JoAnna's meeting ended and she saw that Emma and Charlie are not in sight at the spot they agreed to meet up. She got her phone with an intention to call Emma.
"Good morning, Anna!", a pleasant deep male voice greeted her.
JoAnna looked up. "Good morning, Jules."
Jules was happy to see JoAnna's faint smile. After what happened at her wedding, he feared that she will refuse talking to him. "I didn't know you will come to the set today. Do you have time for a coffee?"
"I'm supposed to meet with friends here." JoAnna responded while keeping her phone back in her purse.
"We can have a coffee at the stand there until your friends come." Jules offered while gesturing to the nearby trailer converted into a coffee shop. "We didn't see each other in a long time. It will be nice to catch up."
JoAnna thought for few seconds. "Sure."
Two of them got coffee, Jules' treat, and they took a seat at one of three tables in front of the shop.
"Is your honeymoon over? How is the married life treating you?", Jules asked questions like any good friend would do.
JoAnna observed him. "We are in the city. Married life is great. While on the topic of marriage, why did you try to crash on my wedding?"
Jules shifted his eyes nervously. Seeing that she greeted him nicely and even accepted an offer for a coffee, he thought that she forgot. Maybe even that she is not aware of him trying to get into her rehearsal dinner and wedding… after all, bodyguards handled it. In any case, he didn't think that she would ask him this directly. No matter how many times they spoke, he can't get used to her straightforward talk. Why can't she be more tactful? But he is an actor, and he will not show any weakness.
He placed his hand over his chest exaggeratedly. "What do you mean by crashing? We are friends, aren't we? One of the screenwriters was unable to attend your wedding, so he gave me his invitation. Is there something wrong with me wanting to attend my friend's wedding and share your happiness?"
JoAnna was not willing to let this topic go.
"Nothing wrong with you wanting to...", JoAnna mused. "But wanting and actually attempting are two different things. Also, the invitations are not transferable. On top of that, you showed up on my rehearsal dinner which was not included with the invitation you obtained. Can you explain that?"
"I found out about it accidentally and I didn't see anything wrong in showing up. Did you forget that I'm a celebrity? With me present, every event dazzles more. But if I knew that your security would be so rude to knock me out, I would not come."
JoAnna raised an eyebrow while listening to Jules speak. That was a lame excuse. Did he think it will work?
"Security was doing their job. Whoever shows up without an invitation and wants to come in even after a warning, gets knocked out in order to prevent escalation. And at my wedding, I want to be the most dazzling one."
Jules chuckled. "Is that why you didn't invite me? You are afraid that I will outshine you?"
JoAnna's brows furrowed. "Do you even hear yourself?"
Jules adjusted his mood. "Sorry, sorry. I would definitely not outshine you. I heard that the wedding was very classy. I'm still not over the fact how that persistently annoying woman told the guards to escort me like I'm some trash. That is not how you treat friends. Luckily for you, I am magnanimous, and I forgive you."
JoAnna's mouth twitched while thinking, how fake can he be? "That persistently annoying woman is my sister. And she was acting in line with her responsibilities: not allowing anyone without an invitation in."
Jules rolled his eyes. "Do we need to talk about it?"
"Yes! I really want to know why did you preserve in your attempts to come to my wedding despite the fact that I didn't invite you."
"I'm confused. Why is it so difficult for you to accept that I want to be friends with you?"
JoAnna rubbed her forehead. This Jules is blabbering about friendship since that event at Golden Ocean Resort. But his behavior screams that he has a hidden agenda. Why else would he forget about his dignity whenever he speaks to her? Even when she openly confronts him about things that should upset a person with a fraction of his ego, he still swallows it and smiles like she complimented him. Does he think that she is stupid?
She shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just tired. Newlyweds don't get much sleep."
JoAnna stood up. "I will go and wash my face. Will you be here and watch my stuff? I will be back in a minute."
"Sure, sure, no problem.", Jules stood up with her and smiled amiably.
JoAnna walked away without looking back.
At the table, Jules watched JoAnna's retreating back until she entered the nearby building. His eyes flashed when his sight landed on her phone which she left on the table. Jules swiftly got a small device from his black messenger's bag and plugged it into her phone. His eyes nervously darted between the building entry door and the device which showed percentage increasing: '41%... 42%... 43%...'
Jules rubbed his chin nervously while chanting internally for the copy process to hurry up.
He rubbed his forehead anxiously and realized that he is sweating. After so many attempts, finally he got a chance to get something!
'65%... 66%...'
He took a deep breath. 'Come on, come on…'
Jules didn't breathe when counter crossed 90%.
As soon as it reached 100%, he swiftly unplugged the device and kept it in his bag.
A second later, JoAnna exited the building.
Jules smiled at his luck. He managed to copy files from her phone! Ha! He has something to show to his boss!
"You are in a good mood.", JoAnna observed when she returned.
Jules confirmed cheerfully. "Yes, yes. I'm happy we got a chance to catch up. But I need to head out now, or I will be late for shooting of my scenes."
"Sure, not a problem. We will continue next time." JoAnna waved.
"Next time." Jules waved back and walked away with a big smile on his face.
As soon as Jules entered his private dressing room, he locked the door and made a call.
"Tell the boss that I've got all the data from JoAnna's phone. When can I expect that someone comes to pick it up? … Tonight works great. I will be at my place... No. I didn't manage to get any other information from her. She does not talk about her marriage or her husband. But data from her phone must have something! I saw her managing her schedule on it previously... Yes..."
When Jules ended the call, he was unable to suppress his smile because his boss will definitely praise him for good work. After so much scolding and being called useless, he will get a 'good job, Jules' . And it might come with a bonus!
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