Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1341-1350

That amused Julian. “I thought you were a thief.”

“I didn’t mean it. My friend was arguing with your fans and she shoved me by accident, so I grabbed onto you. Your bodyguards scared me, so I yanked the necklace off,” she explained sheepishly.

Julian sat down and rested his chin on his hand. He thought she was cute when she explained things. As the older sister, Queenie was calm and collected, while as the younger sister, Jessie was adorable.

“It’s alright. I don’t blame you.” He even poured some tea for her, much to her surprise.

Jessie stood up.

Just then, someone opened the door. Before Jessie could tell what was going on, someone dashed toward her and gave her a big hug. “You’re my sister, Jessie. You’re my sister!” It was Queenie. She was crying tears of joy.

Jessie’s eyes went wide with surprise. She couldn’t believe Queenie was her actual sister. “Y-You’re actually my sister?” She held Queenie’s shoulder and gave the crying Queenie a tissue.

“Yes, I’m your sister. Dad and Mom have been waiting for you to come home.” Queenie was sobbing. Words couldn’t describe how she felt. Back when her fake sister came back, she did feel happy, but it wasn’t like how she felt now. She truly felt connected to Jessie.

Jessie started crying as well. She muttered under her breath, “I finally found my family.”

The gentlemen were moved by the reunion as well, and they exchanged a look. This was one of the best things that could happen to someone.

“We’ve been searching for you. For twenty years.” Queenie found it hard to calm down. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks.

Nigel quickly helped her sit down and wiped her tears with some tissue, but Queenie was wiping off Jessie’s tears instead. “We’ll go home in a couple of days. You can see Dad and Mom.”

“Okay.” Jessie nodded through sobs. She yearned for family and familial love. Now that she knew she wasn’t abandoned, she felt a surge of warmth in her heart to know her family had always been looking for her.

Julian rested his chin on his hand. His gaze was fixed on Jessie’s face for a long time.

Queenie finally calmed down a little. Everyone must be hungry. She smiled. “Let’s eat. Don’t starve yourself.”

Before she made any order, Queenie would ask Jessie if she liked it. She wanted to know if Jessie was allergic to anything, but fortunately, Jessie was no picky eater, nor was she allergic to anything. She never came to restaurants as expensive as this one before.

“I’m fine with anything, Queenie.” Jessie was starting to get reliant on Queenie. She was her sister. Her family.

The gentlemen said nothing and let the ladies do whatever they wanted. As Nigel watched Queenie taking care of Jessie, he thought, She will be a wonderful mother. And he was relieved as well. Now that Jessie was found, Queenie would no longer have to worry about the search. We can finally hold the wedding.

A sense of achievement welled within Julian’s heart. He found Queenie’s long-lost sister. I should have seen her last night, but it was dark, and I got annoyed because I thought she was a fan. Good thing she tore my necklace off. Thanks to that, we met again this morning.

If she hadn’t done that, he would have missed her. Even though they were in the same industry, he might never see her again. She was a stuntwoman who could never show her face on camera. Even if

Queenie could find her, it would take a while. For some reason, he thought fate guided him to this meeting. Of all nights he could lose his necklace, it had to be the night she showed up, and she even took it with her, which led to this meeting.

“Are you still working, Jessie? I’d like you to meet Dad and Mom as soon as possible,” Queenie asked.

Well, I crossed Mabel. I can’t be her stuntwoman anymore, so I’ll quit tomorrow. I don’t care about the money. I want to see my family. “I’ll quit my job tomorrow and go home with you,” Jessie answered.

Julian arched his eyebrow. “You don’t have to work as a stuntwoman anymore. If you like this industry, you can work with me. I’ll show you the ropes,” he said languidly.

There was excitement and gratitude in Jessie’s eyes. She nodded. “I love acting.”

Even though she had been nothing but a stuntwoman for years, she still had a passion for acting. Every time she showed up, she put her heart and soul into it. Even though all the viewers could see was her back, she would still give it her all.

She would have joined the industry if not for the dark side of it. Thanks to her skills, she managed to stay around. A lot of directors loved to hire her due to her industrious attitude and cheap rates.

“We’re counting on you, Julian. Take care of her.” Nigel patted his friend’s shoulder. He was entrusting Jessie to him.

Julian nodded. “Of course.”

