AN: Here you go, a bonus chapter. See ya all tomorrow.
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The front door opened.
Max stood in the entryway in panda pajama pants, one sock on, holding a tub of mango sorbet and a spoon in her mouth. She looked up from her TV just in time to see Alex walk in, bags in both hands. He stopped near the door and dropped the bags on the floor. Caroline entered after him.
Max dropped the sorbet.
Literally.
It hit the carpet with a wet plop.
"Moneybags!" she shouted, launching herself at him.
Alex had exactly 1.2 seconds to brace himself before Max slammed into him with a hug that felt more like being tackled by a golden retriever in heat. He grabbed her waist and pulled her up as she wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist.
Their mouths collided in a way that made Caroline roll her eyes so hard they practically clicked. It was all teeth, tongue, and what sounded suspiciously like a purr. Max clung to him like her life depended on absorbing his entire face, and Alex didn't seem interested in oxygen anymore either. He spun and pressed her against the nearest wall, hands planted on her hips, still lifting her like she weighed less than a feather and more than his self-control.
Max broke the kiss only to gasp, "Four. Days."
"Tragedy," Alex panted, diving back in and smooching her.
Caroline, completely unfazed, casually shut the door behind them. "Okay, okay. Take it easy. You're both acting like one of you returned from war and the other's made of Nutella."
Neither responded. Just more lip-smacking and gasps.
"Great. I'm talking to myself now," Caroline muttered, grabbing the gift bags near the door. "I'll just... take these to the couch then. Keep doing what you're doing, no one's judging. Yet." She waltzed into the living room and dropped them on the couch. "If they start humping before dessert, I'm putting on noise-canceling headphones and watching Shrek 2." (Caroline has no idea what Alex bought. He said it's a surprise for Max, so she'll be the one to see them first.)
Back by the door, Max finally pulled apart, gasping for air. Her lips were swollen, a string of saliva connecting them as her forehead rested against Alex's. Her voice was a breathy, slightly unhinged whisper.
"I missed you so much I almost started licking your pictures on the fridge."
Alex chuckled, brushing his nose against hers. "That's weirdly sweet and a little disturbing."
"I was emotionally unstable. And lonely. And I watched The Notebook twice. TWICE, Moneybags."
"That explains the texts about duck-shaped bathtubs and tragic scarf weather."
"I was vulnerable!"
Caroline yelled from the living room, "And I was the one who had to hear her cry over a Dorito that looked like your jawline in the middle of the night."
"I still have it in a Tupperware," Max mumbled.
Alex kissed her again, shorter this time, "I brought gifts."
Max's eyes lit up like a raccoon spotting a jewelry store. "Gifts?!"
He gently set her down, and she immediately sprinted to the couch and dropped to her knees like a kid on Christmas morning, and practically dove into the bags.
Caroline sat off to the side, legs crossed, watching like she was at a zoo exhibit.
First out of the bag: a box wrapped in a matte black paper.
Max ripped it open and pulled out a scarlet bikini. It was tiny and strappy. "Oh my God," she breathed. Then a neon turquoise one. Then lavender with gold trim. Then a black set with silver buckles.
"Four new bikinis?" she gasped. "Are you trying to give me a swimsuit-induced ego problem?"
Caroline whistled. "That red one is criminal. I hope you have sunscreen and a lawyer."
Next bag: a pale pink box tied with a white ribbon. Max untied it fast.
She froze.
Bridal lingerie in white lace features thin straps and delicate pearls sewn into the bodice. Beneath it lies a black set with mesh panels and minimal coverage. And underneath that, a striking blood-red ensemble, complete with satin cups and a matching garter.
Max stared, wide-eyed. "Holy hell."
Alex leaned against the wall, arms folded, watching. "Figured you could use options."
Caroline leaned in. "Yeah, options between ruining a man and sending him into a coma."
Max was already digging again. Next: two leather jackets. One cropped, one oversized. Max grinned. "You remembered my sizes."
"Obviously," Alex said.
Then, three shoeboxes were opened. Max lifted the first lid, revealing black stiletto boots. The second box contained strappy heels in rose gold. The third box held white high-knee boots adorned with gold accents, Max-style.
She clutched the boots to her chest. "You keep spoiling me like this, and I'll never let you out of the bedroom."
