Laila had never once claimed herself to be "great" under any circumstances. At most, during some idle conversation at home, Roy would jokingly refer to her as a "living legend."
Which made everything happening now feel deeply unjust.
But no one cared about that.
Those still on her side were already going all out, engaging in online battles to defend her against the smear campaign. As for the ones slandering her? They cared even less.
Did it matter if it was true? Or false? As long as they believed it was true, that was enough.
Laila had been staying at home these past few days.
She didn't feel like going to the company, because the moment she showed up, a swarm of reporters would follow.
She'd had her share of being chased for interviews in the past. Back then, she never ran from it; in fact, she used it to her advantage, leveraging media attention to promote her films.
But this time, it was different. This incident had drained her enthusiasm. She had no interest in answering the inevitable barrage of manipulative questions.
And even if she did face them, what could she say?
No matter what words came out of her mouth, they'd be twisted, reinterpreted, and weaponized.
If she wanted to speak, she'd rather do it through her media outlets.
Sure, the public didn't trust anything from Moran Media, but people still watched. TV stations got ratings, print media got circulation. Why let other outlets benefit instead?
But honestly, she didn't even want to talk.
Rather than argue with anyone, she preferred pouring all her energy into film.
At least in the world she created herself—she was God.
Nothing could touch her there.
This state of mind worried Roy deeply.
He'd been running around nonstop these past two days, asking friends for help. But the incident had grown far too large—everyone wanted to help, but no one had a good solution.
Actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Downey Jr. had come forward, speaking up for Laila in public—during interviews, at red carpet events, wherever they had the chance.
Their words weren't useless… but at a time like this, they weren't enough.
Within the Hollywood circle, people knew exactly who Laila was and what she had accomplished.
No one inside the industry truly believed those ridiculous accusations—that she'd schemed or manipulated her way to the top.
Because the most irrefutable fact was this:
Her movies made money. A lot of money.
And in Hollywood, nothing is more persuasive than profit.
She could make studios rich—that alone made her a great director in the eyes of the producers and capitalists.
Yes, Cameron was also brilliant and had earned the studio's massive returns.
But his production cycle was slow.
Anyone with even a basic understanding of the industry wouldn't believe those absurd smears about Laila.
Unfortunately, Hollywood was a relatively small circle, at least compared to the rest of America.
Convincing the broader public was another matter entirely—and that would take time.
Many were still watching from the sidelines, waiting to see how she would respond.
Would she survive this wave of slander? Or would she fall?
Some were even secretly hoping she wouldn't make it.
If she collapsed, they could swoop in and steal the talented team under her wing.
Laila herself might be out of reach, but poaching her team was a win in itself.
Take her assistant Demi, for example.
A beautiful and highly capable woman who had worked at Laila's side for ten years—
If she were willing to jump ship, countless companies would throw money at her.
She knew Laila better than anyone and might even spill the secrets to her box office success.
Then there was Laila's golden crew—each one an award-winning top-tier talent.
And don't forget her New Wave Initiative—a breeding ground for young potential.
Many up-and-coming filmmakers had stayed because of Laila. If she went down, they'd certainly scatter—and whoever scooped them up would be sitting on a gold mine.
Of course, these opportunists knew better than to show their fangs too early.
They were hoping Laila would fall—but even they understood that was unlikely.
Unlike others, Laila had never relied on her family's power.
Even if she collapsed, her empire wouldn't fall with her.
Just take her hundreds of cinemas in the East.
That alone was a rock-solid pillar.
The East has been developing rapidly in recent years.
Many films only turned a real profit after being released there.
Without that market, even breaking even in North America could be a fantasy.
Because of that, Hollywood producers were increasingly fond of Eastern actors.
At first, they were given background roles—but as profits grew, even significant parts were cast with Eastern talent.
With the global economy still sluggish and the U.S. only recently clawing its way out of a financial crisis, everyone was looking outward.
The East, with its massive potential, was too big to ignore.
And if you wanted success in the East?
Laila's theater chain was essential.
Even if she stopped making movies in the U.S., she could still rake in money through distribution alone—
Not to mention her powerful backer: the Moran Media Group.
Those who truly understood her knew that the online smear campaign would, at worst, stop her from directing.
But it would never shake her dominance in Hollywood.
"Greatness"?
Given her age and what she had accomplished, it was greatness.
Calling her a living legend of Hollywood was not an exaggeration.
The real pity was that too few people saw it that way.
More and more were falling under the influence of public opinion, starting to doubt her worth.
And public opinion had only one direction:
To drag Laila down from her pedestal.
To throw her into the mud.
To drench her in filth, to stain her reputation, and finally—
To cast her into hell.
Cooper, meanwhile, felt no guilt.
All he felt was unhinged joy—glee at seeing his wish slowly becoming reality.
Laila had become a thorn in his heart.
And unless he ripped it out, he would never be at peace.
She was praised as someone elevated above all others?
Fine—he'd drag her down.
He couldn't beat her in a film.
He hated to admit it, but in the end, he accepted reality.
So he stopped trying.
Fighting her with her strengths would've been utterly foolish.
But his strength?
Was the pen.
And using your strengths to go to war—
That's the smartest way to win.