"Woken up early by Janet. Only after turning on my computer did I realize what had happened. Thank you all for your comfort, but all I can say is that the person with such a wild imagination has seriously overthought it. Although I didn't want to respond to this kind of baseless slander, seeing how worried everyone is, the two photos below should explain everything."
Laila found two photos on her computer and uploaded them to FB, pinning her post with that statement at the top.
The first photo was one taken during their shoot in South Africa: behind her and Roy were the rainforest and some shabby houses. In the background, Leonardo was making a silly face, photobombing them. Anyone who had seen the film would easily recognize the trees and houses from it, and even Leo's outfit matched what he wore in the movie. In other words, there was almost no possibility the photo was fake.
The second photo was even more straightforward: it showed a baby with a serious expression. There was a caption underneath, introducing him as Laila and Roy's child, the little guy named Eli.
"Oh my God, what am I seeing? If anyone dares say this isn't Laila and Roy's child, I swear I'll stuff a slipper in their mouth!" Fans were thrilled when they saw the photos.
"Look at those gorgeous blue eyes and that deep honey-colored hair—he looks exactly like Laila and Roy, okay?!"
"This little one is seriously too beautiful! And that expression—oh my God, why do I see such a cool vibe on a baby's face?"
While most people were falling for Eli's cuteness and charm, plenty of others started attacking the person who had spread the lies.
"Who said Roy wasn't in South Africa with Laila? This photo was taken right there—what, are you saying Roy was photoshopped in?!"
"Randomly spouting such horrible rumors—disgusting!"
"We must report this to the police and have them arrested!"
As people online denounced the rumor-monger thanks to Laila's two photos, some journalists gathered around their desks felt like crying. The reason? The early edition newspapers that had just been released that morning already featured explosive headlines about Laila "being violated." In a rush to grab attention, they had even replaced their original front-page stories. But just as the papers hit the stands, Laila's photos had already set the record straight!
If they had known it would be resolved so easily, they would have preferred she had done it sooner!
A moment ago, they had been smug over their "exclusive bombshell." Now, they were left sobbing without tears.
On the other hand, the morning news shows managed to change their lead story at the last minute. Just minutes before airing, they pulled the segment about "female victimization" and replaced it with one on "defamation."
Anyone who watches American TV dramas knows that in shows about newsroom life, every broadcast feels like a battlefield—and reality wasn't far off.
What the media wanted most was viewers' attention. The more sensational the story, the more they craved to scoop it up and lure the audience to their channels.
But news didn't just arrive gift-wrapped; they had to fight and scheme, constantly weighing which topics would capture public interest and which ones would be ignored.
Laila's incident had blown up overnight, driven by late-night internet users. That's why Janet had called her so early upon seeing it. The media had gotten wind of it even earlier through their private channels and had scrambled to prepare coverage, hoping to dominate the headlines the next morning.
The Moran family was originally a media conglomerate, and they had long developed strategies for handling such crises. Their initial plan had been to help the young boss clear her name. But in the end, she resolved it in just two photos, leaving them no choice but to cheer her on from the sidelines.
When Roy arrived at FB headquarters, it was still very early. If Laila hadn't forced him to have breakfast first, he might have arrived even sooner. With the tech team's help, they quickly traced the IP address, only to find it led to a library.
Although security cameras showed someone sitting at the computer at the time, that person was heavily disguised: big sunglasses covering half the face, a mask, and clothing so ordinary it blended in on any street—there was no way to identify them.
Even after Roy reached out to some friends, they couldn't dig any further. But one thing was clear: that person's sole purpose had been to use the library computer. Although it wasn't certain whether they had specifically targeted Laila, it was clear they hadn't read a single book while there.
When Laila heard the update from Roy, she immediately felt a bad premonition.
Others might not sense it, but she was sure that person had come for her, and their goal was vicious, as if they wouldn't rest until they had utterly destroyed her. Using such a vile rumor to attack a woman, besides trying to ruin her, what other reason could there be?
As for suspects, she could only think of two. But they were also the most likely ones: Cooper and Faaris.
She didn't have a strong impression of Faaris—only his cold eyes and the Middle Eastern traditional attire he always wore.
Right after she heard that Dawud had gone bankrupt and vanished, this rumor exploded online. How could she not link the two events together?
She'd long known that Cooper had gone to work for Faaris's company and had invested in many quality films. Aside from occasionally trying to smear her name in film circles, he seemed to be living comfortably.
But his usual attacks on her always focused on her films—just like when he slandered the Phoenix Company—he never resorted to personal defamation. If this time it was him, it could only mean that Faaris had influenced him.
Why such a disgusting personal attack? After thinking it through, Laila understood.
If Al Nadeem could find out that Dawud's downfall was linked to her grandfather, then Faaris—also from that country—would surely have his sources. Dawud's bankruptcy and disappearance gave Faaris reason to use this kind of smear to take revenge on her. It wasn't unimaginable at all.
This time, it had been easy to clear up. But what if more similar attacks kept coming? What if, next time, she didn't have proof at hand to clear her name? What if so many scandals piled up that they finally shook public opinion? What would she do then?
This couldn't go on! She bit her lip and called her grandfather.
"Grandpa, did Mom tell you what happened?"
"Yes. You handled it very well." The old man comforted her. He had also received Janet's call early that morning and had been following the matter closely. "I'll have our people cooperate to clarify things publicly. Don't let it weigh on your mind."
"I suspect it involves Faaris and Cooper. Do you remember Faaris? Dawud's subordinate, the one sent to Hollywood for film investments."