AN: Late today. Hope you saved some powerstones for me. Lacking this week.

  ---

  [November 1] [New York] [The Restaurant]

  Alex pushed the gss door open with his shoulder while Max stayed glued to his side, her arm looped tightly through his. She was mid-sentence and already ughing at her own story...

  "...and John had us doing these stupid bear crawls across the whole gym floor st week, right? My shoulders are still screaming, but look at this." Max flexed her free arm hard. "Give it another month of those csses and I'll be so ripped I can literally grab a car by the bumper and yank it in half like it's made of tinfoil. You'll have to start calling me She-Hulk, babe."

  Alex looked down at her flexed arm with exaggerated seriousness. "That Honda outside doesn't stand a chance against those terrifying biceps."

  She squeezed his arm tighter and leaned into him. "Laugh now. When I bench-press you for cardio, don't come crying."

  "I weigh more than you think."

  "Please. I could deadlift you and the hostess stand if I had to."

  Caroline looked up at the familiar voice before she even processed the words. Halle turned at the same time, curiosity lighting up her face.

  Max was mid-gesture, miming ripping metal apart like she was in an action movie audition gone wrong.

  Alex saw Caroline first. He shifted his gaze from Max's imaginary destruction to the corner table by the window. He recognized her right away and smiled.

  Max noticed the change in his expression and looked toward where he was looking.

  "Oh my God," she said. "What are the odds?"

  She lifted her free hand and waved enthusiastically like she had just spotted a long-lost cousin at a family reunion. "No way. Caroline? Halle? Over here!" she called out as if the entire restaurant needed to be informed.

  Caroline blinked once, then twice, then waved back. Halle smiled, "What are the odds?"

  Max dragged Alex over by the arm without waiting for the hostess to take them to their seats. "We had coffee. And then we had... other things. Morning cardio, you could say." She winked at Caroline, completely shameless. "But seriously, this is perfect timing. Slide over, make room. We're crashing your lunch whether you like it or not."

  William, unfortunately, chose that exact moment to gnce around the room.

  His gaze moved zily across tables until it snagged on Caroline. His expression shifted from mild disinterest to surprise in under a second. Then his eyes followed her line of sight.

  They nded on Alex, Max and Halle.

  The polite smile he had been wearing stiffened into something calcuted.

  Max sat beside Halle and Alex took the seat next to Caroline, giving her a quick smile.

  "Hey," he said simply. "Small world."

  "Tiny," Caroline agreed, already rexing a fraction now that friendly faces had outnumbered the ghost from her past.

  Max leaned forward immediately, elbows on the table, eyes zeroing in on Caroline's and Halle's hands like a hawk spotting glitter. "Hold up. Stop everything. Those nails are giving the main character energy. Plum with the gold flecks? That is straight-up luxurious. Who did them? I need the name of this wizard so I can book an appointment."

  Halle held up her fingers proudly. "Spa on Madison. The woman who did mine is named Li."

  "Done," Max said. "I'm stealing that color next week. My current red looks like I dipped my fingers in ketchup now."

  The waiter arrived at that moment, carrying two ptes.

  "Cobb sad for you," he said, pcing it in front of Halle.

  "And grilled salmon with asparagus."

  Caroline smiled politely. "Thank you."

  The gsses of sparkling water with lemon followed, condensation sliding down the gss. Caroline immediately took a sip like she had just survived something dramatic, which, considering William was now very aware of their table, she had.

  The waiter turned to Alex and Max. "Can I get you started with anything?"

  Alex looked at the menu like he was pretending to consider options even though he already knew. "I'll take the spaghetti. And orange juice."

  Max didn't even pretend to look. "Hot wings, extra spicy. A cssic hotdog with everything. Large fries. And for dessert, I want the lemon pie. Oh, and a cherry Coke. Big one."

  The waiter took their order and walked away.

  Halle watched him go, then turned back to Max with genuine admiration. "Okay, first of all, how do you stay looking like that when your lunch order just vioted every nutrition guideline known to women? Seriously. I'm over here counting macros and you're about to demolish wings, a hotdog, fries, and pie like it's nothing. Caroline said you never worked out before, yet you maintained your shape. Spill the secret. What's the trick?"

