Chapter 205 A Man Out of Reach
Chapter 205 A Man Out of Reach
While speaking, Gabriel's gaze didn't linger on Donna for even a moment. His clear and cold tone sent shivers down one's spine.
Donna struggled to maintain her smile. Wayne, standing nearby, looked at her and suggested that she move away quickly and discreetly. She then forced a sweet smile and said, "Mr. Harriman, I'll come back to pour you some coffee when you're thirsty."
After saying that, she hurried to the other side to pour coffee for the other leaders, feeling a chill in her heart.
Gabriel's demeanor was always calm and composed, whether seen from afar or up close.
Yet, he exuded a sharpness like a drawn blade, making it impossible for anyone to approach within a few inches of him easily.
She couldn't help but wonder what kind of extraordinary beauty or unique qualities the woman Gabriel took away that day must have had to catch the eye of such an unattainable figure.
But perhaps the more aloof a man was, the more he lingered in a woman's thoughts. Donna kept glancing back in his direction, feeling a sense of unwillingness but still not daring to get any closer.
Perhaps Gabriel was destined to be admired by everyone yet remain out of reach.
Jessica, after pouring a few cups of coffee, noticed that Donna had quickly taken care of the entire first row. Not wanting to compete for such credit, she put the kettle back and didn't approach Donna.
However, as Jessica turned to leave, Donna suddenly said, "Aren't there still the second and third rows?"A
fter filling the cups of the leaders in the first row, Donna had no intention of moving to the back rows. She gestured with her eyes, indicating that Jessica should continue with the kettle to the back rows.
Although the people present were all prominent figures in Xyleria, only those in the first row were of absolute importance. The back rows were mostly filled with accompanying staff, assistants, secretaries, or minor officials from Sunshine Bay City and some capable members of the resort.
At this moment, a resort staff member came over with a fruit platter. Virgil quickly called Jessica over to take the platter and serve it to the leaders.
Most of the Xyleria leaders were already seated, many of them with large bellies, either talking to others while seated or lounging in the front row chairs. A few had gone to the front to play golf.
As Jessica placed the fruit platters down, she nodded and smiled at the leaders. When she passed by Gabriel, she didn't even nod. She just placed the platter down and moved on, keeping her eyes down.
Fortunately, there were too many people around at that moment, and Gabriel didn't make things difficult for her. He was chatting with an elderly gentleman beside him, and his gaze only lingered on her face for a moment before he looked away.
When Jessica returned to Virgil, he gestured with his eyes towards the group playing golf in the front. "Do you want to take a few swings?"
"You saw how I played earlier," Jessica bluntly refused.
"Give it a try. Look, Kathleen doesn't know how to play either, and Mr. Robinson is teaching her step by step. Who knows, when we get back to Xyleria, she might go from a supporting role to the lead."
Jessica glanced in that direction.
That wasn't teaching step by step; it was more like holding her waist in public.
"Donna went over too, and she's not that good either. But Mr. Brooks seems to be enjoying watching her," Virgil added.
Jessica took another look at Virgil. "Were you a brothel keeper in your past life?"
Virgil heard the sarcasm in her voice but didn't get angry. He just gave a bitter smile and lowered his voice, "Our show, besides the investment from the Nelson Group, has two other investors who are unhappy because Donna suddenly replaced the original lead actress, and now they're considering pulling out. The director and I are really out of options. The show has already started filming, and we can't just let it go. We're trying to win some favor, at least keep those leaders from Xyleria happy, so we can negotiate about the potential withdrawal of funds."
As he spoke, Virgil patted Jessica's shoulder reassuringly. "We're all here to work and make money; it's not easy for anyone. It's just a round of golf; you don't have to do anything else. Think of it as helping the whole crew get through a tough time. The sooner we wrap up filming, the sooner you can be free."
His words were sincere, without any deception.
Jessica had already heard about the other two investors planning to pull out, aside from the Nelson Group.
Initially, the dual female leads were supposed to be Helen and Jessica. Now, Donna had forced her way in through connections, and everyone in the crew had to flatter Donna on the surface, though they all knew she had caused a lot of trouble.
Investors didn't just consider popularity when funding a show; they wanted good actors to create a quality production and built a good reputation. With Donna's involvement, the reputation was likely to suffer, and naturally, the investors didn't want to be associated with a show that relied solely on popularity.
Jessica pondered for about ten seconds, then, without saying more, walked to the front, asked the staff for a club, and said she wanted to practice on a separate course, at least to show she was participating.
The staff arranged for her to use the leftmost empty course and demonstrated the standard swing.
Jessica took the club, looking at the distant hole.
Although the weather was nice today, the wind was strong.
"You really don't know how to play at all, do you?" Donna was nearby, about 10 feet away from Jessica, taking the opportunity to mock Jessica while swinging her club.
Jessica ignored her and tried a couple of swings. Although the ball didn't veer off as badly as it did initially, she still hadn't made a hole.
Donna didn't hide her laughter.
In the resting area on the side of the course, Percy Brooks walked back and said, "Mr. Harriman, aren't you going to take a few swings?"
A colleague sitting next to Gabriel laughed. "Mr. Harriman never participates in these things. He's rarely seen, let alone playing golf. I've never seen Mr. Harriman take a swing.
"Percy nodded with a smile. "Mr. Harriman doesn't easily make a move, but I've heard that he once caused a sensation abroad at a financial charity event. His precision in darts and golf skills were astonishing. The course is nice today; want to give it a try?"
Back when Gabriel was still abroad and hadn't returned to take over the Harriman Group, he was already well-known in the business community. Gabriel was exceptionally young at the time but also incredibly unstoppable, drawing a lot of attention. These stories about Gabriel's younger days had been passed around, and no one had seen them firsthand, but everyone was very curious about him.
