- 1 day ago
Step into a world of passion, power, and drama. On this channel, you’ll find captivating billionaire romances, intense mafia sagas, and heartfelt love stories that will keep you hooked until the very last word.
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.
💖 Subscribe now and lose yourself in stories of desire, danger, and destiny.
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.
💖 Subscribe now and lose yourself in stories of desire, danger, and destiny.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Christmas Eve at 10.14am should feel festive, nostalgic, maybe a little sugary if you're into peppermint lattes and Instagrammable wreaths.
00:09Instead, I'm standing in the clearance aisle of Maplewood Supermart, clutching a plastic toy firetruck with a cracked wheel, trying not to cry in public like a walking Hallmark rejection arc.
00:20This is fine, I mutter, because lying to myself has become my favorite hobby.
00:25It's Christmas Eve. Kids don't need wheels. Wheels are optional.
00:30A mom to my left glances over like I've personally offended Santa.
00:33I smile tightly and turn away, digging deeper into a giant wire bin overflowing with last-chance holiday toys.
00:40Everything smells like cinnamon brooms and faint despair.
00:44The overhead speakers play an aggressively cheerful pop remix of Jingle Bells, as if the universe is mocking anyone who's broke today.
00:52I check my cart, a clearance doll with one eyebrow suspiciously higher than the other, a puzzle box that rattles like half the pieces escape.
01:00A stuffed reindeer someone apparently used as a pillow.
01:03And I'm still short one present for my nephew.
01:06My phone buzzes. Another overdue bill notification.
01:10Perfect. Merry Christmas to me.
01:12I whisper.
01:13Someone bumps into my cart hard enough to jolt my arm.
01:16I spin around, ready to deliver my classic,
01:19Are you kidding me?
01:20glare.
01:21What I see instead is
01:23A wall of black cashmere.
01:25A tailored coat.
01:27Broad shoulders.
01:28Expensive everything.
01:30Then he looks down at me.
01:32And my soul trips over itself.
01:34The man is stupidly handsome in the way that makes your brain forget vocabulary.
01:38Early thirties, maybe.
01:40Dark hair.
01:41Slightly tousled like he woke up flawless.
01:43Eyes so sharply attentive they feel like physical touch.
01:47His jaw is defined enough to have its own angle in a movie poster.
01:49And something about him feels powerful.
01:53Not rich guy powerful.
01:55More.
01:57Mythic.
01:58Controlled.
02:00Dangerous in the quietest, most intriguing way.
02:03He's holding a basket filled with donated toys.
02:06Brand new, high-end stuff.
02:08The good kind.
02:09The kind I've never even touched unless it was behind a locked glass cabinet with an alarm.
02:14He glances at my nearly tragic cart, then back at me.
02:16You all right?
02:19His voice is deep, smooth, threaded with something that brushes low in my stomach.
02:24I force a shrug.
02:26Totally.
02:27Just enjoying the gladiator games of last-minute shopping.
02:29The corner of his mouth pulls.
02:32Not a smile.
02:33Something more interesting.
02:35Looks intense, he says.
02:37Didn't know Santa outsourced to warrior women.
02:40Okay, great.
02:41He's funny.
02:42Hot and funny should be illegal.
02:45Yeah, well.
02:46I say.
02:47Lifting the sad, wobbly fire truck.
02:49All part of the thrill.
02:51You never know when you'll discover a collectible worth...
02:54Seven dollars.
02:55He studies me.
02:57Really studies me.
02:59Like he's reading past the sarcasm into the panic beneath it.
03:02It's unnerving how fast he picks up what others never notice.
03:06I clear my throat and set the toy in my cart.
03:09Anyway, sorry I ran into you.
03:11Merry Christmas.
03:12Or whatever greeting wealthy people prefer.
03:15He raises a brow.
03:16Wealthy people?
03:17You know?
03:18People who shop calm.
03:20People whose coats have zero dog hair.
03:22People who aren't fighting poverty in aisle nine.
03:25Another twitch at his mouth.
03:27I'm Mateo.
03:28He says it simply, casually.
03:31But the name hits my ears with weight.
03:33Jordan, I say.
03:35Jordan, he repeats softly, tasting it like it's important.
03:39You look like someone who hates asking for help.
03:42I don't hate it, I say.
03:43I just... never do it.
03:46He nods, unsurprised.
03:48Then allow me to make an observation.
03:50Do I get a choice?
03:51No.
03:52I almost laugh despite everything.
03:54Mateo gestures toward my cart.