  Max grinned and flexed her arm again, the same one she had been showing off earlier. "No trick. I just have the metabolism of a caffeinated cheetah. I burn calories thinking about calories. Plus, I do those bear-crawl death marches at the gym three times a week. Keeps everything tight without me ever having to say no to a second slice of anything."

  Caroline looked across the table at Max's chest, which was doing an impressive job of testing the structural integrity of her fitted bck top, then raised one eyebrow. "Looking at those, we all know exactly where all the proteins and calories are going. They're not making it past the front door."

  Max cupped her own breasts with both hands and gave them a pyful lift. "Right? These girls are basically a 401(k) for dairy and hot sauce. Every time I eat wings, my bra size goes up a full cup. It's science. I should start a fitness program called 'Feed the Girls and They Feed You Back.' Guaranteed gains."

  Halle chuckled. "You're terrible."

  "I'm honest," Max corrected. "And these girls appreciate the honesty. They send thank-you notes in the form of cleavage."

  Alex shook his head, smiling. "Never change, Max."

  "Wasn't pnning on it," she said, then leaned sideways to bump her shoulder against his. "Now, somebody pass me a bread roll before the real food gets here. I'm starving, and starving makes me dangerous."

  After 10 minutes or so...

  The waiter brought their food and Alex and Max started eating.

  Halle said. "By the way, Caroline's ex is here."

  Max's eyes lit up instantly. "Where?"

  Caroline nudged her under the table. "Do not make it obvious."

  Max leaned back casually and turned her head in the most obvious way possible, scanning the room like a lighthouse. Her gaze locked onto William near the bar.

  "Oh," she said softly. "That one."

  Alex followed her line of sight. His expression stayed neutral, calm, unreadable.

  Max leaned toward Caroline and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, "He looks like he says the word 'portfolio' during forepy."

  Caroline burst into ughter before she could stop herself.

  Halle covered her mouth. "Max."

  "What? I am just observing. He has that face."

  Alex picked up his orange juice and took a slow sip. "Is he a problem?"

  Caroline straightened her shoulders. "No. Don't worry about that. He was just a creep who wanted to get into my pants and my dad's wealth. Then, when my dad got dragged into that Ponzi scheme, he just disappeared."

  Max patted her hand. "If he walks over here and tries to act nostalgic, just throw that gss of water on his face..."

  As within seconds...

  William approached the table with the kind of smooth confidence that only exists in men who have never once been told to sit down and shut up.

  He stopped just close enough to look casual but far enough to pretend he was not intruding.

  "Caroline," he said warmly, like they had parted yesterday on excellent terms. "Well, this is unexpected. You look… incredible."

  Caroline blinked at him once, then gave him the same polite smile people use on dentists and tax auditors.

  "William. Wow. You're still alive."

  Max choked on a fry.

  Halle continued to eat her food while looking at the shameless guy.

  William let out a tight ugh, clearly deciding to ignore the temperature drop in the air.

  "Yes, well. I've been traveling. Business has been rather intense tely."

  Max leaned back in her chair and looked him up and down with theatrical interest. "Let me guess. Something with investment portfolios and saying 'synergy' a lot?"

  William gnced at her, confused for half a second before returning his focus to Caroline. "I was actually hoping we might catch up sometime. It has been… what, a year?"

  "About two years since you discovered the word 'space' means 'vanish like a magician with commitment issues,'" Caroline replied sweetly.

  Alex stayed quiet, eating his spaghetti with an amused expression as if he was watching a premium drama unfold live in front of him. 'Should I destroy this fucker?'

  William cleared his throat. "I believe there were misunderstandings. Things were complicated."

  Halle leaned her chin on her hand. "Complicated like her dad being falsely accused and you suddenly developing selective amnesia?"

  Max snapped her fingers. "Yes. That was impressive timing. Olympic-level ghosting."

  William's jaw tightened, but he kept smiling. "I was under considerable pressure myself."

  "From what?" Max asked innocently, "Her bank account temporarily dropping below yacht level?"

