AN: This is it for this week. See you in a week again with another batch release.
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[New York] [Jennifer Lopez's Residence] [Late Evening]
By the time the party settled into its second hour, Jennifer's Manhattan residence had taken on the relaxed atmosphere of a celebration that had finally stopped caring about appearances.
The collaboration had exceeded expectations almost immediately. Within a week, the song had climbed into the top three of the charts, radio play had increased, and the music video had spread far faster than Titan's music division had projected.
Jennifer refused to let the moment pass quietly.
The party remained small by celebrity standards. No press had been invited, security controlled the entrance downstairs, and everyone inside either knew Jennifer and Angela personally or had worked directly on the Titan-produced song and music video.
Music filled the apartment while guests moved between the living room, dining area, terrace, and bar. Champagne chilled near the windows, wine covered another table, and enough food had been brought in to feed twice the number of people attending.
Leah Remini was already laughing loudly enough to be heard across the room while Fat Joe and Pitbull traded stories near one of the couches. Eva Longoria stood nearby with Penélope Cruz, while Jane Fonda had settled into a quieter conversation closer to the terrace. Megan Fox arrived later and quickly blended into the group.
Jennifer spent most of the evening moving from one conversation to another, accepting congratulations and laughing whenever someone reminded her that the song had gone from release to top-three hit in barely a week.
Angela enjoyed the evening differently.
She no longer felt like she had to treat every celebrity gathering as another career opportunity. Titan had already given her opportunities, and she worked her ass off and earned recognition, respect, and a place of her own in the celebrity world. Tonight, she could simply enjoy herself.
She talked with Megan for a while, joined one of Fat Joe's stories, shared drinks with Eva and Penélope, then eventually wandered toward the bar and ordered a cocktail.
From there, she noticed something amusing.
Jennifer kept looking toward the main door.
Once while talking with Jane.
Again, a few minutes later, while Leah was telling another story.
Then again after checking her phone.
Angela took a slow sip and smiled to herself.
Alex still hadn't arrived.
He had messaged earlier saying the charity event he was attending was running late, though he promised he would come afterward.
A few minutes later, Jennifer finally escaped the crowd and walked toward the bar.
Angela watched her sit on the stool beside her before turning slightly with an amused expression. "You know... I noticed you keep looking at the main door every few minutes. Looking forward to seeing Alex again?"
Jennifer chuckled and rested one elbow against the counter. "Maybe."
Angela smiled over the rim of her glass. "That's a suspicious maybe."
Jennifer looked toward her. "You've checked the door too."
"I never said I wasn't waiting for him."
That made Jennifer laugh quietly.
At this point, neither of them needed to pretend.
Over the last few weeks, they had talked enough to realize they were in almost the same situation.
Both of them liked Alex.
They had spent time with him outside work on several casual dates, sometimes together and sometimes separately. What had started as attraction gradually became something more serious once they got to know the quieter version of him away from Titan meetings, cameras, and public events.
The changing marriage laws had also made both women think more seriously about what they wanted.
They already knew about Alex's unusual household and the women who had shared his life for years. Rather than rely on rumors, they had spoken directly with Angelina, Scarlett, Halle, and Caroline.
Those conversations had answered most of their questions.
Alex made time for the people he loved. The women had their own careers, independence, and space. They rarely had any arguments or fights. Though their schedules could become ridiculous sometimes. And they love Alex. There was no pressure or anything toxic in their relationship.
That mattered to Jennifer and Angela more than anything else.
Neither woman had any interest in becoming some decorative addition to Alex's life. They wanted something real... new. And from everything they had seen and heard, Alex was capable of giving that without asking them to lose themselves in the process. Jennifer still remembered that night when Alex told her that he wasn't interested in a one-night stand.
The only problem left was deciding who would actually say something first.
Angela turned her cocktail slowly between her fingers before looking toward Jennifer. "So, you going first?"
Jennifer lifted her champagne glass, took a small sip, and thought about it.
Then she smiled.
"How about we both go together after the party?"
Angela stared at her for a second before a grin slowly appeared.
That sounded much better than either of them walking into the conversation alone.
...
[Meanwhile...]
Later that night, Alex sat alone in the back of his SUV. Traffic moved slowly through the city, headlights stretching across the wet pavement, though he barely noticed any of it.
His attention had been trapped on the same thought since the previous night.
The System had given him something that could change the world.
Autonomous Medical Nanobots.
Mechanical Cell Repair.
Nanites, in simpler terms.
