- 6 days 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
00:00The puppy is winning.
00:02I'm knee-deep in panic, sweat,
00:04and the kind of adrenaline you only get
00:06when your entire life is collapsing
00:08like a cheap lawn chair at a 4th of July barbecue.
00:12Sit, I whisper to the trembling golden retriever puppy
00:15tucked in my arms.
00:17He does not sit.
00:18He thrashes.
00:20He sneezes in my face and kicks tiny paws into my chin
00:23because apparently humiliation is today's theme.
00:26I check over my shoulder again.
00:28They're still there.
00:30Two men in two clean suits and two expensive sunglasses
00:32standing across the bustling brick plaza of downtown Nashville.
00:37They pretend to chat near a fruit stand,
00:39but they're following me.
00:40They've been following me for two days,
00:43and they're not subtle because they don't have to be.
00:47They know I can't do anything about it.
00:50Please, I murmur to the puppy.
00:52I need you to be the one thing in my life
00:55that listens right now.
00:56I only stole him because the guy at the adoption tent
00:59was screaming at him,
01:00literally screaming at a puppy,
01:02and my explosive temper and empty bank account teamed up
01:05like the world's worst Avengers.
01:07Now I have a stolen dog,
01:09a homelessness problem,
01:10and possibly the Albinetti crime family tailing me
01:13because I refuse to return something
01:14that was their gift to someone important.
01:16I am going to die because I rescued a puppy named God.
01:21I haven't even named him.
01:22That feels rude.
01:24Okay, listen, I tell the dog
01:27as I crouch near a fountain
01:28spraying arcs of glittering water
01:29into the bright Tennessee morning.
01:31If you don't sit right now,
01:32we are both toast.
01:34Toast with no butter.
01:35Dry toast.
01:36Prison toast.
01:37Tiny floppy ears perk.
01:40He sits.
01:41For the first time.
01:43I gasp.
01:44Actually emotional at the achievement.
01:47My whole chest warms.
01:49And then a shadow falls over us.
01:51Not just a shadow.
01:52A presence.
01:54A quiet force field of danger and money
01:56and someone's last nerve.
01:58I freeze.
02:00The puppy barks.
02:01A man is standing there
02:02in a tailored ash gray suit
02:04that probably costs more than my entire life.
02:07His sunglasses reflect me back.
02:09Wild hair.
02:10Messy t-shirt.
02:11Backpack slipping off my shoulder.
02:13And a stolen puppy clinging to me
02:15like a furry flotation device.
02:17My heart drop kicks my ribs.
02:19He's gorgeous in that impossible engineered way.
02:22Early thirties.
02:24Dark hair pushed back neatly.
02:25Jawline built for trouble.
02:27And the kind of calm that suggests
02:28he owns everything he stands near.
02:31Even air obeys him.
02:32His watch gleams like it has its own bank account.
02:36Is that your dog?
02:37He asks.
02:38Voice low.
02:39Smooth.
02:40Dangerous in a conversational way.
02:42Like he hasn't decided yet
02:43if he's annoyed or entertained.
02:46It is today.
02:47I say.
02:47Because panic makes me sarcastic.
02:50One corner of his mouth lifts barely.
02:52So.
02:53No.
02:54I didn't say that.
02:56You didn't have to.
02:57And you didn't have to stand
02:59in my personal space bubble.
03:00But here we are.
03:01I snap.
03:02Then instantly regret it
03:03because I can hear my mother's voice
03:05in my head telling me
03:06I have the survival instincts
03:07of a decorative plant.
03:09The man removes his sunglasses.
03:11Slowly like he enjoys committing
03:13tiny crimes of intimidation.
03:15His eyes are cold and warm
03:16at the same time.
03:18Hazel with flecks of gold.
03:20Beautiful and lethal.
03:22Name?
03:22He asks.
03:24For me or him?
03:26For you.
03:27I swallow.
03:28Tessa.
03:29And for him?
03:31I'm still workshopping.
03:34He studies me.
03:36I can feel him reading every detail.
03:38The way my hands shake.
03:39The ripped strap of my backpack.
03:41The cheap sneakers.
03:43The fact that I keep glancing behind me.
