- 2 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 day my life flipped upside down started with an unplugged charger, a cracked countertop,
00:05and a boss who said he'd fire me if I clocked in one more minute late.
00:09I sprinted into Circuit Doctors, the discount tech repair shop squeezed between a vape store
00:14and a pawn shop in Scottsdale, Arizona, with exactly 34 cents in my checking account
00:19and a knot in my stomach big enough to choke me.
00:22My mom's latest hospital bill was due that night.
00:25Rent was past due.
00:26And if I lost this job, we'd be one unlucky break away from losing everything.
00:31I shoved my hair into a ponytail, grabbed an apron, and slid behind the counter just as
00:35the front door chimed.
00:37That was when the temperature in the room dropped, like someone had opened a freezer and pushed
00:41the arctic breeze inside.
00:43The man who walked in didn't look like he belonged anywhere near a strip mall tech shop.
00:48He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a tailored charcoal suit that fit too perfectly
00:52not to be custom-made.
00:53His presence shifted the air, still, controlled, quietly commanding.
01:00His eyes, a piercing gray-blue, swept across the shop like he was scanning for threats.
01:05And then he said the words that made every thought in my brain detonate.
01:09Which one of you touched my laptop?
01:11Not a question.
01:13A judgment.
01:15My co-workers froze like rabbits spotting a wolf.
01:18My boss, Rick, swallowed hard and tried to disappear behind a stack of refurbished printers.
01:22I felt their eyes land on me, because of course I was the one who had handled check-ins that
01:28morning.
01:29I stepped forward, forcing my voice not to wobble.
01:33I...
01:34I checked it in.
01:35Is there a problem?
01:37His gaze snapped to mine.
01:39Sharp.
01:40Assessing.
01:41The kind that slice through excuses, lies, defenses, straight to the truth.
01:45What's your name?
01:47He asked.
01:49Emma.
01:50Emma Reyes.
01:51He nodded once, like he had filed the information into a mental vault.
01:55I'm Cole Harrington.
01:56He said it without flourish, without ego.
01:58Just fact.
02:00But the name hit me like a punch.
02:01That Harrington.
02:03The founder and CEO of Harrington Cyber Defense, the most elite private cybersecurity firm in the
02:07country.
02:08Their clients included the Pentagon and at least three federal agencies.
02:12His company had been on the news last month for single-handedly shutting down a major ransomware
02:17ring.
02:18This man lived in a world of high power and higher stakes.
02:21And he was glaring at me like I'd personally betrayed him.
02:25I brought my laptop in for a minor software fix, he continued, holding the sleek black machine
02:31like it might explode.
02:33Since picking it up, I've had multiple intrusion alerts.
02:36Attempts to breach encrypted files that should be impossible to access.
02:39I felt the blood drain from my face.
02:42Sir, I didn't tamper with anything.
02:44I only...
02:45Ran diagnostics and cleared corrupted cash files.
02:48He finished for me, his voice low.
02:51Yes.
02:51And yet the breach attempts began immediately after.
02:55I stepped back, my pulse hammering.
02:58Rick shot me a murderous look, as if I had chosen to offend a billionaire on purpose.
03:03Mr. Harrington, Rick sputtered.
03:06I assure you we run a clean operation.
03:08Maybe you had the problem before...
03:11Cole cut him off with a single raised hand.
03:13Save it.
03:14His attention returned to me.
03:17Miss Reyes, come with me.
03:18My breath stuttered.
03:20What?
03:21What?
03:21Why?
03:23Because if your shop was used as an access point, he said calmly, you may have been observed.
03:28Or compromised.
03:30My heart flipped over.
03:32Observed?
03:33By who?
03:34His jaw flexed.
03:36People who do not hesitate to eliminate loose ends.
03:40Loose ends.
03:41The words sucked all the oxygen from the room.
03:45Rick practically shoved me forward.
03:48Go with him, Emma.
03:49Don't make a scene.
03:51I stared at him.
03:52You're sending me off with a stranger who thinks I hacked him?
03:55But when I turned back to Cole, something unexpected flickered beneath his severity.
04:01An almost imperceptible note of patience.
04:04Or protection.