Alex leaned back against the seat and stared toward the ceiling while mentally reviewing everything the System had shown him. The blueprint wasn't some vague scientific concept or unfinished theory. It was complete enough that, with the right people, facilities, materials, and years of development, humanity could actually build it.
The cost would be obscene.
Trillions, perhaps eventually far more once manufacturing, testing, hospitals, distribution systems, and global treatment networks entered the equation.
Money didn't concern him.
Time did.
According to his calculations, if he established multiple dedicated research centers and recruited the best biomedical engineers, nanotechnology researchers, surgeons, geneticists, materials scientists, and software specialists he could find, they could reach viable human treatment within three to five years.
After that, everything could change.
Damaged organs could potentially be repaired at the cellular level. Incurable diseases and genetic conditions could be cured permanently. Internal injuries might become treatable without invasive surgery. Degenerative conditions could be slowed, repaired, or perhaps eliminated entirely depending on what the nanites eventually proved capable of doing.
Millions of people could live.
That should've made the decision easy.
It didn't.
Alex rubbed both hands over his face and exhaled slowly as the darker possibilities returned.
The same machines capable of repairing cells could be altered to destroy them. Governments would want military applications. Intelligence agencies would want control. Corporations would want patents. Criminal organizations would target him and his family, which he can't afford at any cost.
Something designed to save humanity could become the most terrifying weapon humanity had ever created.
Alex looked out through the tinted glass as the SUV turned onto Jennifer's street.
"If this gets out the wrong way," he muttered, rubbing his eyes again, "this could turn into a fucking war."
The vehicle slowed beneath the lights outside Jennifer Lopez's residence.
Alex straightened, pushed the thought aside for the evening, and reached for the door as the SUV came to a complete stop.
...
The main door opened.
Jennifer stood on the other side wearing a fitted dark dress, her expression brightening the moment she saw him. Music and conversation spilled into the hallway behind her as she stepped forward and pulled him into a quick hug.
"You finally made it," Jennifer said, keeping one hand lightly against his arm as she looked him over. "I was starting to think your charity event manager had kidnapped you."
Alex smiled and stepped inside while one of the staff members closed the door behind him. "He tried, but I escaped before he handed me another microphone and asked me to give an inspirational speech."
Jennifer laughed as she guided him toward the living room. "Good, because we already have enough people here pretending they don't want attention."
Angela noticed him almost immediately.
She excused herself from a conversation with Megan and crossed the room with a smile that made it obvious she'd been waiting too. Alex opened one arm as she approached, and Angela slipped easily into a brief hug before stepping back.
"There he is," Angela said. "Only two hours late."
"I prefer fashionably delayed," Alex replied before looking between both women. "Congratulations, by the way. Top three in a week is a big journey, and the video's everywhere. You both killed it."
Jennifer smiled proudly while Angela's expression softened with genuine satisfaction.
"Thanks," Jennifer said. "Wouldn't have been possible without the team."
Before the conversation could continue, Leah Remini appeared beside them with a champagne glass and immediately looked Alex up and down.
"So Mr. Wilson," Leah said. "Jennifer talks about you enough that I expected you to arrive with your own orchestra."
Jennifer turned toward her. "I do not talk about him that much."
Leah gave Alex a knowing look. "She does."
Alex chuckled, looking at Jennifer. "I hope the good things only."
Jennifer lightly shoved Leah's shoulder while Angela laughed.
A few minutes later, Alex moved deeper into the party. Fat Joe shook his hand and congratulated him on Titan's recent gaming launch, while Pitbull joked that Alex needed to stop entering new industries before there were none left for everybody else.
"I'll try to leave at least two," Alex replied, earning a laugh from both men.
Eva Longoria greeted him warmly and asked how he still found time to attend parties from his insane schedule. Alex told her he'd discovered the ancient executive technique of hiring competent people and letting them work, which made Eva raise her glass approvingly.
Penélope Cruz joined them briefly, teasing Jennifer about how long she'd been watching the front door earlier. Jennifer immediately denied everything, while Angela failed completely at hiding her smile.
Alex noticed.
He didn't say anything.
For the first time that evening, the thought of nanites, governments, research centers, and consequences finally moved somewhere quieter in the back of his mind.
For a little while, he simply let himself enjoy the party.
--
AN: Before anyone says anything about a multiverse arc where Alex could be like Iron Man using his nanites, nope. That won't happen. And there definitely won't be any world-ending incursion where he will be forced to fight alien threats.
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[5 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers]