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Whether it’s the allure of wealth, the danger of the underworld, or the beauty of love against all odds — Ashley’s Stories brings you tales that are bold, emotional, and unforgettable.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I am 90 seconds away from getting evicted. Not metaphorically. Not oh no, life is hard energy.
00:08I mean I'm literally standing in my apartment doorway, holding a sad box of my stuff. While
00:13my landlord, who looks like a knockoff, Danny DeVito, keeps shouting about protocols. And late
00:19rent, and the system. I have the money. I lie through my teeth, clutching my half-dead house
00:26plant like that'll help. I just don't have it on me right this second. His eyes narrow.
00:32Harper, you're two months behind. Two. Months. Yes, my name is Harper Lane, and yes, my life
00:38is currently a flaming California wildfire. But at least it's happening in broad daylight,
00:43with the sun reflecting off every disaster like a high definition. Camera is filming it.
00:48I take a breath, push my hair out of my face, and try the smile that has historically gotten
00:52me free fries or at least a pity donut. He doesn't budge. You've got till noon, he grunts.
00:59Then you're out. Final. Noon. As in. Forty-five minutes from now. Cool. Amazing. Perfect. I'm
01:07so calm. I'm Beyonce. I'm not Beyonce. I sprint down the steps of the old brick building. My
01:13building. For now, buzzing with panic. The sunlight is blinding. The sidewalks are hot. And the city
01:20smells like coffee and car exhaust in my rapidly collapsing hope. I need money, fast, or I need
01:25a miracle. Or I need, I don't know. A billionaire sugar daddy who pays rent in full because he
01:30thinks my face is cute. Except I'm in one of the most normal neighborhoods of a very
01:34normal American city. The only billionaires around here are probably fictional. So of course
01:39I crash straight into one. Not exaggerating. I run straight into a man who looks like someone
01:44hired central casting to deliver dangerously. Handsome billionaire with secrets. He's tall,
01:49broad, sun-kissed to the point of intimidation. Wearing a tailored, light-gray suit that should
01:55not look legal in daylight. And he has sunglasses on. Even though we're in the shade of a street
02:00vendor's umbrella, which is honestly rude. The collision is spectacular. My box goes flying.
02:06My one-house plant does not survive. Whoa. Easy. His voice is low and calm. Like he doesn't
02:12ever raise it. Like the world moves for him before he has to speak. He steadies me with one
02:18hand. One hand on my waist. My actual waist. I forget English immediately. I, uh, sorry,
02:25I mumble, staring up at him like an idiot. My life is falling apart and you're very tall.
02:31He smirks, like he's used to people saying unhinged things around him.
02:36Rough morning? Define rough, I say, dropping to my knees to pick up my things. Does being
02:43evicted count? Because I'm currently speedrunning poverty. He crouches down to help. Which is insane
02:48because his suit looks like it costs more than my entire existence. Yet he's there, gently lifting
02:53my books. Stacking my belongings. Saving my pride one item at a time. You shouldn't be carrying this
03:00alone, he says.
03:01Tell that to capitalism, I mutter. He smiles again, and I swear the sun gets brighter just
03:09from spite. We stand. I reach for the box. He doesn't let go. Let me carry it, he says.
03:17Uh, what?
03:18He's a complete stranger. A dangerously handsome stranger. The kind of stranger who could definitely
03:24kill me with one. Finger, but would do it politely.
03:26No, it's fine, I insist. I'm used to the humiliation weightlifting routine.
03:32He lifts one eyebrow. Harper Lane, right? I freeze. How do you know my name?
03:37You dropped your mail. He holds up an envelope from my box.
03:41Thank God. For a moment I thought I was in a true crime documentary.
03:46Right, okay, cool, yes. I laugh, because anxiety.
03:49I'm Harper. And you are?
03:51Nico Romano. The name hits me like a warning.
03:54Everyone in this city knows the Romanos. Not for reasons the Chamber of Commerce would endorse.