03:56You're buying gifts for kids.
03:58And here I thought I hid that so well.
04:00I mumble.
04:00You're doing it alone, he adds.
04:04Yep.
04:05And you don't have the money.
04:08My chest tightens.
04:09His accuracy is unsettling.
04:11Super fun game we're playing.
04:13Guess the stranger's financial ruin.
04:16He steps closer.
04:17Not invading.
04:18But close enough that the air shifts around us.
04:21Let me pay for it.
04:22My eyes snap wide.
04:24Absolutely not.
04:26It's not charity.
04:27That's exactly what charity is.
04:29He shakes his head.
04:30It's... efficiency.
04:32You need the toys.
04:33I can help.
04:34It costs me nothing.
04:35Except your pride, I say.
04:38He holds my gaze.
04:39I can afford to lose some.
04:41My heartbeat stumbles.
04:43People don't talk like this to me.
04:45People don't offer things without wanting something back.
04:48Why?
04:49I whisper.
04:51His answer is unexpectedly soft.
04:52Because it's Christmas Eve, Jordan.
04:56And you look like you've had enough battles for one year.
04:59My throat tightens.
05:01That's not a reason.
05:03It's the only one you're getting for now.
05:06He takes my cart's handle gently.
05:08Not in a controlling way, but in a steadying one.
05:11And his touch sends a microscopic shock straight through me.
05:14I snatch it back.
05:16No.
05:16I don't let strangers swoop in like some luxury Santa Claus.
05:20He studies me with quiet intensity.
05:22Then don't think of me as a stranger.
05:25I just met you.
05:27Yet you're arguing with me like we've known each other for years.
05:30I freeze.
05:32He's right.
05:33It's weirdly natural, like our banter found its own rhythm before I could stop it.
05:38Look!
05:38I start, flustered.
05:40This is sweet, but I'm not...
05:41A shout slices through the aisle.
05:44Hey!
05:44Hail!
05:45My stomach drops.
05:47Not again.
05:48I turn to see my ex-boss, Dale Kershaw,
05:50storming toward me like an angry mall security guard.
05:53Thick neck.
05:54Sunburned face.
05:56Bad attitude baked in.
05:58He points at me like a man served with destiny and a parking ticket.
06:02You think you can just quit and walk out with my stuff?
06:04He snaps.
06:05I didn't take anything.
06:07I shoot back.
06:08I took my bag and my dignity.
06:10Dignity, my ass.
06:12You still owe me for that broken register.
06:15It broke because you punched it during your morning meltdown.
06:18Parents around us stare.
06:19Kids stare.
06:20Santa cutouts stare.
06:22I want to disappear.
06:24Dale grabs my arm.
06:25And Mateo moves faster than I can blink.
06:28His hand closes around my ex-boss's wrist.
06:31Not violently, but with such controlled precision that Dale freezes like he's been hit with an off switch.
06:36Mateo's expression doesn't change.
06:38He doesn't raise his voice or puff his chest.
06:41He simply states,
06:42Let go of her.
06:44Dale's eyes widen.
06:45He tries to yank his arm free.
06:47He fails.
06:49And something about the way Mateo holds him,
06:51effortlessly,
06:52calmly,
06:53decisively,
06:54tells me he's not the kind of man who ever loses a confrontation.
06:58Dale sputters.
06:59Who the hell do you think you are?
07:02Mateo tilts his head.
07:04Someone you don't touch.
07:05A fragile hush settles over the aisle.
07:09Even the Christmas pop remix feels quieter.
07:12I whisper,
07:13Mateo.
07:14He releases Dale's wrist with a subtle drop of disgust.
07:18You want to accuse her of something?
07:20Do it respectfully.
07:22Dale steps back,
07:23rubbing his arm.
07:24His face reddens further as he sizes Mateo up,
07:27and clearly decides he'd rather survive today.
07:30He spits near my cart and storms off.
07:33I sag against a shelf,
07:35pulse-hammering.
07:36Great.
07:37That's gonna end up on someone's Christmas vlog.
07:39Mateo looks at me with that same unreadable attention.
07:43People like him don't get to speak to you that way.
07:46I exhale shakily.
07:47You didn't have to step in.
07:50Yes.
07:50He says quietly.
07:52I did.
07:54His certainty does something dangerous to me.
07:56Softens the walls I've been duct-taping together for months.
07:59I straighten.
08:01Okay.
08:01Fine.
08:02You helped.
08:04But you're still not paying for my cart.
