Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel
“No, you must accept this gift,” he insisted.
Nigel and Queenie were both waiting to see what the gift was. Jessie was a little embarrassed. “What do you wish to give me, Mr. Gilmore?”
“Eva Duncan isn’t free to play the female lead in my upcoming drama. The production team wants me to recommend someone. I’m recommending you.”
“What?!” Jessie was dumbstruck and covered her mouth in shock. Me?!
He wants me to play the female lead in his upcoming drama? How can I possibly do that?! This gift is too much.
“Jessie, don’t let his kindness go to waste. I’m sure you can do a great job,” Nigel said.
“That’s right, Jessie. You have all of us supporting you. I’m sure you’ll become a successful actress with Julian helping you with your debut.” Queenie was pleased on Jessie’s behalf. Seems to me that Julian really is taking good care of Jessie! This was great news to her as she hoped that Jessie would get together with Julian in the future.
Jessie was red from all her excitement. She glanced at Queenie before turning to Julian and said gratefully, “Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Mr. Gilmore. I won’t let you down.”
“Jessie, why don’t you toast Julian?” Queenie suggested with a smile.
Jessie quickly took a glass of red wine from the server and said bashfully, “Here’s a toast to you, Mr. Gilmore.”
Julian raised his glass and tapped it against Jessie’s. As soon as she finished the glass, Maggie came over to get her. She wanted to introduce Jessie to the guests. Queenie and Nigel went over to the restaurant, and a few more young women quickly crowded around Julian. Even a few older ladies came over to ask if he was married. They were keen to introduce their daughters to him!
He was somewhat exasperated, but he remained pleasant and amiable the whole time.
At the restaurant, Nigel and Queenie sat down at a table after filling their plates. As they took in the view of the night sky, Queenie exhaled in joy. “We’ve finally reunited.”
“That means we have time to consider our future now.” Nigel stared at her with his dark, affectionate eyes.
She looked back at him a little guiltily. Amid all the commotion of finding her sister, she ended up neglecting him a fair bit. She nodded and agreed, “Yeah! I’ll bring it up with my parents.”
“I’ll bring my parents to your house three days later to formally ask for your hand in marriage,” he informed her of his plan.
Queenie’s cheeks grew a little warm as she nodded shyly. “Okay.”
Meanwhile, back at the grand hall, Jessie followed her parents around as they introduced her to everyone. The guests were very warm and welcoming, and she ended up drinking a lot each time they toasted her, leaving her feeling rather tipsy.
At last, while her parents were caught up in conversation with a few other guests, she made her escape. She wanted to look for Queenie but couldn’t find her anywhere. Jessie felt a little light-headed and decided to take a seat. One of the young men, who wanted to approach her, immediately seized this chance to come over.
“Are you alright, Miss Silverstein? Allow me to take you to the lounge to rest.”
“It’s alright. I’m fine, thank you,” she declined politely.
“But, you seem drunk to me. Are you sure you’re alright?” The young man didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Since she was drunk, it was the perfect time for him to make a good impression!
Jessie wanted to walk away, but as soon as she tried to take a step, her head became woozy, and she fell back down onto the chair. The man reached out to hold her steady.
At the same time, a man’s voice rang out. “I’ll take care of Miss Silverstein.”
The man turned around to see who was trying to steal this opportunity from him, but the moment he saw who it was, he deflated at once. Julian was not only an award-winning actor, but he was someone with a mysterious family background. Most people dared not offend him.
In the end, that young man left sheepishly. Jessie raised her head to look at Julian. Her face seemed to glow under the light. It made her look even more beautiful than before.
“Why did you drink so much? No one’s forcing you.” He sat down beside her and poured her a cup of tea.
She took the cup and smiled. “I’m happy today. It’s fine if I drink a bit more than usual. I don’t have a very good tolerance for alcohol, though.”
Her tipsiness seemed to embolden her as she asked, “Can I really play the part of your female lead? Will the producers and the director approve of me? Won’t I end up ruining your show?”
“It’ll be fine. I believe you’ll do a good job,” Julian assured her.
“But I don’t have any real experience when it comes to acting, apart from being a stunt double for several years. Although I do enjoy acting, I never learned it properly and I don’t have experience. I’m afraid I’ll ruin your show.” The alcohol gave Jessie the courage to share her innermost thoughts with Julian.
She genuinely liked him and admired him. Thus, she didn’t want to trouble him. She wanted to help him stay as perfect as he was.
Julian had seen a lot of actresses who were willing to go to extreme lengths just to get the parts they wanted. It was his first time meeting someone like Jessie, who showed consideration for someone else instead. It was a rare quality in the entertainment industry. She was truly a kind-hearted soul.
“Don’t worry about all that, Jessie. Just follow my lead. I will teach you anything you need to know about acting,” he promised sincerely as he tried to reassure her.
Jessie stared at him with hazy eyes before nodding and agreeing obediently, “Okay. I will do my best to learn acting from you.”
“Have some tea.” Julian poured her a cup of tea.
Jessie drank it and asked, “Mr. Gilmore, why do you do so much for me?”
He fell into deep thought upon hearing that question. In all honesty, I’m not so sure about that as well. Is it because you’re Queenie’s sister and that she’s my best friend’s fiancée? Is that why I care about you so much? “What? Are you complaining about it? Do you really have to ask for a reason?” He evaded her question as he had no answer for it.
“I guess not. Don’t mind me. That was a stupid question. I should be happy that someone is nice to me.” She beamed giddily. It was evident that she had gotten really drunk.
“I should see my dad and mom now.” She pushed herself up and tried to leave. I can walk, no problem. However, walking when she was drunk felt like stepping on clouds. She had only taken a few steps before losing her balance and falling right into Julian’s arms.
He quickly placed his arm around her waist and helped her back to her seat. “Don’t go around. Stay here.”
Jessie was cute when she was drunk. She patted her cheeks, her eyes telling a hundred stories at the same time. Then, she huddled closer. “Mr. Gilmore, can I ask you something? It’s private, but I promise it’s just a question. I won’t tell anyone.”
“What is it?”
“Are you dating Eva? Is she your girlfriend?” she asked curiously. The only one who was rumored to be dating him was Eva, the actress he had worked with many times. Jessie wanted to know if they were dating for real.
“Is that important to you?” Julian narrowed his eyes.
She chuckled. “Not really. Just wanna know. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, we are not dating. Eva and I are only partners,” he answered seriously.
Jessie blinked. Oh, he denies it. That means it’s merely a rumor. He’s still single.
Right then, Brandon and Maggie approached them. The old couple felt for Jessie seeing her getting this drunk, though they were also amused. Lots of people had raised a toast to her earlier, and she had no idea how to deal with them, so as a result, she had a bit too much to drink.
“Where’s Queenie? I don’t see her anywhere. She could’ve helped Jessie upstairs,” Brandon said.