04:00And this, this is Nico Romano? The rumored head of the Romano Syndicate?
04:04The man who owns half the city and probably half the ocean?
04:07The man who allegedly bought a casino in Vegas just because someone annoyed him?
04:11I stare harder. Yep. Of course the mafia.
04:14Don looks like a Calvin Klein ad in human form.
04:17Wait, the Nico Romano? His subtle smirk confirms it.
04:20I should run, or scream. Or pretend I've never heard of him.
04:23Instead, the words that tumble out of my mouth are,
04:27Why are you in my neighborhood?
04:29You look like you belong to a yacht.
04:31He laughs. Actually laughs.
04:32A low, warm sound that rolls through the air.
04:35I own a few, he says lightly.
04:37But I'm here because I'm dealing with the building next door.
04:40Of course. Because the universe thinks it's hilarious to throw me into the lap of a mafia.
04:45Dawn right as I'm getting evicted.
04:47I gesture back toward my building.
04:49Well, if you happen to be buying mine, too,
04:51could you maybe leave a twenty on the counter?
04:53Or a miracle?
04:54I'll take either.
04:56Nico's head tilts.
04:58You're being evicted?
04:59No, I say too fast.
05:01I mean yes, but also no.
05:04Or maybe.
05:04It's a complicated adulting situation.
05:07He watches me unreadable.
05:08Like he sees everything and judges nothing.
05:11What do you owe?
05:11He asks.
05:12Nope.
05:13I shake my head.
05:14No way.
05:15I'm not telling a mafia Dawn how broke I am.
05:17That's like giving a shark instructions on how to bite me.
05:20I don't bite, he says dryly.
05:22Not unless necessary.
05:24My brain very helpfully short circuits.
05:26It's then that Danny DeVito, landlord, storms down the stairs screaming my name like I robbed a bank.
05:31There you are.
05:32You've got thirty minutes, Harper.
05:34Thirty.
05:34God help me.
05:35I'll call the locks right damn now.
05:38He stops mid-rant when he sees Nico.
05:40Even landlords fear Nico Romano.
05:42Danny DeVito, landlord, clears his throat and instantly turns into a choir boy.
05:46Mr. Romano, sir.
05:47I didn't realize...
05:49Uh...
05:49Good to see you, sir.
05:51Nico steps closer to me.
05:53Subtly, but protectively.
05:54Like he's already decided I'm under some kind of umbrella that belongs to him.
05:58She's not going anywhere, Nico says calmly.
06:04She's not going anywhere, Nico says calmly.
06:07I snap my head to him.
06:09Excuse me?
06:10I what?
06:10My landlord sputters.
06:12Sir.
06:12She's behind on rent.
06:14How much?
06:15Nico asks again, this time without looking at me.
06:19Two months.
06:20Plus late fees.
06:21Altogether, it's...
06:22Nico waves a hand once.
06:24I'll take care of it.
06:25I blink.
06:27Once.
06:28Twice.
06:30My soul leaves my body.
06:32Does a lap around the block?
06:33And returns wearing sunglasses.
06:35No, you will not take care of it.
06:37I elbow him.
06:38I don't need a mafia sugar daddy.
06:40He glances down at me, amused.
06:43I didn't offer sugar.
06:44My face goes red.
06:46Landlord Danny starts sweating like a sprinkler.
06:48So payment?
06:49Today?
06:50Tomorrow?
06:51I'll update the account.
06:52Update ownership instead, Nico says.
06:55Danny chokes.
06:56I choke harder.
06:57I choke harder.
06:58What?
06:58I squeak.
06:59What do you mean, ownership?
07:01Nico looks straight at him.
07:03I'm buying the building.
07:04I swivel to my landlord.
07:06He's buying the building?
07:08Danny stammers.
07:09It...
07:10It's not even for sale.
07:11It is now, Nico says.
07:14Calm.
07:14Solid.
