Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel
He put his script down. He knew that she was thinking of backing out, and he couldn’t help worrying this girl would just drop and bail. That said, he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He had dragged her into showbiz in hopes of acting alongside her in the first place.
“Are you going to disappoint me, Jessie Silverstein?” He sat down graciously on the couch. His black dress shirt made him look like a lofty black swan.
Startled, Jessie looked up at the man across from her. It was as if there was a powerful energy influencing her, ruthlessly casting her insecurity away, and pulling her back from chickening out.
No, I can’t disappoint him. Never.
“Leave now if you don’t want to act. I’ll sort the rest out. If you want to act, then prove what you have it takes to me.” At that moment, Julian seemed unforgiving and somewhat heartless even.
She was so used to Julian’s gentleness that his sternness made her feel inexplicably aggrieved all of a sudden. In fact, her eyes began to turn misty. However, she obstinately pursed her lips tight and forced her tears back.
At that, she nodded. “I want to act. I’ll definitely get it right.”
“You feel stressed when you act alongside me. Go and do it with your assistant instead,” urged Julian, asking her to leave.
Jessie left right away, as she would really cry out of grievance if she stayed a second longer. It was honestly absolutely grieving to be told off suddenly when she had been enjoying his gentleness for quite some time.
Lexie happened to be out when she returned to her room, so she headed to the balcony for some fresh air. After taking a few deep breaths and wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes away, she gave herself a pep talk. You’re going to act, Jessie Silverstein, and you’re going to do it right. Do not disappoint him.
It was as though disappointing him was a sin.
Meanwhile, in a different hotel room, Lisa was watching the clock run on the couch while musing, Surely, Julian would have seen my earring by now. When is he going to call and have me go and get it? Right, I’m going to give him another ten minutes. If he still doesn’t call, I’ll go get it myself. I’ll tell him it’s an expensive piece, and he can’t lose it.
While she pondered, she had her makeup artist touch up her makeup.
Just then, a knock came at the door. Her assistant answered it only to find it was a middle-aged woman. “This is the earring Miss Powers dropped in Young Master Julian’s room. I’m here to return it,” the latter said to the assistant, who took it with bafflement.
Lisa heard the middle-aged woman too, and her expression immediately turned ugly. Seeing so, her assistant returned the earring to her gingerly. “Miss Lisa, Young Master Julian had someone return it.”
“I know! Urgh! As if I needed her to return it! I should’ve been the one going to him, me!” Lisa fumed before slumping onto the couch, spent.
Wait, wasn’t Silverstein at the door when I left? That b*tch must be in Julian’s room right now, isn’t she?!
Jessie had already gotten social media raving about her when she got cast as a stunt double and stole her role. Not only that, the Internet was filled with comments about how an A-lister like Lisa was defeated by a mere stunt double, making her fans disappointed in her.
The publicity Jessie had garnered lately had already made Lisa hate her, and now that she saw Jessie flirting with Julian with her own eyes, the aversion deepened.
“You think a nobody with no background like you can fight me?! Hmph, you’re as good as dead meat!” Lisa snorted disdainfully as animosity flashed across her eyes.
Accidents that ruin an actor’s career would inevitably happen in a crew every now and then…
As expected, back in Jessie’s room, Jessie didn’t feel stressed at all when she acted in front of Lexie. What was more, her ability to memorize a script increased significantly, and the way she read through the script was super laid back and natural. Even Lexie gushed about her talent for acting, and it brought some confidence back to Jessie.
Jessie didn’t go down for dinner that night but had Lexie get some of her favorite takeaways. Of course, these delectable couldn’t be found in a hotel but on the streets.
Tacos, mac and cheese, elotes, and grilled skewers were Jessie and Lexie’s scrumptious dinner for the night. But lo and behold, the doorbell rang mid-eating.
At that, Lexie checked the peephole while munching on a grilled lamb skewer only to cry out in panic, “Jessie, Jessie, quick, tidy up. It’s Young Master Julian.”
