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Short filmTranscript
00:00I'm staring at the bumper of a Rolls-Royce Phantom, and all I can think is, this is how I die.
00:06Not from the accident. The accident was nothing. A stupid, sleep-deprived tap at a red light on
00:12Wilshire Boulevard at 11 in the morning. My ancient Honda kissed his pristine silver bumper
00:17like an overeager puppy, and now there's a scratch. Maybe. I can't even see it in the Los Angeles
00:24sunshine bouncing off all that chrome, but I know it's there because the universe hates me. No.
00:30I'm going to die because the man stepping out of that car looks like he could end my life with a
00:35text message. He's tall. Unfairly tall. The kind of tall that makes you tilt your head back and wonder
00:42if God was showing off. Dark hair swept back like he just stepped out of a cologne ad, jaw sharp enough
00:49to cut glass, and a suit that probably costs more than my rent for the year. He's wearing sunglasses.
00:54Of course he is. But when he slides them off, his eyes are the color of whiskey held up to sunlight.
01:00And they are not happy. You've got to be kidding me, I mutter, gripping my steering wheel like it
01:06might anchor me to reality. He walks toward my car with the kind of casual confidence that says he's
01:11never been afraid of anything in his entire life. Every step is measured. Predatory. I watch him through
01:18my windshield and my brain screams, run, but my body has apparently decided today is the day we
01:23embrace death. I roll down my window because what else am I going to do? Drive away? I can barely
01:29afford gas. Morning, I say brightly, like I didn't just commit vehicular assault on what's probably a
01:35$200,000 car. Beautiful day, right? Really clear. Great visibility. Which makes this extra embarrassing
01:42for me. He stops beside my door and looks down at me. Up close, he's even worse. There's a small scar
01:49cutting through his left eyebrow, and his mouth is set in a line that suggests he's considering which
01:54hole to bury me in. You hit my car, he says. His voice is deep and smooth, with just enough edge to
02:01make my stomach flip. I tapped it, I correct, because apparently I've chosen violence. Barely a kiss.
02:08A peck, really. Your car probably didn't even feel it. My car, he says slowly, is worth more than your
02:15life insurance policy. Bold of you to assume I have life insurance. His eyebrow, the one with the scar,
02:22lifts a fraction. Step out of the vehicle. It's not a request. I unbuckle my seatbelt with shaking
02:29hands and climb out, suddenly very aware that I'm wearing yoga pants with a hole in the knee and a
02:33tank top that says, Namaste in bed. My hair is in a bun that gave up on life three hours ago, and I'm
02:40pretty sure there's dried coffee on my chin from the cup I knocked over during the tap-kiss peck
02:44incident. He looks me up and down, and I can't tell if he's assessing the threat level or just
02:50judging my entire existence. Insurance, he says flatly. Right, yes, insurance. I fumble for my phone,
03:00then my bag, then realize my insurance card is probably in my glove box where it's been since 2019.
03:05I have insurance. It's, I mean, it's not good insurance, but it technically exists.
03:13Technically. Look, I'm really sorry I was up all night. I don't care. Studying for my nursing boards,
03:20and I haven't slept in. Still don't care. And my little brother needs surgery, so I've been picking
03:26up double shifts at the diner, which is why I'm dead on my feet and also why I definitely cannot
03:31afford whatever this is going to cost. I'm rambling. I know I'm rambling, but his face
03:36hasn't moved, and it's freaking me out. He pulls out his phone, taps something, then puts it to his
03:43ear. Carter, Wilshire and Rodeo, bring the SUV. He hangs up and looks at me again. You're coming
03:51with me. Excuse me. My car needs to be assessed. You're not leaving until we determine the damage.
03:57I have to get to work. You should have thought about that before you rear-ended a Rolls Royce.
04:04It was a tap. It was negligence. It was exhaustion. It was expensive.
04:11We're standing toe-to-toe now, and I realize with some distant part of my brain that I've
04:16stepped closer to him without meaning to. He smells like bergamot and danger, and I hate that I noticed.
04:21I'll give you my information, I say, forcing my voice to stay steady. You can bill me, or my
04:28insurance, or garnish my wages for the rest of my natural life, but I'm not getting into a car with
04:33a stranger. Something flickers in his expression. Amusement, maybe, or annoyance. It's gone before I
04:40can name it. Smart girl, he says, but you don't have a choice. Everyone has a choice. Not when they
04:48owe me money. A black SUV pulls up behind his Rolls Royce, and a man in a dark suit gets out.
04:55He's built like a refrigerator and has the dead-eyed stare of someone who's seen things.
04:59Probably done things. Definitely buried things. The stranger, my stranger, apparently, since we're
05:06trauma-bonded now, gestures toward the SUV. Get in. Or what? Or I call the police and explain that
05:14you fled the scene of an accident. I didn't flee. I'm standing right here. Yet. I look at my Honda.