07:15Final.
07:16Send the papers.
07:17I'll sign by the afternoon.
07:18The man turns white and nods so fast I'm afraid his head might fall off.
07:22Then he runs back inside like he's escaping the sun.
07:25I stand there, stunned, watching him go.
07:28Then I whirl on Nico.
07:29What did you just do?
07:31Bought your building, he says simply.
07:34Like he just ordered a smoothie.
07:36Why?
07:37He lifts my box in his hand.
07:39Because you were worried.
07:41That is not I stop, sputter, try again.
07:43You can't just buy my entire building to fix my rent.
07:47His gaze softens, only a fraction.
07:49I can.
07:50That wasn't permission.
07:52He studies me, quiet.
07:54You needed help.
07:55No, I needed time.
07:57And now you have both.
07:59I want to scream.
08:00I want to laugh.
08:01I want to flip a car.
08:03Instead, I grab the box from him.
08:04Well, try to grab it.
08:06He doesn't let go.
08:08Let me carry this upstairs for you, he says.
08:11No, you are not stepping foot inside my apartment.
08:14I don't even let my mom inside when I haven't vacuumed.
08:17You vacuum?
08:18He deadpans.
08:19I'm a responsible adult, I lie.
08:22His lips twitch like he's holding back another laugh.
08:25Harper, he says slowly, you're not losing your home today.
08:29Something in his voice, steady, deep, dangerously sincere, hits me right in the chest.
08:35And I hate that it feels like relief, like safety, like something I haven't felt in forever.
08:41He walks past me toward the stairs, holding my box like it weighs nothing.
08:45I follow because, well, what else do you do when a Mafia Don decides you're his problem?
08:51At the bottom of the staircase, he pauses and looks back at me.
08:54This building is yours, he says.
08:56So stop worrying.
08:58Stop worrying.
08:59Like it's that easy.
09:01But when he says it, for the first time in months, I almost believe him.
09:05I am officially living in a building owned by a Mafia Don.
09:10Not metaphorically.
09:12Literally.
09:13Nico Romano.
09:14Bought my entire apartment complex yesterday.
09:16Like it was a pack of gum he grabbed at checkout.
09:18And now he keeps showing up.
09:20Bright and early.
09:21Every day.
09:22Like it's normal.
09:23Today, he's leaning against his obscenely expensive Matt White.
09:27Lamborghini at 9.07 a.m.
09:30Sunlight bouncing off the windshield like the universe is trying to spotlight him.
09:33I'm holding a coffee I can barely afford and wearing the same sneakers.
09:37I've owned since college.
09:38Morning, he calls.
09:40Like this is a neighborhood rom-com and not a weird,
09:43IRS-exempt episode of Criminal Minds.
09:45What are you doing here?
09:47I demand, walking up to him.
09:49Stalking me?
09:50Checking if I've committed any crimes?
09:52Planning to rearrange my furniture without asking?
09:54He lifts a brow behind his sunglasses.
09:57I came to see how you're settling in now that you're not being evicted.
10:01I hate that you're using my trauma as morning small talk.
10:04A ghost of a smile appears on his mouth.
10:07He pops open the passenger door and gestures inside.
10:10No, I say immediately.
10:11No way.
10:12I'm not getting in your crime mobile.
10:14It's a car, Harper.
10:15A mafia car, I clarify.
10:18Which is worse.
10:19It's safer than your sneakers.
10:21My sneakers have never been indicted.
10:23He finally laughs.
10:24A warm, amused, low sound that curls in the air like it knows it's dangerous.
10:29Get in, Harper.
10:30And damn it, I do.
10:32The city looks like a postcard today.
10:34Sun blazing.
10:35Sidewalks buzzing.
10:36A breeze warm enough to make even stress feel lighter.
10:39The kind of day meant for iced lattes and farmer's markets.
10:42Not life-changing car rides with people whose last names come with FBI files.
