Chapter 663 - Underage

Laila was taken aback, "Isn't the good news about finding the girl?"

"Hehe, I knew you'd guess that I could find her, so how could I use that kind of news to fool you?" Xiao Yi smirked triumphantly, crossing his legs high, feeling especially pleased. Finally, he had the upper hand for once!

"Alright, tell me what the good news is?" Laila was eager to know what could be considered good news in the absence of the girl's clothes.

Xiao Yi grinned like a fox, "That girl is only fourteen years old! She sneaked out to the bar with friends that night."

Fourteen years old! Laila's eyes widened suddenly.

If it was true, it was indeed excellent news! Drugging a woman and drugging an underage girl were entirely different concepts. Similarly, fighting for a beautiful woman and fighting for a drugged underage girl held vastly different implications!

Now, the last trace of confusion in Laila's just-awakened mind dissipated, and she jumped out of bed with bright eyes, "How did you find her?"

This was a great opportunity to show off, and Xiao Yi certainly wouldn't hold back, "It's quite simple. Just retrieve all the surveillance along her route, and you can track her movements after leaving the bar."

"If it's that simple, why didn't the police find her?" Laila didn't believe it could be so straightforward.

The police might not be perfect, but they had some means. Moreover, given her status and the significant impact of the case, the police department wouldn't assign someone incompetent to handle it. If the police officers had decent investigative abilities, there was no reason they would overlook the obvious surveillance cameras on the streets.

Xiao Yi smirked confidently, "Of course, it's not that simple. Otherwise, why wait until now to find her?"

Even with numerous surveillance cameras in the United States, they couldn't cover everything. When the girl returned home, she was afraid of being recognized by someone she knew, so she purposely took some secluded routes. As a result, it took some effort to track her down. After finding her, Xiao Yi had to admire the girl's courage. Walking alone in a deserted alley in the late evening, especially for a young, attractive girl dressed provocatively, required considerable audacity.

Her luck was also formidable; she managed to return home safely.

"Have her family been informed?"

"Yes, I personally went to inform them. Interestingly, even after they watched the news, they didn't recognize the sexy girl on the screen as their child. It was only when I questioned the girl in person that she revealed the truth."

Laila shook her head with a wry smile. Nowadays, girls develop early, and a 14-year-old girl dressed provocatively and wearing heavy makeup could deceive everyone. Seeing the girl in the video, who would think she was underage?

"And the clothes can't be found?"

"I've sent people to look for them. If that doesn't work, we might have to search through the garbage disposal site. However, even if we find them, the value might not be significant. The clothes have been contaminated by the trash, and proving the presence of drugs inside could be attributed to other garbage. Any competent lawyer could dismiss it."

Laila nodded; indeed, that was the case.

"Let's focus on finding the clothes first. I'm heading to the office now, and you hurry to bring the girl over. Also, ask them what reward they want, whether it's a bonus or a movie role."

"OK, leave it to me."

After ending the call, Laila felt a sense of relief, as if half the burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Finding the girl was a significant piece of good news, and the revelation that the "girl" was actually a "minor" was an unexpected surprise.

Unfortunately, the clothes were still missing. She hoped they could be found according to the girl's description.

Walking out of the room, she saw Roy coming up the stairs with breakfast.

"I heard sounds from your room just now and thought you might be awake, so I had these made."

"Thank you." Seeing the Chinese-style snacks, Laila realized she was really hungry. Steamed buns, accompanied by spicy soup, made her feel comfortable with every bite.

Seeing her enjoy the meal, Roy's mood also lifted.

"Are you going to the office today? Do you want to rest a bit longer?"

"No, the girl has been found. I'll go meet her shortly."

"Found her? How did you find her? That's great!" Roy stood up excitedly, ready to immediately share the good news with the still-sleeping Downey.

Laila grabbed his sleeve and pressed him back into the chair, "Don't get too happy too soon. The clothes, which could have been used as evidence, were thrown away by the girl. Even if we find them, it's uncertain if they'll still be valuable evidence."

Roy frowned, "What should we do? The girl herself probably didn't see the drugging. How can we prove Downey's innocence?"

"I don't know at the moment. Anyway, let's go to the company first and assess the situation. You stay at home and keep a close eye on Downey. Don't let him step out, you can call him, but don't let him watch the news. I'm afraid seeing various comments in the media might trigger him to do something irreparable," Laila said, concerned about Downey's reaction to public opinions.

"I know, I'll keep a close eye on him!" Roy looked towards the stairs and sighed lightly, recalling that he and Downey had become friends by chance. Unfortunately, this time, there was no such luck.

Laila entrusted him with the task, feeling assured. After breakfast, she hurriedly drove to the company.

Upon entering the office, Louise, who had received the news, called immediately.

"NBC and Entertainment Daily have both applied for interviews. Should we agree?" She only asked about Moran's media because she knew that if Laila really wanted to wage a media war, she would favor her own outlets. Why let others reap the benefits?

This straightforward question made Laila reflect for a few seconds. Was it that evident that she favored her own media, causing even the kind-hearted Louise to exclude other outlets from the inquiry list?

But after a brief thought, Laila silently commended herself for her actions. After all, they were her own media outlets; who else should she favor? With a calm and composed demeanor, she nodded, "Arrange it. I do have some things to share with them."

This unsurprising answer made Louise immediately comply. Then, wanting to know if there was any new information, she casually asked, "Is there any new information?"

"Yes, I had someone help. They found the girl from the video. Unfortunately, the clothes she was wearing were casually thrown into a trash bin, and it's uncertain if we can retrieve them."

Louise was initially ecstatic upon hearing the first half of the sentence but was then crushed by the second half, "How did that happen?" The twists and turns were making their pursuit of a film release feel more like a disaster movie than anything else.