AN: Well, here you go. Late, but I decided to atleast drop 1 more chapter before Christmas.

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  [Morning]

  Alex, Halle, and Angelina spent the morning touring their potential new homes, which sounded a lot more gmorous than they actually were. By noon, they were three coffees deep, one sarcasm away from emotional colpse, and officially unimpressed.

  House 1 looked perfect online. In person, it looked like bck mold was trying to file for residency. Halle gagged the moment she opened a closet. Angelina stepped inside the undry room and walked back out in record time.

  "Nope. Absolutely not," she said.

  House 2 had charm, good sunlight, a great kitchen, a rooftop pool, and a big garage. But there was no space for future expansion. If they want to add another pool in the backyard, well, that won't be possible due to the very small space. Alex stared at it with disappointment.

  "My cars would sue me," he muttered.

  House 3 was clean. Good yard, nice finishes, a massive garage to hold at least six cars. And then they saw the floor pn. One hallway looped in on itself like an Escher drawing. The guest rooms were upstairs but the master bedroom was somehow behind the pantry. The bathroom next to the living room had two doors and both opened the wrong way.

  Halle walked the yout, then stopped. "This house feels like someone built it after losing a bet."

  Angelina pinched the bridge of her nose. "I cannot live in a pce where I need a map to find my own bedroom."

  They returned to the car. All three sat there with dead expressions, staring through the windshield like survivors of a disappointing HGTV marathon.

  Alex rubbed his jaw. "Okay. We have two choices. Keep hunting bad houses or build one that actually fits all of us."

  Halle raised her brow. "You mean start from scratch?"

  "Yeah," Alex said. "Let's purchase a nd, create our custom youts and everything exactly how we want it. It will take time, but it will be perfect."

  Angelina looked at him. The tiredness dropped from her face. "Custom dreamhouse?"

  "Yes."

  Halle leaned forward with interest. "With a movie room, a boxing area and a big kitchen?"

  Alex grinned. "Exactly. Just imagine a massive mansion, a rge pool in the big garden, and enough space for our car collection. And even then some room for future expansion."

  They exchanged a look. They were sold.

  Later that evening, he called the group in New York. Max answered first, hair tied up, fshcards scattered all over the table behind her.

  "So, fantasy build time?" she asked, perking up instantly.

  "Yep," Alex said. "No houses worked out. We are starting from zero and making our own."

  Max fist pumped. "Finally. A pce where I can design my room with three locks so Caroline stops stealing my hoodies."

  Caroline yelled from off-screen. "They are comfortable!"

  Evangeline joined the call from her room. "A custom house will solve everything. You can pn rooms properly. I'm up for it."

  Scarlett appeared too, touching up makeup between shots. She was in her makeup room, alone. "As long as I get a nice walk-in closet, I am in."

  Everyone agreed.

  A few days earlier, Alex talked with Rachel, and she didn't have any demands. She was okay with whatever he wants. As for Chloe, Alex decided to tell her ter since it's been a few months since they started seeing each other. He wanted to explore their retionship a bit more before asking her.

  Alex hung up and looked at Halle and Angelina.

  "Well," he said. "Looks like we are building a home."

  Halle smiled and leaned back on the couch. "About time. You know we always wanted something of our own."

  Angelina nodded. "Let's make it perfect."

  Alex exhaled with relief and excitement. "Then I'll have Rachel look for a perfect pce, then we'll design the yout."

  ...

  [Titan HQ LA]

  The next morning, Alex sat in his office with a mug of coffee. There were three stacks of modeling reports, two half-finished schedule drafts, and one tragic donut he kept forgetting to eat.

  He skimmed the test numbers from the modeling section and let out a satisfied nod.

  Ange White was leading the charts again. She was dominating, actually. Megan Fox and Bobbi Starr were locked in a dramatic second-pce tie. April O'Neil had slipped into third, but she was slowly climbing up.

  The modeling department was thriving. The new hires were killing it. Morale was up. Creativity was high. And best of all, not a single scandal had nded on his desk this week. A miracle.

  Alex tapped his pen on the table and muttered, "Alright. Time to capitalize."

