Chapter 898: Four Nominations

Best Motion Picture – Drama.

Best Director.

Best Original Song.

Best Original Score.

With The Lord of the Rings, Laila secured four Golden Globe nominations.

Unfortunately, there were no acting nominations. But that was expected—this was an ensemble cast, with no singular performance standing above the rest. Everyone had delivered exceptional performances, which ironically meant that no one stood out enough to be individually recognized.

That said, no one in their right mind would claim that The Lord of the Rings lacked great acting. Many of the supporting roles were played by highly skilled and well-known actors, making it an undeniable powerhouse of performances.

Outside her company, reporters eagerly intercepted Laila, eager to get her thoughts on the nominations.

After all, her last appearance at the Golden Globes had been infamously unpleasant. If she could make some critical remarks about the awards, it would be a headline goldmine.

But Laila wasn't stupid.

She knew she was going to win at least a couple of awards this time.

Starting a fight now would only backfire, potentially costing her trophies and shifting public sympathy toward the very people she had once exposed.

Honestly, she didn't care much about the Golden Globes. But having awards was better than not having them, right?

So, in front of the cameras, Laila remained gracious. She didn't mention the past conflicts and instead expressed joy and gratitude for her nominations.

Her response was calm, professional, and strategically airtight.

Which, of course, frustrated the entertainment reporters.

A peaceful, level-headed response? That wouldn't generate clicks!

So, someone dug up an old controversy:

"The first installment of The Lord of the Rings faced discrimination at the Golden Globes. Do you think the same thing will happen again this year?"

It was a trap question—answering either "yes" or "no" would implicitly acknowledge that discrimination had occurred.

Laila had never let Hollywood journalists manipulate her words before.

And this time was no exception.

Feeling genuine confusion, she blinked and asked, "Discrimination? I wasn't aware of that. Were we discriminated against?"

The reporter pressed further. "If it wasn't discrimination, then why did you receive multiple nominations but walk away empty-handed?"

Laila simply shrugged.

"If losing means discrimination, then the Golden Globes have 'discriminated' against a lot of films over the years, don't you think?" She spread her hands. "The past is like a finished book—we turn the page and move forward. If we keep obsessing over old chapters, how can we progress?"

Reporters gritted their teeth. Once again, she had completely dodged their trap while still making her stance crystal clear.

Frustrated, they switched topics.

"How many of the four nominations do you think you'll win? Do you believe you'll take home Best Director?"

Laila pretended to think seriously for a moment, then smiled.

"If I had it my way, I'd win them all. But as for Best Director… well, that depends on which side God is on."

"What do you think of your competition? Do you believe you can beat them?"

Laila shrugged again. "This year's nominees are all incredibly strong. Whether I win or not, just standing among them is an honor."

Finally freeing herself from the relentless reporters, Laila got into her car.

The moment the door closed, her smile vanished, replaced by a serious, contemplative expression.

She had just remembered something important—

The competition in 2008 wasn't the same as in 2003!

Films like There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, and Juno were her real competitors now.

Especially There Will Be Blood—if she hadn't disrupted history, it likely would have swept the awards this year.

But now?

Laila felt much better.

No matter who won or lost, at least other films would suffer greater losses than hers.

While Laila was preparing for the Golden Globes, Roy finally received the call he had been waiting for.

Rushing to Bernie's jewelry shop, he found the main entrance locked—only the side door was open, waiting for him.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Monica staring in awe at something in Bernie's hands.

"It's… breathtaking! How can something be this beautiful?" she murmured, reaching out instinctively.

Bernie smacked her hand away. "Don't touch it! If you so much as scratch this, selling both of us wouldn't be enough to pay for it."

Monica rubbed her hand in mock pain, rolling her eyes. "If it's that fragile, then maybe your craftsmanship isn't as great as you claim!"

Their bickering stopped the moment Roy walked in.

Bernie locked the door, then led him to a chair, speaking with uncharacteristic solemnity.

"This… is the finest piece I've ever crafted in my life. I hope you treasure it."

Roy nodded, his eyes locked onto Bernie's hands.

Taking a deep breath, Bernie placed a small box into Roy's palm.

Roy was even more nervous than Bernie.

Bernie was only worried about whether his work met expectations.

Roy, on the other hand, had far greater fears—

Not only did the ring have to be perfect, but Laila also had to love it.

These past months had been absolute torture.

Every time he closed his eyes, he imagined different scenarios—What if the ring turned out wrong? What if it wasn't good enough?

Hell, if Bernie hadn't given him periodic updates, Roy might have convinced himself that this newbie designer had run off with his precious diamonds.

Of course, that was just paranoia. The real problem was that the waiting period had been too long, giving his mind too much time to spiral into doubts.

His greatest fear?

The diamond had cracked during cutting, rendering the ring unsalvageable.

Letting out a deep breath, Roy slowly opened the box—

And then—

His eyes locked onto the two glistening points of icy blue inside.

Perfection.

It looked exactly like the original design—no, even better.

The women's ring featured a princess-cut blue diamond, unembellished, so its natural brilliance remained undisturbed.

The men's ring held a smaller, matching blue diamond—about one-fifth or one-sixth the size of the main stone.

The same color.

The same design.

A pair of rings so captivating that he couldn't take his eyes off them.

This was it.

Roy silently confirmed it in his heart—

Laila was going to fall in love with these rings.

And if she did…

Then these rings would hold the greatest significance possible—a symbol of their forever.