downey from the public were increasing, and Faaris, secretly watching the drama unfold, was delighted. As long as Laila suffered, he would be happy. Similarly, Cooper was also happy with the current situation.

"See that? Her new movie will surely be a flop this time."

"Of course, who would watch a movie starring a criminal!" Cooper laughed in agreement.

However, watching the TV hosts and guests making various jokes about Downey, he couldn't shake off an indescribable ominous feeling.

From the current situation, Laila's movie seemed beyond salvation. Even if it was proven that Cole West did drug the woman, Downey, with all the uncovered dark secrets, had already been stamped with a black mark. A positive future seemed unlikely.

Why couldn't he relax? Although a single movie couldn't defeat Laila and shatter her confidence, this time he felt it was too smooth. It seemed that as soon as he made a move, the other party raised the white flag in surrender.

It wasn't that there was no struggle. Judging from Laila's strategy of releasing the video early to guide public opinion, she did make a good move. However, what happened next was unexpectedly weak.

Was Moran so easily defeated? Was she someone who could be easily given up on? If she was so easy to deal with, how did she face failure every time before?

Thinking about this, Cooper felt there was something wrong with her attitude and had a sense of "calm before the storm."

Faaris didn't care about these things. He wasn't as familiar with Laila as Cooper. What he saw was that Laila had encountered trouble that bothered her this time. As long as he could make her more troubled, he was willing to invest eight figures to fan the flames.

Some film production companies that had secretly intervened were also uneasy, hoping to hinder Laila's new movie. Making Iron Man's box office suffer was their ultimate wish. No one naïvely thought that if Laila's company failed with this movie, they would also go bankrupt.

If more people didn't watch Iron Man, the money saved would naturally be distributed to other movies released by different companies. What a great thing!

However, the recent change in the wind made them feel something was off. Like Cooper, they also felt that, according to Laila's previous methods, there might be further developments in this matter. So many people who had intervened began to withdraw gradually, avoiding getting too much trouble for minimal benefits.

Laila had considered that some people might drop out midway, but she underestimated the intelligence of her opponents. After all, who knows you better than your enemy? After so many confrontations, they must have gained some understanding and devised countermeasures.

But at this moment, it didn't matter if these people participated or not. People who liked to join in the fun would continue to follow the "trend" as she envisioned.

Indeed, in various media and communication platforms, Downey's affairs were everywhere. Because the public liked it, media outlets, large and small, thoroughly dug into his life. Even trivial details like which elementary school he attended and when he had his first girlfriend were hyped up.

Fortunately, Downey didn't see it; otherwise, he would have been angered by a bunch of women claiming to be his first love.

Laila wasn't only hyping up Downey's information but also Cole's. She instructed her own media to fully cover the West family's affairs, and what good things could there be about that family. You could find a bunch of dark secrets with just a casual search, all the types readers enjoyed.

Moran's media couldn't report on Downey's affairs; this was Laila's order. In the eyes of outsiders, Downey was her person and the lead actor in her movie, so she would definitely want to help him clear his name. Therefore, if she wanted to make a big deal out of it, she couldn't use her own media. Otherwise, it would be easy for others to see through her scheming.

Reporting on the Cole family, on the other hand, is not a problem. Observant people can see and have heard about Laila's attempt to seek reconciliation at the hospital, only to be rejected. Even the young master of the Cole family's behavior earns nods of approval from many who silently plan to benefit from this spendthrift when he inherits the West family business.

What was the situation with the Moran family? They were in the news business, and playing people was too easy. Even another news tycoon couldn't get a bargain from him, let alone a retail businessman like West.

But their son refused even such a small matter!

Laila was a person of what status; everyone in that circle knew. She didn't pretend to be a socialite; she genuinely had the demeanor of one. She never had a bad reputation in the industry, and every time she appeared in social situations with her family, she performed excellently.

Compared to Cole, it was like the difference between an angel and a devil. So, everyone didn't need to guess; they could imagine that the failure to reconcile was definitely related to Cole himself.

For this reason, many people who had cooperated with the West family began to reconsider. As a result, all the stocks controlled by the West family began to slowly decline. Old West was anxious but helpless, and he could only take advantage of his son and beat him a few times to vent his frustration.

The first time he was beaten, Cole was dumbfounded. He didn't know what had happened and was pulled off the hospital bed by his old man.

At that time, he was still shouting to defend himself, "I've been in the hospital lately and haven't been anywhere. Why are you hitting me?"