AN: Here you go 2 chs. MORE POWERSTONES. PLS>
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[The Magical Mystery Show]
The velvet curtain shimmered under stage lights. Laughter, chatter, and the clinking of glasses filled the room as guests took their seats around small candlelit tables.
Caroline sat with legs were crossed, the slit in her deep green dress showing just enough skin to drive him mad if he looked too long. Which, of course, he did. She leaned into Alex's arm, eyes sparkling. "I haven't been to a magic show since I was twelve. My dad used to hire magicians for my birthdays."
Alex glanced at her, smiling. "What kind of tricks?"
"The works. Doves, coins, flaming handkerchiefs. One guy pulled a rabbit from a bag of gummy bears and made my iPod disappear for a week. I was obsessed."
A waiter approached, sleek and silent. He placed two menus down and nodded politely.
Caroline barely looked. "I want something fruity and alcoholic."
Alex handed the waiter both menus. "Mai Tai for her. Apple Sour for me."
The man vanished like he was trained by Houdini himself.
Caroline shifted in her seat, looking around the theater. There were about thirty tables, all close to the stage. Rich purple drapes framed the space. A spotlight roamed slowly across the audience.
She turned to Alex. "Do you think they'll pull someone on stage?"
"Probably," he said, sipping water. "And if they're smart, they'll pick someone who looks cute and completely unsuspecting."
Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare volunteer me."
"I won't," he replied, smirking. "But I can't stop fate."
Their drinks arrived. Caroline took a long sip and sighed with satisfaction. "Okay. This is perfect. Fruit, booze, umbrella. I'm twelve percent more magical already."
Then the lights dimmed. A hush fell across the audience.
The music changed to something low and orchestral. A voice echoed from the wings. Smooth. Confident.
"Ladies and gentlemen… prepare to witness the impossible."
The host stepped into the spotlight.
He was tall and dressed in a maroon jacket with black lapels. He smiled, adjusted his cufflinks, and gave the room a long, theatrical pause before speaking again.
"I'm Astor. Tonight, I'll be your guide through illusion, misdirection, and mystery. But make no mistake, magic is real. You just have to believe in the lie hard enough."
The crowd chuckled.
Astor bowed.
And the show began.
He started with classics. A levitating rose. A deck of cards that reshuffled in mid-air. Coins vanished from one hand and appeared in a child's pocket across the room. The audience gasped and clapped, fully charmed.
Caroline whispered, "Okay, he's good. I mean, I know it's a trick, but I'm still impressed."
Alex sipped his drink. "You're smiling like a kid in a candy store."
She leaned into him, giggling. "You love it."
"I do."
Astor brought out a woman in a glittering red dress. She climbed into a glass box. Locked. Bolted. Then vanished in a flash of white light. The box was empty.
The applause was loud. The table beside Caroline's started placing bets on how he did it. The mood lifted even higher.
Then came the participation round.
Astor stepped closer to the audience. "I'll need a volunteer. Someone curious... bold."
Caroline shrunk in her seat slightly.
Alex raised his glass.
Astor smiled. "Ah, perfect. The gentleman with the calm expression and the unreadable face. You, sir."
Caroline whipped her head toward him. "Oh, no."
Alex shrugged, already rising from his chair.
Astor motioned him to the stage. "Join me, my friend."
Caroline leaned forward, watching as Alex climbed the steps, every inch the unbothered billionaire on vacation. The audience perked up. Even the bartender leaned against the back wall to watch.
Astor produced a folded sheet of paper.
"This," he said, "is a prediction. Written before the show. I haven't touched it since. You, sir, will not open it."
Alex nodded once.
Astor then scanned the crowd like a lion eyeing the next act of fate.
"Someone connected… but perhaps not obviously," he mused, then pointed to the left side of the room. "You. The stunning miss in the silver dress."
The spotlight swerved.
Caroline blinked. Her smile faltered. She wasn't the one called.
From the table across the room, a woman stood up with a smile. She was wearing a silver party gown, with her back exposed, and by the looks of it, she was either wearing nipple covers, a strapless bra, or completely commando.
Halle Berry.
Caroline's eyebrows jumped.
Alex's reaction was... restrained. But not neutral.
He exhaled once, low and amused, and then gave a small nod as she walked up to the stage.