08:06He lifts a brow.
08:08Really?
08:09Really.
08:10Well,
08:11he says,
08:11that's inconvenient.
08:13For who?
08:14For me.
08:15He gestures to the front of the store.
08:17Because I'm not letting you walk out alone.
08:19My eyebrows fly up.
08:22Excuse me?
08:23He steps closer,
08:25lowering his voice just enough that it feels conspiratorial.
08:28Dale is angry.
08:30Men like him act stupid when they're angry.
08:32You don't even know him.
08:34I don't need to.
08:36His assurance sends another shiver through me.
08:38I cross my arms.
08:40Why do you care what happens to me?
08:43Mateo studies me.
08:44Eyes warm but sharpened with something private.
08:47Because I noticed you the second you walked into this store.
08:50My breath catches.
08:52Notice me how?
08:53He leans forward just enough that my pulse becomes its own percussion.
08:57You walk like you're bracing for bad news.
08:59You talk like you're pretending everything is fine.
09:01And you laugh like you don't get to do it often.
09:04I go very, very still.
09:07That tells me enough.
09:08He finishes.
09:09I swallow.
09:10Hard.
09:12You're...
09:13Intense.
09:14So are you.
09:15He replies.
09:17The weirdest warmth rushes through me.
09:19He nudges my cart with one finger.
09:20Playful but firm.
09:22Let me take care of this.
09:24No.
09:24Yes.
09:25I can handle it.
09:27I know you can, he says.
09:29But you don't have to.
09:30That hits somewhere I don't let people touch.
09:33Before I can answer, he adds,
09:35If you won't let me pay,
09:37then at least let me walk you out.
09:39I hesitate.
09:40Pride is a powerful thing.
09:42So is fear.
09:43But something about Mateo feels...
09:46Steady.
09:47Unflinching.
09:49Safe in a way that doesn't feel like weakness,
09:51but like power choosing gentleness.
09:54Fine.
09:55I say finally.
09:56But only to the parking lot.
09:58His lips curve.
10:00As you wish, Jordan.
10:02He rolls my cart toward the front.
10:04And I know, deep down,
10:06that whatever this man just decided...
10:08I'm not walking out of his sight anytime soon.
10:11Mateo pushes my cart toward the supermart exit
10:13like he owns the building,
10:15the parking lot,
10:16the city,
10:16and possibly the entire continental United States.
10:20He doesn't rush.
10:22He moves with the kind of calm that whispers danger,
10:25like he's already evaluated every threat
10:26within a five-mile radius.
10:29I trail beside him,
10:30trying not to look like someone
10:31who just had a stranger rescue her
10:33in front of 67 holiday shoppers.
10:35My voice comes out tight.
10:38You know you scared Dale so bad
10:40he might actually pee himself later.
10:42That would be unfortunate for his shoes.
10:45Mateo replies.
10:46I blink.
10:47You did not just make a joke.
10:49He gives me a dry look
10:50that warms me from the inside out.
10:52I'm capable of humor,
10:54under special circumstances.
10:56And I'm a special circumstance?
10:58A beat.
10:59His eyes slide toward me,
11:01slow and deliberate.
11:01You're proving to be...
11:04interesting.
11:06My stomach flips like it's doing gymnastics.
11:09We roll into the blindingly bright parking lot.
11:12Cars move in chaotic rows.
11:14Kids run in puffy coats.
11:16Someone's playing Christmas rap on a portable speaker.
11:19The air smells like roasted nuts
11:21from a stand by the entrance.
11:22Mateo stops beside a sleek black SUV,
11:25the kind with tinted windows
11:27that cost more than my entire childhood.
11:29I laugh under my breath.
11:31Wow.
11:32Subtle car.
11:34Thank you, he says.
11:36It's one of the modest ones.
11:38I don't even want to know
11:39what your immodest ones look like.
11:42You will eventually.
11:43My heartbeat stumbles.
11:45That sounds like you expect...
11:47more time with me.
11:49He unlocks the SUV.
11:50Good observation.
11:52That wasn't a yes or no.
11:54I don't offer yes or no.
11:56My mouth opens.
11:57Closes.
11:58You're being weirdly honest.
11:59Only with you.
12:01There it is again.
12:02That quiet, lethal sincerity
12:04that feels like it carries weight.
12:07Like he's not someone who wastes words.
12:10He helps load the sad collection
12:11of clearance toys into the back.
12:13Not in a flashy way.
12:16He's careful with everything he touches.
12:18Even the reindeer pillow.