03:45So who's chasing you?
03:47He asks casually.
03:49Crouching down in front of me.
03:51I flinch.
03:52Wow.
03:53Okay.
03:53Why would you even assume that?
03:55I could be...
03:57But then he does something insane.
04:00He drops to one knee.
04:02Right in front of me.
04:03The mafia boss proposal pose
04:05except he's inspecting the puppy
04:06like this is a business meeting
04:08and not my unraveling.
04:11Teach me, he murmurs.
04:13My brain glitches.
04:14Teach you?
04:16How to make him sit.
04:17I blink like someone has unplugged me.
04:20You want...
04:21Dog training tips.
04:23From me.
04:24Yes.
04:25For what reason?
04:27The tiniest, driest smirk
04:29plays on his lips.
04:30Because he listened to you.
04:32Which means either you're good
04:33or he's stupid.
04:35He glances at the fluffy little creature.
04:37I'm leaning toward you being good.
04:40Heat crawls up my neck.
04:42I do not blush easily.
04:44Yet here we are.
04:45You're weird, I tell him.
04:47And you're hiding something.
04:49He stands again,
04:51slow,
04:51in control of every molecule around him.
04:54I'm deciding if I should care.
04:57That's...
04:58Wow.
04:59So reassuring.
05:00I'm not here to reassure you.
05:03No, really,
05:04I never would have guessed.
05:06His eyes flick toward the two men
05:07across the plaza
05:08now pretending to admire strawberries.
05:11I stiffen.
05:12He notices.
05:13He tilts his head slightly.
05:16Who are they?
05:18I don't know.
05:20He gives me a look that says
05:21he doesn't appreciate lies
05:23unless he's the one telling them.
05:25Tessa.
05:26My name sounds different in his voice.
05:28Private.
05:29Claimed.
05:30Dangerous.
05:31Who are they to you?
05:33I said I don't know.
05:35My voice cracks.
05:37I hate that.
05:38The puppy whines.
05:39He leans in just a fraction.
05:41You're trembling.
05:43It's cold.
05:44It's 80 degrees.
05:46And yet here I am,
05:48freezing,
05:48thanks for noticing.
05:50He exhales a short,
05:51amused breath.
05:53You're trouble.
05:54Says the guy whose suit
05:55probably needs its own security detail.
05:58He steps closer,
06:00close enough for me to smell
06:01something warm and expensive.
06:03Cedar,
06:03citrus,
06:04and power.
06:05Too close.
06:06My ribs tighten around
06:07a stupid rush of attraction,
06:09and he knows it.
06:10Look at me,
06:11he says.
06:12I do,
06:13because my body is a traitor.
06:15You're going to tell me
06:16why men with Albinetti tattoos
06:18think they can breathe
06:19down your neck.
06:20I,
06:20I never said they were Albinetti,
06:23I whisper.
06:24But they are.
06:25His tone is quiet steel.
06:27And they're idiots
06:28for standing that far from you.
06:31If you were mine,
06:32no one would get within 30 feet.
06:35My heartbeat stumbles.
06:36Wow,
06:37possessive much?
06:39He smiles again,
06:40that subtle,
06:41lethal ghost of one.
06:43I didn't say you were mine.
06:45I said if.
06:47Before I can come up
06:48with a comeback,
06:49one of the men across the plaza
06:50starts walking toward us.
06:52The man in the suit
06:53clocks it instantly.
06:55His posture shifts.
06:56Nothing obvious,
06:57nothing dramatic,
06:58just a micro change
06:59in temperature.
07:01The sun still shines,
07:02the plaza still bustles,
07:03but the air around him
07:05sharpens,
07:06crystallizing into something
07:07that could slice bone.
07:09Stay behind me,
07:10he murmurs.
07:11No,
07:12I say,
07:13clutching the puppy.
07:14I don't even know you.
07:16True,
07:17he replies,
07:18but they know me,
07:20and they won't touch you
07:21while I'm standing here.
07:22What does that even?
07:24The approaching man
07:25freezes mid-step,
07:27eyes widening.
07:28He recognizes my stranger,
07:30which means I should
07:31recognize him too.
