[Edward POV]
"So, the wedding is set up for next week? That's not a lot of time." Alex was nervous.
Alex, Enid and Jenna just came back from meeting Elsa at the police station where she finally told them they were going to be her maid of honors.
She didn't just pick one, she picked all three of them as the maid of honors. Elsa has two sisters. They didn't meet the cut.
Jacob picked some college friends to be his groomsmen, adding his brother and Finneas to the fray too.
Alex came to my mansion to discuss the wedding with me while Enid and Jenna went to the studio.
"Tell me about it." I sighed. "They didn't even have a wedding planner."
"Are you going to call Pepper?" Alex asked.
I picked up my phone and said, "Of course I'm going to call Pepper."
The phone rang only twice before Pepper picked it up. "Hello and Aloha from Hawaii!"
"Doesn't Aloha already mean Hello?-- That's not the point. Pepper, it's an emergency, and you're the only person in the entire world that could help us with it."
Pepper turned serious immediately, "What is it– I don't care. You need my help. That's already a good reason for me to get out of my retirement."
He cut the call and got on board a private jet immediately.
"That worked out well." I smiled in satisfaction.
Alex scoffed and said, "How many people do you have who'd die for you?"
"1.5 billion, last I checked."
"Show off." She pursed her lips with disdain. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close.
She wasn't expecting it, and let out a burst of mirth. "What are you doing?" She asked, trying to hold back a smile.
"Nothing. Just wondering if the maid of honor wants to hook up with the bestest mensch this afternoon. We can do Netflix and Chill."
"There's never any Netflix. Only the chill part." Alex jeered teasingly.
"So, you don't want to?" I asked, flashing a charming smile, slightly flexing my chest abs as she was touching it.
"I didn't say that." She replied and kissed me deeply.
As we separated, she suddenly said, "But, I told you. We're not going to do anything until everyone that has something to do with this is okay with it."
Caught off guard, I argued, "But we were doing it for years."
"That's just to release some stress. It's not a relationship, so we can just… do it. It's nothing more of an exercise."
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow.
Alex was taken aback, "Well, I labelled it that way in my mind. You can't get mad about it since I know you've been sleeping with a lot of girls while we were doing it."
"Name one." I said with an annoyed face.
"Um, my dorm roommate." She argued back.
"She tried to blow me, I rejected her. Next."
"Um…" Alex was taken aback when I said that. "Wait, she told me she slept with you."
"A lot of girls say that they have slept with me, even though they haven't." I said casually.
"Oh." Alex exclaimed flatly. "Um, alright. What about,... Uhhh… Selena Gomez?"
"Never tapped that. Could, but didn't. Next."
"Um…" Alex was really taken aback now. "Oh! I know. Alexandra Daddario."
I paused slightly. "I slept with her a couple of months before we started doing the whole 'friend's with benefits' thing, so it doesn't count."
"Still counts."
"Nuh-uh. Besides, it was a one time thing. Next."
She got angry and put her hands on her waist, "Really? Are we really doing this? What about your ex, on her birthday?"
"Which ex?"
"Hudgens."
"Oh that." I was caught off guard. "Um, she asked for it as a birthday present. Besides, that's three years ago, and we were both single."
"Hmm…" She narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously. "I hate to say this, but I don't think you can kiss someone without any old or new feelings bubbling up."
"You're one to talk. Didn't you hook up with a frat guy at a party?" I turned it back to her.
She widened her eyes in shock, "We only kissed on a dare! Nothing else happened! I want to say I get it, but a simple peck on the lip is different from having sex with someone."
I smiled softly. She was caught off guard. "What?" She asked.
I tilted my head slightly. She realized it after checking back her sentences and said, "Oh damn it."
"Boom! Mic drop!"
"N-No! Nuh-uh, you didn't win this. No one is a winner here." She argued with a cute huffy face and left.
"Where are you going?" I asked with a laugh. "Come back. We need to talk about the wedding."
"I'm doing a dramatic exit! I'm going to find Vader and pet her because I'm so angry with you!"
I laughed the entire time. The doorbell rang, and two more visitors came to the house.
Enid and Jenna.
Enid dyed her hair purple, and she has dark eyeliner on. She wore a long sleeve t-shirt with a black and white stripe on the arm.
"Hey Eddie." She greeted me lethargically, waving her hand in slow motion with her eyes half closed. There was no energy left behind her greeting, nor did she rush to hug me like before.
"What's wrong?" I asked. "Do you want a caffeine shot?"
"Yes please. Triple espresso." She said as she sat down on my kitchen island and burrowed her face between her crossed arms.
Jenna laughed and said, "She hasn't slept for two days to revise the script."
"How's working together going so far?" I asked.
Jenna and Enid were working together on a new Netflix dark romance series. Jenna was the producer, Enid was the writer.
"It's going well for me." Jenna replied cheekily.
"It's not going well for me." Enid groaned.
I laughed and put the cup of espresso in front of Enid. She slowly raised her head up and drank it slowly.
Jenna has flowing blonde hair, and she looked stunning. Her skin glistened, and she wore natural style makeup.