“Thank you, Julian. I’d love for her to be a big star.” Queenie smiled. We’ll give her the best of what we have.

Jessie blushed. She pursed her lips and answered humbly, “That’s a big dream. I’d already be happy with being able to act.”

“And you’ll get all the roles you want if you work with him. He’s the darling of the industry.” Nigel laughed.

Queenie froze for a moment. Julian was a mysterious man, and nobody knew what he did before he debuted. Now that she had the chance, Queenie asked, “So what’s his family business?”

“Stardom Corporation’s boss is his brother.”

The ladies exchanged a look of surprise. None of them expected Julian to be a part of Stardom Corporation. That was the top multinational entertainment company in the nation and one of the best entertainment companies around.

Julian smiled humbly. “My brother’s the reason Stardom got so far. I’m just an employee working for him.”

Wow. An award-winning actor calling himself an employee. “Can you get Jessie a spot in Stardom? We’d love for her to be a part of your company,” Queenie said.

Julian answered without hesitation, “Sure. She can work in Stardom.”

Jessie was still a little bemused. Whoa. I was just a stuntwoman a while ago, and now I’m a part of Stardom. Every celebrity would kill to get a spot in that place.

“Don’t worry, Jessie. You have our full support,” Queenie added. Yep. She’s my sister. I can give her everything, even if it means I have nothing. I never felt the same way with that fake.

Jessie teared up. She was moved, and it felt good to be spoiled. She nodded. “I’ll do my best.” Her phone rang, and she looked at it. “It’s the director. I need to take this call.”

Jessie left the room to take the call. As expected, her director hissed, “Mabel told me you’re too good for us now. If you want to leave, leave.”

“Sorry, sir. I can’t keep going on now, yeah.”

“Oh, someone got herself a new boss. Bigger and better, I assume?” the director remarked sarcastically.

“I’m sorry.”

“If you leave halfway through, I won’t pay you.”

“I know. I won’t be coming tomorrow, then.” She hung up and heaved a sigh of relief. From now on, I don’t have to bow down to anyone. From now on, I can confidently say no to the things I don’t want to do.

That night, Jessie checked out of the hotel and packed her stuff. Lexie was reluctant to see her go, and Jessie gave her a few gifts before she said goodbye. We can still keep in touch.

She returned to the hotel and stayed in the same room as Queenie. The ladies sat on the sofa and started chatting. Queenie wanted to know how Jessie grew up. After Jessie went missing, she was taken to an orphanage. Fortunately, it was run by a kind director. She watched over her like a mother. After she graduated high school, Jessie started working to repay her debt of gratitude.

“Madam Yancy is nice to me. Aside from the poverty and lack of college education, I grew up happily.” She smiled.

But Queenie felt a strong sense of guilt. Her heart went out to her sister. Unlike her, Jessie never had the love and wealth the Silversteins showered on Queenie. Instead of chasing her dreams, Jessie was forced to drop out of school and work. Queenie held her sister in her embrace.

Jessie leaned on her chest. She consoled, “Don’t feel sad for me, Queenie. My life was never really hard.”

There were tears in Jessie’s eyes as well, but there was also determination. The environment she grew up in sculpted her into a tough person.

“From now on, anything you want, I’ll help you with it,” Queenie promised.

“I don’t need anything. I just want to stay with you, Dad, and Mom. And I wanna take care of the orphanage and have a job that I like. That’s enough for me,” Jessie said. She was not a greedy person. That was all she wanted.

Queenie had told their parents to come home as soon as possible, and their reply finally came back. Since she said it was urgent, Brandon told her they would be flying home that night. “Dad and Mom’s coming home. I didn’t tell them about you in case they got too excited. But I’d like to take you home and surprise them.”

“Of course.” Jessie nodded.

The sisters chatted until two in the morning. They would have kept going, but they had a flight to board the next day and health was a concern.

Jessie was lying on the soft bed, still awake. She sat up and stared at the moon outside. It had been a long time since she lost sleep. Everything that happened today felt like a dream.

They had breakfast early the next morning. Nigel’s plane was already waiting for them, and Julian would like to return to Averna for a while. He only came to this town for a little break, but now he wanted to be with his friends.

They got to the airport and boarded the flight. The ladies chatted happily at first, but their lack of sleep caught up with them and they slowly dozed off.