12:20You know,
12:21I say, watching him,
12:23most rich guys wouldn't be caught dead
12:25touching discount Christmas toys.
12:26Most rich guys don't know what matters.
12:30He says.
12:31And you do?
12:33He shuts the trunk gently.
12:35I try.
12:36That shouldn't make my chest feel warm,
12:38but it does.
12:39I rub my arms.
12:40Okay.
12:42You walked me out.
12:43Good deed over.
12:44You're free to go back
12:45to whatever billionaire schedule
12:46you were on.
12:48Mateo turns to me,
12:50leaning one shoulder
12:50against the SUV,
12:52studying me with a focus
12:53that sends heat up my spine.
12:54There's something else.
12:57Oh God.
12:59Is this where you tell me
13:00you're a sommelier,
13:00or secretly married,
13:01or running for mayor?
13:02None of those.
13:04His voice dips into something richer.
13:06I want to take you to lunch.
13:08I blink.
13:10Lunch?
13:11Yes.
13:12A meal.
13:13The thing humans eat.
13:14You're asking me out.
13:16I'm asking you to sit across from me
13:18while I try to understand
13:19why you're under my skin.
13:20My breath catches.
13:22You barely know me.
13:24That's the problem.
13:25And you're just...
13:26What?
13:28Demanding lunch?
13:29He grins slightly.
13:31It's small,
13:32but it punches through me
13:33like sun through a frosted window.
13:35I'd never demand.
13:37I'm making a request.
13:39Strongly.
13:40I should say no.
13:42I should absolutely run
13:43far, far away from this man
13:45and his mysteriously huge energy.
13:47But his attention feels like gravity.
13:50And for once,
13:51someone is looking at me
13:52like I'm not a burden.
13:54I can't afford lunch.
13:56I mutter.
13:57My treat.
13:58I don't want charity.
13:59This isn't charity.
14:01He steps closer,
14:02voice lowering.
14:03It's interest.
14:05My pulse jumps.
14:07He's too close.
14:08Not touching,
14:09but close enough
14:09that I feel the heat of him.
14:11Jordan,
14:12he says,
14:13have lunch with me.
14:14I swallow.
14:15Just lunch.
14:16For now.
14:17I hate that those two little words
14:19nearly vaporize my resolve.
14:22Fine.
14:22I whisper.
14:24Lunch.
14:25He opens the passenger door for me
14:27like we're in some glossy
14:28Netflix Christmas movie
14:29where the main character
14:30doesn't have three maxed out
14:32credit cards
14:32and a folder of overdue bills.
14:34I climb in.
14:35The SUV smells like leather and cedar
14:37and the faintest hint of trouble.
14:40He circles the hood
14:40and gets into the driver's seat
14:42with predatory composure.
14:43The engine hums like a private jet
14:45on idle.
14:47Where are we going?
14:48I ask.
14:49A place with good food.
14:51Quiet enough to talk.
14:53That sounds suspiciously like a date.
14:55He glances at me.
14:57It's not,
14:58unless you want it to be.
15:00Do you?
15:01Long pause.
15:03His answer is soft,
15:04but brutal.
15:05Yes.
15:06The car pulls onto the main road.
15:09Maplewood looks almost unreal
15:10in the winter sun.
15:11Bright storefronts,
15:13Christmas banners,
15:14bustling sidewalks.
15:16Mateo's presence
15:17makes everything feel sharper.
15:19I distract myself with the window,
15:21but I still feel him watching me.
15:24Stop staring,
15:25I mutter.
15:26I'm allowed to look.
15:28Not at me.
15:29Especially at you.
15:31Heat slides up my neck.
15:33This man is going to ruin
15:35my emotional stability.
15:37We pull into an upscale
15:38outdoor cafe downtown,
15:40the kind where the patio heaters
15:41are disguised as tasteful sculptures.
15:42Everything glitters in bright daylight.
15:46Families with shopping bags
15:47chat over brunch.
15:49The waitstaff moves
15:50like a choreographed dance.
15:52A hostess spots Mateo
15:54and stands a little straighter.
15:56Mr. Corsini,
15:57she says.
15:58Your table is ready.
16:00I freeze.
16:01Corsini.
16:02I know that name.
16:03Everyone in Maplewood does.
16:05You're...
16:06That Corsini?
16:08I whisper,
16:09as we're led to a semi-private table
16:10with sunlight warming
16:11the white tablecloth.
16:13Yes.
16:14You own half the waterfront.
16:17That's an exaggeration.
