[Claim Mystery Box Reward?]
Alex was excited. This was his first time opening a mystery box. "Well, let's see what's in the box."
With a tap, the box materialized in his hands. It was a black box with gold trim. It looked fancy, mysterious, and just a little suspicious.
'Alright. Let's do this.'
He lifted the lid.
A golden light burst out, momentarily blinding him. A chorus of angels hummed in the distance. Somewhere, he was pretty sure he heard a dramatic orchestral swell.
And then, three objects floated out, each landing neatly on the bed.
1. The Golden Spatula of Perfection
A gleaming, golden spatula, shining with an aura of absolute culinary dominance. The moment it landed, he heard a voice in his head:
"The wielder of this sacred tool shall know only perfection in the kitchen."
Alex stared at it. 'A spatula? Seriously?'
Then, to make things weirder, the spatula vibrated slightly as Alex examined it and whispered, "Yes… yesss… let me guide your hand… embrace the path of true flavor…"
Alex shoved it away. "Yeah, okay. That's creepy."
2. The Teleporting Recipe Book
A thick, leather-bound book landed next, its cover blank except for the words "The Ultimate Cookbook."
"Okay, this one might actually be useful," Alex muttered, reaching for it.
Then he heard the same voice in his head. "It Contains every recipe in existence. If you say, 'Show me something new!' it flips to a random exotic dish. If you drop it, it teleports to another random place in the kitchen, leading to frequent 'Where the hell did I put that?!' moments. Good luck with that."
"Ok. Less creepy and more annoying," He placed the book on the bed.
3. The One-Time 'Undo' Button
The final item was a small black box with a red button with the word "Oops" engraved on it in gold.
Alex picked it up, turning it over in his fingers.
"Press me to undo the last 5 minutes. No questions asked."
His business mind immediately saw potential.
'Stock market? Poker? Avoiding accidental text messages?'
Then his personal life reminded him…
'Or... avoid accidental creampie! Ahem... What the fuck am I even thinking? Hehehe...'
"Yeah, okay, this one's staying in my pocket," he muttered.
[BZZT! INCOMING CALL: MAX]
His phone buzzed, yanking him out of his thoughts. Sighing, he picked it up.
"Max."
"Moneybags!" Max's voice was way too energetic for this hour. "I know you are busy with your work and no worries, I will keep it short. So, listen, important business. Very important. Life-changing. Are you sitting down?"
Alex smiled. It's been three days since their last call and he was already missing her and Caroline. "Yeah, go on."
"Good. Because you, my ridiculously rich and slightly terrifying boyfriend, are officially being summoned to the bakery next month. And don't give any excuses. You said that you'd wrap up your shooting in a month, so... Yeah, you better be there."
"Summoned?"
"Yes! By the Baking Gods! AKA me. And Blondie. But mostly me."
"Why?"
"Because we're testing new recipes! And you, our dearest Sugar Daddy, get to be our guinea pig."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "What happened to your usual taste testers?"
Max sighed dramatically. "Okay, so, funny story. Caroline made a matcha cupcake disaster yesterday, and now all our local taste testers are... recovering."
"...Recovering?"
"There was... a lot of matcha. And, uh, minor food trauma."
Alex chuckled. "And by 'minor,' you mean..."
"Let's just say Earl said he 'saw the light' after taking a bite. I think he was exaggerating, but also? Maybe not."
Alex smirked. "So, you poisoned half the neighborhood, and now you need me to be next?"
"Exactly! See? This is why I love you. You just get me."
Alex sighed. "Fine. I'll be there."
"YES! Love you, Moneybags! And not to worry, we have time to perfect our recipe. Well, see ya soon."
Before he could respond, she hung up.
Alex shook his head and looked at the three magical items sitting in front of him. A cursed spatula, a teleporting recipe book, and an undo button.
"...Yeah, well... I'm pretty sure Max would love the spatula and the recipe book."
...
[A little fast-forward]
[Final scene shoot]
The last few days of filming Lost in Translation were intense. The production schedule had tightened as they approached the final, most emotionally charged scenes of the film. Every shot, every line, every unspoken glance had to be perfect.
Alex, as always, demanded nothing less.
The crew had moved back to Shibuya, capturing Bob and Charlotte's final moments together. This was the scene—the goodbye.
The streets were alive, people moving in waves. In the chaos of the city, Bob and Charlotte would share their last, fleeting moment—a whisper, a little kiss on the forehead (Improvised), a parting look, and then, they would go their separate ways.
Alex stood behind the monitor, watching as Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson took their places.
"Alright," he called out. "This is it. The goodbye. No big, dramatic declarations. Just two people who know this is the last time they'll ever see each other, and they don't have the words to say everything they want to."
Scarlett took a deep breath, nodding. Tom rolled his shoulders, getting into character.
The assistant director raised the clapperboard.
"Scene 89, Take 1… Action!"
Bob noticed Charlotte walking among the crowd. He told the driver to stop the car and quickly got out and weaved through the crowd, his eyes searching. Charlotte was ahead of him, walking with the same sadness she had carried throughout the film.
And then... He called.
She stopped.
She turned.
Their eyes met.
Bob stepped forward, closing the distance between them. The city buzzed around them, indifferent to the moment happening in its heart.
Charlotte's lips parted slightly, like she wanted to say something. But she didn't.
They hugged for a moment.
Bob leaned in.
He whispered something... something only she could hear.
Charlotte's eyes softened. Her smile was small, but real. He then kissed her forehead.
A quiet goodbye.
Bob pulled back, his hands lingering for just a moment before he turned and walked away. He turned again while walking backward with a smile. For the first time Bob smiled.
Charlotte stood there, watching him. Then as he got into the car, she also turned around and began to walk away. The moment passed. Life continued. But something had changed.
