Chapter 14 Who Are You, Really?
Mackenzie's tone grew more serious, "You should know what's most important right now. Female actors your age are all claiming to be single, but you went abroad, had a daughter, and came back. I've been covering for you, and that's saying something. If you let some pretty boy get close to you, it could jeopardize your career in show business. You know how quickly this industry can discard a female star."
Jessica didn't elaborate further. She just nodded: "Okay, I understand."
Mackenzie cast another glance towards the bed. The indentations suggested someone had napped there during the day, fueling her suspicion that some pretty boy had played Jessica for a fool.
With a resolute stride, she approached the bathroom but paused at the threshold. Her voice, firm and clear, carried into the small room. "Jessica begins filming next week. She's facing a grueling schedule, balancing a demanding job with caring for her daughter as a single mother. She’s not rich. So, have the decency to target someone else for your schemes."
Having delivered her admonition, Mackenzie turned a sharp gaze toward Jessica, who seemed poised to defend herself, and delivered a final directive. "Sever ties with him before production starts."
Jessica hesitated: "Mackenzie, you've really got the wrong idea."
Not wanting to hear more, Mackenzie turned and left.
Jessica hurried to see her out, closing the door behind her before returning to the main bedroom. She saw him coming out of the bathroom. Due to his injuries, his steps were slow, and he barely made it past the doorway.
Their eyes met abruptly, and Jessica felt a rush of awkwardness. "Mackenzie is just blunt, and you heard her. She's mistaken. She wasn't yelling at you, so don't take it to heart."
Indeed, it was a misunderstanding. Gabriel felt indifferent, but after a brief pause, he spoke in a cool tone: "An actress? A star?"
Caught off guard by his query, Jessica looked at him, puzzled: "What about it?"
Gabriel didn't reply, turning back toward the bed. He left her with his retreating figure and a detached comment: "Doesn't seem like it."
"I'll rent a fancy apartment downtown, dress in the latest designer clothes, carry a Birkin, ride around in luxury cars, and become a constant fixture in the trending searches. Would that fit the bill?" Jessica's frustration, stirred up by Mackenzie's earlier interference, flared up.
Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed, unfazed, and picked up the razor. He nonchalantly flipped it open, as if he were trying to understand how it functioned or maybe resolving her previous confusion about its operation.Without really looking at her, he offered, "The soup you made was delicious. Usually, women in that circle can't cook that well."
Jessica's mood lifted slightly at the compliment: "At least you say some nice things." Then, suspiciously: "But you don't sound like someone with amnesia. Who exactly are you?"
Gabriel put down the razor and looked up to meet her gaze with his deep, steady eyes. "I don't remember, but I still have basic feelings and thoughts about many things."
In short, although he had amnesia, his intelligence wasn't the issue. His memory loss and forgetting who he was didn't conflict with his perception and judgment.
Jessica examined him for a long time. Deciding not to press the matter further, she turned and walked out, firmly shutting the door behind her.
Without him speaking up, she knew there would be no answers.
She had always been skeptical of this dramatic episode of memory loss due to a fall from a cliff, and now she was even more disbelieving!
That man was too intelligent! Believing him would be foolish!
