(Sorry was a bit sick this week)
[Edward POV]
The entire world was in uproar when the news broke.
"Edward Newgate to be Granted Honorary Knighthood by The Queen of England."
The headline was plastered everywhere in the UK. All the media outlets were covering it. Then, it spread worldwide. Many people congratulated me, but most Americans felt insecure, fearing I would leave the country.
However, as details of the honorary knighthood were released, their concerns eased.
I decided to accept the honorary title instead of the full knighthood because becoming naturalized in the UK was a hassle at this point.
Also, after learning from Emilia that some people had approached her to honey trap me, my desire to take the knighthood plunged off a cliff.
It was only because of my grandmother that I even decided to accept the honorary knighthood. Otherwise, I would have left the country right then and there.
There were no obligations at all with the honorary title, so that was a relief.
The ceremony would be held three days after the announcement, which meant I had to stay in the country much longer.
Because of the announcement, Pepper insisted I throw a reception party, after the Knighting ceremony. He flew all the way to the UK to help me plan it since I had no intention of doing so.
I asked him to take the suborbital plane, so he arrived within an hour. But for at least three hours after landing, he couldn't speak, his mind unable to process what he had just experienced.
He snapped back to reality only at the mention of the party.
"Leave it to me. I'll use everything I have to throw the greatest party of my life. It will be even bigger than the Royal Wedding!" Pepper vowed, standing in full combat stance.
I raised an eyebrow and said wearily, "Wow... Pep, just don't burn yourself out."
He left a minute later, dragging Renaldo along, who hadn't yet regained his senses.
Surprisingly, Pepper managed to get Sir Elton John to come to the reception party. So did Sir Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Alan Rickman, and many more UK-based actors. Even bands like Radiohead and Coldplay were scheduled to play.
In less than six hours, a huge, prestigious party was set up. It would be held at a prestigious club for the UK elite.
Many big names would be there. Even Robin and Sado— the tech billionaire and the President of Cuba. The event had become a major networking opportunity for some.
I didn't interfere with Pepper's plans. Instead, I stayed home, lounging in the Jacuzzi since it was cold outside. I drank a little champagne and ate some snacks.
Suddenly, I received a video call from Alex. I answered curtly, "What?"
Alex yelped when she saw the bubbling water and my bare torso, almost cutting the call. "Why are you naked?" she asked.
"I'm not naked," I replied.
She looked back at the screen and said, "Are you sure?"
I smirked. "Okay. Maybe I am naked. Who cares? You're not seeing my lower half anyway."
"If you dare lower your camera, I'll sue you for sexual harassment," Alex threatened before saying, "I got an invitation to the knighting ceremony too. Since I participated in the research. I told people I didn't do much, but my name was on the paper. I was invited to the Nobel ceremony too."
"Great, then I won't have to be so bored," I said, relieved.
She blinked slowly, surprised by my reaction. Then she said hesitantly, "I rejected it though."
"What?! Why?" I looked at Alex with annoyance. "How could you do that to me?" I asked accusingly.
Taken aback, Alex stammered, "Wh-What am I doing? I'm not doing anything! You and I both know I'm just your lab assistant. I didn't do much for the research. So I'm not going! I don't feel like I deserve it."
"You idiot," I spat calmly.
"I'm not!" she said rebelliously before cutting the call.
I called her back, and she answered reluctantly. "What?"
"Did you tell your parents about the invite? They could've flown your entire family to the UK and Sweden for the ceremonies, you know? Even if you're not getting on stage."
"I… didn't. AND you should not tell them either!" she said before cutting the call again.
I rolled my eyes and called Claire instead. I used a filter to hide my body since it would be weird to call her while topless.
The milf answered groggily, wearing an untied robe. "Wh—Edward?" she said, barely opening her eyes. I wasn't sure she realized it was a video call yet.
"Hello Mrs. Robinson. It's 10 a.m. there, so why aren't you at work?" I asked in a teasing manner. There was an 8 hour time difference between the US and the UK. I was already done for the day, they were just starting.
She jolted up fully, her eyes widened. Then, she remembered something. "Wait. Today is Saturday."
I chuckled. "I know. Just need you to wake up and close your robe since I can see everything—"
"Oh God," Claire exclaimed, pulling her robe closed. "What's going on?"
I looked at her oddly. "Did no one tell you anything yet? Haven't you had your phone since last night—around midnight?"
My head was rolling around as a basketball using the filter. An animated Micheal Jordan then picked the ball and dunked it.
"I fell asleep early. Why? Did something special happen?" she asked as she came downstairs to the kitchen.
I heard Phil's voice greeting her. She turned the screen to Phil, who brightened up and saw me.
"SALUTE! Sir Edward!" he saluted me on screen.
Claire was confused. "Why are you doing that?"
Phil looked at her in disbelief, then realized something. "Oh God. We fell asleep early last night because of the—um… that thing."
I rolled my eyes at them. From Phil's reaction, they must have been doing it all night and missed the news.
Phil explained to Claire, "He got a knighthood from the Queen."
"WHAT?!" Claire was startled.
"I'm cutting the call first. I have another call coming. Call me back when Claire gets updated," I said and pressed the red button.