07:32The quiet man
07:33with the gold-flecked eyes,
07:35the tailored suit,
07:36the almost bored authority.
07:39Holy hell.
07:40You're...
07:41I choke.
07:43He gives a tiny nod
07:44as if confirming a secret
07:45I never should have discovered
07:47on a sunny day
07:47next to a fountain.
07:50Cassian Moretti,
07:51he says softly.
07:53Don of the Moretti family.
07:55The puppy chooses
07:56that exact moment
07:57to yawn.
07:58I choose that exact moment
08:00to consider fainting.
08:02Cassian leans toward me,
08:03voice velvet danger.
08:05You should know something
08:06before you try to run.
08:08Run?
08:09I...
08:09I wasn't...
08:10You were.
08:12He steps even closer,
08:13and the sunlight reflects
08:14off his watch
08:15like a silent warning.
08:16But you're not going
08:17anywhere now.
08:19I swallow hard.
08:20Why not?
08:22Because,
08:23he says,
08:24nodding at the men
08:24who immediately
08:25turn away like cowards,
08:27the Albinettis
08:27just made you my problem.
08:30He reaches out,
08:31gently brushes
08:32a loose strand of hair
08:33back from my cheek,
08:34a soft gesture
08:35wrapped in steel.
08:37And I don't let anyone
08:38touch what's mine
08:39to protect.
08:40My breath stops.
08:42The puppy nudges my chin
08:43like he's voting
08:44we listen to him.
08:45Teach me the command again,
08:47Cassian murmurs,
08:48eyes locked on mine.
08:50The one you used
08:51to make him sit.
08:52Why?
08:53I whisper.
08:54So I can make you stay.
08:56My pulse roars.
08:58That's not how dogs work.
09:00Good thing you're not a dog,
09:02his voice dips.
09:03But the Albinettis move fast,
09:05and now,
09:06so do I.
09:07What does that mean?
09:08It means you're coming with me.
09:10He steps back just enough
09:12to give me space to breathe,
09:13but not enough to escape.
09:15Your life just changed, Tessa,
09:17he says,
09:18and this time,
09:20you don't run.
09:21The plaza is too bright,
09:23the sky too open,
09:24the world too alive
09:25for a moment this terrifying
09:27and thrilling.
09:29Cassian holds out his hand,
09:31not asking,
09:32not forcing,
09:33inviting.
09:34The puppy paws at me
09:35like he wants me to take it.
09:37I don't know if Cassian Moretti
09:38is saving me or claiming me,
09:40but either way,
09:42this is the moment of no return.
09:43I place my hand in his,
09:46and daylight burns around us.
09:49Cassian Moretti's car
09:50looks less like a vehicle
09:51and more like a dare.
09:53Jet black,
09:54glossy enough to reflect
09:55every detail of my terrified face,
09:58and definitely the kind of car
09:59that makes pedestrians
10:00assume the driver
10:01either owns a small country
10:02or a small portion of hell.
10:05Get in,
10:06Cassian says,
10:07opening the passenger door
10:08like he's my personal chauffeur
10:10instead of a mafia don
10:11with islands and jets
10:12and enough quiet authority
10:13to rearrange the economy
10:15if he felt bored.
10:17I'm not sure this is the best idea,
10:19I say.
10:21Most decisions you've made this week
10:22weren't the best idea,
10:24he replies,
10:25leaning one shoulder
10:25against the doorframe.
10:27Let's aim higher.
10:29My therapist is going to have
10:30a field day with you.
10:32You have a therapist?
10:34No,
10:35can't afford one.
10:37His eyes soften a fraction.
10:39Too warm.
10:40Too observant.
10:42Then stop provoking danger
10:43on your own.
10:45It provoked me first.
10:47I'm sure it did.
10:49I glare.
10:50He gestures to the seat.
10:52I climb in.
10:53The puppy hops onto my lap
10:55like this is a casual
10:56family road trip
10:56and not whatever
10:57the Moretti universe is.
10:59The interior smells like
11:00cedar and citrus.
11:02Him,
11:03which should be illegal.
11:04The dashboard looks like
11:06it was assembled by engineers
11:07who moonlight for NASA.
