Chapter 223 Indeed, She Got Out of Mr. Harriman's Car
Chapter 223 Indeed, She Got Out of Mr. Harriman's Car
Jessica suddenly looked up, not yet glancing at the two young actresses at the next table who had just started their careers but dared to say anything. Instead, she met Mackenzie's gaze.
Mackenzie gave Jessica a meaningful look for a moment, then calmly served herself a bowl of soup. As she did so, she sighed and said, "Youth is wonderful. I need to take better care of myself, too."
Jessica remained silent.
Zoey, sitting next to her, seemed to have caught on to something. She didn't say anything, but her face turned a suspicious shade of red. She quickly grabbed a bowl and silently served herself some soup as well.
Jessica stayed silent again.
What were you two thinking?
The two actresses at the next table had already extended their conversation to Gabriel's stamina and endurance in sex as a domineering CEO.
Mackenzie and Zoey's gazes towards Jessica grew increasingly suggestive.
Jessica suddenly put down her utensils.
There was no way she could continue eating.
On the way back to her room, as Jessica entered the elevator, she glanced at the mirror on the elevator wall to make sure her collar was buttoned tightly. She raised her hand to her neck, worried that the hickey might be visible.
In the afternoon, while taking a shower in room 8806, she had checked again. Gabriel had shown no mercy; the hickey was not something that would fade in just a day or two.
Fortunately, itwas cold recently, so wearing high-necked clothes wouldn't arouse suspicion.
Mackenzie glanced suspiciously at Jessica, who had raised her hand to her neck after entering the elevator. "Did you hurt your neck? Is it uncomfortable?"
Jessica quickly lowered her hand. "No."
Back in her room, Jessica was studying the script for the next day when room service knocked to deliver some fruit.
Outside, two other room service staff were cleaning, and the door to room 8805 across the hall was open, but no one was inside.
Jessica glanced across the hall, remembering the discussion she overheard in the restaurant. Tomorrow, the leaders from Xyleria would be heading to the east of Sunshine Bay City and likely wouldn't continue staying at the Urban Oasis Hotel.
The next day, on set.
As the makeup artist applied Jessica's makeup, she carefully applied a waterproof, skin-colored bandage to Jessica's forehead, then applied a layer of foundation and styled her hair naturally to cover the injury. It was indeed unnoticeable.
Today's scenes required her to wear autumn and winter clothing, so the long sleeves would cover the injuries on her arms.
Jessica seemed completely unaffected by the previous day's events, handling herself with ease on set. The filming went smoothly.
Donna had been relatively quiete over the past few days, but she frequently cast strange glances in Jessica's direction. When Jessica looked back, Donna would act as if nothing had happened.
After Jessica finished filming a scene and returned to the car, a female actress standing next to Donna whispered, "I really didn't see it wrong. Yesterday afternoon, Jessica did get out of Mr. Harriman's car."
Donna said nothing, lost in thought.
Her assistant had seen it, too, but she hadn't believed it at first. She always thought Gabriel and Jessica's encounter at the resort was just a coincidence, and it was unlikely that any sparks could fly between them. Besides, wasn't Gabriel always cold towards women? That day, he had only taught her to play golf.
But how come, after Jessica's incident, it was Gabriel who brought her back?
She only found out last night that Gabriel was staying on the eighth floor of the Urban Oasis Hotel, right across from Jessica.
Now it was too late to know; today, they had already left the Urban Oasis Hotel and headed to the east of Sunshine Bay City.
Originally, Donna thought she had the strongest connections in this production, and no matter what, the staff would inevitably cater to her and pamper her.
But if Jessica managed to cozy up to someone as powerful as Gabriel, where would that leave Donna any room to be domineering in this crew? In the future, she might even have to be subservient to Jessica in the industry.
The previous incident didn't cause Jessica much trouble, but it did result in Donna losing a lot of fans. The fan club barely managed to save face and retain some supporters, but many of the most loyal fans were indeed lost, which was a significant blow for a young actress.
She hadn't even made Jessica pay for offending her, but now was Jessica poised to rise above her?
The latest project planning office in the eastern part of Sunshine Bay City was located on the tenth floor of the Tian Di Building.
The investment from Xyleria's construction bureau in this area was intercepted by the local planning office of Sunshine Bay City, which planned to invest heavily in development here. The second phase of the eastern project also intended to build an overpass to improve Sunshine Bay City's traffic environment. However, the budget for the overpass construction in the second phase was severely impacted by the internal financial situation of the planning office, creating a significant financial gap that couldn't be filled in time. It seemed that the Xyleria construction bureau, which had been stationed in Sunshine Bay City for the past few days, was about to seize the opportunity. They were trying to divert Xyleria's attention while also inviting the head of the Harriman Group to discuss the matter.
As a result, Percy from the Xyleria construction bureau seemed to be glued to Gabriel recently and couldn't be shaken off. Even though Gabriel had been invited to the east, Percy followed along, clearly afraid that the Harriman Group would easily decide to side with the Sunshine Bay City planning office.
Near the Tian Di Building, there was a newly completed five-star hotel that had been finished two months ago but had not yet officially opened to the public. The environment was clean and elegant.
Wayne followed Gabriel out of the elevator, talking as they walked, "The investment for the second phase in the eastern part of Sunshine Bay City was a project left by Simon. At that time, the project hadn't started yet. Now, they plan to use the contract to transfer eighty million dollars in funds to fill the gap. But compared to the construction bureau's plan of Xyleria , the second phase project here is not suitable for current development. Even if they manage to secure the investment with the contract, the project can't be executed smoothly. There are personnel issues at every level."
Before heading back to his room, Gabriel glanced at his watch and turned to Wayne, saying, "The construction bureau's plan isn't the best solution either, so it's not worth considering."
Wayne nodded in agreement.
Neither side had a worthwhile investment point. Gabriel had little interest from the start. Both sides had significant flaws, and none were worth considering.
But now, the Sunshine Bay City planning office and the Xyleria construction bureau were clearly trying to keep Gabriel. They are now trying to figure out a way behind the scenes. The Harriman Group's investment was like the most coveted prize in this silent battle. On the surface, they were all smiles and politeness, but behind the scenes, it was a bloodless battlefield.
The Harriman Group had a significant influence on the overall interests in this area. In their eyes, once the Harriman Group aligned itself with with one side, the other would undoubtedly lose the game.
However, they didn't understand what Gabriel truly wanted. They were using useless flattery and political tactics to curry favor without offering any real benefits. In Gabriel's eyes, this empty gesture couldn't even be called "cooperation.