Halle met his eyes as she stepped beside him. Her lips curved into that signature, slow-burning smile. The kind that made red carpets feel irrelevant.
"Well, look who fate dragged out of the shadows," she said quietly.
Alex chuckled, hands loosely folded in front of him. "Didn't think we'd meet in the middle of a magic show."
"I didn't think I'd be called on stage with Hollywood's most untouchable man. So we're both surprised."
Astor clapped his hands once. "Excellent. A bit of stardust in the house tonight. Mr. Wilson, Miss Berry… you two have never shared a stage before, have you?"
"Not yet," Halle said, her tone lighter, teasing.
"But soon," Alex replied calmly.
Astor smiled like a man who already knew the punchline.
"Perfect. Now, for this next illusion, we'll require trust. Intuition. And a tiny bit of fate."
He motioned to the center of the stage, where a table now sat. On it: a deck of cards, a sealed glass dome, and a velvet pouch.
The spotlight narrowed.
Astor addressed the audience. "Magic, you see, isn't just about what you see. It's about what you feel. So tonight, we'll test the invisible threads between strangers."
He turned to Halle first. "Miss Berry, inside this pouch are ten cards. Each is blank. Except one. On it is written a word I chose three hours ago. A word that means something personal to me. I want you to reach in, shuffle with your eyes closed, and draw one."
She nodded, reaching in and closing her eyes.
Astor continued. "Don't look at it. Just hold it to your chest. Feel it. Think about what that word might be."
Halle nodded, her hand flat against her heart, card hidden.
Then Astor turned to Alex.
"Mr. Wilson. You seem like a man who enjoys control. So, let's challenge that."
Astor handed him a black marker and pointed to the sealed paper he had given Alex earlier.
"Don't open it. Just hold it in your left hand. With your right, take this marker and, on this blank board, write the word that you think she's holding."
Alex arched an eyebrow. He looked at Halle, who was doing a good job keeping her expression unreadable.
Caroline, from her table, watched with narrowed eyes and a little smile. If this turned into an accidental romantic movie moment, someone was getting punched.
Alex stepped up to the board, paused, then wrote one word.
Pulse.
Astor smiled. "Interesting choice."
He turned to Halle. "Now, reveal your card."
She flipped it over.
On it, one word was written in bold black ink.
Pulse.
The audience gasped.
Caroline leaned back in her seat, eyes wide. "No. Freaking. Way."
Astor held up both cards. "Written in different hands. Different moments. Same word. Coincidence?"
He looked toward the crowd.
"Or is it that connection is the real magic after all?"
Applause broke out. Not polite clapping. Real, startled, this-is-crazy clapping.
Halle smiled and stepped back. Alex gave a slight nod, casual but impressed.
Astor wasn't done.
He turned to Alex again. "Now… about that prediction."
The sealed envelope, still untouched, was passed back to Astor. He held it up, waved it once over the table like some ridiculous priest of fate, then opened it slowly.
He pulled out a folded piece of parchment and read aloud.
"The word they will share, without knowing why, will be pulse. Because one spark, when genuine, always finds a rhythm."
The crowd exploded.
People were standing now, cheering, laughing, clapping like kids at a birthday show.
Halle turned to Alex with a grin. "Alright. That was slick. You plant that ahead of time?"
Alex shook his head. "Not me. I thought it was you. But I guess not."
She gave him a knowing smirk and stepped off the stage, heels clicking with elegance.
Alex followed.
They both returned to their seats, passing through whispers and compliments. When Alex sat down beside Caroline again, she looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"So... pulse?"
He met her gaze. "It's the word that came to mind."
"Why?"
He leaned in and whispered in her ears, "Because it reminded me of you, like how your kisses make my pulse run wild... And this hot dress, just thinking about taking off you tonight, little by little, and make love to you... Wanna check my pulse?"
Caroline's mouth opened, ready to sass back, but the compliment hit faster than her brain could form a punchline. She blinked.
Alex just sipped his drink like he hadn't just casually said the smoothest thing in the building.
She narrowed her eyes playfully. "You're lucky you're hot."
He leaned closer. "And lucky you're mine."
The show continued. More illusions, a floating table, a card appearing inside a locked box ten feet away.
But for Caroline?
The real trick had already happened.