04:05If you're innocent, he said quietly, you have nothing to fear with me.
04:10The way he said it, absolute, certain, sent a chill through me.
04:16Because I believed him.
04:18I followed him out of the shop and into the blinding Arizona sun.
04:22Cole's SUV looked like it belonged in a convoy, black, armored, silent as a panther.
04:28He opened the passenger door.
04:30Get in.
04:31I hesitated.
04:32Am I being detained?
04:34No.
04:35His voice softened by a fraction.
04:38You're being safeguarded.
04:39From what?
04:41From the kind of people who target me.
04:43The way he said it made my skin prickle.
04:46I climbed in.
04:48He didn't speak during the drive, but I kept sneaking glances at him.
04:52He looked carved from focus.
04:54Square jaw.
04:55Dark hair with just enough silver at the temples to make my stomach flip.
04:59Hands steady on the wheel.
05:01He was intense.
05:03Controlled.
05:04Dangerous, but not to me.
05:06Not yet.
05:07Fifteen minutes later, we turned into a private road leading to a massive mirrored building
05:12surrounded by steel fencing and uniformed guards.
05:16Harrington Cyber Defense, I whispered.
05:20Cole parked, stepped out, and came around to open my door.
05:24He didn't guide me with a hand on my back, but somehow I followed him as if tethered.
05:29Inside the lobby was all chrome and glass, humming with security scanners and silent efficiency.
05:36He took me straight to a secured floor, flashed his credentials, and led me into a sleek windowless
05:42room filled with screens and locked cabinets.
05:43Sit, he instructed gently.
05:47I did.
05:48He set his laptop on the table between us, opened a series of encrypted windows faster than my eyes
05:54could follow, and checked each for tampering.
05:57Then he stopped.
05:59His shoulders loosened.
06:00Just barely.
06:02You didn't cause the breach.
06:04Relief crashed over me so forcefully my hands shook.
06:07But, he continued, turning the laptop so I could see a blinking red icon on the screen, someone
06:13attempted to piggyback through the network you used.
06:16I frowned.
06:18But our shop Wi-Fi is basic.
06:20Cheap.
06:21Why would anyone...
06:22To hide, Cole said simply.
06:25To blend in with civilian noise.
06:27A small, low-security shop provides the perfect mask.
06:31I swallowed hard.
06:33So, someone used us to get to you.
06:36He nodded.
06:37And now, he said quietly, they might know your face.
06:43A tremor rolled up my spine.
06:45I don't understand.
06:47Why would anyone target you specifically?
06:50His eyes held mine.
06:52Because I have information they want.
06:54Information worth billions.
06:56Information some people would kill for.
06:59My mouth went dry.
07:01A beat passed.
07:02Then another.
07:03He exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck,
07:05the first gesture that suggested he was human underneath all that armor.
07:10I'm not going to sugarcoat this, he said.
07:12You're safer with me than anywhere else right now.
07:15You want me to stay here?
07:18Yes.
07:19I...
07:20I can't just vanish.
07:21I have a job.
07:22My mom.
07:23My...
07:24I'll cover your shifts, he cut in.
07:26I'll notify whoever you need.
07:28I'll ensure your mother is taken care of.
07:31That stopped me cold.
07:34You...
07:34don't even know me.
07:36You didn't lie, he said simply.
07:38You didn't hide anything.
07:40And you didn't panic until you had reason to.
07:43He paused.
07:45And people have killed for less trustworthy traits.
07:48Something warm and terrifying pulled tight in my chest.
07:52I barely knew this man.
07:53I should have been afraid.
07:56But the truth was...
07:58Something about him made me feel safer than I'd felt in a long time.
08:02Okay.
08:03I whispered.
08:05He nodded once.
08:07Good.
08:08But before I could breathe, a shrieking alarm tore through the building.
08:12The lights shifted to red.
08:14Cole's expression turned lethal in an instant.
08:17He grabbed my wrist, not roughly, but firmly, and pulled me toward the door.
08:22What's happening?
08:23I gasped.
08:25He didn't look back.
08:26They found us.
08:28Who...
08:29Stay behind me, he ordered, voice low and deadly calm.
08:33And in that moment, I understood something with absolute clarity.
