Chapter 1049 - Anticipation

But no matter what they said now, it was already too late. Thankfully, this baby was a tough one—surviving through so much danger and turmoil already.

"An old Eastern is saying," Laila said with a smile, "that goes, 'If one survives great calamity, they are bound to have good fortune.' I think this little one in my belly is a very lucky child."

Roy liked hearing things like that, and the corners of his lips curled up in response. "That's right. Just being our child makes them the luckiest little one in the world."

He paused, then added, "The reason I want you to go back to New York is because—"

"I know." Laila placed a finger on his lips, cutting him off. How could she not know what he wanted to say?

"How about we make a deal? The doctor said both I and the baby are in great health. So I'd like to take advantage of this time to finish post-production for Blood Diamond. It won't take long—three months should be enough. After that, I'll go to New York for maternity leave until the baby is born. What do you think?"

Roy frowned in thought for a moment before finally agreeing. "Alright—but only if you promise I'll be by your side the whole time. I'll drive you to and from work, and your meals must be regular. I want to see you at the dinner table on time, not running all over the place looking for you. And your sleep schedule needs to be consistent—early to bed, late to rise. You must get enough rest every day!"

He laid out a whole list of conditions. Laila listened with a head full of black lines but ultimately agreed. None of it was too hard—after all, post-production didn't require her to work herself into the ground. And besides, she cared about the baby just as much as he did! Why did he act like she had zero self-discipline?

If Roy could hear her inner complaints, he'd probably toss her four words: poor behavioral record.

When she was immersed in film production, she could be terrifying. Even Demi needed to tread carefully when pulling her away from her work—Roy was the only one who dared to drag her out without hesitation.

In the end, they finally reached an agreement. Roy reluctantly accepted her conditions, giving her three months. Whether or not post-production was completed, she had to return to New York after that. Company matters would either be handled remotely or postponed. Even during her remaining time in Hollywood, everything had to revolve around the baby. Anything potentially harmful was strictly off-limits.

Not long after, the old master called. That's when Laila and Roy realized they had forgotten to inform him of the good news.

Predictably, he was furious. If it weren't for the baby in Laila's belly, he would've lectured her ears off.

Laila got off easy, but Roy wasn't so lucky—he was practically strung up and blasted with a full 360-degree scolding, no blind spots, no mercy.

The two of them, like guilty kids, gave sincere apologies. After all, they had remembered to call Janet but completely overlooked him.

Fortunately, the old man was fairly reasonable. After hearing Roy repeat the agreement he and Laila had made, he begrudgingly accepted it. After all, the two "chicks" had grown wings—they were adults now. He could advise an elder, but he didn't want to force his will on them.

Once the old man's temper was soothed, both Laila and Roy felt like they'd been through a war—exhausted and defeated.

"Laila," Roy suddenly remembered the online uproar. "Should we give your fans an explanation? They must be worried about you."

"You're right." Laila hadn't forgotten everything her fans did for her when she was held captive by Martin. She was sure many of them were worried about her health now—she owed them an explanation.

So she pulled out her laptop and typed up a post titled "Anticipation." She also attached the ultrasound photo they'd received at the hospital.

She posted it on Facebook, and the sheer number of fans and reporters lurking on her page meant the news went viral almost instantly.

"Oh my God! Is she having a baby?!"

"Congratulations to Laila and Roy!"

"Am I the only one already looking forward to how beautiful this baby's gonna be? Laila + Roy? That's gotta be one stunning child!"

"You're not alone—I'm excited too! If the baby inherits just their good features, we're getting a supermodel from birth."

"Let's be honest—even if the baby inherits their flaws, they'll still be gorgeous. Do they have any flaws?"

Reading the rapidly multiplying comments and everyone's enthusiastic guesses about the baby's looks, Laila couldn't help but laugh.

It was true—Roy had been voted the "World's Sexiest Man" multiple times, and her appearance combined the best traits of several ethnicities. Everyone always said mixed-race children were beautiful, and she was living proof. On top of that, her grandparents, her mother, and even her late father had all been strikingly good-looking.

With genes like that, there was practically a zero percent chance of the baby turning out anything less than stunning.

Reading those comments, even Laila herself started to get excited about what the baby might look like.

Her post completely shut down the wild rumors sparked by the paparazzi's earlier photos. Her fans went on the offensive, dragging the first media outlet that broke the "hospital visit" story and flaming them across their own website. That outlet, however, didn't care—they were secretly thrilled. Even hate clicks were clicks, and attention was attention.

Once the news spread, Laila's phone lit up with nonstop calls—actors she'd worked with, trusted colleagues, and friends all reaching out to congratulate her. Even people who didn't have her private number found ways to send their best wishes.

For a time, Laila's pregnancy became headline news across nearly every major media platform, leaving many stunned.

She was just a director—and yet her pregnancy had taken over the headlines like no A-list celebrity ever could. This level of influence was something most stars could only dream of.

And this wasn't the first time rumors had swirled about her being pregnant. Ever since she and Roy had started dating, irresponsible tabloids had repeatedly spread false stories about her.

Janet, though unhappy that Laila wasn't immediately returning to New York, knew that arguing with her stubborn daughter was pointless. So she sent Claire instead.

Claire—the woman who had cared for Laila since she was a child, only returning to Janet's side after she got pregnant—was a nanny, housekeeper, nutritionist, bodyguard, and so much more. She was the kind of all-around super caretaker that inspired complete trust. With Claire around, Laila would be well looked after.

Claire arrived swiftly—almost like she had teleported. That very afternoon, not long after Laila and Roy received the hospital results, she was already standing before them.