10:46I sit stiffly, clinging to my coffee while Nico drives like a man who doesn't realize red lights are a thing.
10:53Where are we going?
10:54I ask.
10:55You said you're looking for another job, he says.
10:58Correction.
10:59I'm looking for another source of disappointment.
11:02Well, he says, smirking.
11:04I'm taking you to a place that won't disappoint you.
11:06That sounds like an HR violation waiting to happen.
11:11We pull into a sunny business district filled with glass buildings and palm trees.
11:15Everything looks expensive.
11:16Everything smells expensive.
11:18Even the air feels richer, like it pays taxes.
11:21He parks in front of a modern skyscraper and steps out.
11:24I follow reluctantly.
11:26What is this, I ask.
11:27My company headquarters.
11:29I choke.
11:30Your legal company, or the I definitely don't do crime, but I definitely do crime company.
11:35He gives me a patient look.
11:37Harper.
11:38That's not an answer.
11:39He places a hand on my back, warm, steady.
11:43Completely distracting.
11:44And guides me toward the entrance.
11:46Relax, he says.
11:48This part of my life is clean.
11:50Inside, it's all sunlight and white marble.
11:52Water features.
11:54Plants that have never known pain.
11:56Everything is bright, fresh, modern.
11:58Completely not mafia-coded.
12:00Employees greet Nico with respect, nerves, and a touch of awe, like he's the CEO and
12:07God rolled into one.
12:09So what is this company?
12:10I whisper as we step into a sunlit elevator.
12:13Real estate development, hotels, resorts.
12:16I blink.
12:17Wait, you own hotels?
12:19A few dozen.
12:20A few dozen?
12:21It's nothing excessive.
12:23That's not nothing.
12:24That's like a rom-com villain level of wealth.
12:28He chuckles, but I swear there's a crack in his confidence.
12:31A vulnerability.
12:32A flicker of something human.
12:34The elevator opens into a stunning rooftop garden.
12:37Sun high above.
12:38Flowers everywhere.
12:39Fountains sparkling.
12:40It's so bright and beautiful it feels unreal.
12:43Okay, this definitely isn't mafia headquarters.
12:45I breathe.
12:47No, he says quietly.
12:49This is where I work when I don't want to be him.
12:52I glance at him.
12:54The sunlight hits his face, softening the edges, revealing the exhaustion beneath the
12:58confidence.
12:59The loneliness tucked under the power.
13:02You know, I say carefully.
13:03I joke a lot.
13:05But it must be hard.
13:06Leading two lives.
13:08He looks at me.
13:09Really looks.
13:10Harder than people think.
13:12We stand together in the brilliant daylight.
13:14And for the first time, he feels like a person.
13:17Not a myth.
13:18Not a rumor.
13:18A man.
13:19You didn't bring me here just to trauma dump, did you?
13:22I tease gently.
13:24He huffs.
13:25No.
13:26Then what?
13:27He turns to me, expression unreadable.
13:29I want you to work here.
13:31I almost drop my coffee.
13:32What?
13:33No.
13:34Absolutely not.
13:35I can't work for you.
13:36You're smart, he says.
13:38Sharp.
13:38Good under pressure.
13:39You can run circles around half my managers.
13:42You've known me for two days.
13:44That's enough.
13:45Nico, I once cried because my toast burned.
13:48His mouth twitches.
13:50You're hired.
13:51No, you can't.
13:52How do you even know I'm qualified?
13:54Let me see your resume.
13:56I don't have a printed copy with me.
13:58Then tell me your experience.
14:00I fold my arms.
14:01Fine.
14:02I worked front desk at a gym.
14:04That's good.
14:04People skills.
14:05I once accidentally double-booked a spin.
14:07Class and forty angry moms threaten to form a commune in the parking lot.
14:12Conflict resolution, he says.
14:14Not really.
14:16I hid behind the vending machine.
14:17He stares at me.
14:19I stare back.
14:20Then he nods firmly.