08:37Whatever world this man lived in, I had just been pulled into the center of it.
08:41And danger wasn't coming.
08:43It was already here.
08:44The alarm cut through the building like a blade, sharp and merciless.
08:49Red emergency lights strobed across the hallway as Cole pulled me behind him, his grip firm and
08:54unyielding.
08:55Every instinct screamed at me to panic.
08:57But the terrifying part was how steady he stayed, even as chaos erupted.
09:02Do not leave my side, he said, voice low enough that only I could hear it.
09:07We moved fast, past reinforced doors sealing shut, past security teams sprinting toward
09:13the threat.
09:13The whole building was going into lockdown, but Cole moved like a man who already had
09:18the entire escape mapped out.
09:20He led me into a secure elevator that dropped so fast my stomach lurched.
09:25When the doors opened, we stepped into a cavernous room humming with screens and stations, like
09:31the nerve center of a classified government facility.
09:34Analysts rushed between monitors.
09:37Lines of code, maps, and threat grids flashed everywhere.
09:40The moment Cole entered, the room snapped to focus.
09:44Status?
09:45He barked.
09:46A woman with a headset spoke rapidly.
09:49Attempted breach at level three firewall.
09:51No internal penetration.
09:52Vector unknown.
09:54Unknown?
09:55Cole's tone was cutting steel.
09:57We've never seen this signature before.
10:00Cole inhaled deeply, the kind of breath someone takes before making a decision that could change
10:04everything.
10:05Then he turned to me.
10:07In here.
10:09His hand cupped my shoulder, guiding me into a glass-walled side room overlooking the command
10:13center.
10:14He closed the door carefully, not slamming it, but sealing us inside a bubble of tense silence.
10:20My heart pounded against my ribs.
10:23Is this about me?
10:25I whispered.
10:27His eyes softened in a way that unnerved me more than the alarms.
10:31No.
10:31This was coming whether you touched that laptop or not.
10:35But why did it start after, because you were the easiest point of entry?
10:40His jaw tensed.
10:41They used you, Emma.
10:43Not because you matter to them, but because you matter to me now.
10:47I froze.
10:49The implication hung heavy between us.
10:52He looked away, running a hand through his hair, a rare crack in his composure.
10:58You didn't ask for any of this, he murmured.
11:01But I can't pretend you're not in danger anymore.
11:04I swallowed.
11:05So what happens now?
11:07You stay here.
11:09With me.
11:09Until I know who's behind this.
11:12I pressed my palms to the cool glass.
11:15Below, dozens of experts worked to contain the threat.
11:18It looked surreal, like watching a high-budget movie through a window.
11:22Except my life was somehow wrapped up in the script.
11:24Cole came closer, his presence warm despite the icy air conditioning.
11:30I need you to trust me, he said.
11:32I do.
11:34His eyes flickered with something I couldn't quite name.
11:37Gratitude?
11:38Relief?
11:39Fear?
11:40Before I could ask, the door burst open.
11:43A young analyst, barely older than me, panted,
11:46Mr. Harrington, sir, we found the breach route.
11:49Cole's voice dropped.
11:51Tell me.
11:53The analyst swallowed, glancing awkwardly at me.
11:56It originated...
11:57near her address.
12:00The room tilted.
12:01My knees went weak.
12:03Cole moved before I did,
12:05positioning himself so quickly between me and the analyst
12:07that I almost didn't see him shift.
12:09Meaning, Cole demanded,
12:11meaning whoever did this used a network relay
12:13less than half a mile from her apartment.
12:16It was intentional.
12:17My throat closed.
12:19Someone had been close.
12:21Watching.
12:21Waiting.
12:22The analyst left quickly,
12:24sensing the storm gathering in Cole's expression.
12:27When the door shut again,
12:29the silence felt heavy enough to crush me.
12:32Cole turned,
12:33anger simmering beneath the surface.
12:35Not at me,
12:36but for me.
12:38Pack a bag,
12:39he said quietly.
12:41You're not going back home.
12:43Cole?
12:44No.
12:46His voice wasn't loud.
12:47It didn't need to be.
12:49Emma, listen to me.
12:50This is not a game.
