[7 PM] [Living Room Set | Night]
The shoot had gone well. Andrew fumbled a line once or twice earlier in the afternoon, rushed a movement here and there, but Alex had guided him back every time. By evening, they shot multiple indoor scenes.
And right now, it's the final shot of the day.
The robbery gone wrong...
Alex stood near the monitors, hands clasped behind his back. The crew finished setting up the interior. The set was arranged to make it look like a hasty robbery. A lamp lay shattered near the wall, drawers opened, and the front door was ajar.
Andrew stood just outside the door. He took a breath that looked more like a flinch. Diana was near the stairs with little fake blood on her forehead and Jeff was lying near the little hallway with bloody clothes and a little blood pack strapped to his stomach.
Alex raised a hand.
"Quiet on set," he said calmly. "This is it. The fateful night that changed Peter's life. So, I want to see raw emotions. Let it hurt if it has to."
Andrew nodded once. Jeff gave a thumbs-up before lying down. Diane nodded as she lay near the stairs. Her role was to play unconscious May.
"Scene 3F," Alex called. "Take one. Action."
Scene 3F
Peter stepped inside carefully.
The house was dark, far quieter than it should have been at this hour. His brow furrowed immediately, instinct kicking in before logic could catch up. He shifted his bag off his shoulder, his body tense.
"May?" he called out.
No answer.
He took a few steps forward, his shoes crunching lightly against broken glass. His eyes moved fast now, scanning the room, the overturned chair, the lamp on the floor.
Then he saw her.
May lay crumpled near the stairs, unmoving, blood trickling from her temple. Peter's breath hitched violently.
"No. No, no, no."
He dropped his bag and rushed to her side, kneeling, hands hovering for half a second before touching her shoulder.
"May. Aunt May. Please wake up."
She did not move.
Panic set in fully then. Peter looked around wildly, his chest heaving, and that was when he saw Uncle Ben.
Ben lay in the small hallway, his body twisted slightly, one hand pressed weakly against his stomach. Blood soaked through his shirt, dark and spreading.
Peter froze for half a heartbeat.
Then he ran.
"Uncle Ben," Peter said, his voice breaking as he dropped to his knees beside him. "Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben."
His hands trembled as he pulled his phone from his pocket, nearly dropping it twice as he dialed.
"Nine one one," he said into the phone, his voice cracking. "Please. Please hurry. My uncle has been shot. He is bleeding a lot. Please. Yeah... 20 Ingram Street, Forest Hills. Please hurry."
He ended the call without waiting for questions and tossed the phone aside, his full attention snapping back to Ben.
"I am sorry," Peter said rapidly, words tumbling over each other. "I am so sorry. I should have been here. This is my fault. This is all my fault. I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said those things to you. Please, forgive me..."
Ben groaned softly, his breath shallow. His eyes fluttered, then focused on Peter's face.
"Pete," Ben said weakly.
Peter leaned closer immediately, tears spilling down his cheeks and dropping onto Ben's shirt.
"I am here," he said. "I am here. Please just hold on."
Ben's lips twitched, almost a smile, though pain flickered through his expression.
"Forgiveness?" Ben said quietly. "There is nothing you need to be forgiven for, Pete. Not by me."
Peter shook his head hard, sobbing now, his hands tightening in Ben's sleeve.
"But I was not there when you needed me," he said. "I should have protected you."
Ben drew in a shaky breath, every word clearly costing him effort.
"We all mess up sometimes," Ben said. "It is not only inevitable. I think maybe it is even necessary."
His gaze stayed locked on Peter, unwavering despite the pain.
"You know what would disappoint me?" Ben continued. "If you did not reach for the kind of life I wanted for you. If you settled for less because you were afraid of reaching for more. If you walked away from what you believe, even once."
Peter's breathing hitched as he listened, every word carving itself into him.
"Have you done that?" Ben asked.
Peter shook his head desperately.
"No," he said. "No, I have not."
Ben exhaled softly, relief washing over his face.
"Then I taught you right," he said. "And your life has meaning."
His voice weakened, fading, but his eyes stayed on Peter.
"Always remember, Peter," Ben said, barely above a whisper as he touched Peter's chest. "With great power comes great responsibility."
His hand slipped from his chest.
His eyes lost focus.
Peter stared at him, frozen, waiting for another breath that never came.
"No," Peter whispered. "No, please."
He pressed his forehead to Ben's chest, his sobs breaking loose as sirens began to wail faintly in the distance.
The camera held on to him.
Alex did not speak.
No one moved.