11:09Cassian slides into the driver's seat
11:11with fluid confidence,
11:12adjusting nothing
11:13because the world adjusts to him.
11:15As he pulls onto the sun-washed boulevard,
11:18Nashville hums around us.
11:19Bright signs,
11:20honking cars,
11:22street vendors,
11:22a guy juggling flaming sticks
11:24like the sun
11:25isn't judging him.
11:26My pulse is still jittering.
11:29His isn't.
11:30You want to tell me
11:31why the Albinetti sent men after you?
11:33He asks,
11:34eyes forward.
11:35No.
11:36Wrong answer.
11:37It's the only one I have.
11:39His jaw flexes.
11:41You stole from them.
11:43I rescued a puppy.
11:44You stole a puppy.
11:46They were yelling at him.
11:48He glances at the golden retriever
11:50now curled in my lap
11:51like a cinnamon roll-wearing fur.
11:53That's your defense?
11:55He was scared.
11:56And you weren't?
11:57I'm still scared.
12:00Cassian hums,
12:01low.
12:02Good.
12:03Fear keeps you alive.
12:04Reckless kindness gets you killed.
12:07Wow.
12:07What an uplifting
12:08Moretti family motto.
12:10He shoots me a sideways look.
12:12You're mouthy.
12:13And you're bossy.
12:15And you're trembling again.
12:17I tighten my grip on the puppy.
12:20He notices everything.
12:22Every breath.
12:23Every flinch.
12:24Every sarcastic shield I throw up.
12:27Stop analyzing me.
12:29I mutter.
12:30Then stop being interesting.
12:32My stomach flips
12:33in the most unhelpful way.
12:36We drive toward the riverfront,
12:37sunlight bouncing off glass buildings,
12:40the city buzzing like a summer carnival.
12:43Nothing matches the tension
12:44inside this car.
12:46Daylight feels too honest
12:47for the things he isn't saying.
12:49He finally speaks again.
12:52The Albinettis had plans for that dog.
12:55What kind of plans?
12:56He pauses.
12:58Gift?
12:59Bribe?
13:00Leverage?
13:01Hard to say.
13:02So,
13:03puppy trafficking?
13:04That's a thing now?
13:05In their world,
13:06anything can be a message.
13:09I look down at the puppy.
13:11They were going to use you
13:12for mafia PR.
13:14I'm sorry, dude.
13:16Cassian snorts.
13:17Actually snorts.
13:18The sound is barely there,
13:20but I catch it.
13:22You're ridiculous,
13:23he says.
13:24You're welcome.
13:26We pull into a sunlit marina
13:27lined with sleek yachts
13:29that look stolen from billionaires
13:30who forgot to lock their wallets.
13:32I blink.
13:33This is where you live?
13:35No,
13:36this is where I think.
13:38You have a thinking dock?
13:40Yes.
13:42Is that like a think tank,
13:43but with seagulls?
13:45His jaw twitches,
13:46amusement he refuses to show fully.
13:49Come on.
13:50He steps out,
13:52comes around,
13:52and opens my door
13:53before I can touch it.
13:55Show off.
13:57I step onto the warm wooden dock,
13:59holding the puppy to my chest.
14:01The air smells like sunshine,
14:03river water,
14:04and Cassian deciding things.
14:06What now?
14:07I ask.
14:09Now,
14:09he says.
14:10You tell me what trouble you're in.
14:13You already know most of it.
14:15I know half-truths.
14:16I want the rest.
14:18Why?
14:19You don't even know me.
14:21I know enough.
14:22He steps closer.
14:24And I don't like people hunting
14:25what's under my protection.
14:27My breath hitches.
14:29Since when am I under your protection?
14:31Since you put your hand in mine.
14:33I...
14:33That wasn't...
14:35You tricked me in broad daylight.
14:36I gave you a way out.
14:38You didn't take it.
14:39I blink rapidly.
14:41A way out of what?
14:42Your life collapsing,
14:44he says simply.
14:46Something in my chest softens.
14:48Dangerously.
14:49He leads me to a shaded seating area
14:51on the dock.
14:53Bright white cushions,
14:54a glass table,
14:54and a breeze that plays with my hair
14:56like it's auditioning to be seductive.