16:19You own half the waterfront.
16:21He sighs,
16:22almost amused.
16:23Fine.
16:25And that makes you...
16:26a businessman.
16:27He interrupts.
16:28That's what the news calls you
16:30when they're scared.
16:31His expression flickers
16:32with something unreadable.
16:34Does it bother you?
16:36I think about it.
16:37His power.
16:38His reputation.
16:40His lethal calm.
16:41I look him in the eye.
16:43It should, I say.
16:44But it doesn't.
16:46He reclines slightly,
16:47watching me like he's
16:47discovered something rare.
16:49Good.
16:50Why good?
16:51Because you're not intimidated.
16:52I'm not stupid.
16:54I never said you were.
16:55Our food arrives.
16:56Fast.
16:58Too fast.
16:59Like someone in the kitchen
17:00sprinted.
17:01I get a grilled chicken sandwich
17:03I didn't have the nerve
17:04to pronounce correctly.
17:05And Matteo gets something
17:06green and elegant
17:07that probably costs
17:08more than my entire
17:09cart of toys.
17:10We eat for a few minutes
17:11in comfortable silence,
17:13sunlight drenching our table.
17:15Then,
17:16a shadow falls over us.
17:18Two men in tailored suits,
17:20broad,
17:21hard eyes.
17:22They look like they walked
17:23out of a crime documentary.
17:24They stand inches from the table,
17:26ignoring me completely.
17:28Boss?
17:29One says,
17:30voice too casual.
17:31My fork freezes
17:32halfway to my mouth.
17:33Matteo doesn't even look up.
17:35You're interrupting.
17:37Didn't have a choice,
17:38the man says.
17:39The Valenti shipments
17:40hit a snag.
17:41They're blocking our trucks
17:42at the port.
17:43It's a move.
17:45A move.
17:45Business war.
17:46Rival family.
17:48Cold adrenaline
17:49rushes through me.
17:51Matteo's voice
17:51stays calm.
17:53Handle it without escalating.
17:55They won't back down
17:56unless we push.
17:57Then push in daylight,
17:59where witnesses
17:59slow everyone down.
18:01The men nod
18:02and walk off.
18:04I stare at Matteo.
18:06That was the most
18:07I'm-in-the-mafia conversation
18:08I've ever accidentally
18:09eavesdropped on.
18:10He meets my gaze
18:11without flinching.
18:13Do you want me to lie
18:14about what I do?
18:15I shake my head.
18:17No.
18:17But it's a lot.
18:19I wouldn't have brought you here
18:20if I thought you couldn't
18:21handle a lot.
18:22I lean back,
18:23exhaling.
18:24And what am I handling
18:25exactly?
18:26He studies me
18:27like he's weighing words.
18:29My world.
18:30And the danger
18:30that comes with it.
18:32Because of me?
18:33No,
18:34he says,
18:35firm.
18:36Because of the name
18:36I carry.
18:38Then he adds,
18:39quieter.
18:39But you being near me
18:40changes the stakes.
18:42That sounds like a warning.
18:44It is.
18:45Are you telling me to run?
18:46His gaze locks onto mine.
18:48I'm telling you
18:49that if you stay near me,
18:51I will protect you.
18:52Whether you want that or not.
18:55My heart thunders.
18:56That's not how freedom works.
18:58No,
18:59he agrees.
19:00That's how power works.
19:02I breathe out a shaky laugh.
19:04You're complicated.
19:06Stay until dessert,
19:07he says softly.
19:09Then decide if I'm worth the trouble.
19:11This isn't a date,
19:12I remind him.
19:13He smiles faintly.
19:14It feels like one.
19:16And it does.
19:18God,
19:18it does.
19:19We finish eating.
19:21Sunlight warms my face.
19:23His attention warms everything else.
19:24As we leave the cafe,
19:26stepping back into the bright,
19:27crisp midday air,
19:28a black SUV screeches around the corner.
19:32Mateo reacts before I register the threat.
19:35His arm wraps around me,
19:36pulling me behind him.
19:38The SUV's windows are down.
19:40Men inside.
19:41Guns drawn.
19:42In broad daylight.
19:44My scream punches out of me.
19:46Mateo's voice is a cold command.
19:48Down.
19:49But before the shots can fire,
19:51another SUV slams into theirs from behind.
19:53One of Mateo's men,
19:55sending metal crunching into the street.
19:57People scream.
19:58Cars honk.
19:59Christmas shoppers freeze.
20:01The shooters peel away.