  He pulled Ange White's profile onto the main monitor: recent shoot results, engagement spikes, and audience analytics. Well, she had the perfect mix of rising star power and confidence.

  He leaned back.

  "Yeah. She's our next cover."

  Her presence had that rare effect where even the lighting team looked proud of themselves. And Titan's premium bridal clothing line needed exactly that kind of firepower. Css, charisma, a bit of bite.

  Alex opened his notebook and wrote:

  Ange White

  Magazine cover for next week

  Lead model for Titan Bridal Elite Collection

  Schedule shoot ASAP

  He checked the clock. 10 AM. "Well, since she's already in LA, she can probably stay another day."

  Alex drafted the email.

  Subject: Change of Pns TonightRecipient: Ange White

  You just got promoted to the next level. You are next week's magazine cover model and the lead face of Titan's new bridal line. You earned this. So, if you don't have any prior pns, we can shoot tonight at 7 PM. If you have pns, we can dey it for two days. I expect your reply as soon as possible.

  Alex

  He read it once, nodded, and hit send.

  He leaned back, finally took a bite of the donut, and immediately regretted waiting that long. "Fuck!" He tossed it into the bin.

  ...

  [Ange's hotel room] [Los Angeles]

  Ange stepped out of the bathroom with her hair wrapped in a towel. She wiped the fog off the mirror, checked the time, and reached for her phone to see her flight reminder.

  New email.

  She tapped it.

  She froze.

  Her eyes widened.

  She reread it. Twice. A third time. Her heartbeat went into drumline mode. She slowly sat on the edge of the bed like someone who had just seen a ghost hand her a winning lottery ticket.

  Her brain: Wait. What.

  Her heart: HELLO, YES WE ARE HAVING EMOTIONS.

  Then it hit her.

  She spped both hands over her mouth...

  A squeak escaped.

  Followed by a scream full of joy that probably scared the poor soul in the room next door.

  She jumped to her feet, completely naked now because the towel fell off mid-celebration, and she did not care in the slightest. She broke into a wild happy dance across the room, completely naked, dripping water everywhere, looking like a victorious warrior who had just syed a dragon with pure determination and a good skincare routine.

  "YES! YES! YES!" she yelled, half crying, half ughing, bouncing in circles.

  All her te nights...

  All the brutal shoots...

  All the hours of training poses and fixing angles...

  ...Finally paid off.

  She stopped dancing only because she needed to wipe her face.

  "Magazine cover… bridal lead… oh my god…" Ange quickly mailed back, accepting the shoot.

  She let out another emotional ugh that cracked halfway through.

  Tonight at 7 PM

  This was it.

  Her big moment and her biggest breakthrough. If this works out, maybe Alex will promote her for the monthly magazine and she'll get even closer to getting that promised movie role.

  ...

  [Around 1 PM]

  Alex parked in the parking zone near a cafe. The sun was warm, the traffic was tolerable, and for once, he was not being chased by deadlines, actresses, or questionable donut decisions. He took care of all the files and the photoshoot setup.

  He went in and ordered a grilled sandwich, a sb of cheesecake, and a mojito. After grabbing his order from the counter, he scanned the cafe for a quiet corner.

  Instead, he spotted a familiar trio at a corner table.

  Richard Castle, looking excited enough to vibrate.

  Martha, in a blue gown, looked elegant as always.

  Alexis was wearing her cssic jeans and jacket, and she was trying to keep her father from doing something dramatic in public.

  Castle lifted his hand to wave like an overenthusiastic windsock. Alexis shot him a look that could halt a charging rhino. Castle immediately froze mid-wave, hand hanging in the air like he was signaling aircraft.

  Before any of them could decide what to do, Alex walked over.

  He smiled. "Mind if I join you?"

  Castle blinked. "Yes. I mean no. I mean yes you can. Sit. Please. Sit before I sound even dumber."

  Martha gave Alex a warm greeting. "Of course, dear. Sit with us."

  Alexis slid aside to make room. Alex took the seat next to her. She smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 'OH MY GOD! Breathe, girl. Alex Wilson is sitting beside you. Just breathe and don't say anything stupid.'

  "Hope I'm not interrupting anything important," Alex said, setting down his pte.