Caroline muttered, "How are you always horny?"
Next bag: a velvet jewelry box. Inside, two sets of earrings. The first one's silver lightning bolts and the other, a minimalist black diamond pair. Beneath them, a thin silver necklace with a small star-shaped pendant.
Max blinked. "You remembered my little window-shopping story? The one I said I couldn't afford as a kid." She stared at the necklace like it was something sacred.
Caroline finally said, softly, "Damn. You're gonna make her cry."
"I'm not crying," Max said, eyes glistening. "I'm blinking aggressively because of the air conditioning."
Alex walked over and crouched beside her, his voice low. "I listen, Max. Even when you think I don't."
She swallowed hard, then took the necklace from the box and held it in her palm. "You're ridiculous."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
She launched forward again and this time for a hug, not a pounce, and buried her face in his neck. "You're the worst. I love you. You're so stupid."
"I know," he murmured, holding her tight. "I love you too."
Caroline cleared her throat. "Okay, okay. That's enough emotional depth. We've hit the 'chest clutching while whispering sweet nothings' part. I'm getting diabetes."
Max pulled away and wiped under her eyes. "Fine. I'll cry later when I'm alone and eating mango sorbet on the kitchen floor." She sniffled once, then sat back on her heels, pulling her hair behind her ears as she reached for the final bag. It was smaller, lighter. She looked at Alex, eyebrows raised. "What's in here? A tiny pet? A scroll that says I've been adopted by a billionaire?"
"Just open it," he said.
She peeled back the tissue paper and pulled out two boxes.
The first: dark brown, ribboned in gold. She opened it and blinked.
"Chocolate," she said, holding up a small piece shaped like a star. "Fancy and expensive. Probably filled with some endangered hazelnut."
Caroline reached over, snagged one, and popped it into her mouth before Max could react. "Oh yeah. That's got wealth written all over it."
Max swatted at her half-heartedly, then opened the second box. Her reaction was immediate. She laughed hard.
Inside: a big pack of gummy bears. Just... gummy bears. Normal, bright, fruity, ridiculous gummy bears.
She looked up at Alex, eyes shining with humor now. "This is the kind of balance I need in my life."
"You said once you wanted to 'drown in luxury and gummy bears,'" he said. "I just got literal with it."
Max reached into the box and pulled out a handful of bears, popping two into her mouth. "Thanks. For the gifts. I really like them all."
"You're welcome," he said, taking one for himself. "The green ones are still the best."
"No way," Caroline chimed in, holding a chocolate in one hand and a gummy bear in the other. "Red ones. Don't argue."
"You're both wrong," Max mumbled through a mouthful. "White ones win. They are pineapple flavored. They are the rarest of all. You get like 6 or 7 in a pack."
[20 minutes later] [Alex and Caroline freshened up.]
The laughter from gummy bear debates was still echoing when Alex's phone buzzed, screen lighting up with "Rachel Titan 🔪💅"—her chosen emoji signature. The sound was barely audible over the background noise of Max chewing like a criminally hot raccoon and Caroline softly arguing with a gummy bear about flavor politics.
Alex swiped to answer, already bracing himself.
"Hey, Rach..."
Rachel's voice came through like a caffeine-fueled thunderstorm. "Alex. You need to get your billionaire ass to the studio. Now."
He blinked. "Uh. I just walked in. What happened?"
"Nothing's happened. Everything is exactly where it should be. That's the problem. You're the last piece."
Alex sat forward slowly. "Okay, walk me through it."
Rachel's voice shifted into her rapid-fire CEO tone:
"The trailer for the alien movie is ready. Although the VFX work and editing are still ongoing. You need to check it out before the launch."
"Second, I have two piles of paper on your desk: New scrips, new model greenlists, collab offers, anime recruitment lists, a list of new talents looking for a breakthrough, some charity papers, and a few other important papers related to your books and comics."
"Third, the King Kong project wrapped yesterday. Final cut is in post. You're required to check that before the international screen test."
"Fourth, listen carefully. We've finished the launch materials for Max, Caroline, and Angelina Jolie. That means: Mags? Ready. Billboards? Lit. TV ads? Cued. Airport kiosks? Brighter than the sun. All that's missing? Your approval."
Alex rubbed his temples. "Rachel, that's like... a month's work."
