Chapter 298 Mrs. Harriman's Freedom is Priceless
Jessica dialed Gabriel's private number, unsure if he kept this phone close while at the office.
After a few rings, he picked up. "Jessica?"
Gabriel's deep voice instantly dispelled Jessica's irritation caused by Cherry.
Just hearing him made her feel shy, like a little girl. She bit her lip and said softly, "Don't spoil Danielle too much. If she gets too unruly, no one will be able to handle her."
There was a brief silence, followed by the faint sound of a data page closing. Gabriel then said, "When you were unruly, didn't I manage to handle you just fine?"
Jessica was shocked. "When was I ever unruly? At most, I blocked you on WhatsApp and phone!"
"Didn't you add an extra lock to the door on the thirty-first floor?"
"You live in my place, but you act like I'm a thief."
Jessica turned her head to the winter sunshine outside the car window, her face heating up, unable to speak.
Recently, the filming schedule for this show had become quite tight because the entire crew wanted to finish as quickly as possible, ideally before the holidays.
She yearned for a restful night's sleep, free from the discomfort of a sore throat and aching body. Yet, a nagging thought lingered: what if Gabriel arrived in the dead of night and whisked her away?
"You wouldn't really come in the middle of the night, would you?"
"No, Danielle told me."
"That little brat! She sold me out again!"
However, Gabriel was also quite busy with the company at the end of the year, with various year-end business meetings and social engagements. If he really came back to Blue Bay Apartments late at night and went to the thirty-first floor to try to open the door, it wouldn't fit his image at all.
But who could guarantee he wouldn't come one day, two days, or suddenly one day out of the blue?
After all, living so close, it was just too convenient.
Every night when she went to sleep, she had to worry about being dragged into the wolf's den.
Jessica composed herself. "By the way, I have something to discuss with you. I signed a five-year contract with Star Entertainment, and there's about two years left. Some unequal contractual issues occurred between me and the company recently. I won’t go into the details, but I want to terminate the contract."
"Sure, the lawyers in Harriman Group's legal department are quite experienced. Pick one you like to help you with the contract issues," Gabriel said calmly, "Knowing to ask me for help first is a big improvement."
Jessica was silent for a while before saying, "I reviewed the contract I signed. Since it was only five years, I didn't pay much attention to the breach clauses. Star Entertainment has always been harsh on newcomers without backgrounds, and the breach clauses are quite severe. If I want to terminate the contract, the penalty is a large sum."
Gabriel chuckled lightly. "Let's not talk about the priceless freedom of my future Mrs. Harriman. Any amount is insignificant in comparison. With your abilities, even if I don't help you with the penalty, you could earn it back in no time. If you weren't confident in your future, you wouldn't have called me first."
He spoke nonchalantly.
Jessica, however, was deeply moved.
How could Gabriel be so perceptive?
She had just called him for help, and he saw right through her.
As long as she could get rid of Star Entertainment, she believed she could earn back the two million dollars in liquidated damages.
If she didn't terminate the contract, given her current popularity and earning potential, the losses would be far more than two million dollars.
An artist's peak period didn't last long, and if her best two years were wasted at Star Entertainment, it would be a real loss.
Gabriel truly understood her. He didn't emphasize how easy two million dollars penalty was, nor did he take over everything to solve it himself.
He understood her ambition and her abilities. He respected her, even though she often jokingly called him her sugar daddy, he never treated her as such.
She was Jessica, not a cheap, weak starlet who needed to rely on him.
If she had to rely on him, she would run away.
She had her own way of handling things, and he gave her the respect and leeway she deserved.
Jessica smiled and said, "Sugar daddy, I need two million dollars. I'll pay you back in a year, but for Danielle's sake, waive the interest. The interest on twenty million is quite high."
Gabriel seemed to ponder seriously for a moment before saying, "For Danielle's sake?"
"What else? What kind of advantage would you accept?"
"It's up to you."
Jessica pretended not to understand and glanced out the car window. "The director is calling me. I have to go shoot. Anyway, I'll leave Danielle with you for now. As for the rest, we'll talk when I get back to Xyleria!"
Without waiting for Gabriel's response, she quickly hung up.
In the evening, Landon went to the kindergarten to pick up Danielle and encountered a big problem.
Seeing Danielle standing nearby with red eyes, not speaking or crying, and listening to the teacher recount the day's events, Landon frowned and quickly called Gabriel, while pulling Danielle close to him, not letting the teacher hold her anymore.
When Gabriel arrived at the kindergarten, Danielle obediently stood by Landon, her eyes still red but without tears. When she saw Gabriel, she just looked at him with red eyes, not speaking.
"What happened?" Gabriel asked, looking at Danielle and seeing her aggrieved and angry expression. He also noticed a faint red mark on her cheek and immediately turned a cold gaze to the kindergarten teacher.
The teacher, who already found Landon aloof and intimidating, was taken aback by the arrival of his superior. This man possessed an even more commanding presence and striking demeanor.But now was not the time for girlish fantasies. The teacher nervously said, "Danielle is usually very well-behaved, but today she suddenly got into a fight with a classmate."
