AN: YAY! 100 CHS. MORE POWERSTONES.
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One Month Later
Lost in Translation finally hit theaters.
After weeks of heavy promotion, the campaign was everywhere. Tom Hanks worked the late-night circuit like a pro. Scarlett Johansson gave interview after interview. Anna Faris managed to turn a morning show appearance into a running internet joke. And in the background of it all, the name on everyone's lips in Hollywood was Alex Wilson.
Director. Producer. Up-and-coming powerhouse.
The movie opened to decent numbers. Respectable. Solid.
But not explosive.
It didn't help that its main competition was DOOM—an action-heavy video game adaptation that launched like a rocket. All blood, guns, and hype. DOOM owned the opening weekend. Lost in Translation came in quieter, softer, like it knew it didn't need to shout to be heard.
Still, Alex had expected more.
He didn't panic. He didn't even flinch. He just watched. He knew that Doom was bound to flop, thanks to his past life's information.
Then the second week hit.
That was when everything changed.
The reviews rolled in, and people actually started paying attention.
Critics called it subtle, beautiful, slow in all the right ways. Tom Hanks was being praised for his most human performance in years. Scarlett's name was suddenly everywhere. Articles called it a film that lingered in your bones. The kind that whispered instead of screamed.
By Wednesday, DOOM was being review-bombed online. Audiences turned. By Friday, theaters were already shifting showtimes to meet demand for Lost in Translation.
Word of mouth exploded.
On AIM, MySpace bulletins, and message boards, people were saying the same thing.
Go see it. Just trust me.
[Max & Caroline's apartment]
Max sat on the couch in Caroline's apartment, scrolling through movie forums on her chunky silver laptop. Her legs were tossed over the armrest. Her hair was up in a messy clip.
"This one guy said it made him call his ex just to hear her voice," she said, reading off the screen. "Another said he didn't cry, but he sat in the parking lot for like twenty minutes after."
Caroline walked in from the kitchen with a soda can. "You're telling me Alex made a grown man sit in his Toyota and contemplate his life?"
Max smirked. "Yup."
"Hot."
Lilly leaned against the window, flipping through a magazine. Alex's face was on page twelve, half-smiling in a dark suit.
"He's in Entertainment Weekly," she said, holding it up. "God, he cleans up nice. Like... movie star nice."
Max shot her a look.
Lilly raised both hands. "Relax. I'm just admiring the work of a clearly competent and extremely photogenic director-slash-boyfriend."
"Keep it up and I'll spill grape soda on that magazine."
"Fine, possessive."
Suddenly, a thought hit Max's brain...
Max narrowed her eyes and sat up straighter on the couch. "Wait a second. What the hell are you doing in our apartment anyway? Aren't you, like… busy being famous? Don't you have auditions, costume fittings, something involving a stunt double?"
Lilly shrugged as she sauntered over to the fridge and opened it like she paid rent. "I wrapped filming last week. I have three days off before I fly to Vancouver. Besides, your fridge has better snacks and Caroline's floor is comfier than my overpriced condo."
Caroline, now seated on the kitchen counter with her soda, gave a lazy salute. "We take pride in our guest services. Floor included."
Max tossed a pillow in Lilly's direction. "You didn't even knock."
Lilly caught the pillow with a smug grin and tossed it back. "Didn't need to. Caroline gave me a key."
"You gave her a key?"
"She brings good wine and always finishes the leftovers. That's roommate-level loyalty."
Max leaned back into the couch, muttering under her breath. "This place is turning into a free-for-all."
Caroline sipped her soda, unfazed. "It's the price of having a boyfriend who's suddenly Hollywood's golden boy. You're the new epicenter, Max. Get used to the gravitational pull. Meanwhile, I'll try to take over your top position during our date next week."
"Ha! Nice one. You can try," Max smirked with her usual confidence. Then she turned toward Lilly. "What are you looking at? Smiling and all?"
Lilly opened the freezer, found a pineapple popsicle, and bit into it like she was trying to prove a point. "Nothing. You two yell at each other constantly, but still act like you'd die without one another. It's comforting."
Max rolled her eyes. "It's called functional chaos. You wouldn't understand."
"I work in chaos," Lilly said. "The difference is, you people make it look cute."
Caroline hopped down from the counter, stretching like a cat. "You know what your problem is, Max?"
Max didn't even look up. "This should be good."
"You think being on top means you're automatically in control."
"I am in control," Max replied, flicking the tab on her soda. "I'm the OG. The first. The one who took him for a spin when the rest of you were still making flirty eye contact."