It was watching him, under lights, calm as ever, and his occasional little smiles. It made her heart race.
She took his hand under the table.
He squeezed back.
...
[After the Show] [Outside]
The crowd filtered out of the theater in slow, talkative waves. Laughter lingered. Camera flashes blinked. Couples chattered about the tricks they couldn't explain. Somewhere behind them, Astor was likely backstage laughing into a whiskey glass.
Alex and Caroline stepped into the warm Hawaiian night.
The air was soft and humid, scented with grilled meat, sea breeze, and sweet pineapple from a nearby vendor stand. The pavement still held a bit of the day's heat underfoot.
Caroline kicked off her heels without a second thought and walked barefoot beside him, holding them in one hand like a woman who had won her night.
Alex looked down at her. She smiled back, the lights from shop windows flickering across her face.
"Comfort over glamour?" he asked.
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, please. I walked on a six-inch death trap for two hours. I've earned my barefoot goddess era."
They passed a row of street musicians. One was strumming a ukulele, another tapping rhythms on a wooden box. A few kids danced in a circle, clapping along to the beat.
Caroline paused just a second, watching.
Alex noticed. Without speaking, he stepped behind her, wrapped one arm around her waist, and guided her gently into a slow step.
"Nope," she laughed. "Absolutely not. I am not dancing barefoot in the middle of a tourist square."
"You're already halfway there," he said, pulling her closer, starting to sway with her in time.
People barely noticed. Or maybe they did and just thought it was cute.
Caroline gave in, letting her body lean into his, resting her head against his shoulder.
A few minutes of dancing...
The song faded. They kept walking.
They passed boutique windows filled with overpriced sandals, beach hats, and a wall of mirrored sunglasses. Caroline stopped in front of a jewelry shop, eyes catching on a delicate gold necklace shaped like a wave.
Alex stepped beside her, following her gaze.
"You want it?"
She shook her head. "No. I just like looking. That's all this is. Window shopping. A very bad habit I picked up from Max."
He reached out and tugged gently on a strand of her hair. "I used to do that too, a long time ago. It was fun. But right now, I wonder..."
She kissed his cheek, "Don't think too much. Gloomy doesn't look good on you."
He shook his head with a smile.
A few steps later, they hit the food stalls.
A small cart advertised fresh malasadas. Caroline stopped, sniffed the air.
"Oh my god. This smells so good."
Alex pulled his wallet from his pocket. "One for each?"
"Two for me," she said. "Don't argue."
They sat on a nearby bench, biting into warm, sugar-dusted pastries that practically melted on the tongue. Caroline groaned with delight after the first bite.
"I could marry this doughnut," she mumbled.
Alex wiped a bit of powdered sugar off her lower lip with his thumb. "You're not allowed to. You're already taken."
She grinned and took another bite, deliberately messier this time. "Possessive much?"
He leaned closer. "Absolutely."
They moved on again, passing an open art stall where a street painter was working by lamplight, brushing streaks of indigo into a sunset skyline. Caroline stopped, mesmerized.
Alex's instinct was already on fire thanks to his skill to identify talent. 'This guy can really paint. I'll give you a chance. Where you go from there will be up to you.'
The artist glanced up. "You two on your honeymoon?"
Alex was about to answer. Caroline beat him to it.
"Not yet."
Alex glanced at her.
She didn't look at him.
She just smiled and kept walking.
He took out a platinum Titan card and gave it to the guy. "You want an opportunity to do something more? Come to that address next month."
Then, Alex followed Caroline.
She bought shaved ice from another stand and forced him to share even though he said he didn't want any. He ended up eating half of it.
They wandered down to the beach.
Shoes forgotten. Sand cool beneath their feet. The waves rolled in like applause from the ocean itself.
They walked along the edge of the shore, toes dipping into the surf. Caroline's dress fluttered around her legs. She looked up at him, her face half-lit by moonlight.
"I am so happy today. It was really fun."
Alex walked up to her, wrapped her arms around her waist, and pulled her closer. He kissed her softly, letting the moment pass... slowly. Then he pulled back and pressed his forehead against her.
They stood there in silence...
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[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS PLS]
Support link: www.patr eon.com/UnknownMaster
[5 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] [No double billing.]
[Early access to Brooklyn 99> 10 advance chs]
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