Queenie leaned on Nigel’s shoulder and fell asleep a while later, while Jessie was resting her head on the armrest of the sofa. The air stewardess came by and covered them with some blankets.

Julian was sitting beside Jessie. Though he was reading a book, he couldn’t help but notice the beautiful face that was just within his range of sight.

Wisps of black hair were scattered across her gentle, attractive features. Julian’s heart stirred a little. He was too distracted to read.

In the end, he put his book down and glanced at Nigel, who was taking a nap with Queenie nestled in his arms. Nigel clearly didn’t sleep well last night.

It was as if Julian was the only one who had a good night’s rest.

Just then, the plane hit a bout of turbulence and Jessie was startled awake. In her fright, her hands scrambled to grab onto something and ended up grabbing onto Julian’s arm. Jessie had never gone on a plane ride before. She was noticeably pale with anxiety.

“Relax. Everything’s fine. It’s just a bit of turbulence.” Julian patted Jessie on the shoulder.

However, Jessie couldn’t overcome her fear just yet. She squeezed her eyes shut and started gasping a little.

Julian raised the armrest between them and asked Jessie, “Are you still afraid?”

Jessie nodded. She was paralyzed with fear right now and couldn’t calm down despite knowing that nothing was going to happen to the plane.

Julian reached out and held her shoulders. “Hold me.”

Jessie froze in shock, but the turbulence started getting stronger. Terrified, she wrapped her arms around him shyly and closed her eyes as she buried her head against his chest. The scent of him that she took in with every breath seemed to chip away at her fear.

While Julian was busy comforting Jessie, Nigel opened his eyes and saw the two of them in an embrace. All of a sudden, a thought struck him.

Now that I think about it, it’d be great if Julian and I end up being brothers-in-law.

The four of them would become family.

Nigel’s lips curved into a small smile. Looks like I’ll have to try my hand at playing matchmaker.

At last, the turbulence stopped and Jessie scuttled away from Julian feeling slightly embarrassed. She pulled the armrest back down before muttering, “Thank you.”

Julian had felt a pang when the warmth in his arms disappeared. He shook his head and said, “It’s nothing.”

Soon, they landed at the airport. Queenie received a call from Brandon asking where she was the moment she stepped out of the plane. Brandon and Maggie had arrived home.

“Dad, you and Mom must stay in the house and not go anywhere, okay? I’ll be right there,” Queenie said.

“Where on earth are you? What’s the important matter that you mentioned?” Brandon asked a little anxiously.

“Don’t ask me now, Dad. You’ll find out once I get home.” Queenie evaded the question before reminding them yet again, “Remember not to go out!”

Nigel’s men rushed them over to Silverstein Residence at once. Jessie had grown up in Averna as well, but she used to live in an orphanage on the poorer side of town. In fact, she didn’t know how she ended up at the orphanage.

The car swept past the bustling city center and business district. Silverstein Residence was situated in the luxurious neighborhood in this area.

Julian had gone home, so it was only the other three who were heading to Silverstein Residence.

Meanwhile, Brandon and Maggie had just gotten off a long flight and were resting at home. Although Maggie was glad to be home, her mood soured when she recalled how Nina had pretended to be her daughter.

Bonnie was the name the Silverstein couple had given their youngest daughter, but now that the imposter had used that name, it stung the couple even harder.

“Let’s not use the name Bonnie anymore if our youngest daughter comes back in the future,” Maggie said.

Brandon nodded in agreement, but he wondered, When will our youngest daughter come home?

“I don’t know if I’ll even live to see her.” Maggie choked up. “How many more years do we have? Ten? Twenty? What if we never get to see her again? I won’t be able to die in peace!”

Brandon patted Maggie on the back to console her. “Don’t think about that. I’m sure our youngest daughter’s fine, wherever she is.”

All these years, Maggie had turned to spiritual beliefs to relieve her aching soul, yet no matter what she tried, she couldn’t come to terms with reality.

Just then, a maid came running over. “Mr. and Mrs. Silverstein, Miss Queenie is back! I just saw Mr. Manson’s car.”

“She’s back at last! I wonder what’s the important thing that she insisted on telling us about.”

“It could be about the engagement,” Maggie suggested. We should start planning Queenie’s wedding.

