Chapter 361 To What Extent Did She Cry
The black Bentley stopped at the bottom of Star Tower. Jessica got out decisively without hesitation, nodded politely and gratefully to the two people inside through the car window, and expressed thanks twice. The Bentley's window remained firmly shut as it sped off, leaving her in its dust.
The Bentley's exhaust fumes, having engulfed her twice in one evening, left Jessica standing there, feeling a mix of frustration and indignity. She finally took a deep breath, gathered her spirits, and turned to enter Star Tower.
She had no masks left in her bag, so she needed to go to Mackenzie's office in the studio to get a mask and sunglasses before heading back to her place.
She was always very cautious when going home, afraid of being followed and having her current residence discovered. Otherwise, Danielle at home could easily be found by fans or paparazzi who invade celebrities' privacy, affecting their normal life.
The next morning, Jessica suddenly found a new friend added to her phone contacts. She opened it and saw it was Wayne, whom she had deleted before.
Given that he had helped her out last night and they had both ended up at the police station, she felt she owed him a favor and couldn't refuse his friend request.
As soon as she added him, Wayne sent a photo.
Then, he sent a message.
Wayne: [Is this what you dropped in Mr. Harriman's car last night?]
Jessica was surprised to see the pink doll pendant in the photo.
It was indeed a little trinket that Danielle liked to hang on her bag chain while playing. It was from some cartoon princess, but she couldn't remember which one.
She glanced at her bag and then replied to Wayne: [It's my daughter's.]
Wayne: [Lol, did you accidentally loosen the string while fighting last night? It fell in Mr. Harriman's car. I can bring it to you.]
Jessica: [No need to bother. Just throw it away. My daughter, Danielle, has lots of these things. She often hangs them on my bag, and they're not very sturdy. She's lost many of them herself. I'll get her a new set when I have time.]
Wayne: [I'll bring it to you. Where are you filming today? I'll drop by during my lunch break.]
Jessica: [It's not necessary, really.]
Wayne: [Alright then, I'll leave it with Mr. Harriman for now and bring it to you later when I have time.]
Jessica hesitated for a moment and then sent another message: [What do you mean by leaving it with Mr. Harriman?]
Wayne: [Because this little thing is now on Mr. Harriman's desk. We got back too late last night, and there was an early meeting today, so Mr. Harriman took me back to the office. I slept in the temporary overtime rest area at the company, and when I went to Mr. Harriman's office this morning, I saw it on his desk. Mr. Harriman found it in his car.]
She felt a bit dizzy.
She had thought Wayne had found it.
She really didn't drop it in his car on purpose, nor was she trying to use it as an excuse to have something happen.
Would it be better to ask Wayne to bring it back immediately or throw it away right now? Anything would be better than leaving it on Gabriel's desk.
Just as she was about to send another message to Wayne on WhatsApp, Wayne suddenly sent another message: [I'm going to have breakfast now, see you later.]
Her fingers paused on the screen, and she didn't say anything more.
Forget it, over-explaining would seem unnatural. Whatever, Gabriel would probably throw it away soon.
Before heading to the set in the morning, Jessica stopped by the studio and saw Mackenzie, who had had a beauty sleep, entering her office with a flawless makeup look. Mackenzie glanced at Jessica, who was sitting in her office drinking black coffee, and then quickly turned to leave as if nothing had happened.
"Why are you running? Selling me out so happily?" Jessica sat in Mackenzie's office chair, calmly drinking her coffee.
Mackenzie stopped at the door, looked at Jessica, and seeing that she didn't seem like she had been taken away by Gabriel last night. She re-entered the office and glanced at Jessica. "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"Got home so late, how could I sleep well?"
"If it was so late, how could a female star like you end up fighting with some punks on the street?" Mackenzie had been puzzled about this since last night.
Jessica placed the coffee cup on the table with a slight thud and gave her a dissatisfied look "A woman who wouldn't even help with bail has no right to be curious."
Mackenzie's mouth twitched. "I really went last night, but just as I arrived, I saw Mr. Harriman getting out of the car, so I..."
"I specifically waited for you before going to the set to seriously and formally tell you that you are not allowed to sell me out like this again. It doesn't matter if it's Gabriel or anyone else, no connections mean no connections." Jessica stood up. She and Mackenzie usually joked around, but it was rare for her to be this serious.
Mackenzie didn't say anything more, but it was clear she was helpless against Jessica's stubbornness.
When they were together, it was all sweet and dependent, but once they broke up, it was over. She didn't even want to maintain a slight connection with old acquaintances. Others, when encountering someone like Gabriel, would try to maintain some relationship even after breaking up, but Jessica wanted to cut all ties cleanly.
While her temperament might seem principled and decisive, it was also the kind that could easily lead to suffering.
"I'm heading to the set." Jessica finished her coffee and grabbed her bag before leaving.
As she brushed past Mackenzie, Mackenzie suddenly said, "Are you really not giving yourself any chance? Last time I went to pick up Danielle from kindergarten for you, I saw her holding a drawing.
"The kindergarten had asked the kids to draw a day with their parents, and Danielle drew a picture of you and him. But she didn't bring the drawing home and told me not to tell you because you would cry. Danielle is so young, yet she knows you would be sad.
"How much did you cry in the old house back then to scare Danielle so much that she never dared to mention Gabriel's name in front of you again, not even daring to bring home a drawing of her dad, only hiding it secretly by herself?"
Jessica heard this but walked past her as if she hadn't heard a thing, not even pausing for a moment.
Time flew by, and soon, it was autumn.
The cinema was about to enter its peak season, and the movie Jessica had previously filmed was about to be released.
"Shadow Kill" was still in a tense filming period, and she had rarely taken a few days off to start promoting the upcoming movie. She traveled to major cities across the country for promotions, interviews, and events, and even appeared on two major domestic variety shows.
Jessica rarely appeared on variety shows, and when she did, it was to cooperate with the promotion. She said what she needed to say and sat quietly during the games, not trying to steal the spotlight. The hosts kept cueing her, asking her various questions, which she skillfully and smilingly deflected.
Fans were initially excited that she finally appeared on a variety show, but they soon realized that Jessica really just wanted to focus on acting and didn't care about anything else.