She has been acting in multiple big blockbuster movies and a few well received romance movies that made her a household name.
Jenna received two Golden Globe nominations, won one for best actress, and even got an Oscar nomination.
"Ed, did you watch my new movie yet?" Jenna asked excitedly.
I inhaled through my teeth. "Sorry. I haven't got the time yet."
She sulked immediately, "It has been two weeks!"
"I'm sorry. But, a murder mystery? I mean, I could guess who's the killer in the first five minutes of the movie. The old butler."
Jenna sulked even more.
"Not to mention, your unnecessary partial nudity scene, where your underboobs show while you were showing with Henry Cavill. Like, who wants to see that?"
Jenna gasped slightly and smiled. "You did watch it."
I nodded and showed a teasing smile, "I did. A few minutes after it dropped on Netflix. It's quite good. I like the twist ending."
Jenna giggled and said, "Wait. You mention my underboob first before the twist ending. Did it make an impact? Should I go full nude in the next movie?"
"I, um…"
Jenna and Enid laughed as they saw I was speechless. "I'm just joking." Jenna laughed.
Enid grinned and said, "I'd want to see you nude rather than Jenna. In my next book, the Duke of the North will just rip Andromeda's dress with his teeth and take him right in front of the guillotine, after he executed her dad. You should make that into a movie."
I said flatly, "That sounds… like something that needs to be kept away from the big screen."
I know Enid based her entire character, the Duke, on me. Therefore she didn't accept anyone else to be the main character of the tv series, even though there were multiple attempts by the other studios to get the adaptation right.
"Wait, her dad is the corrupt Earl who colluded with the Demon King. So he deserves it." Enid argued.
Alex came back with some scratches on her face and Megatron in her hand. The white fur cat with blue eyes protested being held, but Alex wasn't letting her go.
"Hey. Are you talking about Enid's dark book?" Alex asked.
"Yeah." I replied. "I can't believe she has written 5 of those."
"I mean, it's no worse than Game of Thrones, and that show became a huge hit." Jenna interjected.
Enid nodded in excitement to Jenna and said, "Thank you. My book is relatively tame compared to what George R.R Martin wrote."
"I mean, it doesn't have the political intrigue and the prophecy." Alex teased. "It was more about the love story between the sheltered girl and the Duke."
"It has a lot of cult following though." I interjected, saying to Alex. "There's even a webtoon about it."
"So she's making good money?" Alex asked.
"Yup."
Alex turned to Enid and said, "Bitch, you said you're broke."
"I am!" Enid whined. "I used all of my money to create the show."
Alex pointed at me and said, "Why don't you just take his money? He did offer it to you."
Enid and Jenna shook their heads. "We want to do this on our own." Jenna muttered with a giggle.
Enid stood up and pressed her finger at my chest and said, "But, if you want to take care of us, I won't reject it."
I glanced at Alex, and she seemed fine with Enid flirting with me. She wasn't even pretending she was fine with it. She just didn't care.
"We should talk about the wedding." I changed the subject.
"Our wedding?" Enid gasped.
"Elsa and Jacob's!" Alex rebuked her. "Get your mind straight."
"Oh sorry Queen Scylla." Enid replied.
"Wait. She's Queen Scylla? The mad genius maneater who secretly wanted to peg the Duke?" I was shocked.
Alex rolled her eyes and Jenna laughed. Enid replied excitedly, "Yes! Can't you see the resemblance?"
I turned to Alex with wary eyes. Her forehead vein throbbed and she kept a poker face.
"The chestal area. Queen Scylla has humongous–"
"Jenna stop!" Alex said with disbelief as Jenna was gesturing to it. Jenna reached for Alex's boobs, and Alex slapped her hand away.
…
As we all had dinner together, Enid asked suddenly, "So Edward. Are you not going to act or make movies anymore?"
My hand froze for a split second. I smiled slightly and said with restraint, "I'm … resting for a little bit."
Alex noticed my reaction and her brows furrowed with concerns.
"Enid. Stop that."
"What– I'm just asking. The last thing he made was ZomWorld, and he finished filming that 2 years ago." Enid was a bit frazzled.
"He has too much on his plate. Let it go." Jenna scolded Enid.
"I was JUST asking!" Enid was annoyed.
"Some things are not meant to be asked." Jenna rebuked.
"Oh really? Like what? Your 5 minute sex scene with Margot Robbie, filmed in… Blue is the Warmest color style?"
Jenna gasped at Enid's jab. "That's a creative choice!" She whined.
"Till now, I still can't understand why the film doesn't make a lot of money." Alex said casually.
"Mostly because no girlfriend would let their boyfriend go and see it." I chuckled.
Jenna nodded, agreeing with me with her eyes. "That's true."
"Well she did earn an Oscar nomination from it." Enid changed the subject again, "So what about you Eddy? Why didn't you make anything?"
"Again? Seriously Enid?" Alex was annoyed. Enid's eyes fluttered as she didn't know what she was doing wrong.
"It's fine. I can just tell her." I said to Alex, grabbing her thigh slightly as she was sitting next to me.
"Your creative tank is empty?" Enid asked teasingly.