12:51Someone set up a relay near your building.
12:53That means they were scouting your surroundings,
12:55tracking your patterns.
12:56If you go back there tonight...
12:58He stopped,
12:59jaw clenched so tight I thought it might crack.
13:01I won't risk you.
13:03The words warmed and terrified me in equal measure.
13:07I don't have anywhere else to go,
13:08I admitted,
13:09my voice cracking.
13:11You do now.
13:13His gaze locked onto mine.
13:15With me.
13:16My breath caught.
13:18This man,
13:20this powerful,
13:21guarded,
13:22impossibly controlled man,
13:24was offering me safety
13:25at a time when my life was falling apart
13:27in every other direction.
13:29But safety wasn't the only thing he was offering.
13:33Beneath his words,
13:34something deeper pulsed.
13:36Connection.
13:37Attachment.
13:38Maybe even longing.
13:40I couldn't let myself think too hard about that.
13:44He nodded toward the glass.
13:46Come on,
13:47let's get you settled.
13:49We left the command center
13:50through a private corridor.
13:52Cole didn't say much,
13:53but his hand hovered near my back
13:54like he was ready to catch me if I stumbled.
13:57We reached a small elevator
13:58that rose silently
13:59to one of the top floors,
14:01into a space
14:01that didn't look like an office at all.
14:04It looked
14:04personal.
14:07A minimalist suite
14:08with floor-to-ceiling windows
14:09overlooking the Phoenix skyline.
14:12Clean lines,
14:13soft lighting,
14:15a faint hint of cedar
14:16and something undeniably hymn.
14:18This is your apartment?
14:20I asked.
14:21One of them,
14:22he replied,
14:23lowering the security shades
14:24with a swipe on his phone.
14:25But this floor
14:26has the best perimeter monitoring.
14:27You'll be safe here.
14:29I swallowed.
14:30Are you staying too?
14:32His eyes flicked to mine.
14:34Do you want me to?
14:36I didn't know how to answer that.
14:38Silence stretched
14:39until he stepped forward,
14:40stopping just a foot away,
14:42close enough for his warmth
14:43to brush my skin
14:44without touching me.
14:44I won't leave
14:46until you tell me
14:47you're comfortable,
14:48he said.
14:49His voice had softened,
14:51losing that sharp executive edge.
14:53This was a different version of him,
14:56one I hadn't earned
14:57but somehow had access to anyway.
14:59I exhaled shakily.
15:02I feel...
15:05safer with you.
15:07Something shifted in his expression,
15:10like the word struck a part of him
15:11he'd buried years ago.
15:13Good, he murmured.
15:16Then I'm staying.
15:18He insisted I eat something first.
15:21I didn't want to.
15:23My stomach was a knot,
15:25twisted tight with fear and adrenaline,
15:27but Cole stood in the kitchenette,
15:29sleeves rolled up to his forearms,
15:31heating a meal like he had done this
15:33a thousand times before.
15:35You cook?
15:36I asked.
15:37A faint smile,
15:38so faint I almost missed it,
15:40tugged at the corner of his mouth.
15:42I survive.
15:44He set a plate in front of me.
15:46Eat.
15:47I didn't question him.
15:49I was too tired,
15:50too scared,
15:51too overwhelmed.
15:53Halfway through the meal,
15:54he sat across from me,
15:56watching quietly.
15:58Tell me about your mother,
15:59he said softly.
16:01The words hit harder than any alarm.
16:04She's been sick a long time,
16:06I murmured.
16:07I've been trying to keep us afloat.
16:09It's been...
16:11exhausting.
16:12He nodded,
16:13eyes full of something like understanding.
16:16You shouldn't have to carry that alone.
16:18I don't have much choice.
16:21You do now.
16:22I looked up sharply.
16:24He held my gaze,
16:25unblinking.
16:27When the current threat is handled,
16:28I want you to work here,
16:30with me,
16:30full time.
16:32My fork clattered against the plate.
16:35Cole,
16:36I'm not qualified to...
16:38You're smarter than half the interns I've hired.
16:40You're meticulous.
16:41You caught things in the diagnostics my team missed.
16:44His voice gentled.
16:46And I trust you.
16:48Trust.
16:49That word again.
16:51My chest tightened painfully.
16:53You barely know me,
16:54I whispered.
16:55He leaned forward.
16:57That's not true.
16:58There was something in his tone,
17:00something dangerous and tender and honest,
17:03that made my pulse race.
17:05Before I could respond,
17:06a sudden alarm chimed through the penthouse.
17:09Lower.
17:10Different from before.
17:12Cole stood so fast,
17:13his chair barely made a sound.
17:15That's the secondary alert,
17:17he said.
17:18Someone just pinged your apartment IP directly.
17:21My heart stopped.
17:23They know where you live,
17:25he finished quietly.
17:27Fear punched the air from my lungs.
17:29He moved toward me,
17:31slow but purposeful,
17:32like approaching something fragile.
17:35Then he rested a steady hand on my shoulder.
17:37Emma,
17:38he said gently,
17:39I need you to listen very carefully.
17:42I forced myself to look up.
17:45You are not going back there,
17:46he said.
17:48Ever.
17:49Not until this is over.
17:51A tear slipped down my cheek
17:52before I could stop it.
17:54His thumb brushed it away.
17:56Soft.
17:57Careful.
17:58Reverent.
18:00And the moment his skin touched mine,
18:02the truth hit me.
18:04I wasn't just afraid of the danger outside.
18:07I was afraid of what this man
18:08was beginning to mean to me.
18:11Cole stepped back,
18:12breathing hard as if forcing restraint.
18:14I'll protect you with everything I have,
18:17he said.
18:18But staying here,
18:19close to me,
18:20it won't be easy.
18:22Not for either of us.
18:24The air between us tightened,
18:26electric and fragile.
18:28Why?
18:29I whispered.
18:30His eyes burned into mine.
18:32Because what I feel for you
18:34is something I shouldn't.
18:37The floor might as well have vanished beneath my feet.
18:40But before I could speak,
18:42footsteps thundered in the hallway
18:43outside the penthouse.
18:45Cole's expression hardened.
18:47They're here.
18:49And just like that,
18:51the fragile, unspoken thing between us
18:53shattered under the weight of danger closing in.
18:55The footsteps outside the penthouse door were too heavy,
19:05too deliberate,
19:06too close.
19:07Cole reacted instantly,
19:09like something buried in his instincts snapped awake.
19:12He pulled me behind him with one hand,
19:14grabbed something from a drawer with the other,
19:16and motioned me toward a reinforced wall panel.
19:19Stay behind me, Emma,
19:21he whispered.
19:22No matter what.
19:24I wasn't breathing.
19:26I wasn't thinking.
19:27My entire body felt like a single pulsing heartbeat.
19:31The footsteps stopped.
19:33Right.
19:34Outside.
19:35The door.
19:36Cole's hand tightened around whatever he had grabbed.
19:39Something metallic,
19:40glinting faintly in the low light.
19:42A keypad by the door flashed red.
19:45Someone was trying to override the entry lock.
19:48My stomach dropped.
19:51Cole,
19:52I whispered.
19:53Is this?
19:54Yes.
19:56His voice was harsh,
19:57quiet.
19:58They found us.
20:00A long,
20:01agonizing second passed,
20:03and then...
20:04The keypad flashed green.
20:07The door eased open.
20:08I flinched behind Cole,
20:09bracing for the worst.
20:11But instead of armed intruders,
20:13three members of Cole's top security team entered.
20:16Sweaty,
20:17breathless,
20:18apologizing before they even stepped fully inside.
20:21False alarm.
20:23One of them panted.
20:24We were checking perimeter signals.
20:26The relay glitch triggered the override.
20:29Cole's entire body deflated,
20:31the tension draining from his shoulders in a wave.
20:34I sagged, too,
20:35nearly collapsing.
20:36He dismissed the team with sharp instructions
20:38to run full diagnostics,
20:40secure the floor,
20:41and update him every ten minutes.
20:43When the door finally closed again,
20:45the silence felt like a held breath.
20:48I hadn't realized until then that my hands were shaking.
20:52Cole noticed.
20:53He crossed the room in two strides and took them in his,
20:56gently prying my fingers apart.