14:22Assistant.
14:23Starting tomorrow.
14:24My jaw drops.
14:25Assistant?
14:26To you?
14:27Yes.
14:28Nico, I can't be your assistant.
14:30I can barely be my own assistant.
14:32I lose my keys inside my own purse.
14:34He steps closer.
14:36Sunlight outlining him like a lion on a nature documentary.
14:39I want someone I can trust near me, he says.
14:42And for reasons I can't explain yet, I trust you.
14:45My heart does a dumb little flip.
14:47I hate it.
14:48Is this because I'm broke?
14:50I ask.
14:51No.
14:52Because I'm funny?
14:53That helps.
14:54Because you think I'm cute?
14:56He blinks.
14:57Slow.
14:58Dangerous.
14:59That's not relevant.
15:00Oh, it is absolutely relevant.
15:02But I let him pretend.
15:03Before I can respond, two men in suits rush across the rooftop toward him, tense, urgent,
15:09sweating under the sun.
15:10Boss, one of them says.
15:12We have a situation.
15:14My stomach drops.
15:15Oh God, am I about to witness a crime?
15:18I don't want to be a witness.
15:19I can't afford witness protection.
15:22Nico turns to me.
15:23Stay here.
15:24No, I argue.
15:26I'm not a dog.
15:27You can't just tell me to stay.
15:29Harper, he says quietly.
15:31This could be dangerous.
15:33Everything with you is dangerous.
15:35He looks torn, but he steps away, speaking to his men in low, tight voices.
15:39It's all happening in open daylight, under the bright sun, but the tension is unmistakable.
15:45I can't hear much, just the words shipment, double cross, and foster family.
15:50I freeze.
15:51The foster family.
15:52The Romano's biggest rival.
15:53Nico's shoulders go rigid.
15:55His men look panicked.
15:56He turns back toward me, jaw clenched.
15:59We have to go, he says.
16:01Wait.
16:01What happened?
16:02There was an attempt to sabotage one of my properties.
16:05They used my name in ways they shouldn't have.
16:08You mean, they framed you?
16:10Yes.
16:11The daylight around us feels suddenly hotter, sharper.
16:14I swallow.
16:15And you need to handle it?
16:17He nods once.
16:18But before I do...
16:19He steps close enough that I can smell his cologne.
16:22Warm.
16:23Clean.
16:24A little sinful.
16:25You go nowhere alone.
16:27Understand?
16:28A chill runs down my spine despite the heat.
16:30Why would they come after me?
16:32I whisper.
16:33Because you're connected to me now.
16:35My voice cracks.
16:36You did that.
16:38I know.
16:38I don't know if I want to kiss him or slap him.
16:41Instead, I whisper.
16:42So what now?
16:43He looks at me like I'm the only thing grounding him to the earth.
16:46Now, he says, I protect what's mine.
16:49And the way he says it.
16:51The way his voice wraps around mine.
16:53My pulse does another traitorous flip.
16:55Yours?
16:56I repeat.
16:57He doesn't answer.
16:58He doesn't have to.
17:00He just places a hand at the small of my back.
17:02Guiding me toward the elevator.
17:04Sunlight turning everything gold.
17:06The bond between us?
17:07It isn't a maybe anymore.
17:08It's a collision.
17:09A fuse.
17:10A beginning neither of us can undo.
17:12I've been many things in my life.
17:17Broke.
17:18Stressed.
17:18Chronically unlucky.
17:20But until today, I have never been escorted to safety by a mafia.
17:24Dawn's security team in broad daylight while holding a coffee I didn't finish.
17:28The sun is blinding over the rooftop as Nico takes my hand.
17:32Not gently.
17:33Not possessively.
17:34Just intentionally.
17:35Like he's securing a link between us.
17:37His men circle, tense, scanning the area for anyone suspicious.
17:41Okay, I say, trying to inhale like a rational human.
17:45Quick question.
17:47Very quick.
