Chapter 32 - The Invitation
As for Jasper's two youngest daughters, born after '95… being completely honest with himself, Alex had absolutely no interest in them.
From a purely objective standpoint, they were fine. Acceptable. They carried Jasper's bloodline, and that alone set a minimum standard. Unless something had gone seriously wrong along the way, it was unlikely they would turn out unattractive. Still, in Alex's mind, that was where it ended. Acceptable was the ceiling. There was no curiosity beyond that, no lingering glance, no second thought.
When compared to former girlfriends like Emily or Sasha, the gap became obvious almost instantly. And it wasn't just about looks. It was aura. Presence. Maturity. The kind of impact someone had simply by standing still. More than anything, Alex had no interest in getting involved with someone's daughter. If things went south-and statistically speaking, they almost always did-it would contaminate everything that came after. Awkward meetings, strained cooperation, polite smiles stretched too thin. He had seen that kind of mess more times than he cared to remember.
There was also another reason, one he rarely admitted out loud, but never lied to himself about.
Alex liked dating women who were already known.
Fame came with a peculiar kind of energy. Even ordinary moments felt sharper, more vivid, when there was a spotlight somewhere in the distance. When attention existed, even if it wasn't always friendly.
Cough. Cough.
Anyway.
His phone vibrated softly against the table. Seeing Mark's name on the screen, Alex answered without much thought.
"Hey! Director Alex! Bleach just crossed three hundred million views on the platform! At this rate, the top drama awards this year definitely have a slot reserved for us!"
Just hearing Mark's voice, Alex could already imagine the scene on the other end-talking too fast, barely breathing between words, probably pacing the office with an uncontrollable grin like someone who had just hit the jackpot.
Alex listened quietly.
Awards, however, had never been what truly stirred him.
They were nice, sure. Polished. Shiny. Good for posters and press releases. But what he valued were things you could feel more directly-numbers that didn't lie, audiences that came back, discussions that refused to die down. His ambition had always been straightforward: to build, in this parallel world, a genuine kingdom of otaku culture. Something that stood on its own weight, not borrowed prestige.
Trophies and statuettes?
They didn't mean much to him.
"Did you call just to tell me that?" Alex asked, his tone calm, almost lazy.
On the other end, inside Aurora Entertainment, Mark froze for a moment, scratching his head. That reaction… wasn't what he had expected at all.
Realizing that Alex genuinely didn't care about award talk, Mark quickly shifted direction.
"Oh-right. Renata called me earlier. She wants to invite us to the premiere of Rebeca's new movie. Thought we could go together."
At those words, Alex's expression subtly changed.
Not shocked. Not annoyed.
Just… peculiar.
He genuinely couldn't figure out why Renata would invite him and Mark-two former cast members of Paladins of Destiny-to a movie premiere. A reunion for old times' sake? Maybe that explanation worked for other people.
But Renata?
Unlikely.
When it came to her daughter-who was sitting at the absolute center of public attention-Renata treated every man as a variable. A possible risk. Inviting veterans like Jack Creed or even Jasper made more sense than inviting two relatively young men.
Which left only one reasonable explanation.
Hype.
At this point, Bleach's popularity in the country was bordering on absurd. If someone claimed it was only the second most popular series, no one would dare argue-because there simply was no first.
More likely than not, the invitation hadn't even come from Renata herself, but from producers or investors hoping to borrow some reflected heat. After all, Sosuke Aizen and Ichigo Kurosaki had become living symbols of traffic and attention.
"Director Alex… are we going?" Mark asked carefully.
Even though he was older, his tone carried the faint hesitation of someone asking permission. He wanted-no, needed-to stay in Bleach. If he annoyed Alex and lost the lead role, there wouldn't be a second chance.
"Let's go," Alex replied.
The answer made Mark stop breathing for a split second.
He… agreed?
Sensing the surprise through the silence, Alex continued evenly.
"Ray invited me to a premiere yesterday too. He and Susan already agreed to participate in my next project. Think of it as returning the favor."
Mark blinked twice.
Ray and Susan.
Two heavyweights. That alone told him Alex was already planning something big-bigger than most people realized.
"And I might as well take a look at the atmosphere," Alex added casually. "Get a feel for the market."
Mark finally let out the breath he'd been holding. For a moment, he'd braced himself for something much worse.
…
Lately, Alex had been buried in the management of licensed merchandise stores and negotiations. For once, he felt he'd earned a short break.
A movie premiere didn't sound like a bad way to relax.
Still, halfway to the venue, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"…What was the name of the movie again?"
The question landed like a small bomb.
Mark's hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel. Samantha Burnes, seated beside Alex, turned to stare at him, speechless.
He was going to a premiere-and didn't even know the title.
Alex merely shrugged. From his experience in his previous life, that so-called "fairy sister" had spent years in the film industry, and nearly every movie she starred in had flopped. Was there really any reason to study it so seriously?
"The Four Great Detectives," Samantha answered softly. It was the weekend, and since she didn't have school, Alex had brought her along. After saying the title, she hesitated before asking, "Alex… is it really okay for me to be there? They didn't invite me."
"I bring whoever I want," Alex replied with a light laugh. "They want to ride my popularity. Can't I ride theirs a little too?"
That was how the industry worked.
Mutual use. Mutual benefit.
"Alex, stop talking like that," Samantha pouted. "You're going to completely ruin Aizen's image."
Watching them through the rearview mirror-so relaxed, so natural with each other-Mark's expression grew more complicated by the second.
The closeness wasn't inappropriate.
But it wasn't exactly ordinary either.
After a moment, he shook his head inwardly. He was overthinking it. Alex could be difficult, complicated, even sharp-edged-but he didn't strike Mark as someone without boundaries.
As long as things stayed reasonable, there was no real problem.
After all, this story was far from over.
And there were still many chapters left to be written.
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