Chapter 22 The Black Rolls-Royce in Front of Them
Danielle immediately burst with joy as if she had indulged in a cluster of lollipops hopping around happily. She wanted to offer more, but Jessica had already cautioned her; thus, she quickly hurried away, grabbed a cute little stool, and sat down obediently to enjoy her sweet treats.
Jessica glanced at Gabriel, whose expression remained unfazed, and quietly asked, "Too sour, right? I wouldn't say I like that kind of taste, either. Only she likes it."
Gabriel did not say whether it was or wasn't, simply responding, "It's alright."
Jessica let out a soft chuckle and then, her gaze suddenly catching sight of the remote control beside them, inquired, "Were you just watching TV?"
"Yeah, just flipping through channels," Gabriel said without elaboration. Standing up, he made space for the mother and daughter duo in the living room, "I'm going to rest in my room."
Jessica had scheduled a morning meeting with the production team at nine o'clock to test the harness, adjust its height, and discuss the design of its comfort. However, the past couple of days brought hurricane weather, with strong winds and rain, making it hard to hail a cab.
Her car had been in the shop for maintenance for over two weeks and had yet to be returned.
She had been trying to flag down a taxi since 7:30 AM and had simultaneously used a rideshare app on her cellphone but to no avail.
It was 8:30 AM now, and the drive to the set took more than half an hour. Still recovering from a cold and chilled to the bone from the bad weather, Jessica hurried back home to dry the rain off her legs and used a blow-dryer for a bit while constantly checking for a ride on her cellphone. The app was still indicating a wait, with no cars accepting the job.
Gabriel, exiting his bedroom with a glass of water in hand, saw Jessica with a furrowed brow, holding the hairdryer, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I can't get a ride," she muttered, eyes still fixed on the rideshare app on her phone.
"What happens if you're late?" he probed.
"It's over, basically," replied Jessica in a joking tone, though her face hardly showed any amusement.
Her anxiety was real, but there was no help in blaming the weather or lamenting the unpredictable circumstances.
At that moment, Jessica did not want to talk more about it. She turned and walked toward Danielle's room, standing at the door, her head leaning against the doorframe, staring at the little cot.
"Sorry, Danielle," she thought to herself, "it seems I might not earn enough for your chocolates and candies for a while. I will have to think of something else."
Without noticing, Gabriel had returned to his room, but within two minutes, his voice echoed from the bedroom area, "Try again."
Jessica looked back, puzzled, "Try what?"
"Getting a ride."
She looked bemused, her eyes lowered to her now dark cellphone screen, with a touch of hesitation in her movement.
Suddenly, the light at her side dimmed as the tall figure of a man approached her. Without waiting for her to look up, he snatched her cell phone, powered it on, glanced at it, and demanded, "Password."
Jessica looked at him and immediately realized what he wanted. She raised her hand and entered the unlock code—Danielle's birthday.
Gabriel swiftly opened the ride-hailing app, pressed something, and the cellphone chimed to signal a successful ride booking.
Jessica was dumbfounded, not understanding how a car could have been summoned so quickly. Gabriel handed her the cell phone back. "Aren't you in a hurry? Why the daydreaming?"
"Ah? Oh." Jessica took the cellphone back, checked the time again, and dashed out without a second thought after briefly confirming the car's license plate number displayed on the screen.
When she reached the entrance of the residential compound, she paused at the sight of the black Rolls-Royce parked in front. The driver honked, signaling her to get in. She matched the license plate number again and climbed into the car in a daze.