20:02Tires squealing.
20:04Mateo grips my shoulders,
20:05scanning me head to toe.
20:07Are you hurt?
20:08I shake violently.
20:10What the hell was that?
20:12Valenti,
20:13he says.
20:14They escalated.
20:15This is your world?
20:17Yes.
20:18And you dragged me into it?
20:20His jaw tightens.
20:21I didn't drag you.
20:23I'm trying to keep you alive.
20:24That's the same thing.
20:26He steps closer.
20:28Eyes fierce.
20:29Voice soft enough to break me.
20:31I should walk away from you,
20:32he says.
20:33But I'm not going to.
20:35My chest aches.
20:37Why?
20:38Because Christmas Eve should not be the day you almost die because of me.
20:42His hand lifts like he wants to touch my face,
20:45but he stops an inch away.
20:47Jordan,
20:48come with me,
20:48he murmurs.
20:50Somewhere safe.
20:51Just until this passes.
20:53I'm shaking,
20:53furious,
20:54terrified.
20:55And something else.
20:57Something reckless.
20:58I don't trust your world,
21:00I whisper.
21:01You don't have to,
21:02he says.
21:03Just trust me.
21:04My pulse stutters.
21:06I don't answer.
21:07He waits.
21:09The entire bright,
21:10chaotic street seems to hold its breath.
21:12And somewhere in the center of it,
21:14my life shifts on its axis.
21:16I should run.
21:18Every survival instinct I've ever built is screaming at me to get as far away from Matteo
21:21Corsini as humanly possible.
21:24But right now,
21:25in the middle of a chaotic Christmas Eve sidewalk still buzzing from an attempted daylight shooting,
21:30he's the only thing in focus.
21:32My legs feel like water.
21:34My pulse won't slow.
21:36Matteo reaches for my hand,
21:38but stops before touching.
21:40A question hangs between us.
21:42My voice is barely there.
21:44Where exactly is somewhere safe?
21:47A house I own a few miles from here,
21:49he says.
21:50Empty.
21:51Secure.
21:51Sunlit.
21:52You'll have a view of the lake.
21:54I huff out a breath.
21:56Of course you have a lake house.
21:58Why wouldn't you?
21:59He almost smiles.
22:01But it doesn't reach his eyes.
22:03Not today.
22:04Not after someone tried to put bullets in him with me standing inches away.
22:09Jordan.
22:10He says quietly.
22:11I can't protect you out here.
22:14That's the mafia talking.
22:16That's the man talking.
22:17He counters.
22:19It hits deeper than I want to admit.
22:21I swallow hard.
22:23Fine.
22:24One hour.
22:25That's it.
22:27He nods once,
22:28relief and tension blending in his expression.
22:31One hour.
22:31He guides me into his SUV.
22:34But this time,
22:35it's different.
22:37Not flirtatious.
22:38Not leisurely.
22:40There's urgency under his movements.
22:42A current of dread that even his control can't hide.
22:46His driver peels away from the curb the second we're inside.
22:49I sink into the seat,
22:51staring straight ahead,
22:52brain buzzing with disbelief.
22:54Mateo watches me from the corner of his eye.
22:57Talk to me.
22:58About what?
22:59What you're thinking.
23:00I laugh,
23:02sharp and shaky.
23:03You don't want to hear that.
23:05I do.
23:07Okay.
23:07I snap.
23:08I'm thinking you're terrifying.
23:10I know.
23:11And reckless.
23:13Yes.
23:14And you have enemies who do not care about daylight or civilians or holiday spirit.
23:18He exhales.
23:20Also true.
23:22And I'm thinking you should have let me go after we left the supermarket instead of...
23:26whatever this is.
23:27His jaw flexes.
23:29I tried.
23:30I told myself to walk away.
23:32I couldn't.
23:34That's not a compliment, Mateo.
23:36It's not meant to be.
23:38It's a confession.
23:40Something warm curls in my stomach despite everything.
23:43I turn away,
23:44staring out the window at Maplewood rushing by.
23:47Bright storefronts,
23:48family-owned diners,
23:49snowy lawns dotted with inflatable reindeer.
23:52Everything looks painfully normal.
23:54How am I in a mafia war on Christmas Eve?
23:57Who lives like this?
23:58Who falls for someone like this?
24:00Not me.
24:02Not sane.
24:03Responsible.
24:04Exhausted from life me.
24:06The car turns down a quiet road,
24:08lined with bare trees and enormous houses spaced widely apart.