"Wait Ed–" Claire wanted to say something, but it was too late. I really did have another call coming, I wasn't lying about it.
It was a normal voice call by Emma Watson again. I answered it after rolling my eyes again.
"What?" I asked curtly, unlike with Alex, it had some annoyance in the tone.
"Nevermind then." She said before ending the call.
"Weirdo." I said as I drank my glass of wine.
Claire called, and I told her about Alex, basically ratting her out. Claire fumed and drove to Caltech to have a talk with her.
But in the end, she understood Alex's side and decided not to come to the ceremony. Two hours later, she called me back.
"What about my side?" I asked after getting out of the jacuzzi and wearing a bathrobe. "I want my closest family to be there. I already have arranged a plane to pick you guys up today. Your family, Mitch and Cam's family, Jay's family."
"Aww." Claire and Phil melted at my reasoning. They gazed at Alex who was sitting at her Caltech dorm bed. She flinched as they saw their gazes.
"I…" Alex trailed off before shaking her head and saying, "If you want me there, just tell me you want me there! I'm going to be there if you want me there, I'm not going to be there if they want me there!"
I smiled softly and said, "Great. See you guys at the ceremony."
"Oh, can we get into Buckingham Palace?" Phil interjected.
I shrugged and said, "I don't know the details yet. I think I can bring a few people in, but not a lot of them."
"It's fine to just be at the reception." Claire said, trying to comfort Phil who was disappointed.
"The actual ceremony will be less than 10 minutes. I think some members of the royal family will be at the reception if you want to see them." I added.
"I don't want to see them. I want to see the palace with my own two eyes. As a realtor, I want to see the mesmerizing details of the architecture from a different time–"
"Alright alright." Claire stopped him, pushing him off the screen. "We'll be there. And maybe we will visit London for a bit while we are there."
"Great. I'm going to send my special plane. You'll love it."
…
One day had passed since the announcement. I went to a pub in disguise to find out what people there really thought about the honorary knighthood. Honestly, they didn't give two shits about it.
It was pretty funny to hear.
When I got home, Pepper was already inside, talking excitedly with my grandparents and my dad.
He saw my face and his excited expression dropped. "Edward, why do you look worried? Oh god, should I be worried too?"
I touched my face in shock and said, "You can read me like a book, huh?"
Pepper asked, "What's wrong?" My grandparents looked curious as well.
I glanced at them before sighing. "Pepper, I have to tell you something."
"Are you dating someone new? Someone controversial?" he asked.
My dad added, "Did you get another award?"
My grandmother paled and whispered, "Is the Queen…" then hesitated, "d…ill?"—she wanted to say dead but stopped herself.
"Nothing like that." I shook my head, looking at them all in disbelief.
I turned to Pepper and said seriously, "I went to the bars undercover—"
"Edward!" my grandma interrupted.
"It's fine, Jules. He can drink legally here," my grandpa said, stopping her from rushing at me and calming her down. "Besides, Edward knows how to pace himself. We drank beers back at the ranch all the time."
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
While my grandmother was distracted, I said to Pepper, "Well, after talking with some of the locals, I think… I don't want to have that party."
"WHAT?! WHY!!?" Pepper exclaimed in disbelief. "I'm footing all the bills. I'm even planning the entire thing for you. Give me one good reason why you don't want to do the party."
My grandma nudged my dad and whispered, "That's how you parent."
My dad rolled his eyes. "If Edward has a good enough reason, then my parenting skills are good enough."
I told Pepper, "Yeah. You want to spend over 5 million on the party. That's insane, Pepper. Do you know how many people we could help with that kind of money?"
Pepper was startled, then flabbergasted. "You're a billionaire!"
He added, "Besides, you throw parties all the time."
"Company parties let the employees know he appreciates them. He's never thrown a party for himself. Well, not a lavish one," Frankie said, walking in from another room.
Pepper rolled his eyes and thought for a few seconds. "So, your only reservation is the budget?"
"Yup," I replied easily.
"So, if I cut it down to half—"
"One two hundredth," I interrupted.
"How much is that?" Pepper whispered to Frankie. She replied, "25,000."
"Oh come on! That's too low!" Pepper complained. "One twentieth. That's 250,000," he bargained.
"Hmmm. Half of that, and I might go along with it," I told him. Then I added, "The difference, you should donate to a good cause."
Pepper rolled his eyes and said, "Fine. Anyway, there's this reporter I'm friends with. I brought him here because he wants to ask you a few questions."
"Reporter?" I was startled. A thin British man with glasses stepped out from the room Frankie had come from and said, "I think I owe you an apology. I didn't want to eavesdrop, but honestly, the walls are too thin."
Pepper snarked, "Yes. You definitely weren't trying to listen by standing really close to the door."
"Don't be mad, Pepper. I think I can help with the party and maybe find some middle ground for both of you."
He asked me questions about the knighthood ceremony and the AIDS research. Since he was Pepper's friend, he didn't try to trap me or dig into private matters.
"So, I'll be the first person to ask the question that's been on everyone's mind for the last few weeks: what's next for you?" he asked.