14:59Cassian stands instead of sitting.
15:01Too restless.
15:02Start from the beginning,
15:04he says.
15:05I exhale.
15:07My landlord doubled my rent.
15:09My job shut down without warning.
15:11And the only place offering work today
15:12was the adoption event,
15:14where the guy screamed at this puppy
15:15so hard he started shaking.
15:17So you stole him.
15:19I rescued him.
15:21You stole him.
15:22Rescued.
15:23Stole.
15:24Tomato.
15:25Tomato.
15:26Cassian runs a hand through his hair,
15:28expression caught between frustration
15:29and fascination.
15:31You don't know their world,
15:33he says quietly.
15:34The Albinettis escalate fast.
15:37Well,
15:37good thing I accidentally found
15:38a scarier mafia family
15:39in the produce section.
15:41His eyes lock on mine.
15:43I'm not your shield,
15:44Tessa.
15:45Could have fooled me.
15:47You could have run home.
15:48I don't have a home.
15:50That stops him.
15:52Something shifts behind his eyes.
15:55Something too human,
15:56too raw for the polished Dawn persona.
15:58Where are your things?
16:01He asks.
16:02My car.
16:03With what fuel?
16:05Friendship and fumes.
16:07He exhales through his nose,
16:09long and controlled,
16:10like he's recalibrating
16:11his entire worldview
16:12because I'm inconveniently pathetic.
16:15Then he steps closer again.
16:17Too close.
16:18Always too close.
16:20You should have told me,
16:22he murmurs.
16:23I don't tell strangers
16:24my sob stories.
16:26I'm not a stranger anymore.
16:29My pulse trips over itself.
16:31Oh?
16:31And what exactly are you now?
16:34He lifts his hand,
16:35pausing inches from my cheek,
16:37not touching,
16:38waiting for permission
16:39he doesn't ask for.
16:41I haven't decided yet,
16:43he says.
16:45Before I can react,
16:46a sharp sound cracks
16:47across the air.
16:49Not a gunshot,
16:50but fast footsteps
16:51and raised voices
16:52coming from behind
16:52a row of yachts.
16:54Cassian goes still.
16:56Two men appear
16:57at the end of the dock.
16:58Same suits,
16:58same expensive sunglasses,
17:00albinettis.
17:01My stomach drops.
17:02Cassian steps subtly
17:03in front of me.
17:05Stay behind me.
17:06No, I whisper.
17:08You can't.
17:09They won't try anything,
17:11he says.
17:12It's daytime.
17:13Why does daylight matter?
17:15Because even idiots
17:16care about witnesses.
17:18Great.
17:19Amazing.
17:19So reassuring.
17:21The men approach.
17:23Cassian tilts his chin,
17:24composed as a marble statue
17:25with violent possibilities.
17:27Boys,
17:28he says calmly.
17:30One of them swallows.
17:32Moretti,
17:33we didn't know she was...
17:34with you.
17:36She's not,
17:37Cassian answers.
17:39Yet here you are,
17:40following her,
17:41upsetting her,
17:42breathing in my direction.
17:44They shift nervously.
17:46She stole from us,
17:47one mutters.
17:49Cassian's voice goes quiet,
17:51dead quiet,
17:52soft enough to terrify heaven itself.
17:55She took a dog,
17:57he says,
17:58from a man who shouldn't own a cactus.
18:00His gaze sharpens.
18:02And you followed her for two days?
18:04You stalked her?
18:05For this?
18:06It wasn't personal,
18:08the guy stammers.
18:09It is now.
18:11The puppy whines.
18:12Cassian's hand finds my back,
18:14grounding,
18:15steady,
18:16infuriatingly gentle.
18:18You have one hour,
18:19he says,
18:20to tell your boss
18:21the girl is under my protection.
18:23Any retaliation will be answered.
18:26The men nod frantically
18:27and hurry away,
18:28practically speedwalking
18:29like suburb dads
18:30late to a barbecue.
18:32I sag in relief.
18:34You just...
18:35saved me.
18:37Cassian faces me.
18:38I didn't do it for you.
18:41Ouch.
18:42I did it because you stepped
18:43into a war zone for a dog.