17:48Very important.
17:49Are we about to die?
17:50No, Nico says firmly.
17:52That was a very fast answer for someone who probably dodges bullets as a hobby.
17:57No one is touching you.
17:58That's not the same as saying no one is shooting at you.
18:01His jaw tightens.
18:03Harper.
18:04And somehow that one word, my name, low and steady, pulls me back down.
18:09A reminder he's scared too.
18:12Not of the danger.
18:13Of losing control.
18:14Of losing...
18:15Me?
18:16God help me, that thought sticks.
18:18We reach the limo waiting at the curb.
18:20The sun reflects off its glossy black surface so brightly it may as well be a mirror.
18:24Nico opens the door and gestures.
18:26Inside.
18:28Am I being kidnapped again?
18:29I ask.
18:30Again?
18:31His brow lifts.
18:33When was the first time?
18:34Emotionally.
18:35Spiritually.
18:36Financially.
18:37He sighs and helps me in.
18:39The ride is all sunlit buildings and passing palm trees.
18:42Too bright for the tension inside the car.
18:44What exactly did the Foster family do?
18:47I ask.
18:48They tried to use my name to authorize access to one of my warehouses.
18:52He says.
18:53If they'd succeeded, it would have looked like I violated a federal contract.
18:58Oh.
18:59There would have been investigations, raids, headlines.
19:02So basically, I say, they tried to ruin your life in broad daylight.
19:07Yes.
19:08And you're taking me?
19:10With you to handle this?
19:11No, he says.
19:12I'm taking you somewhere safe while I handle this.
19:15I cross my arms.
19:17I hate being benched.
19:19It's not a bench.
19:20He looks at me.
19:22It's protection.
19:23Same thing.
19:25No.
19:25His voice softens.
19:27Not when it's you.
19:28And good God.
19:29My heart does the stupid flop again.
19:31Why me?
19:32I whisper.
19:33The car slows at a light.
19:35Sun pours through the tinted windows, turning his face gold.
19:38He studies me.
19:40Not with his usual intimidating focus.
19:42But with something almost vulnerable.
19:45Because, he says slowly,
19:46You're the first person who's looked me in the eyes and treated me like a man.
19:50Not a myth.
19:51Not a monster.
19:53I blink.
19:54You yelled at me.
19:55He continues.
19:56You argued.
19:57You told me no.
19:58You talked to me like I wasn't untouchable.
20:01I swallow hard.
20:02I talk like that to everyone.
20:04That's why it works.
20:05He takes a breath like he's been holding it for days.
20:08And you make me want to be better.
20:10Oh.
20:11Well, okay.
20:12That's illegal.
20:13That's absolutely illegal emotional damage.
20:15Before I can respond, his phone buzzes.
20:18He glances at the screen.
20:19And his entire expression shifts.
20:21Anger.
20:22Ice cold.
20:23Nico.
20:24I whisper.
20:25They're making a move, he says.
20:27South side offices.
20:29And you have to go?
20:30Yes.
20:31The limo turns, speeding toward a bright, busy street.
20:35Nico turns to his men.
20:36Get her to the safe house.
20:38Safe house.
20:39Nope.
20:39Nope.
20:40Not happening.
20:41He faces me.
20:42Hopper, listen to me.
20:43Do not argue.
20:45I always argue.
20:46This time, don't.
20:47The car stops abruptly.
20:49His men hop out, opening doors, scanning streets.
20:52Sunlight spills in, blinding.
20:54Nico cups my face with both hands.
20:56Warm.
20:57Solid.
20:57Intentional.
20:58I will come back, he says.
21:00Do you hear me?
21:02Promise, I ask.
21:03His thumbs brush my cheeks.
21:05Yes.
21:06And you're not doing this because of your ego?
21:09Or revenge?
21:10Or some weird mafia testosterone thing?
21:12He breathes a laugh.
21:13I'm doing this because someone tried to use my name to hurt the people around me.