  Caroline's fork hovered in midair as she tried not to ugh.

  William finally looked at Alex. "And you are?" His eyes widened when he realized who the man before him was. "Alex Wilson!"

  Alex dabbed his mouth with a napkin like he had just been formally introduced at Buckingham Pace. "Yeah, and you're interrupting us." He took Caroline's hand and kissed. "We were having such a great time until you popped up and ruined the mood."

  William's brain did something rare at that exact moment.

  It rebooted.

  The polite smirk he had been wearing froze halfway between confident and confused. His eyes flicked from Alex's face to the way Alex was still holding Caroline's hand, thumb brushing lightly over her knuckles like that contact was not new and definitely not accidental. They are together.

  Alex Wilson.

  Titan.

  Hollywood's Golden Boy.

  The man whose face showed up on business magazines, tech panels, movie premieres, and financial headlines every other week.

  William suddenly felt like he had shown up to a chess match with a checkers piece.

  "Oh," William said, and that single sylble carried the weight of a colpsing ego. "Right. Of course. I… I didn't realize."

  Max leaned back in her chair and popped a fry into her mouth, chewing slowly while watching him like this was live entertainment.

  "Yeah," she said casually. "That tends to happen when you don't read anything beyond your own LinkedIn profile."

  Halle coughed into her napkin to hide a ugh.

  William straightened his coat as if fabric adjustments could restore dignity. "Mr. Wilson, I didn't mean to interrupt. I was simply greeting an old friend."

  Caroline's smile sharpened just slightly. "That's generous. I remember it more like you disappearing during a crisis."

  Alex finally released her hand but only so he could lean back comfortably, one arm draped across the back of her chair. It was subtle. Protective without being loud.

  "Old friend," Alex repeated thoughtfully. "That's the official title now?"

  William swallowed.

  He could feel the table dynamic had shifted. It was no longer him stepping in to recim something. It was him trespassing.

  "I think perhaps there were… misunderstandings," William tried again, voice smoothing out as if he could still salvage control. "Caroline and I shared something meaningful."

  Max perked up immediately. "Oh, I love this part. Is this where you pretend ghosting was actually a spiritual growth exercise?"

  Halle nodded. "Character development through abandonment. Very avant-garde."

  William's jaw flexed. "I needed space to assess certain realities at the time."

  Caroline tilted her head sweetly. "Like whether dating someone temporarily unfashionable might damage your yacht aesthetic?"

  Max cpped once. "Yacht aesthetic. I'm stealing that."

  William's gaze darted back to Alex, maybe hoping for neutrality. What he found instead was calm. Dangerous calm. The kind that does not raise its voice because it never needs to.

  "You were under pressure," Alex said mildly. "That's what you said."

  "Yes."

  "From what exactly?"

  William hesitated. The silence stretched just long enough to become uncomfortable.

  "Business uncertainty," he answered finally.

  "Is your business doing well right now?" Alex asked with a polite smile.

  William quickly nodded. "Yes. We're doing great, actually."

  "You want to keep it that way?" Alex asked, maintaining his smile.

  "I don't understand," William looked confused.

  "Your business," Alex pointed out as he leaned forward slightly. "I mean, tomorrow you wake up and it's all gone. Then, you'll sit on the couch and think... Alex was talking about it yesterday and today, it's all gone. What are the odds?"

  "I... I..." William stuttered. He understood the threat that Alex gave him in sweet words.

  Alex looked at Caroline and nodded.

  Caroline took the gss of water and threw it at William's face. "Get away from me, creep. Never show your face to me again."

  "Yeah, get away from her, creepo," Max raised her voice a bit.

  William quickly turned around and left the restaurant.

  "Feeling better?" Halle asked.

  "Oh yeah, much better," Caroline sat down with a grin. "It feels great... But wasn't that a bit too much?"

  "Nah! It was good," Alex said with a nod.

  ---[MORE POWERSTONES??????]---

  Support link: www.patr eon.com/UnknownMaster

  [5 advance chs] [All chs avaible for all tiers]

  + [Early access to Reborn in Castle: 11 chs]

  [No double-billing.]