[Chapter 36. The Seeker's Proposal & A Lover's Embrace.] [R-18]
Last Time on Chapter 035 of [From Shadows To The Spotlight] —
Alex was busy thinking about how this could actually be spun off into a cinematic franchise of its own with its own movies, TV shows, and who knows.. maybe even video games.
But unlike the interconnected MCU, this one would be an anthological franchise where each project would be a standalone with very minimal to no crossover between its two projects.
It would tell the story of a person whose deeds should have made them something more unlike their forgotten selves.
They should've been—Remembered. Renowned. Revered.
Now Continuing —
It was Alex who broke the introspective silence between them. "So, Dan, now that you've wined and dined me with this extraordinary story." Daniel just chuckled in return.
"What was that proposal you were talking about before?" Alex asked calmly, hoping to not be asked to do something that he didn't like as he didn't want to dismiss Daniel's proposal after he had found such a great story for him.
"It's about a new story that I am chasing, currently it's a series of children's books still in serialisation with two books out called—Harry Potter."
That caught Alex's attention. He leaned back in his chair, his sharp gaze locking onto Daniel. "Go on."
Daniel got off the edge of the desk and took a seat across from him, his expression a mix of excitement and determination.
"I've already reached out to Bloomsbury and scheduled a meeting with J.K. Rowling. It's set for two weeks from now."
"If things go well, we'll be the first studio to approach her about adapting the books into films."
Alex's lips curved into a slight smile. "Smart move. So, what do you need from me?"
"This meeting needs to be more than just a pitch," Daniel explained. "This is her first work and it was a breakthrough."
"I'm certain that Rowling would be protective of her work, and she's going to need convincing that we're the right studio for the job."
"I am hoping to bring her to New Zealand, to the set of [The Lord of the Rings]. Let her see the level of care and craftsmanship we're putting into this epic."
"Show her what [MONARCH] is truly capable of." Daniel said looking into Alex's eyes with full conviction, believing that his plan would work.
Alex grimaced a little as he raised an eyebrow, considering the idea. "You think the spectacle of the Rings will sway her?"
"I don't just think it," Daniel said, leaning forward. "I know it. Rowling's created this incredible world with Harry Potter—magic, fantastical creatures, an epic battle of good versus evil."
"What better way to prove we can do it justice than to immerse her in the set of a fantasy epic like this? Also I can tell that she was inspired by Sir Tolkien's work or has at least read them."
Alex tapped his fingers on the table, the rhythm thoughtful. "You've got a point. But this isn't a field trip, Daniel.
"We're in the middle of a massive production. If we're doing this, it has to be on our terms."
"Of course," Daniel said quickly. "She'll sign an NDA, and we can limit the number of people she can bring with her to two—so there will be no entourage to look after. I'll make that clear from the start."
Alex nodded slowly, the wheels in his mind turning as he finally came to a decision, one he hoped he wouldn't come to regret in the future.
"Alright. If you think she is worth all this effort." Dan vigorously nodded at the statement.
Alex huffed a sigh and said. "And if she agrees to come, then we need to show her something that'll leave no doubt in her mind."
"Something that screams, 'This is the studio that can bring your vision to life.'"
"That's what I was thinking," Daniel said, a spark of excitement in his voice. "If we time it right, we can have her visit when you're shooting one of the big battle scenes. Those are bound to blow her away."
Alex's gaze sharpened, and a confident smirk played at the corners of his mouth. He leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. "I think, I've got just the scene in mind."
"Oh?" Daniel prompted, intrigued.
Alex's expression shifted, his eyes distant as he pictured the sequence in his mind. "The Siege of Helm's Deep," he said, his voice low but filled with conviction. "It's not just a fight; it's a spectacle."
"Just imagine a wane moon, Tens of thousands of Uruk-hai storming the fortress, torrential rain pouring down, tensions mounting with each passing second."
"The sheer scale of it, the drama, the stakes—it's going to be breathtaking."
Daniel could already imagine it vividly having read that scene countless times, though he knew the final product would be even more incredible. Alex had a knack for taking ambitious ideas and turning them into cinematic magic.
"She won't just be impressed," Alex continued, a gleam of determination in his eyes.
"She'll see that MONARCH isn't just a studio—it's a place where her world could come alive."
"We'll make her believe that no one else can do justice to Harry Potter like we can."
Daniel grinned, the excitement contagious. "That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say."