21:18His eyes burn into mine.
21:20And because you deserve to live in a world where nobody threatens you.
21:23I don't know what comes over me.
21:25Fear.
21:26Adrenaline.
21:27Affection.
21:28All of it.
21:29But I grab his collar under the sunlight and pull him down into a kiss.
21:33It's fast.
21:34Warm.
21:35Intense.
21:36Sunlit.
21:36Real.
21:37He freezes for half a second.
21:39Then kisses me back like the world went silent.
21:41When we break, my voice is barely air.
21:45Come back.
21:46Not as a Don.
21:47As you.
21:48His forehead meets mine.
21:49As me.
21:50Then he steps out of the car.
21:52The door closes.
21:54The limo pulls away.
21:55And I am left with a heart that feels like it has its own pulse.
21:58The safe house.
22:00Turns out to be a luxury beach property ten minutes from my apartment.
22:03So, Nicholas Romano owns a beach house and bought my building, but still looks at me like
22:07I'm the one he can't figure out.
22:09His men settle me inside.
22:11But I pace like a cat in a sunbeam.
22:13Staring out the full glass wall at the afternoon waves.
22:16I can't sit.
22:17I can't rest.
22:19I can't breathe normally.
22:20Not until I know he's okay.
22:22I check my phone every ten seconds.
22:24Nothing.
22:25Ten more minutes.
22:26Nothing.
22:27Thirty.
22:28Nothing.
22:29My anxiety goes from worried girlfriend to deranged squirrel.
22:33Finally, I stomp to the nearest guard.
22:36Take me to him.
22:37No, ma'am.
22:37Mr. Romano.
22:38I do not care what Mr. Romano said.
22:41Ma'am, it's dangerous.
22:42He bought my damn apartment.
22:44He doesn't get to buy my choices, too.
22:46That earns a look.
22:48A long one.
22:49Then the guard sighs.
22:50Pulls out his phone and mutters.
22:52She's like a hurricane in yoga pants.
22:54I ignore that.
22:56He finally agrees to take me, well,
22:57under strict instructions not to leave the vehicle.
23:01Spoiler, I plan to leave the vehicle.
23:03We drive toward the south side business district.
23:05It's blindingly bright.
23:06Noon sun high.
23:08Glass buildings reflecting so sharply it feels like walking through a mirror maze.
23:12As we turn a corner, I see them.
23:14A crowd.
23:15Cops.
23:16Security.
23:16Tension rolling through the heat waves.
23:18And in the middle of it, Nico.
23:23Standing tall.
23:25Calm.
23:25Commanding.
23:26Hands behind his back like he's giving orders to the world.
23:29Every part of him is radiant under the sun.
23:32Danger and confidence in something that looks almost victorious.
23:36I shove open the car door.
23:38Harper!
23:39The guard yells.
23:40I ignore him and bolt across the pavement.
23:43Nico!
23:44I shout.
23:45His head snaps toward me instantly.
23:47He moves.
23:48Fast.
23:48Determined.
23:49Walking against the tide of men and noise until he reaches.
23:52Me on the sunny sidewalk.
23:53What are you doing here?
23:55He demands, grabbing my shoulders.
23:58Arguing, I say.
23:59Obviously.
24:00He breathes out sharply.
24:02Half frustration.
24:03Half relief.
24:04All Nico.
24:05You shouldn't be here.
24:07You said you'd come back.
24:08You took too long.
24:10I got worried.
24:11His eyes soften.
24:12In a way I know is rare.
24:14Painfully rare.
24:15The foster family is neutralized, he says.
24:18They won't touch me, my properties, or anyone connected to me again.
24:22Connected to him.
24:23I should correct him.
24:25Tell him I'm not connected.
24:26Tell him this is too much.
24:28Instead I whisper.
24:29Are you okay?
24:30Yes.
24:31His grip on me tightens.
24:32Because I can see you.