Lilly licked the popsicle and grinned. "And yet, every time he walks into a room, you go soft like a microwaved marshmallow."
"I do not."
"You do. Your face does that dumb glow thing."
Max tried to deny it but Caroline jumped in, pointing. "See? That's the face. Right there. The 'he looked at me like I'm the only girl in a world full of Victoria's Secret models' face."
"I hate you both," Max said, tossing another pillow. It hit Caroline in the ribs.
Lilly caught her gaze. "So what happens when someone else takes the lead?"
Max raised a brow. "Are you applying for the position?"
Lilly shrugged. "Just saying. He's dating all of us. It's not like this is a monarchy. More like a hot, sweaty democracy."
Caroline leaned against the fridge. "Honestly? I like not being the lead. Less pressure. More play. But I do like watching when Max gets all territorial. Makes the air spicy."
Max muttered into her drink, "I'm not territorial. I just have... standards."
Lilly smirked. "You mean like how Alex can't touch me for longer than seven minutes without you conveniently walking into the room?"
"That happened once."
"Three times."
Max pointed a finger. "You're counting. That's creepy."
Caroline cut in, voice low, teasing. "But you feel it, right? That tension?"
Max glanced between them, then exhaled slowly. "Yeah. I feel it."
They fell quiet for a second. The TV was on mute. A low hum buzzed from the fridge. Somewhere outside, a car rolled past with its bass up just loud enough to rattle the window slightly.
Caroline leaned back on the counter again, watching Max. "You ever think about just... letting it shift?"
Max blinked. "Shift how?"
"Letting someone else lead. Just once. Not giving it all up. Just... trying it."
Lilly grinned, teeth sharp. "Letting go's not your thing, is it?"
"No," Max admitted. "I've always been the one with the grip."
Caroline walked over to the couch, sitting sideways, legs curled under her. "You think he notices?"
"Alex?" Max tilted her head. "Of course he does. He notices everything. That's what makes it so damn hard."
Lilly joined them, sitting on the floor, popsicle now a sticky stick in her hand. "He doesn't push it though."
"No. He never does," Max said. "Which just makes me want to push myself."
"You're scared."
Max didn't respond at first. She stared at the ceiling like maybe the answer would be carved into the drywall.
Caroline leaned in, voice softer now. "You know he loves you. It's not a game. No one's trying to steal him. We're just... orbiting the same sun."
"I know," Max said quietly.
Lilly added, "And sometimes gravity pulls differently. Doesn't mean the center changes."
Caroline reached for Max's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You don't have to fight us. You could... I don't know. Let it burn slowly for once. Let him lead. Let us lead."
Max looked between the two of them. "You're not just talking about the relationship."
Caroline gave her a lazy smirk. "Oh, honey. We're absolutely talking about sex."
Lilly chimed in, eyes glittering. "Because let's be real... you've had the top spot. You've had his hands and mouth and whatever other magic tricks he keeps hidden under those T-shirts. You've probably experienced the best treat behind our backs."
Max went quiet again. Her cheeks flushed, remembering all the crazy stuff they always do behind the closed doors of her or his bedroom. Recently, Max has taken a liking to BDSM and jokingly asked Alex to build a BDSM chamber with all types of sex toys.
Caroline picked up the remote and unmuted the TV. "He's good, you know. When you give him control. Doesn't rush. Doesn't take more than he knows you're ready for. But when you let go..." she trailed off, lips quirking into a slow smile. "Goddamn. He knows all your weak spots and well... You already know what happens next."
"Oh, yeah," Lilly smiled, remembering her intense orgasm Alex gave her with his mouth that made her almost unconscious.
Thus their usual banter continued...
...
[Two Weeks Later]
[Wilson Studios – Friday Afternoon]
Alex leaned back in his oversized chair, legs stretched out in front of him, a pen tucked between his teeth. Across the glass table, reports were stacked in organized chaos, audience engagement, global distribution, and theater retention rates. All of them said the same thing: Lost in Translation wasn't just succeeding.
It was dominating.
Rachel sat sideways across his lap, flipping through Variety with one hand, sipping from a bottle of sparkling water with the other.
"Doom's gone," she said simply.
Alex glanced up. "Pulled?"
"Every major theater chain. Last Sunday was the final blow. Revenue dropped sixty percent in forty-eight hours. Critics are calling it the most over-hyped adaptation in the last decade." She smirked, folding the magazine shut. "Meanwhile, we just locked Japan and Italy for full theatrical runs."
