Filed to story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel
“Just got out of school. I wanna take a stroll around.”
“I’m nearby. I’ll pick you up, and we can talk about the script,” Julian said.
“Now? Is it okay?” Jessie asked.
“Yeah. Give me your location and wait for me.”
“Sure.” She sent him her location. While she was waiting, she scrolled through social media and covered her mouth in shock as she came across something—the news of her and Julian was second on trending, and they were fast catching up to the top spot. That was only a few minutes ago.
And the search term was Jessie the stuntwoman. The comments amounted to over ninety thousand, and all of them were insulting her. Jessie stopped reading after the first dozen lines. She wasn’t surprised this would happen, given how famous Julian was. Ten minutes later, Jessie was still engrossed in her phone when a black SUV appeared before her.
Someone opened the door, and the man within called out to her. “Get in, Jessie.”
She was delighted, but she looked around before she surreptitiously got into the car and closed the door.
Julian was amused seeing her so nervous. “What are you scared about?”
“The news outlets. The reporters. Your fans.” She was terrified as she had been called all kinds of names on the Internet, after all.
He knew how she felt and consoled her. “Don’t worry. My assistants are dealing with the matter.”
“Can they keep it down?” She blinked.
He kept quiet for a moment before he said, “Jessie, there’s a banquet tonight, and I’d like you to come with me.”
She froze for a few moments. The scandal’s already making the rounds. If I go with him, they’re going to think we’re dating. “I-I’ve never attended any banquets before.” She didn’t want to embarrass herself, not to mention she had no work under her belt. I don’t have the qualifications to join.
Julian respected her choice and nodded. “Sure, next time, then. Now, let’s go to my brother’s company.”
“Why?”
“To sign you up.” He was planning on letting her debut soon.
Jessie took a deep breath. She nodded. “Sure.”
Stardom was the leader of the industry. It monopolized about seventy percent of the industry’s resources in the nation, and it had a few thousand A-listers working for it. Profits were staggering every year. All female celebrities saw working for Stardom as a form of pride, but Stardom’s test was brutal.
Jessie stood before the building, staring up at the dazzling window. The whole building was shining, just like its achievements.
Julian smiled. “Feeling the heat?”
Jessie nodded. She was really nervous. Coming here meant her life would take a new turn. The path ahead would be laden with challenges.
He took her to the thirty-eighth floor and entered an office before he handed her over to one of the managers around. “Brief her about the contract.”
“Of course, Master Julian.” The manager smiled. She called him Master.
Julian then turned to Jessie and said, “Just go through the process. You’ll be getting everything an A- lister gets.”
“Huh?” Her eyes went wide with shock. I get what an A-lister gets too? But I don’t even have any work produced yet. The pressure was mounting as she was worried that she might let him down.
“Come with me, Miss Silverstein,” the manager said.
Julian left soon after as Jessie followed the manager. She printed out the contract and gently told Jessie where to sign her name. Aside from that, she said nothing more.
The signing took about ten minutes. Jessie took a rough look at the contract and was shocked to see the sign-on bonus being 1.4 million dollars. She felt her heart thumping furiously. How am I supposed to make that kind of money in a year? She wasn’t doubting herself; she just didn’t feel confident enough.
After signing the contract, Julian’s assistant served her snacks and coffee. She asked Jessie to wait around.
At the same time, Julian was on the top floor. He was sitting on a sofa with his legs crossed, his eyes on his brother.
His brother, Louie Gilmore, was about thirty years old and looked like Julian, albeit a lot more mature than he was.
“You sure you want to help her out?” Louie asked, his voice deep and calm.
“I can make her famous.” Julian cocked his eyebrow slightly. He was confident in the matter.
“Sure. I won’t object to this.” Louie closed the document on his desk. Coolly, he said, “But you know the rules. I don’t need useless people on my team.”
Julian narrowed his eyes. “I know.”
“Do you like her?” Louie asked.
Julian stretched his arms as he responded, “I don’t have to tell you everything, do I?”
“Well, I’m your brother.” A smile tugged on Louie’s lips.
Julian languidly picked his teacup up. “And that’s the reason you tried to butt into my life since we were kids. Can’t I have some privacy?”
“Fine. I won’t ask.” Louie stood up and straightened his collar out. “Time for a meeting.”
Julian looked at the time and thought, She should be done signing by now. He then went downstairs.
Jessie was sitting before the French window, staring at the view outside. She felt a lot calmer now. She spaced out as she was deep in thought and didn’t notice Julian was already standing behind her. So, it gave her a shock when she finally noticed his presence.
He stared at her in amusement. She’s simply adorable. “Done with the signing?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ll start working tomorrow. From now on, we’re going to create your persona and market you to the public. Be prepared. Everyone’s going to see your photos, and you’re gonna make the news.”
Jessie nodded. “Since I have decided to debut, I’ve been prepared for this.”
“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’ll stand by you.” Julian sat before her. He looked at her like she was not a sculpted gemstone. All she needed was some work, and she would shine bright.
Suddenly, Jessie had the urge to relieve herself and stood up. “I need to use the bathroom.”
Jessie came to the restroom. There was barely anyone in the cubicles, so she picked the innermost one. Not long after she went inside, a few ladies came in as they chatted along. The biggest news of the day was Julian’s scandal with a no-name stuntwoman. They hadn’t received any orders to keep the news down, so they thought Julian must be letting the news make the rounds.
