Chapter 168 Something's Off
Wasn't he able to sustain work for such a long duration just now?
Jessica forcibly pulled out a big smile and said, "So, Mr. Harriman, what do you need? Hot water? Hot soup? Or do you want some pain relief medication? But Dr. Ward specifically instructed you not to take medication to avoid further stomach irritation and discomfort."
Gabriel closed his eyes and said indifferently, "You can wait outside for now. I'll rest for a while. I'll call you if I need anything."
Jessica was speechless.
She tried to smile and said, "Alright."
With a smile on her face, she exited the main bedroom, but as she closed the door, her rebellious emotions were exposed, and the door shut heavily.
With a stern face, Jessica walked towards the kitchen, tempted to squeeze ten tubes of mustard into the stomach-nourishing soup that had already been simmered in the pot.
Fighting the urge to procrastinate, she finally grabbed the script she needed to review for her upcoming production and settled on the sofa for a focused reading session.
Outside the window, the cool autumn breeze blew by, the warm air from the air conditioner whirred, and sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft light over the spacious and clean living room and carpet.
Caroline dropped by for a visit, lacking Cynthia's sharp observational skills. After all, the main bedroom door was closed, and Gabriel's clothes had already been put away by Jessica. Caroline only brought some ingredients to prepare dinner for Jessica and Danielle in the evening.
Jessica took the items from Caroline and instructed her to pick up Danielle in the evening, telling her she didn't need to stay busy with anything else today. Caroline nodded and left.
The room fell silent again, with only the occasional sound of Jessica flipping through the script pages.
At the end of the month, she was joining a modern urban drama production. The filming wouldn't be too long, ending in less than three months.
The script was adapted from a popular work in recent years that combined business warfare, suspense, love, and workplace disputes. The writing style of the scriptwriter and the original author was stable, with many excellent plot points and dialogues. Jessica and Mackenzie had directly chosen this project, putting aside other scripts they had recently received.
Since wrapping up the previous production, which hadn't been long ago, Jessica's sleep schedule hadn't fully returned to a healthy routine.
She couldn't sleep at night but felt drowsy during the day.
Her phone received several WhatsApp messages, and Jessica glanced at the screen occasionally while reading the script.
Mackenzie messaged her about the upcoming beauty expo organized by Tilans in Xyleria next week, where many industry insiders and celebrities would attend. As the spokesperson for the Big H District, Jessica had to participate in style. Mackenzie asked if she had any preferences for the outfit, intending to help her choose. They planned to set aside time in the next few days to select two dresses.
Zoey also messaged her, saying she had coordinated with the staff for the upcoming project next month.
This new production would provide Jessica with an RV where Jessica e could finally rest lying down.
A particularly gossip-prone staff member from the previous production suddenly messaged Jessica on WhatsApp, claiming to have heard news about the upcoming wedding date of Keegan Trinity. The staff member asked if she had any insider information.
Jessica replied to Mackenzie and Zoey, but she only glanced at the message from the staff member and didn't respond, choosing to block them directly.
However, she had never attended such a grand banquet before and wasn't mentally prepared for it.
When she saw the images of the dresses Mackenzie sent her, she was momentarily overwhelmed, repeatedly responding with comments like "Not so flashy," "Not too revealing," "This is too girly, I'm not an eighteen-year-old girl," "Am I attending an awards ceremony with all this glitter?"
Mackenzie got annoyed and said, "Something's off with you."
Jessica replied, "What's wrong?"
Jessica wasn't usually so indecisive. Clearly, she had something on her mind, and it wasn't about choosing a dress at the moment.
Finally, Mackenzie, frustrated, decided to let Jessica make her own choice. "You choose! Have it decided by the weekend!"
After that, Mackenzie ignored Jessica's pleading expressions and stopped responding.
Jessica fell silent.
She realized she should have been gentler with Mackenzie earlier and refrained from making so many complaints.
At eleven in the morning, Landon called to wake Gabriel up, but it was actually to get Gabriel's approval for a certain matter.
After the call, Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose calmly.
It was rare for him to sleep until this time on the thirty-second floor of Blue Bay Apartments. He usually stayed here because it was close to the company and convenient for rest.
Normally, he would just come back for the night and leave, never expecting to sleep until late morning on the thirty-first floor.
The faint fragrance of the stomach-nourishing soup lingered in the air, its simple and unpretentious taste oddly comforting.
Awake now, Gabriel got up from the bed.
Although it was cool in late autumn, the sunlight poured into the room without restraint through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Jessica hadn't slept much the previous night. She had casually browsed some designer dress images online and read a script before falling asleep on the sofa wrapped in a blanket.
As the sunlight fell on her, she remained unresponsive, quietly curled up on the sofa, her long eyelashes casting shadows on her face.
When Jessica was lying properly in bed, she wasn't very well-behaved, but now, curled up on the sofa, she was unusually still.
Gabriel simply lifted her from the sofa. Although his movements were gentle and his strength steady, Jessica wasn't that heavy to lift.
As she suddenly woke up, she instinctively held onto his neck, fearing she might fall.
By the time she realized what she was doing, Gabriel had already carried her back to the bedroom and placed her on the still-warm bed.
Jessica didn't lie down but sat up abruptly, running her fingers through her slightly messy hair as if nothing had happened. She said, "Is your stomach still hurting? There's stomach-nourishing soup simmered all morning in the pot. Have some. Oh, let me check your temperature again to see if you have a fever. This is what Dr. Ward instructed before leaving."
She quickly got out of bed, found the thermometer, and brought it over to Gabriel, placing it on his forehead and checking the temperature.
Luckily, there was no fever.
Unexpectedly, Gabriel took the thermometer from his hand and placed it on her forehead.
Jessica raised her eyebrows in surprise, but before she could react, Gabriel had already checked her temperature, which was also normal. He commented lightly, "Something's off with you."
Jessica thought, ’Again? Something's off with you!’