Alex tapped the side of his pen against the desk, half-listening, half-savoring the moment.
"Tokyo's response?" he asked.
Rachel turned to another page in her planner. "Better than we predicted. Hanks played well with international audiences. Subtitled screenings are selling out. You hit a nerve over there."
"What about the Academy?" he asked.
Rachel raised an eyebrow. "You mean besides the fact that we're already on three shortlists?"
"No. I mean the real buzz."
She leaned back slightly, studying him. "Word is, you're getting in. Picture. Director. Screenplay. Possibly Actor and Actress. I guess, you locked another year, again."
Alex didn't react with a smile or fist pump. Instead, he exhaled slowly, as if letting the pressure drain from his chest.
"Hell of a thing," he murmured.
Rachel grinned and stood, brushing off her blazer. "You earned it. And so did they. Now go home. You look like you've been living under a color-grading monitor for six months."
Alex stood, grabbed his coat, and paused. "Hey."
Rachel turned.
"Wanna grab some lunch?"
[Scarlett's Apartment]
Scarlett sat on her balcony, legs tucked under her in a faded UCLA sweatshirt, sipping coffee from a mug that said "Introvert Energy." The morning breeze teased her hair. It was a windy day today.
Her inbox was in chaos.
New scripts. Studio offers. Foreign producers. Indie directors begging for meetings. Subject lines like Starring Role Opportunity and Untitled Oscar Bait Project – Lead Female Offer flooded her notifications. Her assistant had created three folders just to keep track of who was asking for what. Everyone wanted her.
But Scarlett hadn't replied to a single one.
Inside, her mom's voice carried from the living room.
"You're really not going to at least read the script from Paramount? They sent over a handwritten note. Handwritten, Scar."
Scarlett sighed. "I don't want it."
Vanessa was lying on the couch, eating cereal and flipping through a tabloid. "You don't want any of it? You're passing on, like, fifty movies. That's gotta be a world record."
Scarlett leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. "I already committed to something. Three films. With Wilson Studios."
Her mom stepped onto the balcony, arms crossed. "Golden Boy, again?"
Scarlett smiled without opening her eyes. "Yep. That Golden Boy."
Vanessa popped her head around the corner, grinning. "Look at you, all lovey-dovey. Didn't you have dinner with him three times this week?"
"Twice," Scarlett corrected.
"Three," Vanessa said. "I stalk your calendar. You had a 'work dinner' on Tuesday, then you had 'script notes dinner' on Thursday, and then 'creative brainstorming session' last night. So, how's the dating going? Everything well and good? Or..."
"Shut it, Vanessa," Scarlett sighed. "It's not like that. We were talking work."
"Sure," Vanessa said, smirking. "And the fact that he stares at you like you're a human movie trailer? Just business. I think I'll ask him to cast me in one of his movies. Then we too will go on business dinners. Free food, handsome date, caring guy. What more could a lady want?"
"Don't even dare, V," Scarlett said while grinding her teeth with a sinister smile.
Her mom added, "He does have kind eyes. And he's always respectful when he talks about you in interviews. And he doesn't dress like a mess. That's a start."
Scarlett blinked slowly. "I'm not marrying him. I signed on for a trilogy, not a honeymoon."
Vanessa snorted. "You say that, but your face goes soft every time he texts."
Scarlett pulled out her phone. "No, it doesn't."
Ping! A text message...
She unlocked it. Right at the top was a text from Alex.
'Morning. I was thinking of hitting the race tracks today. You free? Around 2 PM?'
Scarlett stared at the message, thumb hovering.
Vanessa watched her. "See? That right there. You're glowing."
Scarlett locked her phone and dropped it onto the balcony chair. "I am not glowing. I'm sleep-deprived and trying to plan my next year with a man who doesn't know how to rest. That's not glowing. That's stress."
"Sure," Vanessa said, stretching. "Stress that brings you desserts and writes you into movie history."
Her mom leaned on the railing. "So what are these trilogy films?"
"Aliens."
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[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS PLS]-
Support link: www.patr eon.com/UnknownMaster
[7 advance chs] + [17 chs of Two and a Half Men: Waking up as Charlie Harper] [All chs available for all tiers]
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AN: As you have already seen that I've focused on Max a bit too much. So, next I'll be focusing on Caroline, SJ, and you'll see some interesting background of MC. [And as my fav, Max will be there too lol.] Time to aim for another 100 chs. Thanks for all the support.