Chapter 733 - Conclusive Statements

From the recent news and Louise's explanation, Laila understood three points.

First, people opposing her movie were attacked, and their houses were burned down in a very malicious manner.

Second, this incident would escalate into a very troublesome matter. If not handled properly, it would create a dislike for her movie among many people, which would undoubtedly affect box office sales.

Third, someone was orchestrating this behind the scenes.

Of course, this assumption was based on the premise that the attackers were indeed motivated by opposition to the movie.

With the matter escalating and Laila, the headline generator, involved, the media eagerly revealed all the details of the cases. They delved into every minor detail, appearing more professional than the police themselves.

The incidents occurred the night before, and initially, no one paid much attention, treating it as just another case. It wasn't until the second incident that unusual evidence was found in the ruins—the inscriptions left on the walls.

These were traces of paint sprayed on, stating that the people in the houses had done something they shouldn't have and must be punished.

Now the police needed to investigate what exactly the residents of these houses had done. Surprisingly, upon investigation, the occupants of the two arson cases knew each other and had met during activities opposing the movie.

Opposing the movie? What on earth?

Because they opposed the movie, their houses were set on fire.

Was such a thing even possible?

It wasn't that the police were unwilling to find out the truth. Still, it was just absurd to burn someone's house for such a ridiculous reason. Maybe they should collaborate with mental health experts. Analyze the perpetrator's psychological state.

However, before the police could find suitable experts, the third arson case occurred—the one Louise showed Laila in the office.

Due to the early discovery, patrolling police officers immediately called the fire brigade when they saw smoke rising. So even though the perpetrator used some accelerant, there were more remains than in the previous two cases, leaving more evidence to be searched.

Unfortunately, there were no surveillance cameras around these three houses, and the trail of the culprit couldn't be found for the time being.

Due to Laila's connections, this kind of news immediately became a hot topic of public concern. Even Roy, who was still promoting in Asia, saw the reprinted news and immediately called Laila to inquire.

"No progress yet. Don't worry about it; focus on your work," Laila reassured him. She didn't want to burden him with additional concerns.

"Are you really okay?" Roy couldn't believe it. If it were him, he would probably be in a state of panic, right? Given the media's nature, if they didn't use these incidents to gain attention from Laila, he wouldn't believe it. And how easy was it to attract attention? Even he could come up with dozens of sensational headlines in a minute!

Laila chuckled, "Really, it's okay. What connection does this have with me? Are they going to say I sent someone to burn those people's houses?"

"Don't you think they will?"

Laila hesitated for a moment, feeling like she had indeed asked a foolish question, "Well, they probably will. But that's just baseless speculation. I won't be harmed, so let's just consider it non-existent."

Larger media outlets wouldn't randomly assign any charges to her; the Moran family's legal team wasn't to be taken lightly. However, some tabloids might publish unfounded statements to attract attention.

Roy frowned tightly; he wished he could be by her side right now. But he also knew she wouldn't appreciate someone not working properly.

"Laila, promise me to take care of yourself. If something happens, just go back to New York." At least in his grandfather's place, he wouldn't worry about her being harmed.

There will always be people who, based on inconclusive information, make judgments and perform actions without using their brains. History has witnessed too many such incidents, such as throwing sulfuric acid at an actor based on a rumor or attempting an assassination to prove one's love for a lady. Too many brainless actions had occurred, making him unable to help but worry.

Laila, in response to his words, revealed a warm smile, and her voice involuntarily softened, "Okay, I promise you."

No one would find such care excessive, right?

After hanging up the phone, Louise happened to knock on the door.

"All the information you asked me to check is here." She placed a thick stack of files on Laila's desk.

Laila flipped through them and found that they were all about the three arson cases, along with some information that clearly shouldn't be circulating publicly. She wondered how Louise managed to obtain them from the police station.

"Thank you, I'll take a look later. By the way, how is the situation with the company?"

Louise knew what she was asking about and nodded, "No problems for now. Our company isn't as unstable as it was when it first started. You can rest assured; I'll handle anything that comes up."

Laila understood. The company was no longer the shaky, chaotic small company it used to be. The welfare benefits here were renowned throughout Hollywood and even counted among the best. No one would speculate about the company's stability just because of some absurd incident outside.

If this had happened when she first arrived at Phoenix, it would have undoubtedly thrown the entire company into chaos.

After Louise left, Laila carefully examined the information she had brought.

The detailed information she brought was almost exhaustive, covering all the discovered details of the cases. Moreover, she had conscientiously inserted some media "speculations" about the incidents. Without exception, those media outlets prominently featured Laila's name.

Of course, no media outlet was foolish enough to directly label her as a suspect. The police had not yet concluded, and they didn't want to receive legal letters from the Moran family's legal team just for baseless accusations.

But even so, by reading their convincingly reported articles, one would be inclined to believe that this incident was somehow related to Laila.

In their reports, they "speculated" that the incidents must be the work of Laila's fans; otherwise, they wouldn't specifically target those who opposed Laila's movies. They didn't directly say that Laila planned the entire thing, but just stating that it was her fans' doing would have a significant impact on her reputation.