20:59It's over,
21:00he murmured.
21:01You're safe.
21:03You said that earlier,
21:05I whispered,
21:06voice trembling.
21:07But it feels like danger keeps chasing us.
21:10His expression cracked,
21:12softening,
21:12hurting.
21:13I know,
21:14and I'm sorry.
21:15His hands came up to cup the sides of my arms,
21:18warm and steady.
21:20I felt myself leaning toward him without meaning to.
21:23His presence grounded me,
21:25anchored me,
21:26made the fear ebb ever so slightly.
21:29You shouldn't have been dragged into this,
21:31he said softly.
21:33If I had acted sooner,
21:36you protected me,
21:38I said.
21:39You didn't have to.
21:41The way he looked at me then,
21:43God.
21:45It felt like it peeled back every guarded layer he'd built over years.
21:50I did have to,
21:51he murmured.
21:53I felt responsible for you since the second you looked at me and told the truth.
21:57Do you realize how rare that is in my world?
22:01I didn't answer.
22:02I couldn't.
22:04Because his eyes,
22:06usually so intense,
22:07so unreadable,
22:09were suddenly burning with unspoken emotion.
22:12He stepped back slightly,
22:13only enough to let out a shaky breath.
22:16I need to show you something,
22:18Cole said.
22:19So,
22:19you understand why I've been pushing you away while trying to protect you?
22:24He walked to a bookshelf along the far wall and pressed a hidden latch.
22:28A small,
22:29concealed safe opened behind it.
22:32From inside,
22:33Cole pulled a slim,
22:34worn leather folder.
22:35He brought it to the table,
22:37motioned for me to sit,
22:38and opened it.
22:40Inside were grainy photographs,
22:42printed documents,
22:43and a single death certificate.
22:45My heart clenched.
22:47He touched the edge of the certificate gently.
22:49His jaw tightening.
22:51I told you I'd lost someone once.
22:53Someone I should have protected.
22:55I swallowed.
22:57I swallowed.
22:58Your partner?
23:00He shook his head slowly.
23:02My younger sister,
23:04Ava.
23:05Shock rippled through me.
23:07He stared down at the file,
23:09eyes far away.
23:10She was 22,
23:12smart,
23:12curious,
23:13too trusting.
23:15She borrowed my old laptop one weekend for a research project,
23:18not knowing someone had been trying to breach my system.
23:21They tracked her,
23:22targeted her,
23:23robbed her,
23:24and left her in an alley.
23:26His voice broke on the last word.
23:29My chest ached so hard I could barely breathe.
23:32Cole,
23:33I whispered.
23:35I was supposed to keep her safe.
23:37He closed his eyes,
23:39pain etched into every line of his face.
23:42Instead,
23:43I led danger straight to her.
23:45I vowed I'd never let another person get close,
23:48never put anyone at risk again,
23:50especially not someone innocent.
23:52And suddenly everything made sense.
23:56His walls,
23:57his distance,
23:58his intensity around me.
24:00He wasn't just afraid of danger.
24:02He was afraid of losing someone again.
24:05Slowly,
24:06I reached out and placed my hand over his.
24:09He didn't move for a moment.
24:11Then he let out a breath that sounded like surrender
24:13and covered my hand with his other one.
24:16You're nothing like her,
24:18he said softly.
24:19But when I realized someone might be targeting you,
24:22because of me,
24:23it felt like history repeating.
24:25And I,
24:26his voice strained.
24:28I can't lose another innocent woman because of my mistakes.
24:32You won't,
24:33I said firmly.
24:35He shook his head.
24:36You don't know that.
24:38But I know you,
24:40I whispered.
24:41That stopped him.
24:43He lifted his eyes,
24:44and the raw vulnerability there made my heart twist.
24:48Emma,
24:48he said hoarsely,
24:49I shouldn't feel the way I do about you.
24:53And how do you feel?
24:55The question hung between us,
24:57fragile and dangerous.
24:58He stood slowly,
25:00pulling me to my feet with him.
25:02His hands rested lightly on my arms,
25:04like he was afraid I might break.
25:06I care about you,
25:08he said,
25:09voice low,
25:10steady.
25:11More than I should.
