Chapter 906 - The Unexpected

This time, Roy's work was highly confidential. Even on the day he left for vacation, Laila still didn't know where he had chosen their destination.

The only thing she knew was that the weather on the day of departure was perfect. The sky was crystal clear as if it had been washed, with no cloud in sight.

But where exactly was he taking her? Seeing that he hadn't asked her to prepare much, it must be somewhere not too far away. But what fresh places around here could be used for a vacation?

"Just follow me," Roy finally replied after she asked several times.

If his expression hadn't been so "resolute," Laila might have felt more at ease, but his demeanor made it impossible for her to relax. No matter how much she pressed him, he kept his mouth shut, not saying a word, leaving her anxious and frustrated.

Watching the scenery fly by outside the car window, she suddenly recalled similar scenes from movies. If she were writing the script, this would be the moment where she was about to be betrayed, and he was dragging her away, either to hold her for ransom or to take her life...

Wait, it could also be an elopement. Then a swarm of bodyguards from her family would descend from the sky to stop them. And then the male lead, Roy, would heroically fight them all off.

Laila wandered through her own "script," finding it more and more amusing. If something like that were to happen, it would be quite thrilling. Unfortunately, neither Grandpa Oswald nor her mother, Janet, seemed to have any issue with her being with Roy, so there was no reason for them to elope.

"What are you thinking about?" Roy asked, unable to hold back after she had been quiet for a while.

He didn't want to speak up because his acting skills always seemed to fail in front of her. With her sharp director's eye, he was worried she might notice something off, which would ruin all his preparations.

Laila, still immersed in the "movie" she was playing in her mind, casually replied, "I was thinking that things between us seem to be going too smoothly."

"..." What did that mean? Could someone please explain what she meant by that?

Why did hearing her say "smoothly" make him feel a sense of regret?!

Isn't smooth a good thing? Roy screamed internally. If he weren't driving, he would have grabbed her shoulders and shaken her to see if he could knock some sense into her.

As he was spiraling, Laila added, "You're not planning to elope with me, are you? Though it sounds fun, I think my family would catch you and beat you up."

"..." Why did he detect a hint of schadenfreude and anticipation in her words? Roy felt a little hurt. "No! I just..." He hesitated, stopping himself at the critical moment.

Laila secretly pursed her lips. She had thought she could coax him into revealing something. How had she never noticed before how tight-lipped this guy could be?

Then, complete silence fell between them. Thankfully, the bodyguards weren't in the same car, or they would have been so suffocated by the tension that they might have jumped out.

Fortunately, this didn't last long. About two hours later, Roy stopped the car in an unfamiliar and rather shabby place.

"We're here," he said, getting out to open the door for Laila.

"Where is this?" Laila looked around, increasingly confused about what he was up to. The elopement idea had just been her playful imagination, not something she took seriously. But seeing this desolate and简陋的地方, she couldn't help but feel a bit weird.

"Come with me," Roy said, taking her hand and jogging forward.

It was a small airport with a tiny plane parked there, and "shabby" would be an understatement. It looked more like an abandoned site.

"Roy!" A man in the distance waved his arm at them.

"Hey, buddy, how's everything going?" Roy walked over with Laila, bumping fists with the man.

The man glanced at Laila, then winked at Roy suggestively. "Everything's ready. Are you going for it?"

"Yes, wish me luck!" Roy took a deep breath, sneaking a glance at Laila before turning his attention to a pile of covered objects in the middle of the airport.

By now, Laila had caught on that Roy had prepared something in advance to show her. But what was it? A plane?

Given his financial status, he could easily afford a small helicopter for fun. But if he were to buy a plane, it was unlikely he'd have the time to learn how to fly it, let alone park it in a place like this.

Roy led her to the middle of the open area, clearing his throat nervously. "Laila, I hope you'll join me on a journey."

"Uh, sure," Laila replied, now even more curious. Was there a supercar hidden under that cover?

But soon, her eyes widened in surprise as Roy and his friend removed the plastic sheet, revealing a massive... hot air balloon!

A hot air balloon! This was something Laila had never expected.

It was the first time she had been so close to one. The rainbow-colored balloon hadn't been inflated yet, but its size was already impressive.

"How did you get this?" she exclaimed, running over to touch it with delight. Everything about it was so new, and she couldn't believe she was getting the chance to experience it.

Seeing her joy, Roy smiled. "Do you like it?"

"Yes, I love it! How did you get it?"

"A friend recommended it, and I thought it was great, so I bought it."

Laila thought about it and realized that, indeed, it wasn't that expensive. For a big star like Roy, it was probably just a fraction of his earnings from a single movie. But for her, it was incredibly new. She had always thought hot air balloons were beautiful, ever since her past life.

"I want to see it fly. Are you going to take it up?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

Roy was taken aback. "Don't you want to ride in it?"

"Me? Ride in it?" Laila's body stiffened. "No, I'll pass." Although she had never been in one, she knew how much she hated flying. If riding in a hot air balloon was anything like being on a plane, it would be too embarrassing. She didn't want to end up weak-kneed and have to be carried back to the ground.

Roy was stunned. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! His entire plan revolved around the hot air balloon. If she didn't get in, how was he supposed to proceed?

"Don't worry, it's very safe. I got my pilot's license a few days ago and have flown it twice. I promise you won't get hurt," he said, thinking she was afraid of falling.

He was right—she was afraid, but not for the reasons he thought.