Alex leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Make the arrangements. Coordinate with the crew so everything's ready when she comes. And Daniel?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't screw this up," Alex said, though his tone held more trust than threat.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Daniel replied with a grin, standing they shared a nod, before he headed for the door.
As he stepped back out into the warm air of Alex's waiting room, he couldn't help but feel a surge of optimism.
If anyone could convince J.K. Rowling to entrust her beloved series to MONARCH, it was Alex Masters and his rendition of Lord of the Rings. And with the Battle of Helm's Deep as their ace, success felt almost inevitable.
And as Daniel left the office, already brainstorming ideas, Alex stayed behind, the photo of Léo Major still sitting on his desk. He picked it up again, studying the young man's face.
"You're going to make one hell of a movie," he murmured with a faint smile.
He then picked up the phone and said, "Donna, there's a children's book series called Harry Potter. I want a copy of both its issues. Yes, keep it discreet please. Thanks."
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Alex stroked Monica's sweat-soaked back as she shifted herself up and down his shaft, her nipples dragging along his chest, her long raven locks entangled in his face.
She smelled of the Jasmine shampoo she was so fond of using, breathing in that scent calmed the noise banging inside his overactive mind.
"So tight." He murmured as she ground herself slowly. Even as she rode him, he wondered at their connection, at his fortune of having found her.
Someone who loved him so much, that even after knowing and seeing almost all his secrets and scars. The wounds he hid from the world, he knew didn't have to with her and each moment he spent in her embrace seemed to soothe his soul.
She accepted all of it, all the flaws, all the imperfections. And instead of leaving him, she helped him grow and overcome and become a better man.
Yet, still the insecurities that most likely stemmed from his warped childhood trauma just made him question all of it. It wasn't logical or rational but fear and doubts usually aren't, nor can they be reasoned with.
He'd question whether it was real? Her love for him? or was it because of his money or power? or because she was desperate and wanted to jump start her career?
But he was older now, and he had learnt how to silence those voices. He couldn't help but chuckle inside as he remembered how he was so insecure before that he even questioned his ability to keep the women in his life happy.
Before he even used to question if he would even be able to satisfy her when he bedded her.
It took him years to but at least now he knew better, and while it may have been true that their relationship had been one borne out of attraction and convenience.
But now he couldn't be more proud to admit that they genuinely loved each other now, and the way she cared for his family and him just put his heart at ease. It was something that brought him peace of mind and allowed him to sleep a lot better at night.
"Yeah?" Monica exhaled, her eyes lidded as she rolled her hips in a circle. "You feel so fucking good inside me." She squeezed him, making him gasp — her soaking wet snatch was so hot around his shaft.
"I'm close," she whispered. The closed curtains of her four-poster bed had sheltered their slow sex for nearly an hour now, lit only by the soft sunlight that filtered through the fabric.
"Again?" Alex teased. "Don't you think you've had enough?"
She giggled as she used a hand on his chest to maneuver herself on him. She couldn't deny it — there was a pool of her juices on his groin, on the sheets. "I can't get enough of you," she told him between kisses to his skin.
"Want me to do the thing?" He asked with a smug grin on his face.
"Don't do the thing." She begged. "It's embarrassing."
He pulled her close, her sweaty body against his. Having found her ear, he gently nibbled on her earlobe, and whispered. "My good girl."
His hand slid onto her perfect ass and his thumb traced her rosebud before pushing inside.
Monica jerked and squealed, while her body kept quivering as she came undone, flooding his cock. "Alex, Alex, Alex—" She muttered in his ear as she was reduced to a limp pile of limbs, shuddering through little jolts of pleasure.
"Whoops." Alex kissed her forehead affectionately.
"You didn't cum." She whined when she'd recovered.
"I'm close." He shrugged, though he didn't make the joke that equated one's Johnson to a flintlock rifle and thus having a longer reload time as he knew that she would just groan at it.
She grabbed his hand, held it to her breast. "Inside me," she implored. "So my tummy fills up, like it will one day, when you finally agree to have children."
"Soon." Alex promised with a fond smile as he stroked her belly.
Their reverie was broken by the ring of Alex's work phone.
"No!" Monica groaned and cutely hissed at the phone on the bed side table. "Go away, fuck off, phone!"
It vibrated as it rang for a few seconds before Alex was able to shift around to pick it up while she still laid rested against him unwilling to move.