"For mortals, yes," she said coolly. "You, however, have assistants, an armored SUV, and zero excuses. Your schedule is locked. You're mine for the next four days. Buckle up, Hollywood Daddy."
Alex groaned and leaned back with a sigh so loud that Max and Caroline turned to look.
"Ah! Crap."
Rachel didn't miss a beat. "Oh, and heads up: Tomorrow's Scarlett's birthday. I hope you've prepared something for her. And, if you want to spend some quality time with her, you must complete at least half of these shit ton of work. You've got less than 24 hours. This time I won't be able to help you out. I have to check up on the Titan clothing production, new energy drinks, then new movie theatres, stores, and your cupcake girls' new store expansions. So, no blowjobs or sex from me for the next few days. Good luck, Boss. Don't die on me."
Alex hung up the phone like it had personally insulted his ancestors. He stared at the ceiling. Exhaled. Stared some more.
Max raised an eyebrow. "So… was that a business call or a murder threat?"
Caroline, now laying sideways across the couch with her legs over the armrest and one chocolate stuffed in each cheek like a sugar-fueled hamster, mumbled, "Sounded like both."
Alex ran both hands down his face. "That was Rachel. The Rachel. Schedule-god Rachel. She just invoked the Four Horsemen of Deadlinepocalypse."
Caroline slowly sat up and squinted at him. "You okay?"
"I think I just got drafted into a corporate war I didn't sign up for," Alex said. "My to-do list is longer than Max's Amazon cart."
Max blinked. "That's not a to-do list. That's a cry for help."
Alex pointed vaguely at the air. "Apparently, I have trailers to review, talent contracts to greenlight, collaborations to approve, a King Kong to check on, and oh yeah... Scarlett's birthday is tomorrow."
"I got a nice little gift for her," Max said with a thumbs up.
"Me too. I bought it last week," Caroline chimed in. Then she noticed Alex's expression. "Do you have a gift for her?"
"Yeah. Got that covered. It's just that too much workload at the office."
There was a silence so profound, the gummy bears judged him.
Max was about to say something... But Alex said, "Don't. Just... Haaa..." He sighed and stopped for a moment. "Alright. I'll see you girls tomorrow at the party. Sorry Max. As much as I'd like to spend some time with you... Work calls. Let me just wrap up all these, and then I'll clear my schedule for another vacation."
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[8:00 PM | Titan HQ | Alex's Office]
Alex sat at his desk, sleeves rolled, expression all business. In front of him: three glossy portfolios. He signed the last approval page and leaned back.
The Titan clothing campaign was a go. The final signatures sent the marketing machine into high gear. Monday morning, Max, Caroline, and Angelina's faces would dominate everything from Times Square billboards to international Vogue covers, airport kiosks, and every third commercial break on national TV. Global saturation in Titan style.
Next came the next mountain: a stack of new scripts.
These weren't amateur hour. Every file had already been filtered through Titan's preliminary gatekeepers. But there were still dozens like a buffet of "passion projects," "surefire hits," and "next-gen classics," plus "disaster scripts" all begging for his attention.
He skimmed.
One flop script about a world where smoothie cups are an advanced lifeform? Rejected.
A horror-comedy involving haunted YT influencers? Deleted.
A musical drama set in a futuristic world where women rule? Absolutely not.
He sifted through the chaos...
Then he found three scripts worth betting everything on.
1. The Pursuit of Happyness
2. The Devil Wears Prada
3. Zathura: A Space Adventure
He set up a meeting with the directors and his own legal team next month.
Next was the Alien trailer. He checked the 1 minute 30 seconds trailer, and it was perfect. The suspense and horror were there without completely revealing the aliens, just the eggs, shadows, sound effects of the alien and the tail, and a few characters. He decided to release the trailer tomorrow on Scarlett's birthday.
Alex then stood up and stretched his back with a grunt. Then let out a large yawn. There was still another pile of papers waiting for him.
"Haaa. I shouldn't have taken so many projects together. Next time, let's go one step at a time," He said to himself as he rubbed his eyes. Even with super endurance and focus, going through that many papers was annoying as hell. But work is work. "Alright, Alex. Time to check on the finance reports." He sat down on his chair again.
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[7 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] [No double billing.]
[Brooklyn 99> 13 chs] [Deadpool> 5 chs] > Early access.
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