Tears streamed down Andrew's face, real and uncontrolled, his shoulders shaking as he clutched Jeff Daniels' lifeless body. Diane Lane lay still near the stairs, eyes closed, blood streaked at her temple, her hand twitching slightly as she stayed perfectly in character.
Finally, after several long seconds, Alex raised his hand slowly.
"And cut," he said quietly.
The silence shattered all at once. Crew members exhaled. Someone sniffed loudly. Another wiped their eyes without pretending they were not crying.
Andrew stayed on the floor, breathing hard, face buried against Jeff's chest.
Alex stepped forward immediately and knelt beside him, placing a steady hand on his shoulder.
"You did it," Alex said softly. "That was perfect. The dialogues and emotions... Awesome job."
Andrew nodded shakily, still catching his breath.
Jeff opened his eyes and squeezed Andrew's arm gently, grounding him back in reality.
"Hell of a job, kid," Jeff said quietly.
Diane sat up slowly, rubbing her temple, eyes glassy. "That was a perfect delivery."
Andrew took a deep breath and stood up. He rubbed his eyes. "Wow! Thanks."
Alex patted his back before he addressed the set.
"That is a wrap for today," he said. "Outstanding work, everyone. Take the night. You earned it."
The crew began to move again.
He then shook hands with Jeff and Diane, had a little chat with them before they went to their trailers.
...
[9:30 PM] [Jennifer Lopez's Studio]
After the shoot wrap-up, Alex drove his car to his next destination, Jennifer Lopez's studio. He and Jennifer Lopez were doing a collaborative music video, and since Alex had started his acting debut with Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which became a massive hit, he needed to maintain his media presence. Now that he was directing the biggest movie of his life, there was simply no room in his schedule to take on another acting role in a full film. The music video solved that problem neatly. With Jennifer Lopez's comeback and his own on-screen presence, the collaboration would be more than enough to keep both of them firmly in the spotlight.
Alex parked in the parking lot of the studio and got out.
He went inside.
Inside, the studio buzzed with a different kind of energy. Dancers stretched near mirrored walls, choreographers spoke in rapid bursts of counts and corrections, and technicians adjusted lights that pulsed faintly to a looping instrumental track.
Jennifer Lopez stood near the center of the room, dressed in a white outfit. She turned as Alex entered.
"Long day?" she asked.
"Yes. Just wrapped up the shoot," He replied, walking closer. "How are things on your side?"
"We are ready," she said. "We have been waiting on you."
Alex nodded once, the fatigue of the day still sitting behind his eyes, but his posture straightened automatically as he stepped fully into work mode. "Great. Show me the room."
She gestured toward the hallway. "Come on. Styling is set. Makeup too. We will move fast."
They walked past dancers and crew. Inside the prep room, a stylist and a makeup artist were already waiting. Racks of clothing lined one wall, neatly arranged, while mirrors glowed with warm light.
Alex handed off his jacket and shirt, changing into the wardrobe chosen for him with practiced ease. The stylist adjusted the fit, smoothing the fabric and making small corrections at the collar and sleeves. The makeup artist worked quickly.
After he was ready...
Jennifer walked in. She has also prepped up.
"To the set?" She asked.
"Yep, let's go," Alex nodded.
The main studio had been transformed. The lighting softened, warm tones replacing the sharper rehearsal lights. A small restaurant set filled the space with some green screens for later content addition. A table for two sat near a window backdrop, city lights glowing faintly beyond it.
The concept was simple. A blind date arranged through a friend. Two people meeting for the first time with expectations already slightly off balance. The reveal was not loud or comedic. It was quiet, unfolding through glances, pauses, and the subtle shift of tone when reality did not match assumption.
The music started.
Alex took his seat at the table, posture relaxed but alert, playing the role of a man who thought he understood what he was walking into. Jennifer entered moments later, confidence carried effortlessly, her presence commanding without effort. When their eyes met, the beat softened, and the story began.
At first, it played like any other first date. Polite smiles, small talk, and curious glances were exchanged across the table. Then came the moment of realization, not spoken aloud, but visible in the hesitation of his expression and the calm steadiness of hers. The age difference was clear, not exaggerated, not hidden. It simply existed.
The camera lingered on their reactions. His uncertainty. Her awareness. The flicker of something unexpected between them.
As the song progressed, the dynamic shifted. What began as confusion turned into curiosity, then into something deeper and more complicated. Power moved back and forth between them, not through control, but through understanding. She was self-assured, unbothered by judgment. He was learning, adjusting, realizing that attraction did not always follow the rules he thought he knew.