He put it on speaker and it was Donna's voice that greeted them. "Alex, Monica, sorry to cut into your alone time but Alex's getting late for his 8 AM morning appointment."
"8 o'clock?" Monica asked surprised as didn't even feel the time go by.
Also she thought she'd get to snuggle in with Alex for at least an hour longer as she had really missed the relaxing act of just sleeping in with him the past few months as he was busy shooting in New Zealand while she was busy filming a horror comedy and it was off to Broadway for her.
"It's for the official kick off for the MCU's writer's room, and while there is no immediate urgency. But sir you said that your presence might be necessary."
"It would really bolster morale and allow you to set the tone for the kind of stories you're expecting of them this time."
"Nooo," Monica sighed as he rolled her over to get up and pulled out of her in a pop, though he was mindful enough to press a towel to her gushing sex so she wouldn't stain the bed any more than she already had.
She moaned as she looked at him. "You weren't done though." She then glared at the phone as she cutely pouted. "He's not done!"
Alex grinned as he kissed her on the side of her head and then her lips. "You should sleep in, honey, it's still early. And I'm sorry but don't wait for me this time I'll probably be back even later tonight."
"But you'll come back right?" She asked while clinging onto him.
"Always." He replied with a fond smile as he kissed the top of her head.
Her eyes glistened as she just grinned, and he knew in his heart, that regardless of when he came back. She would wait for him with a warm meal and smile on her face that would just melt his heart. Like the first time when he met her.
"Now. Go to bed." He said sternly, as he made his way to the bathroom to hop in for a quick shower before he headed out for the day.
"I'll dream of you." She said when he got and began dressing himself.
He shook his head with a grin that wouldn't come as he left the house in a hurry.
It always amused him how despite her outward cold and standoffish persona. Monica was actually quite the romantic when nobody was around to see her and judge her for it.
----------
Alex stepped out of the elevator onto the top floor of MONARCH's headquarters, the bustling hum of creativity immediately surrounding him. The energy in the air was palpable, almost electric.
This was the moment he had been working toward for years—the official kickoff of the MCU writer's room.
The glass walls of the conference room were frosted for privacy, but the faint outlines of figures moving inside were visible. As Alex walked toward the door, he adjusted his hair by passing his fingers through them; his mind was already going over what he had planned to say to the group.
When he stepped inside, the wave of chatter halted mid-sentence. Heads turned, and every writer, producer, and creative mind in the room focused their attention on him.
The team had been carefully curated by him over the years: veterans of Hollywood storytelling, fresh indie talent, and even a few screenwriters with a background or love for comics.
"Good morning, everyone," Alex greeted, his voice steady and commanding yet warm and filled with expectation and ambition. "I hope you've had your coffee because today marks the start of something extraordinary.. something marvelous."
The room responded with polite laughter at the corny joke or pun, but the underlying excitement was evident and palpable.
Alex moved to the head of the long table, where a sleek projector displayed the MCU's sprawling timeline, at least the one he had thought of with Michael by his side. His heart ached whenever he saw it, as it reminded him of his friend and brother.
"This," Alex said, gesturing toward the timeline, "is the skeleton of our shared universe. Each one of you has been handpicked because you bring something unique to the table—your voice, your vision, your talent. I believe together we can flesh this out and create stories that will resonate for generations."
He scanned the room, making deliberate eye contact with as many people as he could. "But let's be clear," he continued. "This isn't just about superheroes or spectacle. It's about people."
"It's about their humanity, their struggles, triumphs, and relationships. The cape and mask are just the wrapping paper. What's inside is what matters most." He said, tapping at his chest, right above his heart.
There were murmurs of agreement and nods from a few senior writers.
Alex's gaze shifted to Richard Warren, seated at the far end of the table. The older man looked at him with a mix of curiosity and approval, his notebook already open, pen poised.
It was the first time Richard was working with a story adapted from a comic series, and Alex was eager to see how his mentor would react.
— To be Continued...
{2,539 words}
{TRL: And here we see the first appearance of Alex's girlfriend, Monica Bellucci, she is a few years younger here than in our world.
Also would you like to read ahead? You can do so for free up to 3 chapters ahead of the public release on my Patreon page as Free Member.
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If you like my work and would like to support me then by becoming a paid member you read from 10 to 20 chapters ahead of the public release depending on tier you purchase.}