18:45You're either the bravest
18:46or the dumbest woman in this city.
18:49I'm still deciding which.
18:51Can I be both?
18:53The corner of his mouth lifts.
18:56Possibly.
18:57But they're gonna come after me again,
18:59aren't they?
19:00Not if you stay where I can see you.
19:03I clutch the puppy.
19:04You mean...
19:05with you?
19:06For now.
19:08And after now,
19:09his eyes drop to my mouth.
19:11Heat ripples up my spine.
19:13That depends,
19:14he murmurs,
19:15on how well you train me.
19:17I choke.
19:18What?
19:19You're giving me lessons, remember?
19:21Sit, stay, come.
19:23My entire face catches fire.
19:25That's not...
19:25You're not...
19:26I'm not...
19:27He steps closer,
19:29voice lowering.
19:30You're trembling again.
19:32I'm not.
19:33You are.
19:35I swallow.
19:36You make it complicated.
19:38I make everything complicated,
19:41he says.
19:42But I don't lie.
19:44And I don't lose what I decide to protect.
19:47And what did you decide?
19:49He looks at me in the bright Tennessee sun,
19:52eyes warm with something he shouldn't feel
19:53for a broke stranger with a stolen puppy.
19:55I decided,
19:57he says softly,
19:58that I'm not done with you.
20:01My breath catches.
20:02My heart stumbles.
20:04Daylight glares around us,
20:06too bright for the shift happening between us.
20:08I whisper,
20:09what happens next?
20:11Cassian smiles.
20:13Slow,
20:13precise,
20:14dangerous,
20:15beautiful.
20:16Next,
20:17he says,
20:18we go home.
20:20My home?
20:22No.
20:23His.
20:24And just like that,
20:25the real danger begins.
20:28Cassian's home isn't a home.
20:30It's a sun-drenched architectural flex
20:32with glass walls,
20:34pale stone floors,
20:35minimalist furniture,
20:37and a view of the Nashville skyline
20:38that looks like it was photoshopped by God.
20:41I stand in the center of the massive living room
20:43with the puppy squirming in my arms,
20:46feeling like a stray crumb in a luxury kitchen.
20:49Cassian drops his keys on a marble counter.
20:52You're safe here.
20:54Until when?
20:55I ask.
20:56He gives me a look I can't read.
20:59Until this is over.
21:01And what exactly is this?
21:03Another unreadable look.
21:05Still figuring that part out.
21:07He moves with that quiet,
21:09economical power that should annoy me,
21:11but somehow steadies the ground beneath my feet.
21:14He takes off his suit jacket,
21:15rolls his sleeves to his elbows,
21:17and suddenly he's even more dangerous
21:19less Don,
21:20more flawed human pretending to be stone.
21:23The puppy hops out of my arms
21:25and promptly pees on his floor.
21:27I freeze.
21:28Oh my God.
21:29I'm so sorry.
21:31Cassian glances at the puddle.
21:33He's marking his territory.
21:35That doesn't make it better.
21:37It makes it honest.
21:38I narrow my eyes.
21:40Are you saying your floor deserved it?
21:43Possibly.
21:44A laugh slips out of me,
21:46the first real one in days.
21:48He notices.
21:50His eyes soften,
21:51and for a moment the sun isn't the brightest thing in the room.
21:54But the warmth cracks when his phone buzzes on the counter.
21:58He looks at the screen.
21:59His jaw tightens.
22:01What?
22:02I ask.
22:03He hesitates like he's choosing how much truth I can handle.
22:07The Albinettis aren't backing down.
22:10They're doubling down.
22:12My stomach drops.
22:14Because of me.
22:15Because they think they can challenge me through you.
22:18I didn't ask for this.
22:21The words come out thin,
22:22scraped raw.
22:24I know.
22:25His voice gentles.
22:27You didn't deserve it either.
22:30I wrap my arms around myself.
22:32Maybe I should leave.
22:34Get out of your way.
22:36You're not leaving.
22:37I'm a liability.
22:39You're my responsibility.
22:41I didn't ask for that.
22:42You didn't have to.
22:44My breath catches.
22:46He steps closer,
22:47sunlight sliding along his cheekbones,
22:49turning him unreal.