Jessie, too, panicked. Ah, he can’t see me eating these things! With that, she hurriedly packed the food and hid everything in the cabinet under the television before wiping the table clean. Meanwhile, Lexie gobbled down the skewers, chucked the stick into the trash can aside, and wiped her lips clean before answering the door.
Outside, Julian waited for some time before someone finally opened the door. However, a whiff of grilled skewers traveled from Lexie when she answered the door, and it made him scrunch his nose reflexively and glance at her.
Lexie’s heart skipped a beat in response. As she felt that Julian Gilmore despised her, her face flushed. Damn, it doesn’t feel good!
At that, Julian entered the room. Although the table was spotless, the air in the room still made him frown—an obvious aroma that came uniquely from grilling food over charcoal still filled the space.
“W-What brings you here?” Jessie couldn’t help being conscience-stricken. Julian stared judgingly grim at a certain someone for some time before finally asking, “Why the silence?”
“I’ve just eaten grilled skewers,” Jessie answered honestly in the end.
“And who gave you permission to eat that kind of thing?!” Julian condemned, startling Jessie. She immediately stood straight and drooped her head like a misbehaved child. She didn’t even know what to do with her hands.
“You’re not allowed to eat this sort of unhygienic food with zero nutrition again, and don’t even think about eating covertly!” Julian fumed, then suddenly turned to Lexie. “And you, don’t get them for her!”
Also frightened, Lexie tucked her neck and vowed at once, “I will never do that again!”
At that, he turned his head toward Jessie and commanded, “Go and brush your teeth.”
Jessie blinked in response. The man didn’t express any disdain or the sort, but she felt that she had been scorned beyond redemption.
Julian, on the other hand, stormed off after that, probably unable to stand the stench of grilled skewers in the space any longer.
When Jessie heard the door close, she came out, still brushing her teeth, and exchanged a glance with Lexie, still feeling somewhat fearful. “Goodness me! Oh, my heart. Did you see Young Master Julian’s face? That was freaking scary. He looked so pissed off that I thought he was going to mangle me!”
“Yeah! What’s he so upset about?! I’ve only eaten skewers, haven’t I?! Not even my mom and dad would lecture me in such a way.” Jessie brushed her teeth in frustration.
“It’s a good sign, Jessie. The angrier Young Master Julian is, the more it means he cares about you. Think about it. It isn’t his body, so what’s the point of him getting so upset? It’s definitely because he cares about you!” Oh, Lexie felt it very clearly just now.
Jessie blinked and retorted with an enigmatic emotion. “Everything is only in your head!”
“One more thing. You’re going to act alongside him. You guys have kissing scenes. He must hope that… you don’t eat anything with a strong smell. After all, you two will…” At that, Lexie pursed her lips at Jessie. “You two are going to do this.”
Jessie’s face flushed crimson in response, and she brushed her teeth even harder.
By the time she came back out, Lexie had finished the remaining food. “Young Master Julian is concerned about you, not me. So, I’m finishing it all!” she sniggered.
Alas, Jessie could only satisfy her craving by smelling the aroma in the air and watching Lexie eat. But for some reason, she couldn’t help wanting to chuckle at Julian’s grumpy face.
She realized Julian was no longer as gentle as he was back in Averna and instead was even more temperamental and stern.
Though still feeling hungry, she was officially banned from eating the rest of her dinner, so Jessie could only starve for the rest of the night. Then, just as she was deciding to make noodles, the doorbell rang.
She answered it this time around and found Julian’s assistant carrying a takeout bag. “This is the dinner Young Master Julian ordered for you, Miss Silverstein.”
Jessie’s inner self tumbled with joy at that. “Please tell him I said thanks,” she said as she took the bag from the assistant.
Lexie had coincidentally come out of the shower. “You’ve ordered another round of takeaway?” she asked curiously when she saw Jessie carrying a takeout bag.