The Silverstein couple stood at the door and watched as Nigel’s car pulled into the driveway. Meanwhile, inside the car, Queenie turned to Jessie and said, “You get down first, Jessie.”

Jessie caught on to what Queenie was trying to do and smiled. “Okay.”

Jessie got out of the car and stared at the couple in front of her. She did her best to hold back all the emotions inside of her as she called out to them, “Mom. Dad.”

“Now, Queenie, why did you rush us to come back as soon as possible? Hurry up and tell us what’s going on. You’ve made us so anxious!” Maggie grumbled as she eyed her daughter in vexation.

“Hang on. Queenie, when did your hair get so long? When did you dye it black?” Brandon noticed the difference in her appearance.

Maggie realized the differences too and exclaimed, “How did your hair grow so fast? Also, why did you lose so much weight? Haven’t you been eating lately?”

Just then, the car opened on the other side. Queenie stepped out and called out, “Mom. Dad.”

Brandon and Maggie’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. They stared in disbelief at the two identical young women standing in front of them. At last, it was Maggie who suddenly grabbed Jessie by the hand. “What’s your name?”

Brandon came over as well. He was trembling with emotion as he stared at Jessie. Tears welled up inside his eyes as he deduced what was happening.

Queenie wanted to see how her parents would react to the news, but she didn’t expect them to be so overwhelmed. She came over and threw her arm around Jessie’s shoulders. “Mom. Dad, I found my little sister. We already did a DNA test. She is indeed my sister and your second daughter, Jessie.”

Maggie was so overwhelmed that she nearly fainted. She threw her arms around Jessie as she exclaimed with joy, “My daughter! My daughter’s back…”

Nigel came over and watched them with a smile. His eyes grew a little misty at the sight of the family of four being reunited at last.

“My dear child, you must have suffered a lot. Where have you been all these years? Did anyone mistreat you? Quick, tell me everything.” Throughout all these years, Maggie avoided reading news of child trafficking as her heart would break even at the mention of it. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Her greatest fear was that her daughter had been hurt and mistreated in the same way. Thus, now that her long-lost daughter had been found, she wanted to know how her life had been, and whether it had been filled with suffering.

Jessie’s eyes were red. She shook her head and assured Maggie, “I didn’t have to suffer at all. I grew up in an orphanage. Everything’s good in my life.”

Maggie was relieved to hear that. She couldn’t take her eyes off Jessie. The thought of the imposter pretending to be her daughter made her feel even more guilty and remorseful toward Jessie.

Brandon turned to Queenie and asked frantically, “Queenie, how did you find your sister? Tell us everything.”

Queenie reached out to usher her parents into the house. “Mom. Dad. Let’s talk inside. Jessie’s home now. She’s right here. She won’t leave us again.”

Once the family settled down in the living room, Queenie filled her parents in on everything that happened the past two days. Brandon and Maggie cried tears of joy as they couldn’t believe that fate had brought their daughter back to them so quickly.

“We have to thank Mr. Gilmore,” Maggie declared gratefully. “We need to take him out for a meal sometime. We owe a debt to him!”

“He’s a friend of mine. I’ll invite him out for a meal with all of us sometime soon!” Nigel agreed with a smile. He was more than happy to oblige.

Jessie shared briefly about her life at the orphanage. Fortunately, the director at the orphanage had been a kind, motherly figure who treated Jessie well. Although the orphanage was poor, Jessie’s childhood had been filled with love and joy.

It went without saying that Brandon and Maggie were determined to thank the director at the orphanage. They were also going to provide as much help as they could to the orphanage.

“Jessie, my dear child.” Maggie held Jessie in her arms all this while as if she was making up for the lost time. Jessie could sense the love her parents had for her, as well as the remorse they felt for all the years of separation.

However, in Jessie’s eyes, being reunited with her family was her greatest joy in life. She felt a weight lifted off her shoulders after knowing that her parents were still alive and healthy.

After dinner, Nigel left, and Queenie took Jessie to her room. The Silverstein couple couldn’t wait to refurbish a room for Jessie. The one that Bonnie used had been turned into a storage room.

The couple didn’t want Jessie to stay in that room either. They didn’t want their precious daughter to be tainted by the room’s previous owner.

With Brandon and Maggie’s permission, Queenie filled Jessie in on everything that happened in the past year.

