Chapter 496 I Love You
These past few days, Donald had miraculously improved. Although he still couldn't say much, at least when he was pushed out in his wheelchair to bask in the sun, he can open his eyes and show clear emotions on his face when he looks at everyone.
Since Aaron was going to return to Washington today, he inevitably had to go back to the Jenner family.
Jessica took the water from Marshall's hand. "Thanks."
She went directly next door to continue practicing. Although it was her first time participating in such a show, it was her once-beloved dance. Even if it was only for a few hours and she was almost out of energy, she wanted to do her best.
After the last rehearsal, Jessica took a shower, changed into her formal stage makeup, and sat in the dressing room. Her hands and feet trembled from exhaustion.
Only Mackenzie and Lynn accompanied her all the time. Mackenzie poured her some water and kept caring about her condition.
After her makeup and hair were done, the makeup artist left. Jessica said she wanted to rest alone for a while since there was only half an hour left before the official recording.
Mackenzie and Lynn stayed with her for a while longer. Realizing that she really wanted to be alone, they didn't ask her any more questions and went outside to go over the script with the production team.
Jessica sat on the sofa, closed her eyes, and rested for a few minutes. Her mind was filled with the hours of practice today and the accounts she had reviewed that morning.
After resting for about ten minutes, she suddenly opened her eyes, got up, and took out the accounts from her bag. This time, instead of looking at them year by year, she precisely found the page she wanted based on her rough memory from the morning.
In March 1999, Aaron signed a clothing and textile project cooperation agreement with Xyleria Rubin Corporation, promising $80 million in funding.
In July 2001, Aaron, acting as the chairman of the Jenner Group, went to Xyleria to cut the ribbon for Xyleria Sunroy Group. In August, Xyleria Rubin Corporation declared bankruptcy and was acquired by Aaron.
Jessica stared at those lines, and suddenly realized some terrifying things.
At that time, the company her mother worked for had deep cooperation with Xyleria Sunroy Group. But she was too young then, only knowing that her mother had an affair with Eugene, which led to her birth.
Aaron had already become the acting chairman back then, representing Donald in project negotiations. So why did Eugene redevelop in Xyleria?
How could Aaron have such deep cooperation with the company her mother worked for? Just days before Rubin Corporation declared bankruptcy in August 2001 was when her mother died.
At that time, Eugene suddenly abandoned her mother and married Trinity's mother, Linda.
The year her mother died, Jessica was just a few years old—still very naive but with clear childhood memories. When she was sent to the Jenner family, she clearly remembered Eugene's expression of wanting to get rid of her but being unable to.
She always thought that her unacknowledged existence affected Eugene's standing in Donald's eyes. Because of his chaotic family relationship and mishandling, Donald denied Eugene everything. She firmly believed that Eugene's dislike for her was solely because of this.
But in those years after her birth, the business circle in Xyleria was tumultuous. She was too young to know anything. She didn't know that Aaron already held the acting chairman's power and was repeatedly approaching Xyleria.
In other words, Aaron likely knew about her mother's existence and hers early on.
Donald was a stubborn man. He demanded his sons for the perfection in ability, character, and handling family relationships. Yet, even in his dying days, none of his children truly satisfied him. Each had chaotic family and life choices. The daughter married a good-for-nothing man against the family's wishes, a son had a disharmonious family and raised a troublemaking rich kid, and another son caused a scandal with a fake daughter in Xyleria.
When Eugene desperately wanted Jessica to disappear, who was it that ordered someone in a fireproof suit to rescue her from the burning motel?
And who now wanted to throw her back into that fire, hating her as a once-useful weapon against Eugene?
Although everything was just speculation, Jessica now recalled Donald's words when he first met her. He did nothing about her mother's death.
It meant that the Jenner family, Aaron and Donald all knew her mother died unjustly back then!
But what was the injustice? What else didn't she know? Why did Donald warn her to be careful of Aaron on his deathbed?
Jessica repeatedly looked at those words from twenty years ago, then suddenly put them down, looked up at the dressing room ceiling. After a long time, she picked up her phone, opened Facebook, and went to Gabriel's page. She looked at his profile picture, his name, and the last message he sent her before the fire at Golden Fortune Restaurant.
Why were they suddenly chatting on Facebook when they were both in Washington?
Because before meeting Eugene at Golden Fortune Restaurant, Lynn called her downstairs to review the script for the evening's recording. Eugene called her to confirm the meeting time, and she put down her phone and sent a Facebook message to Gabriel from the hotel lobby.
Jessica: [Even now, I don't really want to see him. It's like I don't want to touch those past memories. The closer I get to the Jenner family, the more I feel like a turtle retreating into its shell, hesitant and resistant to everything.]
Gabriel replied: [I love you, giving you the courage to do anything.]
Jessica gently stroked Gabriel's name and the last message he sent her.
Since waking up in the hospital, she hadn't asked if Gabriel's phone was still there.
She knew his phone might still be off, possibly in a cabinet in the hospital room, or it might have been destroyed in the fire from the high fall.
But she stubbornly looked at Gabriel's name, and sent him a Facebook message: [Danielle's dad, when will you wake up? I'm very scared, and I miss you a lot.]
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