22:51You came into my world,
22:53he says softly.
22:53And I don't let anything happen to what comes into my world.
22:58Cassian.
22:59The doorbell rings.
23:02We both freeze.
23:03His voice drops.
23:05Stay behind me.
23:07No, I whisper,
23:09heart pounding.
23:10We can't keep doing this.
23:12You shielding.
23:13Me shaking.
23:14We need to end it.
23:16And how do you propose we do that?
23:18My pulse is a runaway train.
23:21We face them.
23:22In daylight.
23:23Together.
23:25Cassian studies me.
23:27This time not like a puzzle,
23:29but like someone discovering the missing piece he didn't know he needed.
23:32He takes my hand.
23:34Not forceful.
23:35Not possessive.
23:36Just real.
23:38Come with me.
23:39He murmurs.
23:41He opens the door.
23:42Standing in the blinding Tennessee sun is the last person I expect.
23:46Rocco Albinetti.
23:47The air.
23:48Surrounded by two men who look like they were sculpted out of bad decisions.
23:52Rocco smirks when he sees me.
23:54There's the girl.
23:55My father's been waiting for her.
23:58Cassian steps in front of me so fast I feel the air shift.
24:01She isn't going anywhere.
24:03Rocco shrugs.
24:04You stole from us.
24:06You know how this works.
24:08Cassian tilts his head.
24:09You want your puppy back?
24:11Rocco gestures at the wiggly golden furball peeking around my leg.
24:15He wasn't just a puppy.
24:16He was leverage.
24:18Now your girl took him.
24:19So she's leverage.
24:21I'm not his girl.
24:22I blurt.
24:23Cassian glances back at me like I've stabbed him with a toothpick.
24:27I clear my throat.
24:28I mean, not officially.
24:30Or...
24:30I don't know.
24:32Can we circle back to that later?
24:34A flicker of amusement cracks his tension.
24:37Rocco laughs.
24:39Cute.
24:39But this isn't a negotiation, Moretti.
24:42Cassian steps forward into the sun, unarmed but terrifying.
24:47Everything with me is a negotiation.
24:49You can't win this.
24:51I already did.
24:53His voice is calm.
24:55Deadly.
24:56Certain.
24:57She's with me.
24:59That makes her untouchable.
25:01Rocco scoffs.
25:02Since when does the Moretti don go soft over strays?
25:06Cassian smiles.
25:08Slow and sharp.
25:09Teeth and velvet.
25:11Since one of them bit back.
25:13I blink.
25:14When did I bite?
25:15Metaphor, Tessa.
25:17Oh, right.
25:18Rocco's expression curdles.
25:21We'll take her by force if we have to.
25:23Cassian shifts just enough to block me entirely.
25:27Try.
25:28The sunlight glints off the water behind him,
25:31turning him into something mythic.
25:32A man who was carved from the idea of protection itself.
25:37Rocco hesitates.
25:38He may be stupid, but he isn't suicidal.
25:41Then he says the wrong thing.
25:44You can't guard her forever, Cassian.
25:46People like her break.
25:48People like us break them.
25:50Cassian's entire body changes.
25:53Not outwardly.
25:54Not explosively.
25:55But the air thickens,
25:57hot and vibrating like the city itself is holding its breath.
26:01He steps forward, voice barely above a whisper.
26:04If you say her name again,
26:05I'll end your bloodline in broad daylight.
26:08Rocco pale sweats.
26:10You can't threaten.
26:11I'm not threatening.
26:13Cassian's voice is cold sunshine.
26:16I'm promising.
26:18The men beside Rocco shift.
26:20Uneasy.
26:21This is the moment.
26:23The fork in the story.
26:24The place where things either fall apart
26:27or finally stitch together.
26:28I take a step forward
26:30and place my hand on Cassian's arm.
26:33He goes still.
26:35I speak loud enough for Rocco
26:36and the entire sunlit street
26:38to hear street.
26:40I'm not afraid of you.
26:41And I'm done running.
26:43Cassian looks at me
26:44like I've detonated something inside him.
26:47Rocco sneers.
26:48You're brave now because he's here.
26:50The moment he leaves,
26:51he's not leaving, I say.
