After their brief encounter, Ethan, Jean, and Anna went to their respective roles within the towering Aeon Biotech headquarters.
Jean Grey, the poised and confident redhead, operated as the company's CEO, overseeing all major decisions and public relations.
Anna Marie, with her energetic and lively nature, took charge as the Managing Director (MD), handling operations, logistics, and internal affairs.
Meanwhile, Ethan Carter — the true pillar behind Aeon's success — served as the enigmatic Head of R&D, managing the secrets hidden within the heavily restricted 18th floor.
Aeon Biotech was a 21-story building, with each floor dedicated to specific operations:
Ground Floor to 3rd Floor: Public reception, visitor management, and client relations.
4th to 8th Floor: Administrative offices, marketing, and human resources.
9th Floor: Employee relaxation and recreation floor — The Haven.
Equipped with gaming rooms, massage therapy centers, a family zone where employees could bring their families and spend up to three hours per day relaxing and bonding.
The policy was firm but generous — Aeon believed that happy employees built stronger companies.
10th Floor: Logistics, shipment coordination, and field project planning.
11th to 13th Floor: Production and testing labs for the fertilizer products.
14th to 17th Floor: Storage facilities and quality assurance labs.
18th Floor: Ethan's personal R&D lab — strictly restricted access. Only he could enter or leave.
19th Floor: Executive lounges, boardrooms, and top management offices.
20th Floor: Jean's and Anna's private offices.
21st Floor: Rooftop access, private leisure spaces, and emergency helipads.
Despite Aeon Biotech's reputation for groundbreaking achievements in agriculture — famously turning barren, dead lands fertile — almost no one knew the truth:
The secret to their miraculous fertilizers came directly from Ethan's own blood.
When he first shared this truth with Jean and Anna, they were horrified.
Both women outright rejected the idea of Ethan sacrificing his health daily for the sake of the company.
"You are not some machine, Ethan!" Jean had argued fiercely.
"Ah swear, if you hurt yourself over this, ah'm gonna lock you up myself," Anna had threatened, half-serious.
But Ethan had been persistent.
He had explained how his body had long since adapted to the blood loss. Thanks to his unique regenerative abilities, losing blood no longer weakened him.
In fact, he had evolved to heal immediately, and even grow stronger from the process.
Though reluctant, Jean and Anna eventually agreed — on the condition that they would handle everything else and support him however they could.
To Ethan, their devotion was humbling. 'I really am blessed to have them in my life,' he often thought.
Now, after years of hard work, Ethan had managed to store several tons worth of blood in specially designed containers.
He had also engineered custom machines that would mix his blood with organic and synthetic compounds to create the company's flagship fertilizers.
Every day, Ethan would drain and replenish the used blood, maintaining the delicate process.
Anna personally oversaw the storage and shipment divisions — guarding the containers of Ethan's blood as if they were national treasures.
----------------
The day progressed like any other.
Natasha Romanoff — currently undercover as Natalie Rushman — continued her subtle attempts to get closer to Jean and Anna.
With her sharp instincts, she noticed small details, piecing together the dynamics within Aeon.
Ethan, however, remained elusive.
Aside from lunch breaks, he rarely left the 18th floor, making it difficult for Natasha to interact with him directly.
Later that day, as Natasha stood inside an elevator heading up toward Jean's office with a stack of documents requiring signatures, the lift dinged at the 18th floor.
The doors slid open, revealing Ethan stepping inside, looking casually handsome and relaxed.
She wore a simple white blouse tucked into a sleek pencil skirt, but on her, it looked far more dangerous than formal. Her fiery red hair was tied into a loose bun, a few strands framing her flawless face.
"Dr. Carter," Natasha said with a professional, almost playful tone, offering a slight nod.
Ethan chuckled softly before stepping into the lift. "Doctor? I didn't know we were getting so formal, Natalie."
She smirked and her eyes glinting with mischief.
"Well, you seem like the type who enjoys titles, Dr. Carter," she teased before stepping closer, just enough to invade his space without crossing any lines.
Ethan tilted his head slightly and is amused, "I'll admit... hearing it from you does have a certain charm," he said, letting his voice drop an octave deeper, his gaze playful yet unreadable.
As the elevator climbed toward the 19th floor, Ethan leaned casually against the wall. "So," he teased lightly, "two days here and I heard you're already the favorite of half the office. Quite the record."
Natasha chuckled lightly, keeping her professional tone. "Well, making friends quickly is part of the job. How about you? How's life treating you in your own company?"
Ethan's lips quirked into a smile. "Can't complain. I have everything I need — great people around me, a solid company… and occasionally, interesting new faces like yours to keep things lively."
She tilted her head slightly, "And what about… personal life? Anyone special?"
Natasha's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Everyone at Aeon seemed to know Ethan was connected to Jean and Anna, but no one ever openly talked about it.
'Two powerful, modern women sharing one man? This isn't a fantasy novel,' Natasha thought skeptically.
Ethan simply smiled without answering.
Before she could probe further, the elevator reached the 19th floor, and they stepped into the executive hallway.
Inside the room, Jean was seated behind her desk, finishing up a meeting, while Anna was organizing some documents nearby.