"No, I worked under a pseudonym." I replied, surprising her. "To make sure it gets judged properly."
Alex added, "He has that effect where people went wild at the mere mention of his name. So he's been directing shows without taking any credits for it."
"OOoh!" Enid and Jenna finally understood it.
I shrugged and said, "It's still successful though."
Pepper arrived, and the girls went to talk about the wedding with him.
Alex whispered, "Maybe it's time for you to go meet my dad and patch things up with him?"
"What's there to patch up? We're great friends." I replied with confusion.
[Alex's commentary]
"So it hasn't been the same between Edward and my dad for the last few years."
-Cut to the beginning, a 15 year old Edward–
"This is called, the Dunphy's Tuck." Phil said excitedly as he jumped on the trampoline, showing a skillful move.
"That's amazing. Teach me how to do it." Edward said excitedly.
-Cut end-
"Now, they are more like this." Alex added.
-Cutscene to current time-
Edward shook Phil's hand politely and said, "Congrats on buying your new building."
Phil shook his hand back firmly and said, "Thank you for coming to the opening."
-Cutscene ends-
"There's a chasm growing between them, and it all started after Dad told Eddy that he had messed up with Haley. Edward became more careful, and he created distance between himself and our family after that."
Alex placed her hand on her chin and leaned forward slightly, "It got so uncomfortable, that my mom left his company to head up Grandpa's closet company… I think."
[Commentary ends]
"My dad is the easiest place to start with. So, just go and talk to him? Please?" Alex begged slightly.
I sighed and said, "Alright. I'll go and talk to him."
"Talk to him properly. Not just business talk. Like, talk how you used to talk to him when you first met."
…
I went to Concert City. It was the newest city in America, and its population had already surpassed one million.
Housing prices ranged between 150,000 and 300,000 dollars, making it genuinely affordable for young people. Even at the minimum, residents could own homes of at least 1,500 square feet.
The city had an extremely efficient underground subway system, drastically reducing the need for private cars. It felt like a smaller New York, but without oligarchs, congestion, or decay.
Concert City was the world's first true Post-Carbon City, powered entirely by clean nuclear energy, with electric transport dominating every street. People could charge their EV by driving on the road.
It was a true game changer.
And since the world was too scared about the aliens, the oil companies didn't really pay any attention to what I was doing here until it was too late.
I drove the flying car to the mall and parked it on the rooftop parking.
Taking the elevator, I went down to the management office and knocked on the mall owner's door.
"Come in." Phil said happily.
I opened the door, and Phil froze slightly as he saw me.
"Oh– Eddie. What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Do… you want to hang out?" I asked.
He was stunned and he asked, "Do you mean that?"
"Yes. I do."
[Phil's commentary]
"Four years ago, I completely ruined my relationship with Edward."
Phil leaned forward slightly, rubbing his hand nervously.
"Now, I finally have the chance to make things right. I hate to screw it up again."
[Commentary ends]
"So I heard you got back Gloria's sauce from the thieving Auntie Alice?" I asked, creating a conversation as we went to the entertainment section of the mall.
We were standing in front of a rock climbing wall, which Phil adamantly wanted to try.
"Yes! Aunty Alice. She patented Gloria's sauce, and I saw her illegal renovations in the house. So I told her to pull back the patent or the city will flatten her home with a bulldozer." Phil said excitedly, wrapping the harness around his waist.
I smiled as I remembered that episode. In the same episode, Luke planned a Promposal with Mitch, and Jay was spying on Claire in the closet company.
It has been a long time since I heard something about the episodes playing out in real life.
"That's great. You're like a hostage negotiator. You might have some talents." I said politely.
Phil sighed and said seriously, "This can't do."
I sighed too and said, "Yeah. I know. It's still pretty awkward–"
"No, they are using cheap chalk for the climb. I'm already used to using the pro grade– Wait, you're feeling awkward?"
Phil turned to me in shock. I was stunned, "Um…"
Phil thought about it and said, "I know what we should do."
"What?"
"A competition." He suggested. "The first person who reached the top can ask the other anything they want."
I laughed slightly. "Really Phil? You want to compete with me? You know they called me a monster right? My physical attribute is unlike anything mankind has ever seen."
"Yes, but have you won the junior rock climbing competition three times in a row? I don't think you have."
"Wait, you said you're a beginner." I looked at him with disbelief.
He smirked and said, "Ready? GO!"
He rushed to the rock wall and began climbing rapidly. I stared at him from afar, and let him get a head start.
"Eddie! Aren't you giving up already? I'm going to win so easily–"
I jumped on the rock wall, and passed Phil in just a couple arms reach.
"What– How?!" Phil was shocked when he saw me climbing up there at high speed.
I touched the top and slid back down on the rope easily while Phil was still halfway up there.
"Two out of three?" I asked him.
He went silent for a while and said, "We'll go on to the next game. Archery."
The entertainment section at the mall has everything from bowling to rock climbing, to archery.
It even has ice skating.
We played for a bit and Phil finally got tired.
He sat on a bench, wiping the sweat on his head.
"So, you won 5 times. I won one." Phil said happily.
I smiled and said, "So, you can ask me one question, and I can ask you five."