That night, Roy was brought before Martin.
While Martin was sizing him up, Roy was also secretly observing the man who had dug his own grave. Like everyone else, Roy couldn't understand what kind of insanity had driven this man to kidnap someone of Laila's status.
Or had Martin grown so arrogant from his small bit of power that he could no longer see clearly what kind of opponent he was facing?
"Hello there, I didn't expect we'd only meet for the first time today," Martin said loftily, gesturing for Roy to sit down.
These words immediately triggered something in Roy's heart, connecting to a certain suspicion.
But he didn't voice his question. Instead, he simply responded, "Hello."
Martin's eyes gleamed slightly.
"Seems you still don't know the connection between us. Maybe I should reintroduce myself: I'm Martin. That blue diamond you bought was stolen from me!"
Just thinking about that exquisite blue diamond made Martin's heart bleed.
Originally, it should have been his treasure, but it was stolen by a petty thief!
Although he later captured the thief and got some money back, that thief had already transferred one million dollars to his wife, and his wife and family had escaped elsewhere.
His influence was considerable in this region, but beyond that, it was nothing.
In the end, he was left fuming with only two-thirds of the money recovered.
Honestly, if Martin had sold the diamond himself, he wouldn't have gotten as much as Roy had paid.
Even with a million siphoned off, he had still technically profited.
But human greed knows no bounds — instead of seeing the gain, Martin only saw the loss.
Just killing a petty thief wasn't enough to satisfy him, which led him to issue a bounty for the thief's capture.
Since the thief could afford to pay so much for a diamond, he figured he could extort more.
However, he ended up making a fool of himself — all his men failed to find the thief, and the bounty hunters who showed up either came empty-handed or scammed him outright.
If it hadn't been for Flander becoming his strategist at the time, he might have fallen into the traps set by those audacious tricksters.
Roy staggered mentally at Martin's words.
So it was all connected to him!
If he hadn't bought that diamond, Laila would never have fallen into this danger, nor would she have had to live in fear in a foreign place...
Everything was because of him!
The guilt squeezed Roy's heart so tightly he could hardly breathe.
Laila was the one person in the world he least wanted to hurt.
How could he ever forgive himself?
Clenching his fists, Roy struggled to maintain control.
But Martin interpreted his agony differently.
"No need to worry," Martin said generously, waving his hand.
"As long as you behave and act properly in my film, we can call the past water under the bridge."
Though the decision pained him, he knew Flander was right — to get a big-name star to work for him obediently, he had to offer something in return.
He had investigated Roy: one movie, twenty million dollars — real money.
Compared to what Martin had earned after a lifetime of crime, this was enormous!
Thinking of having such a Hollywood star working for him balanced the pain in his heart a little.
Even if he didn't recover the diamond's value, he could still profit more in the long run.
But Roy was too lost in self-loathing to hear any of Martin's self-satisfied drivel.
Martin had seen countless people cower in fear before him. Roy's stunned silence seemed perfectly normal to him.
He even enjoyed it — their fear fed his sense of superiority.
Martin clapped Flander on the shoulder.
"Explain things to him. I don't want our new big star breaking down before the filming even starts."
Flander nodded slightly.
"Should we continue capturing more people?"
Martin frowned, thinking.
"Forget it for now. His capture must have alerted them. It won't be as easy to kidnap more people. We'll just recruit some top local actors instead."
"I understand," Flander bowed slightly and respectfully sent him off.
Martin patted Flander's shoulder again.
"Back in the day, your father was my best partner. It's a pity he left too early. I'm glad you could step up and take over. Don't disappoint me."
"I will honor my father's legacy," Flander replied, his eyes flashing briefly, but still bowing his head.
Satisfied, Martin left, leaving behind Flander and Roy whose eyes had lost focus.
"Mr. Seasonstar, let me take you back to Director Moran's residence," Flander said.
Roy shook his head with his eyes closed.
He didn't have the face to see her again.
If he hadn't insisted on buying that diamond back then, Laila would never have ended up a prisoner.
Even though she hadn't suffered too much, he still couldn't forgive himself.
Flander chuckled dryly.
"You think it was the diamond that caused Martin to target Director Moran? You're wrong. Even without it, he still would have."
"Impossible!"
Roy dismissed his words as mere consolation, refusing to believe him.
"If it weren't for the diamond, he wouldn't have noticed me. If not for me, how would he even know about Laila?"
Everything had started with that diamond!
"Heh."
Flander removed his glasses and gently wiped them with a handkerchief.
"Mr. Seasonstar, you know too little about Mr. Martin. He desperately needs money — lots of it — and preferably without effort or risk.
The moment Director Moran set foot in South Africa, her arrival became public knowledge.
You have no idea how much the authorities promoted her visit."
"Her background, her movies, her box office miracles — wherever the media could reach, people knew about her.
If it hadn't been Moran, but any other superstar director, Martin would have made the same move."
Roy looked at him, confused.
"Why are you explaining all this to me?"
Wasn't Flander supposed to be Martin's ally?
Yet he sounded almost like he was trying to console him.
Flander put his cleaned glasses back on.
"Maybe I'm just bored."