Chapter 57 Keeping the Promise with Gabriel
She couldn't hear a thing.
At first, she had only heard Gabriel comfort Danielle with a couple of sentences. After that, the conversation became whispers on the couch, with Danielle lowering her voice, and Jessica could no longer make out any of the words until finally, she heard Danielle's muffled giggles.
Uncertain of their exchange but noticing the young girl's sudden happiness, Jessica watched as Danielle returned to the children's room from the living room. Seeing Mommy, she just smiled, nimbly climbed into her little bed, tucked herself under the covers, and prepared to resume sleeping.
Jessica walked back to the bedside, a serious look on her face, and quietly asked, "What were you two chatting about?"
Danielle giggled mischievously, "It's a secret between me and Spencer. I can't tell you."
Jessica was feeling left out. She flopped down beside her little girl, cocking her head to look at her, "When did you two start having so many secrets? Since it's a new secret, it wouldn't be too much to ask for a little share, right? Come on, tell me?"
With a huff, Danielle turned her head away, "No, you was mean to me tonight! I want to sleep!"
"Danielle, you..."
Clearly determined to keep her promise to Gabriel not to tell Mommy but fearing she might spill the beans, Danielle swiftly pulled the blanket over her face, cutting off further communication with Jessica.
Jessica stood there, speechless.
Employees and actors in the makeup room that day were sharp as tacks. On the surface, they seemed to haven't noticed anything amiss, keeping to themselves, yet privately, rumors and gossip were flying.
The gossip about Jessica has gone from the CEO of Four Seas Entertainment falling in love with her at first sight to Jessica seducing Trinity's fiancé.
Even though everyone had seen that the two had not interacted that day, behind-the-scenes gossip had turned into, "I saw with my own eyes Jessica flirting with Trinity's fiancé. Those eyes of hers were so telling, the very image of a homewrecker. She even reached out for his tie; if that's not seduction, what is?"
As these stories spread, they took on a life of their own.
Everyone who looked at her seemed to add a layer to their gaze— some watched the drama unfold, others pitied, and most mockingly chided her shamelessness for crossing paths with the most sought-after belle, predicting her downfall in the industry before she had even made a name for herself.
Trinity had a cameo in this show and might show up on set any day, which would certainly make for quite the scene.
Conversely, Jessica, at the center of it all, seemed unfazed by the rumors and pushed on with the tight filming schedule, having no time to bother with the varied looks she was receiving.
Having just finished filming a scene set before Katrina's character turned bad, Jessica sat in the makeup room waiting for her costume change, scrolling through her cell phone. There, she saw her name again in some trending topics on Facebook, but given their low heat, they generated little interest.
Someone was clearly out to get her, using the gossip circulating in the crew as fodder. They had orchestrated a series of medium-sized marketing accounts on Facebook, occasionally spending on minor trending searches. Though there was no concrete evidence, this continuous flow of insinuating posts was enough to tarnish Jessica's reputation before her career had even taken off.
Jessica was not yet a household name, and her social media content generally went unnoticed and quickly scrolled past by most. At best, people paused a bit longer at the mention of her being the fiancée of Academy Award-winning actress Trinity. But with an overload of breaking news vying for attention, few took the time to really focus on her.
She was about to set her cell phone aside to review a script when it rang with a call from an unfamiliar number.
She vaguely remembered the number. It was the one on the license plate of the Ferrari that had rear-ended her, which she had quickly snapped a picture of.
Amidst her busy schedule, she had almost forgotten the incident.
Jessica answered the call, "Hello?"
Nicholas was lounging against his car outside a high-end automotive care center in Xyleria, glancing at a white Audi next to him that had been repaired until it looked brand new. Hearing her voice, he said, "Jessica, right? Your car's fixed. Give me an address, and I'll have someone drive it back to you."
"It's ready already?" she asked.
"Just a minor rear-end collision. There is just surface damage and no issues with any internal parts, including the engine. I'm really sorry about that day. I promised compensation, and I'll meet any reasonable demands. Just give me your address first."
Jessica was in the middle of a costume change and didn't have much time to inquire about details. After ending the call and adding him on Skype, she sent him her residential complex address.