24:12The kind of neighborhood where the air itself costs money.
24:15We pull into the driveway of a modern home with floor-to-ceiling windows
24:19and a flash of lake beyond the backyard.
24:21Everything glitters under a bright, freezing sun.
24:25Mateo opens my door,
24:27his voice low.
24:28Inside.
24:29I step out,
24:31hugging myself against the cold,
24:33and follow him into the house.
24:35The moment the door closes behind us,
24:37silence settles.
24:39The space smells like cedar and something faintly masculine.
24:42Every surface gleams.
24:44The lake outside stretches bright and still,
24:46the sunlight glittering across it like spilled silver.
24:48I turn in a slow circle.
24:51This is your idea of a little safe place?
24:55One of them,
24:56he says.
24:56I told you I collect real estate when I'm bored.
24:59You collect islands.
25:01That's not boredom.
25:02That's...
25:03a hobby,
25:04he finishes simply.
25:06I shoot him a look.
25:07You're something else.
25:09So are you.
25:10His tone shifts.
25:12Quieter.
25:13Heavier.
25:14Sit with me.
25:15I hesitate,
25:16but eventually sink onto the wide, soft couch.
25:19Mateo sits beside me,
25:21not too close,
25:22but close enough that the air stirs.
25:24He looks at me with intensity,
25:25softened by something almost...
25:27vulnerable.
25:29You want answers,
25:30he says.
25:31Damn right I do.
25:33Then ask.
25:34My heart pounds.
25:36Why am I suddenly in the middle of your war?
25:38Because you were next to me,
25:40Mateo says.
25:41That's the only reason.
25:43Do they know who I am?
25:45No.
25:46And I want to keep it that way.
25:48I pull my knees up,
25:49hugging them.
25:50So what now?
25:51You lock me in a golden panic room until New Year's.
25:54I'd never lock you anywhere.
25:56That's not comforting coming from you.
25:58He huffs a breath.
26:00Fair.
26:01I meet his eyes.
26:02Tell me the truth.
26:03All of it.
26:05He shifts so he's facing me.
26:07Sunlight spills across his features,
26:09sharpening him into something both dangerous
26:11and heartbreakingly human.
26:13When I was twenty-one,
26:15he says,
26:16I inherited a world I didn't ask for.
26:19Decisions were forced on me.
26:21Wars were forced on me.
26:23The Valentis have been waiting for a moment of weakness
26:25since I took control.
26:27And you think being seen with me is weakness?
26:30I think caring about someone is.
26:33My breath stutters.
26:34He continues before I can speak.
26:37What happened today wasn't about you,
26:38but bringing you to lunch.
26:40That's on me.
26:41I shake my head.
26:43You didn't drag me.
26:45I said yes.
26:46You shouldn't have.
26:48Mateo,
26:49you should walk away from me, Jordan.
26:52He says,
26:53voice low,
26:53hoarse.
26:55No matter how much it hurts.
26:57I stare at him,
26:58the sunlight cutting across his cheek,
27:00catching the faint scar at the corner of his mouth.
27:03And what about you?
27:04I whisper.
27:05He meets my gaze without blinking.
27:08It would kill me.
27:10Silence gathers.
27:11Fragile.
27:12Bright.
27:13Breathless.
27:14I look down at my hands.
27:16I don't want to be afraid of you.
27:18I never want you to be afraid of me.
27:20Then stop talking like you get to decide my choices.
27:24He flinches.
27:25The smallest reaction,
27:27but real.
27:28I lean forward.
27:30Mateo,
27:30you're not the only one who gets scared.
27:33You're not the only one who has something to lose.
27:35His eyes search mine.
27:37What could you lose?
27:38I haven't figured it out yet,
27:40I admit.
27:41But I know it's...
27:43something.
27:44Something terrifying.
27:46Something warm.
27:47Something inevitable.
27:48He breathes out slowly.
27:51Jordan.
27:52A knock cuts through the house.
27:54We both go rigid.
27:55Another knock.
27:56Sharper.
27:56Urgent.
27:57Mateo stands,
27:58his posture shifting into something lethal.
28:01Stay behind me.
28:03My pulse spikes.
28:05Who is it?
28:06He doesn't answer.
28:07He moves to the foyer,
28:09silent and controlled.
28:10I follow at a cautious distance.
28:12He checks the monitor,
28:13then relaxes.
28:14Barely.
28:15It's Enzo,
28:17he says.
28:18One of your guys?
28:19Yes.
28:20He opens the door.
