One Month Later — Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Alex's Clinic
The world had moved on.
News cycles had shifted from Stark's return and the press conference chaos to new headlines—rising tech stocks, corporate reshuffling, rumors of a new revolutionary techs under Stark's R&D wing.
But for Alex, life had fallen back into rhythm.
Patients came and went.
Paperwork never stopped piling.
Maria handled most of the logistics, Colleen and Sue rotated night shifts, and the clinic's private reputation as the go-to spot for confidential healing had only grown stronger. Business was steady. Low-profile but steady.
And every few days… a certain billionaire dropped by.
"You again?"
Alex didn't even look up from the tablet he was reviewing as the familiar sound of expensive shoes clicked across the floor.
Tony Stark stood by the door, grinning with a cup of coffee in one hand and a small drone hovering behind him.
"I brought snacks," he said, waving a bag of bagels. "I figured you'd be too busy saving lungs and resetting spines to actually eat."
Alex finally looked up, unimpressed. "This is your third visit this week."
"Fourth," Tony corrected. "I stopped by on Monday but didn't want to interrupt that adorable moment with the twins and their overexcited dad. You do good work here, Doc."
He dropped into the seat across from Alex like he owned the place. "So," he continued, leaning in, "have you thought about it?"
Alex sighed. "Thought about what?"
"Teaching me magic, of course. Or chi. Or whatever it was you did that one time when you turned my chest into a blood fountain and then stitched it up without a scalpel."
Alex leaned back, folding his arms. "Tony… you don't have the aptitude. You're smart—absurdly so—but you're wired differently. Magic requires a connection to forces you've spent your whole life trying to quantify and break down into formulas."
Tony looked mildly offended. "You saying I can't believe in wonder?"
"I'm saying you don't need to. You invent it."
Tony clicked his tongue, nodding slowly. "That's… annoyingly poetic."
"Besides," Alex added dryly, "you get distracted too easily. Last time I showed you a Magic Circle diagram, you tried to redesign it into a power circuit."
"I still think it'd make a killer arc reactor blueprint," Tony muttered.
Alex arched a brow. "Exactly."
There was a beat of silence. Then Tony shrugged, reaching into his coat.
"Fine. No spell lessons. But you're still doing my monthly checkups."
"I told you—you're fine now."
"Yeah, yeah, but I sleep better knowing that you say it."
Alex shook his head, though his lips twitched slightly at the corners.
Later That Night – Alex's Office
Alone again, Alex sat in his office, reviewing digital charts. His clinic's expansion plans were modest—he liked keeping things small and clean—but a second location was being considered now, somewhere outside Hell's Kitchen.
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a moment.
The events of the past month still hovered in the air like distant echoes. Stark's visit had triggered interest, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance around Hell's Kitchen had only gotten thicker. There were whispers—subtle, probing inquiries from organizations Alex preferred to pretend didn't exist for now.
Sitting alone in his office, Alex muttered as he reviewed some updated local reports.
"Hmm… now that Cypher and Zephyra are overseeing the Hell's Kitchen sector, the crime rate has dropped drastically. Not surprising, considering I left a trail of massacres last time to help Maria."
He closed the report with a quiet sigh. "The crime rate's practically zero now."
He leaned back in his chair, tapping a pen thoughtfully against his desk. "Time to shift to something bigger."
His gaze wandered to a sealed folder labeled Expansion Proposal.
The phone rang only twice before it picked up.
"Yo, Doc," Tony's voice came through, casual as ever. "This better not be another reminder to eat healthier. I already gave up soda this week."
Alex chuckled lightly. "No, nothing like that."
"Good," Tony replied. "I'm already suffering enough."
"I need a favor," Alex said plainly.
Tony's tone shifted, losing its usual sarcasm. "Say the word."
"I'm looking to expand," Alex said. "Not the clinic. Something bigger. I want to build a proper hospital."
There was a pause on the other end. Then: "You're serious."
"I wouldn't be calling if I wasn't."
Tony exhaled. "Okay. What kind of help do you need? Funding? Tech? Land?"
"Land, preferably. Somewhere large, clean, and quiet—but still close to the city."
"I might know a guy," Tony said. "Or five. I'll dig through a few portfolios and see what I can get. No promises on quiet though—this is New York."
Alex nodded to himself. "Appreciated."
"I'll get back to you by tomorrow," Tony said. "And hey… when this place is built, make sure I get a suite named after me."
Alex allowed a faint smirk. "We'll call it the Stark Ward."
"Now you're talking," Tony laughed. "Talk soon, Doc."
The call ended.
Alex slipped the phone back into his pocket, looked around the clinic's front hall once more, and quietly said to himself:
"One step closer."
Maria entered the front lobby, stretching slightly as she placed a tablet down on the counter.
"All intake work's done," she said with a yawn. "Quiet afternoon, surprisingly."
Alex glanced over from his desk and stood, nodding as he walked toward her. "Good. You've earned a break."
Then, more softly, he added, "Maria… what would you think if one day we moved into something bigger? Not just this small clinic."
She blinked, looking at him in surprise. "Moved?"
He smiled faintly. "I mean a real hospital. Ours. Built from the ground up."
Maria's lips parted, but no words came for a second. Her eyes flickered, trying to read whether he was serious.
"I… I don't know," she said honestly. "I mean, that sounds incredible, but… big change."
Alex stepped a little closer, voice gentle but steady. "It's happening. I'm going to see it through. Our own hospital. Modern, equipped, built with care. A place where we help more people."
Maria looked at him—at the quiet conviction in his eyes. She bit her lip, heart fluttering just slightly.
"Well… if it's yours," she said, stepping closer, "then maybe it should be ours too."
A soft smile played on her face, and she reached up, brushing her fingers lightly along his collar.
Alex's lips curved upward, and before he could reply, Maria leaned in.
Their lips met— as Clinic was closed as the Doctor and nurse inspected each other body throughly.
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Book 1 : Ultimate Magus in Cultivation World
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