Chapter 514 - The Old Man's Tactics

"By the way, Faiza! How is she?" Laila knew that the woman was involved in the recent incident, and now that she was back, she expected her to face the consequences under her grandfather's watchful eye.

Hearing that name, Roy furrowed his brows in disgust. "She went mad. They've locked her up in a mental hospital established by the royal family."

"Mad? How could she go mad?" This was an outcome Laila hadn't anticipated. She'd rather believe that Faiza had been imprisoned, not driven insane. Her feelings for the prince had transformed from deep love to paranoia. Could pressure from the outside world drive someone to madness?

Roy smirked, a disdainful smile playing on his lips. "It's said she couldn't bear the guilt for injuring you, feeling remorse for her actions. So she went mad."

Laila fell silent, and it finally dawned on her where Roy's disdain was coming from. Faiza feeling guilty? Remorseful? Going mad because of it? Well, this had to be the most absurd joke she'd heard all year.

"They have quite the sense of humor," she remarked dryly after a moment.

"Don't worry," Roy reassured her, patting her on the head. "Whether she's truly mad or just pretending, she'll spend the rest of her life in that room in the mental hospital. I think she'll love her life there."

Laila nodded thoughtfully. If she were pretending to be insane, the environment would be nothing more than living like a caged rat. No freedom, no luxurious lifestyle – it might be more frightening for her than death itself. Perhaps going truly mad was a mercy from God for her.

"Also, I think your bank account just got a bit fatter."

Putting the mastermind Faiza behind bars wasn't enough to extinguish the old man's anger. While they couldn't do much to a girl who had gone mad, they could still blame her family. So, under pressure from the royal family and Prince Al Nadeem, Dawud was forced to offer 1 billion dollars as compensation for Laila and Roy.

Even Dawud couldn't easily come up with such a large sum of money at once. He was wealthy, and he didn't mind spending on his daughter, but losing his daughter and his money was a bitter pill to swallow.

Of course, there were conditions attached – in exchange for accepting the money, they would release Faiza and her family from any responsibility. The plane crash was an accident, with no involvement from anyone in Saudi Arabia. It was all just bad luck.

If Laila had been harmed, Oswald would never have agreed to such a deal. But now that she was back safe and sound, he decided to let it slide for now, accepting the $1 billion. As a result, a significant sum rested in Laila's account, more than enough to fund her future endeavors.

"A billion? All for me?" Laila shook her head disapprovingly. "We both suffered the harm together. Why should compensation be given to me alone?"

The answer was quite simple. It was because she was Laila Moran! While Roy was a Hollywood rising star with global fame, his influence wasn't enough to make the Saudi royal family pay significant attention to him. Compensation wasn't non-existent, but Laila received the bulk of it, which added up to a billion.

Roy had no intention of telling her about this. If he did, she would probably return the money to him. In all honesty, he didn't need more money at this point. He worked hard to earn money to provide a good education for Abel, but now they lived under Laila's roof, and he couldn't think of any significant expenses.

"What's mine is yours. Does it really matter?" Roy playfully teased her with a mischievous smile.

The reason was valid, and Laila realized she couldn't argue or refuse. "Fine, congratulations on making the most successful deal of your life."

In truth, Roy found her charmingly frank. He took her hand, kissing the back of it, which made her blush and clear her throat to change the subject. "Is that all there is to it? Did Grandfather make any other demands?"

While locking up the mastermind Faiza and accepting the compensation seemed like a good deal, Laila couldn't help but wonder if that was in line with her grandfather's style. Regardless of the harm Faiza had nearly caused her, Oswald wouldn't give up on pursuing justice just for this compensation, right?

"I'm not sure," Roy admitted. He didn't know her grandfather well, and he thought that Faiza had already received her punishment. The $1 billion they received was a significant sum, so he figured it should be acceptable.

Roy didn't know, but Laila did. Her grandfather was fiercely protective, especially when it came to her. She doubted that he would let the matter rest with just compensation. Even if they had accepted the money, he wouldn't forget that two people had tried to harm his dear Laila. If not for Roy, when he found her, he might have seen nothing but their lifeless bodies.

Sure, he could ignore the plane crash as an accident, but he never said he would also overlook the two assailants who came to attack them later!

However, he wasn't in a hurry. He had time to deal with Faiza's family, squeezing out money from them first. Then he would deal with them slowly, like boiling frogs in warm water. They wouldn't even realize how they met their doom.

The old man had been through a lot in his life, single-handedly turning a small family-owned print shop into what it is today. Anyone who thought he was soft-hearted was sorely mistaken. He had softened in recent years, adapting to the changing times, but that didn't mean he had forgotten how to be ruthless. It didn't matter if he couldn't use certain methods in the U.S.; it didn't mean he couldn't use them in Saudi Arabia. As the saying goes in the East, a man can move a mountain as long as he has money!

Laila couldn't figure out if her grandfather had suddenly become more agreeable or had a plan in mind. Unable to come up with an answer, she stopped trying to overthink it. She logged onto Facebook and was greeted with a plethora of well-wishes and concerns about her health.