Jessica lifted her gaze to meet Timothy’s eyes.
Timothy, for his part, seemed completely unfazed—his expression was as calm and composed as ever.
On the other end of the line, Ines was still speaking. “Anyway, I talked to Mr. Smith, and he’s hoping you’ll take on the role in his new film. Since Timothy is there too, why don’t you both discuss it and let Mr. Smith know what you decide?”
Timothy saw no need for Jessica to say anything further—Ines had laid everything out clearly.
He replied for Jessica, “Alright. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
“Great. It’s getting late, so I’ll let you go.”
With that, Ines hung up.
A heavy silence settled between them before Timothy finally spoke. “Ines told me tonight that you’ve been preparing seriously for this—wanting to take on the character in Mr. Smith’s new movie.”
Jessica shot Timothy a cold, measured look, her hands moving in practiced sign language. “So you came all the way out here tonight just to talk this over with me?”
“More or less,” Timothy admitted without hesitation.
He didn’t realize that his honesty was like a knife, digging deep into Jessica’s heart.
He cared so much about Sheila’s career, her future.
And now, once again, he was asking Jessica to make a sacrifice.
“Alright, then tell me—what do you want?” Jessica’s signing was calm, her movements steady.
She wanted to see just how far Timothy would go to negotiate on Sheila’s behalf.
Part of him was here to talk about Sheila’s role. The other part—he was here to bring Jessica home for the holidays.
It was a time for family to come together, not stay apart.
“I’ve got three proposals,” Timothy said.
Jessica’s lips curled into a barely-there, mocking smile.
How thoughtful of him—three options, no less.
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