Chapter 116 Who Is The Person You Can Meet Just by Saying You Want to Meet
Jessica walked out of the police station, got back into the car, and Zoey had been waiting for her for over half an hour. She only relaxed when she saw Jessica coming out unharmed.
On the way back to the set, Zoey was driving.
Jessica sat in the passenger seat, her face calm and unchanged. However, her phone screen kept sliding open and shutting off seemingly unconsciously.
The words Cynthia said still echoed in her ears.
"Near South Glow Road, there was a seafood market where a murder case happened several years ago. While investigating that long-pending case, I coincidentally saw the surveillance footage around the kindergarten on South Glow Road. Could Danielle be at that kindergarten?"
"There are several suspicious individuals taking turns lurking near the kindergarten for several days. It's unclear what their intentions are, but so far, apart from their suspicious activities, they haven't committed any crimes, so the police are hesitant to intervene."
"Regardless of whether those individuals have any intentions towards you, that kindergarten's security measures are inadequate. How can you live in such a place, especially when the entire neighborhood consists of stairwell apartments with no property management or security guards? Being an actress and a public figure, you could be followed at any time and place! I don't want to see any cases related to you in the police station again, not even incidents of stalking or robbery. It's better to move out sooner rather than later!"
Jessica didn't want to disrupt Cynthia's work at the police station. After all, Cynthia had just started working at Xyleria, and the police station wasn't a suitable place for a long-lost friend to chat and have fun. So, she refrained from chatting further inside.
Cynthia had left Country Y and returned to the homeland, a decision that Jessica couldn't quite comprehend. FBI was Cynthia's dream, and she had finally made it in, only to suddenly leave.
However, those words of caution from Cynthia did resonate with Jessica.
The suspicious individuals lurking near the kindergarten, whether targeting her and Danielle or not, indicated that the kindergarten was no longer a safe place.
The fear of the unknown lingered.
Recently, she had noticed being followed. Initially oblivious, she had only become aware of it in recent days. She couldn't be sure if those occasional sightings of herself near the kindergarten entrance had been captured, but it was a worrisome thought.
She had always protected Danielle well, but this protection only extended to when she wasn't in the public eye. Now, she couldn't guarantee when she might be exposed to the scrutiny of others, nor could she ensure Danielle's privacy and safety completely.
Zoey drove Jessica back to the set.
Upon arrival, before heading to the dressing room, Jessica intended to message Mackenzie on WhatsApp to help her find a reasonably priced house with good security facilities, preferably near a kindergarten.
However, before she could send the message, the director Joseph approached her, mentioning some minor changes regarding the character Katrina's subplot in the script. He handed her the script's first page with the alterations for her to review.
With his urgency, Jessica quickly sent the WhatsApp message to Mackenzie and hurriedly followed to meet the scriptwriter.
Starhaven was only a two to three-hour flight from Xyleria. Gabriel emerged from the VIP passage at the airport, followed by Wayne and two professional secretaries, maintaining a distance of about half a meter behind him.
As usual, Gabriel exuded an air of aloofness and detachment, with people revolving around him within a radius of several dozen feet, keeping strangers at bay.
Just two weeks ago, he flew to City L to address Country Y branch issues. After returning, he dived into company meetings and flew to Country R the next morning. After negotiating with the key project manager of a collaborative enterprise in the Asian region at Starhaven for a full four days, he personally finalized a solution that had stumped almost everyone involved.
Following the successful acquisition of the project, within a week, the ripple effect led to intense competition from other contenders, culminating in a bloodless but fierce battle at an Asian region bidding expo in downtown Starhaven.
Competitors vied to exploit any loopholes in the remaining proposals to maximize profits, but ultimately, they were outmaneuvered by Gabriel, retreating in defeat.
Exiting the secluded VIP lounge, Gabriel finally turned on his phone. As he started to head towards the parking lot, his phone vibrated, prompting him to glance down.
Unexpectedly, Gabrielhalted in his tracks, causing those behind him to stop as well. They were only a short distance from the parking lot. What news had prompted Mr. Harriman to pause and check his phone at this moment?
On Gabriel's phone screen was a WhatsApp message from Jessica sent a minute ago.
Jessica: [Mackenzie, help me find a house with good security facilities at a reasonable price, preferably with a nearby kindergarten or a school bus passing by.]
Jessica was surprised to find out that the playwright of 'Charles II' actually liked her a lot. He mentioned that he had watched some of her previous scenes and felt that Katrina's character had more depth under her portrayal. As a result, he added a bit of a subplot to make the character more well-rounded.
The additions were subtle, but the plot twists were cleverly designed. Jessica held the newly received script close, studying the new lines added with great focus. She was so engrossed in it that it wasn't until Mackenzie called that she finally put the script down.
Mackenzie just asked Jessica what time she had gone to the police station in the afternoon, showing some concern. After confirming that Jessica was fine regarding the police station matter, he hung up.
However, it seemed that he didn't bring up the issue of Jessica looking for a house during the call.
Jessica opened WhatsApp and glanced at her chat history with Mackenzie, only to find that their conversation thread was not at the top.
Jessica hesitated as she scrolled through her messages, her eyes gradually widening in surprise.
Staring at Gabriel's WhatsApp chat, she saw the message she had originally intended to send to Mackenzie had somehow ended up being sent to him instead!
How did she send it to Gabriel?
It had been almost ten days since he had last visited her home for a bowl of pasta, and there had been no contact since then.
Danielle had asked her several times when Uncle Spencer would visit again, but she had no answers.
In these past few days, Gabriel seemed to have vanished from her life, and she had begun to believe that their connection had ended that day.
Gabriel—a name that carried an intimidating presence.
With his status and position, if he chose not to appear, if he chose to stay out of their lives, she would never be able to find or meet him, for he was not someone you could meet just by saying you wanted to.
Jessica's WhatsApp chat history was limited, mainly with Mackenzie and Zoey. Even though she hadn't exchanged WhatsApp messages with Gabriel for quite some time, the chat log hadn't scrolled down much. It was a surprise to find that her message had been sent to him, and now, it was too late to retract it.
She couldn't even recall the message now.
Gabriel hadn't replied for over an hour, probably realizing the mistake from Mackenzie's name in the message and choosing to ignore her.