"Hey, baby," Anna greeted Ethan brightly. Jean smiled warmly and Both women lit up at Ethan's arrival.
Without hesitation, Ethan went towards them, leaned in and kissed Jean gently on the lips, then turned and kissed Anna just as lovingly — right in front of Natasha.
The redhead raised a brow in surprise but maintained her composure. 'Well, that answers that question.'
As Natalie handed over the documents, Jean glanced through the papers swiftly, her sharp bluish green eyes scanning every line before signing with a graceful flick of her wrist.
Anna, meanwhile, leaned casually against the desk, watching the interaction with mild curiosity.
"Everything seems in order," Jean said before offering a polite smile as she passed the papers back. "Thank you, Natalie."
"Of course, ma'am," Natasha replied smoothly, maintaining her professional demeanor.
Just as Natalie was about to excuse herself, Ethan stepped forward, his tone casual but firm.
"Wait here for a bit," he said, addressing Jean and Anna. "I have something to discuss with you both."
Jean and Anna gave him a curious look but nodded.
Turning back to Natalie, Ethan smiled charmingly. "I'll walk you to the elevator," he offered.
Natasha arched an eyebrow but nodded, falling into step beside him.
The short walk was silent at first, the tension between them subtle but present.
Finally, Natasha broke it, throwing a small smirk his way.
"You know, managing two women at the same time... that's not an easy task, Dr. Carter," she said, half-teasing, half-probing.
Ethan chuckled lightly as the elevator dinged, the doors sliding open smoothly. As Natasha stepped inside, Ethan held the door casually with one hand, leaning against the frame slightly.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice just enough for only her to hear. "I don't manage them, Miss Romanoff," he said with a lazy, knowing smile. "They're with me because they love me."
The blood drained from Natasha's face for a second.
She stared at him wide-eyed, stunned at being called out so openly. 'How the hell did he—?'
Ethan winked playfully. "Oh, sorry, I meant Miss Rushman, right? See you around," he said, the doors slid shut between them, leaving her alone in the descending elevator.
Inside, Natasha leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms and her mind racing. 'He knows. He knew it all. But how? And why hasn't he exposed me yet?'
She looked up, 'Just what kind of man are you, Ethan Carter?'
Meanwhile, Ethan chuckled under his breath. 'Things are about to get a lot more interesting, Agent Romanoff,' he thought.
----------------
After sending Natalie — or rather, Natasha Romanoff — down the elevator, Ethan returned to the office where Jean and Anna were waiting.
They looked up as he entered, curiosity clear in their eyes.
Jean leaned forward on the desk slightly, lacing her fingers together. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" she asked.
Ethan ran a hand through his hair and chuckled. "Well... I was thinking of taking a little vacation in a few days," he said casually. "Now that the Omni-Watch is fully charged again."
Both women straightened slightly at his words.
The Omni-Watch — a mysterious silver pocket watch — was no ordinary device.
Ethan had told them about it years ago, explaining that it allowed him to travel across different universes.
According to him, it had been given to him by a scientist named "Bob" during his chaotic escape from the secret laboratory.
At first, Jean and Anna hadn't fully believed him — after all, traveling across realities sounded like something out of a comic book.
But when Ethan activated the Omni-Watch and took them on a few short trips to other worlds, their skepticism vanished, replaced by awe and cautious excitement.
They still remembered walking through strange cities, gazing up at alien skies, and meeting people who didn't even exist in their own world.
Jean had made him promise not to reveal the Omni-Watch to anyone else.
Anna also had immediately suggested they keep it secret — no need to invite trouble or greedy eyes.
Ethan sighed inwardly at the memory. 'Not like I didn't already screw up once,' he thought.
He had once shown the device to the X-Men out of a misguided sense of trust.
Later, realizing the danger, he had been forced to erase their memories about the Omni-Watch.
Since then, he used the watch occasionally for a 'vacation' — a term they all jokingly used to describe their multiversal adventures.
Unfortunately for Ethan, fate seemed determined to bore him to death during these trips.
Every universe he traveled to so far had been astonishingly... peaceful.
He'd landed in worlds from anime and TV shows like How I met your mother, even Friends and Gilmore Girls.
No monsters to fight. No villains to battle. Not even a random bar brawl to break up the monotony.
At first, the peacefulness was a relief. But now? Ethan was starting to feel... itchy. Restless.
Maybe he was turning into a battle maniac after all.
Jean and Anna exchanged a look.
Jean smiled fondly and leaned back in her chair. "As tempting as it sounds," she said, "I think we'll pass on this one."
Anna nodded in agreement before chuckling. "Yeah, you go have your little adventure, babe. You've been itching for a fight, haven't you?" she said before playfully nudging his arm. "You keep pounding us so hard in bed, it's obvious you're getting restless. Get out there, find some good ones, and break a sweat already."
Jean chuckled behind her hand while pretending to be scandalized, but her eyes twinkled with amusement.
Ethan laughed, "Alright, alright, I'll go in a few days."
As he spoke, he reached under his shirt and pulled out the silver Omni-Watch that hung from his neck, normally hidden under his clothes.
The smooth, ancient-looking device gleamed softly, and on its small, ornate dial, the display read: 100%.
----------------
Like it ? Add to library and Review the fanfic.