"I've thought about it, and I've decided to just go with the flow for now. I don't really have any plans. Many people are hoping I'll cure cancer or another disease next. I am doing research on it—but even with the AIDS cure, it took over two years of study before I had a breakthrough. I've only just started the research now, so it'll take time."
He nodded, smiling softly. "I heard from an insider—"
"Pepper," I cut him off, looking at Pepper sharply. Pepper looked stunned.
"It is Mr. Saltzman, yes," the reporter admitted easily. "He told me you didn't have much interest in medicine at first. That it was an incident that led you to start studying it."
I thought for a moment before replying, "I guess that's true. I started my research after my dad was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. That led me into stem cell research, which in turn helped with the diabetes treatment."
He grinned widely and scribbled furiously in his notebook.
"If your dad's condition was the reason you started studying stem cells, how did you decide to focus on HIV next? Is there a backstory to that?"
I chuckled. "Is long hours of working with a hot lab assistant a good enough reason?"
He chuckled too, but then said seriously, "No."
I was caught off guard. "Alright then… I tried to anchor myself to reality so I wouldn't lose myself in fame or the luxury that comes with wealth. So I visited children's hospitals a lot.
"I lost a lot of friends I'd met there over the years, as they succumbed to their conditions. I wanted to help them—so I started researching more into incurable diseases. I guess I was doing it for them."
I wasn't trying to build a puff piece for myself. Everything I said was true—and honestly, it took a toll on my mental health. Especially the self-imposed burden of responsibility. No wonder Spider-Man could've had a normal life.
We ended the interview there. He went back to write his piece, and I ate dinner with my family. I invited him to join us, but he wanted to leave quickly to meet the printing deadline. He left with Pepper, who now had to replan the entire party.
…
Around 10 p.m., I received an invitation from Emma to meet her at an exclusive restaurant that night. I didn't want to go at first, but I had nothing else to do.
I saw her sitting at the bar, a champagne glass in front of her, her head resting on her hand as she waited anxiously.
Emma wore a sleek, dark blue dress that hugged her figure just enough—not too flashy, but still cute. Her makeup was soft and natural, with a light pink on her lips and a hint of shimmer on her eyelids that caught the light.
Her hair was loosely curled, falling gently over one shoulder, with a few strands tucked behind her ear. It looked effortless but clearly styled—like she wanted to look good without seeming like she tried too hard.
She finally noticed me, her face lighting up into a nervous smile. I looked at her strangely. The entire restaurant was empty, except for the staff.
"Are you closed?" I asked the usher who was bringing me inside.
"No. Miss Watson rented out the entire place for the night," she said with a teasing grin.
I was wearing black sweatpants and a hoodie, the hood pulled up and tied.
"Edward." Emma greeted me, but her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw my outfit. "You could've dressed better."
"What do you want?" I asked curtly, sitting to her left but leaving one chair between us. "Also, can I get a menu?" I asked the waitress.
Emma looked at me in disbelief, then scooted over to close the gap.
"Um, do you want to eat? I kinda have something to talk to you about," she asked meekly.
"I just ate," I replied. "I'll just have something sweet. I doubt they'll serve me alcohol here."
Emma giggled. "That's true."
An awkward silence fell. The waitress brought me my milkshake while Emma sipped her fourth glass of champagne.
I slurped my milkshake obnoxiously while she clearly tried to work up the nerve to speak. Finally, she snapped, "Why are you sucking on that straw endlessly?"
I finished the milkshake in one loud slurp and sighed dramatically. "Ahh, that was good."
Turning to her, I asked, "So, what do you want to talk about? Because I've got my drink, and I'm leaving soon."
She looked startled. "What?! It hasn't even been five minutes!"
"I know. That's all the time I can afford to sit with you while still being polite."
Her jaw dropped. "This was a bad idea." She grabbed her purse and stormed out.
I shrugged and called the waiter for the bill. But then she stomped back in and snapped, "Are you really going to let me go?"
"I'm paying first. I'm not gonna dine and dash like you," I said, annoyed.
Emma blinked twice, then noticed the waitresses glaring daggers at her.
"I—I'll pay! I came back to pay!" she blurted, yanking her card from her purse—only to drop the whole thing, spilling everything onto the floor.
I crouched to help her gather it all while she muttered under her breath.
"Why am I even here?" she grumbled.
"'Cause you're stupid?" I said.
"Don't try to guess why!" she snapped. We stood after collecting her things, and paid the bill.
Outside, we waited for her driver. She kept sneaking glances at me.
"What?" I asked, irritated by her constant side-eyes.
She let out a frustrated breath. "Why are you so annoyed at me all the time?! We haven't seen each other in months. Can't you just move on from what happened during the series? How long are you going to hold a grudge?!"
"I don't know. Until you grow as a person, I guess."
"I apologized to the director and the writers. So I don't think it's fair yo—You kept being mean to me."
"And why do you even need me to be nice to you?"
"Because… I like yo—"
Her eyes widened as the words caught in her throat. Right then, her car pulled up. She got in and left– basically running away before I could react.
"Wait… what!?" My head turned to follow the car, but she was already gone.