26:53And then I add,
26:55because he wants to stay.
26:56Cassian's inhale is sharp,
26:59quiet, real.
27:01Rocco throws up his hands.
27:03Fine.
27:04Keep the girl.
27:05Keep the mutt.
27:06But this isn't over.
27:08Cassian steps forward again.
27:10It is.
27:12And something in his voice
27:13makes even the wind stop moving.
27:15Rocco backs away.
27:16His men follow.
27:18They leave the house,
27:19the driveway,
27:20the street,
27:21shrinking into specks
27:23swallowed by the bright afternoon.
27:24Cassian closes the door behind them.
27:28Silence.
27:30Then he turns to me.
27:32His eyes aren't dangerous now.
27:35There's something worse.
27:36Honest.
27:38You shouldn't have stepped in front of me,
27:40he says quietly.
27:42I had to.
27:43You could have been hurt.
27:45So could you.
27:47He stares at me
27:47like he's memorizing every angle.
27:50Tessa,
27:50you don't understand what you just did.
27:53Then explain it.
27:55You claimed me,
27:55he says,
27:56in front of them,
27:57in front of everyone.
27:59My throat tightens.
28:01And if I did?
28:03He steps closer.
28:05Then closer.
28:06Until the air between us crackles.
28:08Then I should return the favor.
28:10He murmurs.
28:12I whisper.
28:13What does that mean?
28:14He lifts his hand to my jaw,
28:16fingers gentle and terrifying in their effect.
28:18It means,
28:20he says softly,
28:22I choose you.
28:24Over power.
28:25Over ego.
28:27Over everything that used to define me.
28:30The sunlight catches in his gold-flecked eyes.
28:33And I don't choose lightly.
28:36My breath trembles.
28:38So what happens now?
28:40His forehead touches mine.
28:43Now we try.
28:44You and me.
28:45Whatever this is.
28:47And the danger?
28:48Handled.
28:49And the puppy?
28:51He stays,
28:52Cassian says,
28:53dead serious.
28:54He's part of the deal.
28:56The puppy barks,
28:57which feels like approval.
28:59I laugh.
29:00Bright.
29:01Relieved.
29:01A little emotional.
29:03Cassian's thumb brushes my cheek.
29:05You trembling again?
29:06A little.
29:08Why?
29:09Because you scare me.
29:10And why's that?
29:12Because,
29:13I say softly,
29:14I like you more than I should.
29:16His eyes warm.
29:17Good.
29:18Good?
29:19Yes.
29:20He leans in.
29:21And because I like you more than I should, too.
29:24The kiss happens in sunlight.
29:26Warm.
29:26Slow.
29:27Steady.
29:27Nothing rushed.
29:28Nothing stolen.
29:29Just two people choosing each other,
29:31even though it makes no sense.
29:33When we finally pull apart,
29:34he rests his forehead against mine.
29:37Tessa?
29:38Yeah?
29:39Teach me the rest of the commands.
29:42I laugh.
29:43Which ones?
29:44All of them.
29:46He murmurs.
29:47Especially the ones that make me stay.
29:49I smile against his mouth.
29:52Deal.
29:52And in the bright Tennessee day,
29:55with a puppy circling our feet
29:56and danger fading behind us,
29:58Cassian Moretti,
30:00Mafia Don,
30:01nightmare to his enemies,
30:02quiet storm to everyone else,
30:04chooses me.
30:05And I choose him right back.
30:07If you love this story,
30:09don't leave me hanging out here
30:10with Cassian and the puppy.
30:12Hit like, subscribe,
30:13and drop a comment
30:14telling me your favorite moment.
30:16I'm always cooking up more mafia chaos,
30:18more banter,
30:19more soft but dangerous men,
30:21and your support keeps the stories rolling.
30:24Share this with someone
30:25who needs a little daylight danger
30:26and slow burn romance today.
30:28See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:29See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:30See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:31See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:31See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:31See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:32See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:32See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:33See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:33See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:34See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:34See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:35See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:35See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:36See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:36See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:37See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:37See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:38See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:38See you in the next chapter, babe.
30:39See you in the next chapter, babe.
Be the first to comment