Jessie could hardly believe her ears. Someone pretended to be me and leeched off the family? She even spent over a million of the family’s money?

Nevertheless, Jessie rejoiced at the imposter’s outcome. She was back now. No one could use her identity again.

That night, Brandon and Maggie were so ecstatic that they couldn’t sleep a wink. It was as if the long nightmare had ended and had been replaced by the sweetest dream they could have.

Their youngest daughter had truly come home to them.

“Jessie. It’s a lovely name,” Maggie remarked with a sigh.

“Jessie Silverstein. It rolls right off the tongue. From now on, we have both our daughters with us.”

“I know! My dream has always been to see both our daughters marry and start their own families. I’m sure it’ll come true now.”

Back in Queenie’s room, the two sisters had much to talk about too. They stayed up talking until the wee hours of the morning before they finally went to sleep.

It was the next morning.

Jessie hadn’t brought much with her, so she wore one of Queenie’s dresses. When she came downstairs, the maid couldn’t recognize who she was and called out, “Good morning, Miss Queenie!”

Jessie blinked and chuckled. “It’s me, Jessie.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry! Miss Jessie, you and Miss Queenie are so similar. I couldn’t tell you apart.”

“It’s fine.” Jessie smiled. She was an easygoing person.

When she came out to the garden, Brandon and Maggie also had to stare for a few moments before recognizing that she was Jessie.

“Come over here, Jessie,” Maggie called out to her.

Jessie went over to her right away. Maggie admired her daughter’s radiant beauty under the sunlight and felt deeply satisfied.

Brandon spoke up from the side. “Jessie, your mother and I have discussed things and we want to hold a dinner party. We want to invite all of our family and friends to come and get to know you.”

Jessie nodded. “Sure! I want to meet my other relatives too.”

“That’s decided, then. We’ll hold it tomorrow night,” Maggie declared happily.

Queenie came out to the garden. She had just talked to Nigel and confirmed that she and her family were going to have dinner with him tonight.

“Make sure to invite Mr. Gilmore. We need to thank him properly,” Maggie reminded Queenie without noticing that her youngest daughter was blushing hard. Mom, do you know that Mr. Gilmore is the biggest celebrity in the industry? It’s hard for anyone to invite him to anything!

“Don’t worry, Mom! I asked Nigel to invite him,” Queenie assured with a smile. She was certain that Nigel could get Julian to join them.

“Mom, I want to take Jessie to the mall.” Queenie wanted to go shopping with her sister.

“Oh, right. We’re having a dinner party tomorrow, so take Jessie to the boutique and pick out an evening gown for her,” Maggie instructed Queenie.

“I will.” Queenie linked arms with Jessie. “Come on! Let’s get some shopping done.”

Jessie was thrilled to go shopping with her sister, and their parents were grinning ear to ear to see their gorgeous girls heading out together.

The maid who was attending to them also started praising, “You’re so fortunate, Mr. and Mrs. Silverstein! Your daughters are so beautiful. I’m sure they’ll find wonderful husbands in the future.”

That was music to Brandon and Maggie’s ears. Now that Queenie had found her life partner, they looked forward to Jessie meeting hers too.

Most women loved shopping, but Jessie never had the guts to step into these sorts of boutiques. It was her first time today, and Queenie kept getting her to try on all of the dresses she had only seen on the hottest actresses. Queenie bought everything that looked good on her.

In the blink of an eye, the two assistants who came out with the two sisters were weighed down by a mountain of shopping bags.

“Queenie, let’s stop. We don’t need to get anything else.”

“Nope, that’s not enough. Let’s continue.” Queenie dragged Jessie off to another boutique and the sisters spent another hour shopping before they went for lunch. After lunch, Queenie brought Jessie to a boutique to try on evening gowns, and once that was over, they stopped by the spa for some pampering before heading back home to get ready for dinner with Julian.

As it was, the situation hadn’t escaped Queenie’s eyes at all. She could tell that Jessie liked Julian but was too afraid to even consider anything due to Julian’s status in society.

Queenie wanted to help Jessie get closer to the man she liked, so she supported Jessie’s acting career. One day, Jessie would reach the pinnacle of success, and she would be able to stand shoulder- to-shoulder with Julian as a highly acclaimed actress in her own right.

