"Why did you call me here?" Roy's voice was cold. He simply couldn't bring himself to trust these people. Even the so-called "best and most professional" mercenaries and bodyguards had managed to lose Laila—so what could he realistically expect from a group of strangers fumbling around in unfamiliar territory?
Sure, maybe they'd dig up some intel given time—but time was exactly what Laila didn't have!
Was she eating? Was she being mistreated? Beaten? Tortured? No one knew the answers. The thought of her possibly suffering at the hands of her captors was enough to drive Roy mad.
Xiao Ye gently pushed him into a chair. "We were just discussing Laila's situation—specifically, potential suspects. A few names came up… and one of them might be connected to you."
"Me?" A spark finally flickered in Roy's dull gray eyes as he locked onto Xiao Ye. "What do you mean?"
"Remember when you and Leonardo were buying diamonds here?"
Of course, Roy remembered. His face instantly paled. "It was those people? They're trying to take the diamond back? But if that were the case, shouldn't they be coming after me or Leo?"
Xiao Ye patted him on the back in reassurance. "Don't jump to conclusions. Listen. Based on the info we've gathered so far, very few people can plan and pull off an abduction like this. And several of those suspects were involved in that diamond bounty incident."
"So they took her to force the diamond from me?" Roy suddenly remembered—Laila hadn't brought the diamond with her. If the kidnappers didn't find what they were expecting… would they hurt her? Would they take it out on her? If something happened to her because of a diamond he received… he would never forgive himself.
Why… why did it have to be like this!?
The thought that his actions might have caused Laila's disappearance threatened to drown him in a wave of self-loathing.
"Hey! Listen to me, man—this is not your fault," Xiao Ye said firmly, seeing Roy on the verge of breakdown. He wasn't feeling much better himself. "It's their fault. You didn't do anything wrong. What we need to focus on now isn't regret or guilt—we need to figure out how to save Laila. This isn't just your fight anymore. Look at the news—look online. The whole world is on your side."
He wasn't exaggerating. News of Laila's abduction had exploded across the internet. People around the globe were condemning the crime in the strongest terms. Her fans were holding candlelight vigils, prayer circles, and organizing campaigns—all hoping for her safe return. Meanwhile, 'The Dark Knight' had seen a noticeable spike in box office numbers.
That last part had the investors grinning from ear to ear. Some of them were even thinking: maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Laila didn't come back. No rival to compete with. And they could promote the film as her last work—a final masterpiece. The ultimate swan song for her fans.
Of course, that kind of thinking had to stay buried deep. If it ever got out, they'd be crucified by public opinion, their reputations shredded beyond recovery.
Roy rubbed his face hard with both hands. "Okay. I get it. What's next?"
Xiao Ye gave him a worried glance. He knew Roy couldn't possibly be as composed as he was pretending to be. But with Laila's life at stake, they had no time to waste on emotions.
"We talked it over. The most likely culprits are those few organizations that were involved with the diamond bounty. There are still some details that don't quite add up, though. That's why we wanted your input."
Roy nodded. "Ask away."
"At first, we thought the motive might be the diamond. Anyone doing a little digging would know about your relationship with Laila, and that she received a blue diamond ring from you. The question is—was she wearing it when she left?"
This was a crucial detail. If she had the ring on her, the kidnappers might have taken her just to retrieve it—and then killed her once they got what they wanted. But if she didn't have it, and they hadn't contacted Roy to get it back, then the motive might have nothing to do with the diamond at all.
Roy answered confidently, "She didn't bring it. She doesn't like wearing jewelry while working—says it distracts her. You know how she is when she's filming—fully committed, nothing else matters."
"That's true," Xiao Ye smiled wryly and shook his head. He'd never met anyone as devoted to filmmaking as Laila. She could leave anything behind if it meant staying focused on a shoot. If he had a diamond ring that beautiful, he wouldn't be able to stop staring at it. But Laila had left it at home just to avoid distraction. That sounded exactly like her.
"In that case, the diamond probably isn't the reason," Xiao Ye admitted, now a little confused himself. Given Laila's status and how highly the authorities valued her, there were very few people who would dare harm her—unless it was out of deep hatred or in pursuit of major profit. After all, harming someone like her meant offending multiple nations and tens of millions of fans across the world.
Fusca, the local commander in charge of the South African side, was equally baffled. From what he could tell, there was no way someone in his own country could have such deep-seated hatred for Laila. Her status was far too lofty—no one local could have any connection to her. He wasn't being self-deprecating, just realistic. Even the most powerful businessmen in the country wouldn't qualify to sit at the same table as someone from the Moran family.
So then… who did this?
Was it some hostile country trying to frame South Africa by kidnapping Laila?
"If it wasn't about the diamond, then what's left?" Xiao Ye began counting off possibilities on his fingers. "No ransom has been demanded. No group has claimed responsibility. So it's not for money, and it's not a simple act of terrorism either." He rubbed his temples, frustration mounting. "Who could it be?"
"This isn't the time to be guessing motives." Roy had had enough of this roundtable talk. He slammed his palm on the table with a loud bang.
"Whoever did this had to have resources. They had to know the area. And most importantly, they had to control enough territory to hide Laila away. With so many specific conditions, there can't be that many suspects. If we can't narrow it down to one… then grab all of them!"
As long as Laila could be rescued, he didn't care if they had to flip the entire country upside down. He didn't believe for a second that someone like Fusca—who'd spent his whole career in the region—wouldn't know where the hidden power players were hiding.