25:13More than is safe.
25:14And every part of me is fighting it.
25:17My heart pounded so loudly,
25:18I almost couldn't hear my own voice.
25:20Are you still fighting now?
25:23He didn't answer.
25:25Instead,
25:26he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear with devastating tenderness.
25:30No,
25:31he murmured.
25:32Not anymore.
25:34The confession unraveled something inside me.
25:37Fear,
25:37longing,
25:38hope,
25:39all tangled into one breathless moment.
25:42He leaned in,
25:43forehead touching mine,
25:44the warmth of him wrapping around me.
25:46I am in dangerous territory with you,
25:50he whispered.
25:51But I can't step back anymore.
25:54I closed my eyes.
25:57Then don't.
25:59He cupped my face with both hands,
26:02his thumbs grazing my cheeks like he was memorizing every inch.
26:05This isn't something I do lightly,
26:07he said.
26:08I don't let people in,
26:10not into my life,
26:11not into my heart.
26:12I opened my eyes.
26:14You already have.
26:17That broke him.
26:18Or maybe it fixed him.
26:19Because suddenly,
26:21carefully,
26:21he pulled me against his chest.
26:23I felt his breath tremble as he held me,
26:26really held me,
26:27as if letting go might destroy him.
26:30For a long moment,
26:31we stayed like that,
26:32the entire world quiet around us.
26:35By morning,
26:36the threat had been traced.
26:38Cole stood beside me in the command center,
26:40his hand brushing mine whenever we shifted.
26:43The analysts had tracked the breach to a shell company tied to a
26:46competitor,
26:47someone desperate to steal Harrington's encrypted client list.
26:51The danger wasn't gone,
26:53but the immediate threat to me was.
26:56Cole turned to me,
26:57relief and something like pride lighting his expression.
27:00It's over.
27:02You're safe.
27:02I exhaled shakily.
27:05What happens now?
27:07He hesitated.
27:09Then he took my hand fully,
27:11interlacing our fingers,
27:12letting the world see.
27:14Now,
27:15he said softly,
27:16I stopped pretending I don't want you here.
27:19My chest tightened.
27:21In this company,
27:23I asked.
27:24He shook his head.
27:26In my life?
27:27The words wrapped around me like sunlight.
27:30I don't know what the future looks like for us,
27:33he admitted.
27:34I'm older.
27:36My world is complicated.
27:38Dangerous.
27:39But if you want this,
27:40if you want me,
27:42I'll spend every day earning it.
27:44Earning you.
27:44Emotions swelled in my throat.
27:48Impossible to speak around.
27:50So instead of answering with words,
27:51I stepped closer and pressed my forehead to his chest.
27:55His arms slid around my waist instantly,
27:57pulling me against him
27:58as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
28:01I want you,
28:02I whispered.
28:03All of you.
28:05Even the complicated parts.
28:07His breath hitched,
28:08a sound of disbelief and something deeper.
28:11You have no idea what that means to me,
28:14he murmured.
28:15I looked up at him,
28:17smiling through the tears I didn't bother to hide.
28:20Then show me.
28:21And he did,
28:22pulling me into a kiss that wasn't rushed or heated or frantic,
28:25but slow.
28:27Deep.
28:28Certain.
28:30A vow instead of a hunger.
28:31A beginning instead of an escape.
28:34When he pulled back,
28:35he rested his forehead against mine.
28:37Welcome to my life,
28:38Emma Reyes,
28:39he whispered.
28:41Stay as long as you'll have me,
28:42I breathed.
28:43His smile was soft,
28:45real,
28:46rare.
28:47Forever,
28:48and in his arms for the first time in years,
28:51forever didn't feel like a fantasy.
28:53It felt like home.
28:55Enjoyed the story?
28:57I'd love to hear from you.
28:59If this slow burn,
29:00age gap romance pulled at your heart,
29:02don't forget to subscribe so you never miss the next episode.
29:06Comment your favorite moment.
29:08Was it their first near kiss?
29:10The laptop repair?
29:11Share this story with someone who loves addictive emotional romance just as much as you do.
29:16Your support helps these stories come to life.
29:19Thank you for listening.
Be the first to comment