By then, Jessie would’ve proven herself, and she would be able to pursue something with Julian.

Therefore, Queenie gave it her all to doll Jessie up for dinner tonight.

When Queenie came down with Jessie, both Brandon and Maggie started tearing up again. This was the happiest they had been in a long time.

“Mom, Dad, we’re ready,” Queenie said.

“Great. Let’s go!”

The family of four drove off happily with Brandon in the driver’s seat, Maggie in the front passenger seat, and the two sisters together in the back.

Nigel had successfully dragged Julian into the car with him. No one knew that the award-winning actor was actually a homebody who had a relatively simple life outside of filming. He was a gifted actor who spent most of his free time playing video games with Nigel, tending to his garden, and staying home with his pets.

“Is there a need to make such a big deal out of thanking me? I didn’t do anything!” Julian felt a little embarrassed.

“You’ll just be holed up at home anyway, so you might as well have dinner with us,” Nigel shot back.

Well, it was true that Julian enjoyed hanging out with his friend.

When they arrived at the hotel, Nigel texted Queenie. The two men had arrived first but the Silversteins were soon arriving too, so the men decided to wait for them at the entrance to the restaurant.

A little while later, Brandon’s car pulled up to the hotel. He parked the car beside Nigel’s and the two beautiful young women stepped out.

Oddly enough, Nigel immediately recognized which one of them was Queenie, and Julian did the same with Jessie as well. Though they looked exactly the same, they had vastly different auras.

Despite being the same age, Queenie gave off an air of maturity, whereas Jessie had a cuter, more youthful air.

Jessie had spotted Julian through the car window earlier. She secretly tried to calm her pounding heart as she didn’t want her parents to notice her reaction. In the past, she thought of him as the unattainable man who was way out of her league, but now, she was going to have dinner with him, and she would even be able to see him often from now on.

The thought of that made her positively giddy!

Julian was someone who would still look handsome and distinguished no matter what he wore. Tonight, he was wearing a simple black hoodie, but that was enough to make him look like a prince.

Queenie had already started skipping over to Nigel. She wanted to hug him, but she held herself back since her parents were around.

“You must be Julian Gilmore! My, my! What a fine young man you are!” Maggie swiftly went forward to greet Julian warmly.

Julian sensed warmth and kindness from her. He nodded and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Silverstein.”

“Thank you for helping us find Jessie, Julian. Who knows when we would’ve reunited with her if it hadn’t been for you?” Brandon was immensely grateful.

“Not at all. I met Miss Silverstein by coincidence too.” Julian didn’t dare to take credit for it as he hadn’t been all that nice when they first met.

In fact, he even suspected her of being a thief.

Julian glanced at Jessie and ended up staring right into her large, clear eyes. She gave him a bright smile that glowed under the light, and his heart stirred once more.

It had been so long since he had last seen such a pure, untainted smile—a smile without any greed or ulterior motives. It was a clean, sweet smile that made his heart tremble.

“Let’s not stand around here. We can talk inside! Please come this way, Mr. and Mrs. Silverstein.” Nigel invited them into the restaurant.

The group went up to the private dining room on the second floor and took their seats. When Maggie saw her two daughters sitting with a handsome young man each, she felt a longing in her heart.

How great it’d be if the two young men here today were my future sons-in-law!

With Nigel and Queenie around, the atmosphere remained light-hearted. When the topic landed on Jessie’s dreams for her future, her parents were fully supportive of whatever she wanted to do. It didn’t matter to them what their daughter pursued, as long as she was happy. Furthermore, they had even less to worry about once they heard that Julian’s family ran the most influential company in the entertainment industry.

“Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Silverstein. Jessie will have a brilliant career ahead of her with Julian around to help her out.”

Jessie was shy and nervous. She was afraid that this would only be a bother to Julian as she didn’t want to trouble him.

However, at that very moment, she heard someone say in a deep voice, “I will take good care of her.”

All at once, Jessie went from being a nameless stunt double to someone who was going to be under the care of Julian Gilmore himself!

Throughout dinner, everyone showered Jessie with their love and care. Her face steadily grew redder as the night went on. No one seemed to notice, save for one.

Julian noticed it all.

Everything Jessie did tonight looked so intriguing and adorable to Julian. Perhaps he felt a sense of accomplishment for being the one who found her.