And then...
"Cut."
Silence.
Then Alex stood up. "That… was perfect."
A quiet exhale swept through the crew.
Scarlett smiled, still lost in the emotion of the scene. Tom stretched his arms, letting out a long breath.
"That's the perfect climax. Good job everyone," Alex announced. The crew broke into applause.
[Post-Wrap Celebration]
That night, Alex hosted a private wrap party at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. It was nothing crazy. Just a rooftop gathering with drinks, food, and a view of the Tokyo skyline.
Tom gave a short, charming speech about how much he had enjoyed the experience. Anna Faris did an over-the-top impression of Alex's serious directing face, which had the crew howling with laughter.
Scarlett sat next to Alex, sipping champagne. "So… what happens now?" she asked.
Alex leaned back in his chair, watching the city lights. "Now? Now I edit. Then I send it to the festivals. Then, hopefully, people love it."
Scarlett smiled. "They will."
He turned to her. "You sure?"
She nudged him. "I just spent the last month working with you. If there's one thing I know for sure… it's that you don't do failure."
Alex chuckled. "Fair point."
A comfortable silence stretched between them before Scarlett spoke again. "And after that?"
Alex smirked. "After that… we make something even bigger."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "Like…?"
Alex just clinked his glass against hers. "You'll see."
She laughed. "You really love being cryptic, don't you?"
"Only when it's fun."
She shook her head, smiling. "Well… whatever comes next, I hope I get to be a part of it."
Alex studied her, then nodded. "Yeah. I think you will."
...
With everything wrapped up, Alex appointed a manager for his hotel and left it under his care. His name is Joshua Lane. Rachel as usual, Alex's super assistant was in charge of counting the profits.
Next, as per the contract, he paid the actors, actresses, and everyone related to the movie. He wired the money to their bank accounts. Then arranged a flight back to NY.
And, he bought enough gifts for Max and Caroline and a little something for Lily.
...
As Alex boarded his private jet, his phone buzzed.
[NEW MESSAGE: MAX]
Max 🧁: Your bakery babes are awaiting your royal presence, oh great and powerful Sugar Daddy. Get your ass back here. Also, bring gifts.
Alex chuckled.
Alex: I'm on my way, troublemaker.
Next stop: New York.
And whatever came next.
Well, just then a quest popped up...
[Ping!]
[What could go wrong? Well, something is about to go wrong.]
[Timer: 15hrs]
[Reward: Universal Editor Machine]
"Oh, great," Alex sighed. He knew exactly what the quest was. Something was about to go down at the bakery.
...
[14 Hours Later – The Bakery: Closing Time]
It had been a long, exhausting day. Business was booming, customers were raving about their latest flavors, and for once, Max and Caroline actually felt like successful business owners.
Caroline wiped down the counter with a satisfied sigh. "You know, Max, I think we've finally made it. We survived being broke, we survived Tokyo, and now… we're thriving."
Max, locking up the register, smirked. "Yeah, yeah. But more importantly, I survived an entire day without strangling a single Karen. That's real growth."
Caroline giggled. "Proud of you."
The last customer had left, the chairs were stacked, and the bakery was finally quiet.
Until the door slammed open.
Two masked men stormed in, both wearing hoodies, faces covered with black ski masks. They moved fast... one locking the door behind them, the other reaching into his jacket.
Max's eyes flicked to them instantly. Oh, shit.
The taller one spoke first, his voice gruff. "Nobody scream. Nobody move. Just empty the register, and nobody gets hurt." His right hand was in his pocked and was pointing it at them. It's like he has a gun in his pocket.
Max blinked. Then turned to Caroline. "Well… there goes the thriving part."
Caroline, who had just been basking in the glow of their success, froze.
Her mouth opened. Nothing came out.
Max, being Max, stayed unnervingly calm. She had been through worse. "Alright, alright. Let's all just take a breath here. You don't wanna shoot us. We don't wanna get shot. I mean, unless you're taking requests, because if so, I'd like to be shot in the ass so I can sue someone and retire early."
The shorter robber groaned. "Just shut up and give us the money."
Max side-eyed Caroline, who was still frozen. "Yo, Blondie? Little help?"
Caroline wasn't breathing. This was NOT how she imagined dying. She had plans. Big, important, sex-related plans.
Her thoughts spiraled:
She couldn't die now! Their cupcake business was finally booming! She hadn't even had time to spend her first big paycheck!
She hadn't slept with Alex yet. Like, at all. She had waited too long for that moment. She deserved that ride.
She was way too pretty to die. Did robbers even consider beauty before shooting people? They should. It was rude otherwise.
Oh God. The fear was too much.
Something warm ran down her leg.
Max noticed immediately. Her eyes went wide. "Oh. Oh no. Oh, sweet lord in heaven—Blondie, are you…?"
Caroline looked down.
Then up.
Then back down.
The realization hit.
"I'M PEEING," she screeched in horror. "OH MY GOD, I CAN'T STOP."
The robbers hesitated.
The taller one took a step back. "The hell…?"
The shorter one looked disturbed. "Jesus, lady."
Max, biting her lip, tried so hard not to laugh. "Damn, Blondie. I knew you were scared, but I didn't know you were fountains of Bellagio scared."
Caroline whimpered. "MAX, I CAN'T CONTROL IT. IT JUST WON'T STOP. OH, OH, GOD!"
Her legs kept shaking. The pee kept coming. It was like a never-ending nightmare.
The robbers… were visibly horrified.
The short one gagged. "Oh, what the hell?!"
-[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS PLS]----
Support link: www.patr eon.com/UnknownMaster
[7 advance chs] + [Early chs for Two and a Half Men] [All chs available for all tiers]
------
AN: I have changed the plot for SJ a bit to make it more fun.