  Castle immediately perked up. "Absolutely not. We were just discussing the meaning of life. And lunch."

  Alexis nudged him. "We were discussing lunch."

  Castle whispered loudly, "Which is part of life."

  That earned a ugh from everyone, even Alexis, who tried to hide it by drinking water and immediately choked on air instead. Alex patted her back lightly.

  "You good?" he asked.

  She nodded while dying inside in the most dignified way possible. "Yep. Totally fine. Just inhaled the concept of lunch incorrectly."

  Alex then took a bite of his sandwich. "This is a surprise. I didn't expect to find you three here."

  Alexis leaned in a little, trying and failing to look casual. "We didn't expect to see you here either. I thought you were chained to your office most days."

  Alex smirked. "I sneak out. Quietly. Before anyone asks me to sign fifty documents or approve an explosion effect."

  Castle nodded like this was a sacred philosophy. "The great escape. Respect."

  Martha sipped her tea. "So this is how you clear your mind. Cafes and cheesecake."

  "Hey," Alex said. "Fresh air. Real people. Minus the chaos. It works."

  Castle tapped the table. "By the way, Alex, thank you again for the Red Carpet invite. I still can't believe we met half the people we met. Alexis almost fainted when she saw you."

  Alexis hid her face. "Dad, please."

  "You did," Castle said happily. "You made that noise and tched onto my arm for support."

  Alex choked on his drink a little. "Well, I'm fttered and sorry for making you faint."

  "It's alright," Alexis replied with a shy smile.

  Martha smiled. "It really was a delightful night. Thank you, dear."

  Alex shrugged. "Gd you enjoyed it."

  There was a small pause. Comfortable. The kind of quiet where everyone was smiling without needing to fill it right away.

  Then Alex set his gss down. "Actually, speaking of events, I was going to ask something. Would you like to attend the Oscars this month? April 23rd."

  Castle froze.

  Martha blinked.

  Alexis stared like Alex had offered her a unicorn.

  Castle finally found his voice. "Wait. Are you serious? Like actually attend attend?"

  "Yeah," Alex said. "I can bring you with me. And since I'm pnning a movie adaptation of your Nikki Heat series, it'll be good for you to get to know more people in the industry. Make connections. Boost your visibility."

  Martha's head turned slowly toward her son.

  Alexis's followed right after.

  Both stared at Castle with the same expression: You have exactly three seconds to expin.

  Castle's smile twitched. "Okay. So, funny story."

  Martha crossed her arms. "Richard."

  Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Dad."

  Castle cleared his throat. "I was going to tell you. Truly. After signing the contract. For dramatic effect."

  Alexis groaned. "You were saving it for dramatic effect?"

  Castle lifted a hand helplessly. "I'm a writer. It's instinct."

  Martha leaned back, pretending to think. "Should we be proud or worried?"

  Alex ughed. "Probably both."

  Castle pointed at him. "Thank you. Someone understands."

  Alexis shook her head but she was smiling. "You could have at least given us a hint."

  Castle puffed himself up. "Well, now you know. And we're going to the Oscars." He looked toward Alex. "Thank you, really."

  "Oh, it's nothing," Alex said as he took a sip of his mojito.

  Martha brightened. "I already know which dress I'm wearing."

  Alexis grinned. "I don't. But I'm ready to panic about it."

  Castle csped his hands dramatically like he was giving a toast. "Look at us. Our lives are changing and we haven't even finished lunch."

  Alex picked up his mojito. "Welcome to Hollywood."

  They clinked gsses, cups, and, in Castle's case, a random ketchup packet he found on the table.

  They ate and talked for a moment when Castle asked, "So, I saw the Comic Con videos and I was wondering if you have any pns for making a DC movie?"

  "Yeah," Alex nodded. "Next year, actually. I'll release the Spider-Man movie, and then I'm pnning on working on two DC movies. And..." He looked at Alexis and thought for a moment. "You know what, you'd look perfect as Supergirl."

  "I... What..." Alexis stuttered.

  "Yeah, do you want to py the role of Supergirl?" Alex asked.

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  [5 advance chs] [All chs avaible for all tiers] [No double billing.]

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