Thus, he enjoyed observing her whenever he could. Jessie seemed to enjoy stealing peeks at him too, and whenever they locked eyes, she would blush even harder at having been caught glancing at him.

A mysterious undercurrent seemed to brew between the two, though no one else noticed it.

Once they were done with dinner, everyone started making their way back home.

Nigel only managed to steal a brief hug from Queenie when they went to the washroom. Now that dinner was over, he had to watch her leave in her father’s car without having the right to feel any sort of resentment.

Julian saw the way Nigel’s eyes trailed after the Silversteins’ car. He patted his friend on the shoulder and said, “Stop staring. Hurry up and marry her so that you won’t have to stare after her like that.”

“It’ll happen soon.” Nigel twirled his car keys and smirked confidently.

The two handsome young men climbed into the car and Nigel gave Julian a ride home. Along the way, Julian seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he didn’t make conversation with Nigel as he always did.

Nigel figured that he had to let the Silversteins reconnect with Jessie for a while before turning their attention to his and Queenie’s wedding.

At Silverstein Residence.

Brandon and Maggie decided to visit the orphanage Jessie had grown up in tomorrow and convey their deepest gratitude.

That night, as the two sisters lay in bed together, Jessie asked curiously about Queenie and Nigel’s relationship. As she listened to the stories, Julian’s face popped into her mind all of a sudden, and she nearly jumped out of bed in shock.

What am I thinking? Why do I feel hopeful about dating Julian? Have I gone mad? What on earth gave me the courage to even dream of that?

“Jessie? What’s on your mind?” Queenie saw the way Jessie’s eyes were seemingly wide with shock.

Jessie quickly smiled and said, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking that I’ll get to attend your wedding soon.”

Queenie’s eyes sparkled with joy. That’s right! Jessie’s back now, and once the whole family has gotten the chance to spend more time together, it’ll be time to start planning for my wedding.

A thought flashed across her mind and she propped her head up to ask, “Jessie, do you like Julian?”

Jessie immediately waved that off. “How could I? I wouldn’t dare to.”

“Jessie, if you like him, then just try and go after him. You won’t know unless you try. Maybe you might even succeed!” Queenie encouraged her sister to be bold in love.

Jessie blinked. “Queenie, right now, I think it’s just mostly admiration on my part. I’ve heard so much about him all this while. I think he’s incredible and very mysterious. He’s also very prominent, so even if he likes someone who hasn’t proven themselves yet, it still won’t work out.”

Queenie never thought that Jessie would be so clear-headed despite her young age, but she was right. There was a huge gap between them, and things would be hard for them if they were in a relationship.

“What’s your plan for the future, Jessie?”

“I plan on focusing on my career first before thinking about love. Plus, I’m satisfied that I have my family to support me and accompany me now.” Jessie wanted to focus on earning money so that she could help the orphanage more, and she also wanted to fulfill her dream of becoming an actress.

The next morning.

The Silversteins left for the orphanage with a car full of gifts.

The director of the orphanage, Flora Yancy, was a woman in her fifties, but due to her laborious job, she had graying hair and looked a decade older than Maggie despite being of similar ages.

When Flora heard that Jessie had found her family, she was genuinely happy for Jessie. Flora herself spent a lot of time trying to help the children at the orphanage reunite with their families, but it was hard for her to do it alone and she wasn’t well-connected either. Thus, a lot of children never managed to find their families.

“Jessie, since you’ve found your family, you should go home and spend more time with them. You can still drop by when you have time,” Flora advised.

Jessie’s eyes were teary as she nodded. “I will, Madam Yancy. I will come and visit all of you often. This is my second home and you’re my family too.”

“You’ve always been a wonderful child and so mature even when you were little. I never had to worry about you, and you even supported the orphanage financially just so the children could have a better life. We’re truly thankful for everything you’ve done,” Flora said as she held Jessie’s hands.

“It’s only right for me to give back to the orphanage,” Jessie replied as she wiped her tears away.

“Madam Flora, we want to donate 300,000 in funding to the orphanage every year, and you can also let us know whatever it is that you need help with. We will definitely do our best to help,” Maggie promised.

“I can’t thank you enough. You’re all wonderful people. It’s no wonder that Jessie turned out to be such a kind and lovely girl. She must’ve inherited it from her family!” Flora exclaimed with a smile. The funding the Silversteins were giving was enough to ensure that she could take good care of every child.

