Chapter 422 Daddy Gabriel
Jessica had a night shoot and was still filming during dinner time, probably wrapping up around nine.
Around six in the evening, Jessica had just finished a scene and was about to get into her trailer when she noticed a bunch of crew members and staff walking out with big grins. Those coming back were holding two fancy meal boxes each, and the air was filled with a mouth-watering aroma.
"Is someone treating the crew today?" Jessica asked a crew member, curious.
The crew member saw Jessica and immediately beamed, "It's you, Jessica! I never thought I'd get to eat this famous takeout in my life! Working overtime in our crew is such a blessing! Thank you, Jessica! You're so generous!"
Jessica was puzzled.
Sure, the main actors in the crew often treated everyone, but it was usually coffee, milk tea, or pizza. When had anyone ever treated such an expensive meal?
If it were coffee, Jessica could reasonably guess it might have been ordered by Lynn or Zoey.
But this takeout?
Their studio didn't seem to have the means to treat the entire crew so lavishly.
She stopped a few more crew members to ask, and they all gave the same answer, expressing their gratitude and even offering blessings for her marriage and family life, praising her beauty and kindness.
Back in the trailer, she saw Zoey had also brought back a few meal boxes, even the driver had one. All covered!
Jessica had a hunch and sent a WhatsApp message to Wayne, only to learn that Gabriel had treated the entire crew to signature dishes from a famous hotel in Xyleria in her name. The hotel had specially packed the meals in the best boxes and delivered them to the crew.
This hotel in Xyleria was renowned and usually only served high-profile guests. Even wealthy individuals might not have the privilege to dine there. A simple vegetarian dish could cost hundreds of dollars.
Glancing at the dishes in Zoey's open meal box, all of which were signature dishes, Jessica could estimate the exorbitant price without calculating.
The key point was that there were over two hundred people in the crew, and everyone had a share.
Was it to share the joy of their marriage with all her colleagues who she worked with every day?
Jessica silently took out her phone and sent Gabriel an emoji on WhatsApp.
She didn't expect a reply, but just as she put her phone down, it suddenly chimed. Gabriel had sent a voice message.
Hesitantly, she glanced at Zoey, who was engrossed in her meal, and quietly played the voice message.
Danielle's voice suddenly came through, "Mommy! The emoji you sent is so cute!"
She was surprised to see it was indeed Gabriel's WhatsApp.
Then she remembered Caroline had called earlier, saying Danielle had been picked up by Gabriel.
Was Danielle playing with Gabriel's phone?
Jessica sent a voice message back, "Danielle, don't play with adults' phones. What if you accidentally delete some important work files?"
Danielle replied quickly, "Daddy Gabriel said it's okay. I'm just watching cartoons. I won't mess around, don't worry, Mommy."
Jessica felt something was off, but couldn't pinpoint what it was.
As she was about to review the script for the next scene, she suddenly paused.
Daddy Gabriel?
Two hours later, the night shoot was over and it was nearly nine.
Everyone had a good dinner and was motivated, finishing earlier than expected. The crew was busy packing up the props. Jessica was supposed to go back to the trailer to remove her makeup, but the makeup artist was busy in the makeup room, and there weren't enough makeup removers in the trailer, so she decided to go to the makeup room herself.
As she walked in, Jessica saw three actresses sitting near the door, wiping off their makeup and gossiping about today's big news on Instagram. They didn't expect Jessica to pop in, so they were pretty loose with their chatter.
"Do you think Jessica trapped Mr. Harriman into marriage by having a kid? Why else would this news drop out of nowhere today? They never went public before. Maybe Mr. Harriman had to marry her because of the kid, but in reality, they barely interact, just a marriage on paper. We've never seen them together."
"Could be. In a family like the Harrimans, marriage isn't exactly a free-for-all. Jessica must've pulled some strings to get in. Look at how she handled Trinity back then, planning every move. She's not someone to mess with. She keeps a low profile now, but that just shows she's cautious and guarded. I bet she really did marry because of the kid."
"I remember Jessica has some ties with the Jenner family, but her secrets are all out today. She seems to come from the Washington Jenner family, so she's from a wealthy family, not without connections."
"The Jenner family never acknowledged her, right? Did they ever make it public? She's probably just a bastard, nothing to do with the Harriman family."
"Someone with such means and caution, we should steer clear of her in the crew. Otherwise, we might end up envying and hating her."
Jessica's hand paused on the makeup room door, then she walked in.
Seeing Jessica, the three actresses near the door instantly froze, quickly grabbing makeup removers to wipe their eyes and mouths, pretending nothing had happened.
Jessica smiled at the others in the makeup room, seeing they were all busy, then walked up to the three, "Can I borrow some makeup removers?"
The three, with stiff faces, handed Jessica a whole pack of makeup removers.
Jessica took it and looked at them, "Thanks."
Then, without changing her expression, she said, "What were you talking about? I think I heard something about means and else?"
One of them, wiping her makeup vigorously, mumbled, "We're all women, just chatting privately, no malice intended. Don't mind it, Jessica."
"Really?" Jessica picked up a few makeup removers, smiling faintly, "It sounds like with some means, anything is easy. You three are quite pretty and have so many strategies. Why haven't you tried it yourselves?"
Jessica had been known for her cautious and friendly demeanor in the industry for the past two years, rarely speaking online or having conflicts in real life. The sudden awkward atmosphere made the three's faces change instantly, stammering and avoiding her gaze.
Jessica's smile faded and she looked at them expressionlessly, "Indeed, being narrow-minded like this doesn't earn respect."
The makeup room wasn't just occupied by the three actresses, but it fell silent.
Jessica wiped her face, then looked at the makeup remover in her hand and sighed, "We're all in the same crew, but the quality of makeup removers varies so much. Are these usually thrown to extras?"
After saying that, she glanced at the pile of makeup removers in front of them, as if realizing what she had said, then smiled, "It's not my original intent to mock you for being extras and using the makeup room, just a casual comment, no malice."
Throwing back a "no malice" like a copy, Jessica gracefully turned and left, not looking at their faces again.
The makeup artist, who had been busy inside, quickly packed up, took Jessica's special makeup removers and makeup remover, and followed Jessica out without looking back.