24:34Sunlight hits us both.
24:35Hot and brilliant.
24:37Cars pass.
24:38People stare.
24:39His men pretend they aren't listening.
24:41Harper, he says.
24:42Voice low, but filled with something I haven't heard from him before.
24:46Hope.
24:47I need to tell you something.
24:50I swallow.
24:50Okay.
24:51He looks at me like I'm a sunrise.
24:53You weren't supposed to matter, he says.
24:56But you do.
24:57My heart stops.
24:59Nico.
25:00You make me think different, he continues.
25:03Act different.
25:04Want different.
25:05And I don't want to push you away anymore.
25:07The world goes quiet.
25:08Just his voice.
25:09Just his eyes.
25:11Just us.
25:11I take his hand, warm in the sunlight.
25:14Then don't push.
25:15Just be here.
25:16He exhales like that's the answer he's been fighting.
25:19Stay with me, he says.
25:21Not because I can buy buildings.
25:23Not because I can fix things.
25:25But because when you're near me, I'm not the Don.
25:27I'm just a man with a chance to do things right.
25:30My throat tightens.
25:31And what if I'm scared?
25:32I'll keep you safe.
25:34That's not what I mean, I whisper.
25:37I'm scared of falling for you.
25:39Nico steps closer.
25:40Sunlight outlining him like he was carved from every warm color in the world.
25:44Then fall, he says.
25:46I'll catch you.
25:47And damn it, I do.
25:48I lean into him.
25:49Kiss him again.
25:51Full sunlight on our faces.
25:52Heat everywhere.
25:53People around us pretending not to watch.
25:55He wraps an arm around my waist.
25:57Steady and grounding.
25:58And for the first time, I don't feel unlucky.
26:01Or broke.
26:01Or drowning.
26:02I feel chosen.
26:03Warm.
26:04Wanted.
26:05Safe.
26:06His.
26:06Later, after the chaos settles, and his men disperse, he drives me back to my apartment
26:12building.
26:13To our building, he corrects quietly.
26:15He walks me up the sunny steps, stopping at my door.
26:18So, I say, crossing my arms, you still planning to be my boss?
26:22Make me your assistant.
26:24His grin turns amused.
26:26If you still want the job.
26:27I don't know, I tease.
26:30The hours seem dangerous.
26:31The boss seems clingy.
26:33Clingy?
26:34He repeats, stepping closer.
26:36Very.
26:37He brushes a strand of hair from my cheek.
26:39Then maybe the job comes with benefits.
26:42What kind of benefits?
26:43He leans in.
26:45The kind where your rent is paid on time.
26:47Always.
26:48And what about emotional benefits?
26:50I'll match those, he murmurs.
26:52My heartbeat becomes a drumline.
26:54So we're doing this?
26:56I ask softly.
26:57Yes.
26:58His forehead touches mine.
27:00Together.
27:01And under the bright, golden American sunlight.
27:04Surrounded by buildings he owns and a future I never saw coming.
27:08I say yes.
27:09Not with words, but with a smile he earns.
27:11A kiss he doesn't expect.
27:13And a promise I feel in my bones.
27:15I stopped worrying the day he bought my building.
27:18And he stopped being alone the moment I crashed into him.
27:21Hey love.
27:21If you enjoyed this sunlit, chaotic, heart-thumping mafia romance, don't forget to subscribe.
27:27Like, comment, and share.
27:29Your support means everything.
27:31It tells me you want more stories.
27:33More drama, more dangerously handsome.
27:35Men buying entire buildings for stressed.
27:37Women just trying to pay rent.
27:39Drop your thoughts below.
27:41I'm obsessed with hearing what you think.
27:43Thanks for being here.
27:44You're amazing!
27:45Thank you very much.
27:46Interesting.
27:47I'll see you next time.
27:48Bye-bye.
27:49Bye-bye.
27:50Bye-bye.
27:50Bye-bye.
27:50Bye-bye.
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