Jessie could not be any happier to have Katherine with her in the car. George couldn't try to do anything intimate or well... she knew that if that man both his lips close to her again she would be tempted to bite it off.
But the moment they stepped out of the car Katherine basically dashed away from her and George, the lucky bitch. She was his date, which meant pulling his hands back up to her waist when it began to wonder down the swell of her ass, with an awkward laugh.
Jason and Paul on the other had could not be bothered to leave Katherine's side. And well, just between the both of them... keep Jessie in sight, at all times.
And just as planned, Jessie stole all the attention as she walked into the room. People could barely take their eyes of her.
"It is had for a murderous actress to walk back into society, you know." Paul said as they watched her play her part with complete effortlessness.
"Yoi think that's the reason?" Katherine asked.
Paul shrugged. "I mean what else could it be?"
"Her beauty." Jason replied absentmindly.
"Oh please, Katherine looks just as beautiful as her. If I had to choose I'd choose Katherine anytime." Paul scoffed.
And Katherine's heart stopped beating at once. Did Paul Song, really just compliment her? The man that loved to say even though Jessie was more beautiful he'd choose her. Now she was just as beautiful and he would still choose her. Suddenly Katherine wished that all the women in the world were Jessie, so that he'd choose her in that moment. She was s-
"Who the hell are you Kidding?" Jason snorted.
Well that was nice while it lasted, she was just as beautiful as Jessie for what? Five seconds?
"But truly Katherine you really look breathtaking." Jason stated, brushing a stray strand of her dark hair away from her face.
Looking up at him she smiled. "Thank you."
"Now let's find anything that could lead us to your father." Jason said.
"Are you sure this will work?" Paul sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I have to try, if not I just came here for nothing. At least we know somehow he's connected the Lee's, this party... he couldn't have gotten the invite if he wasn't someone close to the Lee's. And thankfully they held the fundraiser in the Lee house. They needed someone to take the attention of the billboard doctor, and who better than the social pariah herself.
"Fine we'll wait until George is up there giving his speech." Paul repeated the plan and they both nodded.
Jessie needed to be anywhere but here right now with this man. And the fact that Jason was just a few steps away also did not sit right with her, at all. And it irked her how his gaze never strayed from her for too long.
"Hey, Jessie..."
"What the hell do you want? I thought we agreed that when I'm on this side of the house you would be on the farthest opposite end." She frowned.
"I don't want to fight." He said, she scoffed. "You're going to spend the whole night with George, I just want you to be safe."
She laughed. "You don't have that right. And besides it not the first time I'm meeting George-"
"I'm well aware." He stated his tone carrying hints of anger jealousy. She ignored it.
"Well it's not the second or third either." She added.
"I could care less. All I'm trying to say is I don't need your..." she rotated her wrist in the air, her fingers together and pointed at him. "...advice."
"Fine."
"Good."
"But doesn't mean I won't still lookout for you." He said.
"I don't want your help."
"I'm giving it anyway."
And true to his word he hadn't looked away from her all night. "Jessie, you're going shatter that flute if you keep squeezing it like that." George whispered into her ears. She turned away from him and emptied the contents into her stomach and deposited the cup on the passing tray.
"Are you okay?" He asked and instead of snapping she held herself in time and gave him a fake smile.
"I'm fine." She said, but at the end of the day a she said it a little too quickly.
"You can tell me if you aren't." He insisted, holding her chin with his thumb and index finger and turning her face to his.
An action Jessie decided that she had come to hate.
Biting the inside of her mouth she frowned. "Of course I'm not, I told you I didn't want to come here. Look at how everyone is staring. It's very unnerving and too uncomfortable." She said.
George face softened a bit, his arm on the small of her back wrapped around her waist as he brought her closer to himself. "Aren't you used to the attention?"
Jessie looked around the room. The judgement and despise weren't as obvious but she could feel the intensity just as much as it was when she walked into the room. "Aren't you supposed to hide me away for your reputation?" She asked.
"Why would I do that? I don't care what people think?" He snorted.
"And your business? Isn't this going to make people boycott your products in the market?"
"Like hell it will, besides any body foolish enough to walk away from our products was not worthy enough to use them." He added.
Jessie didn't know weather to be pleased about his determination or pity the repercussions. Sure Lee products where high end, but they were also grossly overpriced. Most of their profits came from loyal consumers, lose that and you are courting disaster. Besides she felt horrible, she actually did. The first time they walked into this party and she saw the glares, noticed how people actively avoided her, it was like some grabbed her lifted her off her feet, suffocating her. The murmurs, everything she felt grateful. Grateful that Paul always spoke up when it was about Jason's reputation. That Jason always listened to he- wait a minute.
Jason didn't do any of that because Paul asked him to, he didn't even do it because she asked. He did it because..."he was trying to protect me from this." Tears pricked at the sides of her face.
"Did you say something?" George asked. "Jessie? Is something wrong?"
"I... I..." can't breathe "I need the bathroom, where is it?"
The both turned to stage where the MC was calling on George for his speech.
"Jessie." He said again.
"Just go, I'll be fine. Please, please let it stop, I can't bare their glares." She pleaded.