28:21A tall man in a suit steps in,
28:23sunlight flashing off his sunglasses.
28:25Boss.
28:26Update.
28:27Mateo gestures.
28:28Talk.
28:30The Valentis backed off.
28:31They got word you weren't alone when the hit went down.
28:34Mateo's jaw flexes.
28:36They know about her?
28:37No.
28:38Enzo says quickly.
28:39They think you had extra guards.
28:41They're regrouping.
28:42No retaliation for now.
28:44Mateo nods.
28:46Good.
28:47Keep it that way.
28:48Enzo glances at me briefly,
28:50then back to Mateo.
28:51Take the rest of the day.
28:53I'll handle the ports.
28:54Go.
28:55Mateo says.
28:57Enzo leaves without another word.
28:59The house falls quiet again.
29:01Mateo turns to me.
29:02You're safe.
29:04Today.
29:05I mutter.
29:06What about tomorrow?
29:07He walks toward me slowly,
29:09sunlight behind him like a crown.
29:11I'm not letting anything happen to you.
29:14That's not a plan, Mateo.
29:15That's a statement.
29:16It's a promise.
29:18I didn't ask for a promise.
29:19He stops inches away.
29:21I gave you one anyway.
29:22My chest tightens until I feel breathless.
29:27Jordan.
29:28His voice softens into something that almost undoes me.
29:32Let me tell you the part I didn't say.
29:34I swallow.
29:36I'm listening.
29:38You walked into that store with bruised hope and stubborn pride.
29:41You walked out with every piece of my attention.
29:44His hand lifts,
29:45barely touching a strand of my hair.
29:47And I don't give my attention easily.
29:50I feel it.
29:51That slow, magnetic pull between us.
29:54Electric.
29:55Terrifying.
29:55Irresistible.
29:57Tell me to stop, he murmurs.
29:59I don't.
30:00I can't.
30:02Instead, I look up at him fully,
30:04letting every wall in me surrender to the sunlight.
30:06I'm not running, I whisper.
30:09The change in his expression is subtle but seismic.
30:13Relief.
30:14Hunger.
30:15Something dangerously close to joy.
30:17He cups my cheek gently,
30:19so gently it feels like a vow.
30:21Good.
30:22Because I'm not letting you go.
30:24I grab his wrist, grounding myself.
30:26Then we do this on my terms, too.
30:29Anything, he says without hesitation.
30:31You don't own me.
30:33No.
30:34He agrees softly.
30:35But I want to earn a place.
30:37If you'll let me.
30:39My throat tightens.
30:41You already have one.
30:42His eyes flare.
30:43Bright.
30:44Fierce.
30:44Alive.
30:46He bends his forehead to mine,
30:48breathing me in like he's been starving for air.
30:51Jordan.
30:52He whispers.
30:53You're changing me.
30:55The sunlight catches on the lake outside,
30:58scattering brightness through the room,
31:00as if blessing the moment.
31:02I close my eyes.
31:04You're changing me, too.
31:05His thumb traces my jaw,
31:08slow and reverent,
31:09and I feel myself unraveling and reforming all at once.
31:13When he finally kisses me,
31:14it's not rushed or urgent.
31:16It's steady and warm,
31:17like daylight choosing to land exactly where it belongs.
31:21Somewhere safe.
31:22Somewhere new.
31:23Somewhere I never expected to be on Christmas Eve.
31:26When we part,
31:27breath mingles with breath,
31:29and he whispers against my lips,
31:31Merry Christmas, Jordan.
31:33I smile.
31:34Real.
31:35Unguarded.
31:36Alive.
31:37Merry Christmas, Mateo.
31:40Outside, the lake glitters.
31:42Inside,
31:43something bright and terrifying and beautiful takes root.
31:46And for the first time in a long time,
31:48I don't feel like I'm surviving.
31:49I feel like I'm beginning.
31:51If you loved this Christmas Eve chaos,
31:54the daylight danger,
31:56and the spark-heavy banter between Jordan and Mateo,
31:59stick around.
32:00I've got plenty more where that came from.
32:03Hit like.
32:04So I know you're into these cinematic mafia romances.
32:07Tap subscribe to catch the next one the moment it drops.
32:10And if this story gave you butterflies,
32:12a gasp,
32:12or a
32:13wait, I need another chapter,
32:15go ahead and share it with someone who also devours unhinged love stories.
32:20Your support keeps the stories coming
32:21brighter,
32:23bolder,
32:23and even more dangerously romantic.
Be the first to comment