Chapter 420 From Now On, All CEO Novel Male Leads Have a Face
The sudden news of Mr. Harriman's marriage was already hard to accept and adjust to. But now, seeing Gabriel and Jessica grabbing a bite here, the company bigwigs were all like, "Nope, not getting involved," and kept their distance.
Gabriel, usually as frosty as a winter morning and a total shark in the business world, was actually chill today. Dude was practically glowing, clearly in a good mood.
Running into Mr. Harriman here was like spotting a unicorn, and the usual tense vibe was nowhere to be found.
Even though they had the chance to swing by and say, "Hey, Mr. Harriman, we're done eating, heading back to the grind. Enjoy your meal," nobody had the guts. They all just slipped away quietly.
Jessica dashed back to the set around three in the afternoon, and as expected, she was the main attraction.
She hopped out of the car, yanked her hat down, and beelined for her trailer. The crew, makeup artists, and everyone else were all staring. A few brave souls tried to say hi, but Jessica, hat pulled low, made a quick escape into her trailer, dodging any sneaky paparazzi.
After all, the hashtag #Gabriel And Jessica# was blowing up on Instagram, labeled "explosive" for most of the day.
The second and third trending topics? #Gabriel Only Has One Photo# and #Secret Marriage Of The Billionaire#.
Other top trends were also all about Jessica and Gabriel. Jessica hadn't checked them out but heard from Zoey on the way to the set that their fan count was skyrocketing. Big-name actors couldn't pull in fans this fast with their scripted love stories, but Mr. Harriman, who wasn't even in the biz, was killing it.
Gabriel was always under the radar and didn't even have an Instagram account. If he did, it would probably be swamped with fans and curious onlookers.
Jessica plopped down in front of the makeup mirror in her trailer. She had just a few lines today, mostly emotional and eye-acting stuff. She'd nailed her lines and, after a quick review, grabbed her phone to check Instagram.
She clicked on the trending topic #Gabriel Only Has One Photo# and saw that Gabriel's only public pic, a side profile snapped in a conference room, had been turned into a million different versions by fans. The same pic had been given all sorts of romantic and artsy edits, and some even photoshopped her pic with his, making it look like a legit couple's photo.
Gabriel was so low-key and, as the head honcho of Harriman Group, kept his personal info on lockdown. This photo had been around for years, and even then, Jessica thought that just this blurry side profile screamed Gabriel's elite vibe, with a noble and distant aura practically oozing out of the screen.
[Just a side profile and he's already that hot? Imagine his full face! They’re totally a power couple!]
[From now on, he's the face of every male lead in my novels!]
Instagram was blowing up with fangirl screams, and major forums were flooded with CEO romance stories, with everyone begging for more deets and hoping to see the couple together.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the trailer door. Zoey went to open it.
A scream followed, making everyone inside jump.
Jessica turned to see Amy, still in costume, rushing in, screaming and staring at Jessica before blurting out, "What's the deal with you two? Did you know each other before? Are you really married? Why didn't you tell me yesterday?!"
Amy looked bewildered at the makeup artist and Zoey behind Jessica, "Did you guys know? Did anyone know before?!"
Zoey replied, "Chill out."
"How can I chill? I was talking about cheating with Jessica in the car yesterday, and now I feel like I'm dying, okay?" Amy shouted, totally freaking out.
Jessica calmly said, "I thought you'd feel more at ease going after Kevin now."
Amy, looking distressed, said, "Kevin's in a bad mood today; he didn't even drink the lemon tea I brought him."
Jessica asked, "Didn't he not drink it before?"
Amy, pacing anxiously, said, "That's different! Today he's even more unapproachable. I came to the set to pursue him, but now Kevin's ignoring me, Gabriel might kill me, and even Nicholas is avoiding me and not answering my calls. The world is ending!!!"
Jessica was surprised, "Didn't you say you had a good relationship with the Harriman family?"
"I was just bragging! Yesterday was the first time I ever got to ride in Gabriel's car. I thought it was a miracle, but it turned out to be because of you." Amy, looking both clueless and righteous, sat down in front of Jessica and said, "What do I do now? How do I face you in the future, dear Cousin-in-law?"
Jessica inquired, "Can you use a different term?"
She wasn't used to being called Mrs. Harriman, and that title made her uncomfortable. She wished she could kick Amy out of the trailer.
Amy said, "No, you have to protect me from now on!"
Jessica said, "Huh?"
Was she nuts?
"Anyway, you have to admit that you married Mr. Gabriel. You're my sister-in-law now! Who else would protect me if not you? The entertainment industry is tough, and you're my only support!" Amy said, clinging to Jessica's arm.
Zoey, not wanting to watch any longer, turned to her own business to avoid getting involved.
At four o'clock sharp, at Xyleria Kindergarten.
It was pick-up time, and many parents had already arrived.
But today seemed different. Among the familiar faces of parents who regularly picked up their kids, there was a tall, upright figure, a man they had never seen before.