They took a little break between the shoots as the crew worked fast to change the scenario and set up new props, transforming the place completely into something new.
They moved through a series of scenes that mirrored the evolution of the relationship. A walk through the city. A conversation that grew more honest. A quiet moment where both stood still, unsure but unwilling to walk away.
Alex stayed fully present, listening not just to the music, but to the rhythm of the story. He moved so perfectly that they didn't need to reshoot scenes. Jennifer matched him beat for beat and felt the gap between their talents. To match Alex's pace, she had to put everything she had.
Then, the way he looked at her during the sensual and close-up scenes, it made her heart flutter, and she got pulled into a trance that she didn't even notice and gave probably one of her best performances.
The shoot continued around 4 AM.
When the final note faded, the director called cut.
It was late, but they managed to shoot the entire thing in less than a day.
That's when Jennifer and the crew realized what it's like to work with Alex. Everything was going so smoothly and the perfect rhythm... they ended up working over the fixed time without a single complaint.
The room went quiet for a moment, then slowly came back to life as crew members relaxed and reset. Jennifer exhaled, her shoulders easing as she stepped out of character.
Jennifer talked to the director for a few minutes, then she and Alex watched the scenes. They made some cuts and adjustments on the spot. After another 30 minutes or so of on-the-spot editing, Alex and Jennifer walked down the hallway toward the changing rooms. The adrenaline of the shoot was still in the air, but it had softened into something quieter now, almost intimate.
Jennifer walked beside him at an easy pace, her heels tapping lightly against the floor. She glanced at him once, then again, as if weighing whether to say something, before finally smiling to herself.
She looked at Alex and nodded. "Now I know why everyone wants to work with you."
Alex cluckled. "Was it fun?"
"Can I be honest?"
"Go ahead."
"Promise not to think weird of me?"
"Promise. Give me your unfiltered opinion," Alex said with a reassuring nod.
"I could not look away from you," Jennifer said, her voice calm but honest. "Not once. Every time the camera was on you, it felt like the room narrowed. Like everything else stopped existing."
Alex turned his head slightly to look at her, attentive without being intrusive. He did not interrupt.
"There was something about your eyes," she continued. "It was... Almost hypnotic. I kept forgetting we were acting." She exhaled softly, then laughed under her breath, not amused so much as surprised. "At one point, I actually wondered if you were doing it on purpose."
He slowed just enough to match her steps more closely. "Doing what?"
She met his gaze this time and did not look away. "Pulling people in," she said. "Like a magician who makes girls fall in love without them noticing."
They stopped outside the changing rooms.
Alex held her gaze and asked gently, "Did you fall in love with me without noticing?"
Jennifer smiled, slower this time, her answer written more in her eyes than in her words. "I think you already know the answer to that."
Alex walked forward and closed the distance between them. "Do I?" He asked.
She looked up and noticed how close they were.
'Kiss him. Kiss him... Do it!' Jennifer's thoughts ran wild. She was frozen under his gaze. 'This is the only chance you are going to get. Kiss him.'
But before she could make her move, Alex moved his face closer. She quickly closed her eyes and leaned back on the wall. She expected him to kiss her, and then they would go into one of the rooms and make out like there was no tomorrow and it'd be a one-time thing. Or maybe, they could start a relationship. She knew about Caroline, but still... With the rumors floating around about Alex having multiple relationships, she thought that maybe this complex relationship would work for her after her messy divorce. She was ready to give it a go.
But instead of that...
Alex moved his face near her left ear and whispered. "I can feel the heat, but sadly, I don't do one time thing. I'm a very possessive man and once you get into my heart, there is no way out." He kissed her cheek. "So, think carefully what you wish for, Jennifer."
He pulled back and walked into the room, leaving her stunned, lovestuck... and a little wet.
----
Next Chapter: Oscorp Shoot
---
AN: I'm kinda skeptical about the last part. But we had enough timeskip and focus on the girls. So, for now, I'm keeping some plotlines open for future expansion. I actually wanted to end this one with 300 chs, but since it's going strong on Webnovel, maybe we'll even get to see DC and Avengers movies.
And I know there are many JLo haters. But I kinda did a search and found that despite her multiple marriages, she never took money from the man after the divorce, which is kinda rare lol.
Harem: Max, Caroline, Rachel, Evangeline, Scarlett, Halle, Chloe, Angelina Jolie, ?, ?
Oh, and no worries, I'll drop enough scenes between the shoot where Alex spends time with the harem members.
---[Stockpiling. So, it'll take some time to release the next chapter.]---
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[4 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] [No double billing.]
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