“Madam Yancy, we prepared a dinner party tonight to welcome Jessie back to the family and we would like to invite everyone in the orphanage to join us,” Maggie said.

Flora smiled. “You’re very kind, but there are too many children here and we can’t leave them. Please go ahead and enjoy yourselves.”

At the orphanage, Queenie helped out by handing out gifts to the children. Everyone felt a sense of affinity toward her as she looked exactly like Jessie. They saw her as a warm, friendly older sister.

The Silversteins stayed at the orphanage until 2.00PM and had lunch with the children. When Maggie saw the tiny room Jessie used growing up, she couldn’t stop her tears from flowing as her heart filled with indescribable pain.

Once the family got back to Silverstein Residence, Queenie ushered her parents upstairs to rest as they needed to host the dinner party tonight.

There were slightly over fifty guests coming to the party; all of Brandon’s business acquaintances had been invited, along with the Silversteins’ relatives. As it was held at the grand hall at the Mansons’ hotel, it was undoubtedly going to be a grand affair.

At approximately 4.00PM, a team of stylists came over to help the sisters prepare for the event tonight, in which Jessie’s last name was going to change from Landry to Silverstein officially. As for her official documentation, they had made the arrangements to change it tomorrow.

At last, the family of four had finally reunited.

Queenie gave Nigel a call in the privacy of her bedroom and reminded him, “Don’t forget to invite Julian.”

“Don’t worry! I already told him about it. He’ll be there.”

She didn’t tell Jessie about it just yet as she wanted to give Jessie a surprise. She knew that Jessie would be pleased if Julian came.

For tonight’s event, Jessie was wearing an exquisite-detailing, pale green dress that seemed light and airy. Although the silhouette was simple enough, the dress was full of intricate designs; the chest area of her dress was covered in tiny crystals, and the cut of her dress highlighted her slim waist and elegant curves. The stylist who did Jessie’s hair and makeup took inspiration from the dress and gave her a look that suited it perfectly.

Meanwhile, Queenie had chosen a white gown instead and wore her hair down with a pearl hair clip to give it an accent. She wouldn’t be taking the limelight away from Jessie, but she was nonetheless captivating.

At 5.30PM, the family left for the hotel.

Nigel had invited his parents as well, so the Manson couple and the Silverstein couple met up at the hotel beforehand. Both families were thrilled with the marriage of their child and had begun treating each other as in-laws as they got along swimmingly together.

Queenie’s phone started ringing. She was startled when she saw it was Leslie who was calling her. “Hi, Leslie. Why are you calling?”

“Queenie, I heard you have found your real sister and that you’re throwing her a dinner party tonight. Can I come too?” Leslie requested.

“Sorry, Leslie, but it’s better if you don’t,” she rejected.

“Please, Queenie. Let me come and see your sister!” He was still eager to join the dinner party.

However, she was firm about it. “You’re not invited. Goodbye.”

She hung up at once. She and Leslie couldn’t even be friends anymore. There was no way she’d invite him to the dinner party.

The dinner party was about to start, and most of the guests had arrived. Jessie left the lounge and started making her way over to the hall. Along the way, she heard several people greeting her.

“Good evening, Miss Silverstein.”

Jessie assumed that they thought she was her sister, so she went along with it and smiled politely in response. Looks like most people won’t be able to tell us apart. They’ll probably keep mixing us up tonight.

She came to the hall and stood by a pillar at the side as she surveyed the crowd in anticipation of someone’s arrival.

Although Julian had promised her parents last night that he would be coming, she wasn’t sure he would. He’s a busy man. Maybe he won’t find the time to come.

Therefore, as Jessie wasn’t sure whether he could make it, it made her anticipate his presence even more.

However, after sweeping through the crowd, she didn’t see any sign of him. She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

Right at that moment, a deep voice called out behind her, “Who are you looking for, Miss Jessie Silverstein?”

It was a magnetic, attractive voice.

Who else could it be, apart from Julian?

Jessie stiffened in shock as she quickly wiped all traces of disappointment off her face and did her best to contain her joy. She turned to face the man behind her with a polite smile.

“I’m looking for Queenie!” she answered. Well, I couldn’t possibly tell him that I was looking for him.