05:21I look at his Rolls Royce. I look at the refrigerator man who's now standing with his arms crossed like
05:26he's waiting for me to make this difficult. I think about my brother, who needs surgery. I think about
05:32my nursing boards next week. I think about how I'm three months behind on rent, and my landlord has
05:38started leaving passive-aggressive notes on my door. Fine, I say. But if you murder me, I'm haunting
05:46you so hard. His mouth, that perfect, infuriating mouth, curves into something that might be a smile
05:53if smiles could cut. I don't need to murder you, he says, opening the SUV door. I have other ways of
06:01making people disappear. Comforting. I climb into the SUV because what choice do I have? He slides
06:08in beside me, and the door closes with a heavy, final thunk. The interior smells like leather and
06:14money, and I'm suddenly very aware that I'm trapped in a confined space with a man who probably has a
06:19gun in his jacket. The SUV pulls away from the curb, and I watch my Honda get smaller in the side
06:25mirror. Where are we going? I ask. The oasis. The casino? I own it. Of course he does. What's your
06:35name? I try, because if I'm going to die, I'd like to know who to curse in my final moments.
06:42He looks at me, and for the first time, something almost human passes through his expression.
06:47Dante, he says. Dante Ricci. I wait for him to ask mine, but he doesn't. He just pulls out his
06:56phone and starts typing like I'm already forgotten. I'm Harper, I say anyway, because spite is all I
07:02have left. Harper Chen. And for the record, your car was fine before I hit it. He doesn't look up,
07:09but I see it, the tiniest twitch at the corner of his mouth. We'll see about that, Dante Ricci says.
07:17And somehow, I know my life just got a whole lot more complicated.
07:21The oasis isn't just a casino. It's a monument to excess. We pull up to the front entrance on
07:27Las Vegas Boulevard. Yes, he drove me to Vegas. Apparently, when you're obscenely rich, a four-hour
07:33drive is just running errands. And I'm staring up at a building that looks like someone melted gold
07:38and poured it into the desert. Palm trees line the circular drive. Fountains shoot water 30 feet in
07:44the air. And there are actual peacocks strutting around like they own the place. Maybe they do.
07:49At this point, nothing would surprise me. This is yours? I ask, even though I already know the answer.
07:56One of mine, Dante says, stepping out of the SUV. One of them, of course. I follow him through doors
08:04that are opened by men in suits who nod at him with the kind of respect you give someone who could ruin
08:09your life before lunch. The lobby is all marble and crystal chandeliers, with slot machines singing
08:14their electronic songs, and dealers shuffling cards at tables where people are betting more money than
08:19I'll see in my lifetime. Mr. Ricci, a woman in a sleek black dress, appears beside us, tablet in hand.
08:27Your two o'clock is waiting in the Sky Lounge, and we have the quarterly reports ready for your review.
08:31Push the meeting to four, Dante says without slowing down, and tell Marcus I want the security footage
08:39from last night's high roller room. Of course, sir. She disappears and I'm practically jogging to keep
08:45up with his long strides. So what's the plan here? I ask. You show me around your empire and then send
08:52me a bill for $50,000? He glances at me. The damage estimate came back while we were driving.
08:58My stomach drops. And? $12,000 for the bumper, another $8,000 for recalibration of the sensors.
09:07Call it $25,000 with labor. I stop walking. $25,000? You hit a Rolls-Royce, Harper. What did you expect?
09:18I expected, like, $2,000. Maybe $3,000. Not a down payment on a house. He turns to face me fully,
09:27and the casino noise fades into background static. Can you pay it? Can I? I laugh, and it comes out
09:36slightly unhinged. No. No, I cannot pay $25,000. I can't pay $2,500. I have $400 in my checking account,
09:45and that needs to last me until next Friday. Then we have a problem. You have a problem.
09:50I have a catastrophe. His eyes narrow, studying me like I'm a puzzle he's trying to solve.
09:56You said your brother needs surgery. I freeze. Why does that matter? How much does he need?
10:04That's none of your business. Everything in my casino is my business. He steps closer,
10:10and I catch that bergamot scent again. Answer the question.
10:14$40,000, I say, hating how small my voice sounds. For his shoulder. He's a pitcher. Full ride to UCLA
10:23depends on it. And our insurance is garbage, so we're paying out of pocket. And I've been saving,
10:29but it's not enough, and the surgery's in six weeks, and... I stop, pressing my lips together.
10:35Why am I telling you this? Because you need help, Dante says simply. And I'm offering it.
10:43Nothing's free. No, he agrees. It's not. He starts walking again, leading me to a private elevator
10:51that requires a key card. We ride up in silence, the numbers climbing higher and higher until we
10:57reach the top floor. The doors open onto an office that's bigger than my entire apartment with floor-to-ceiling
11:03windows overlooking the strip. Here's my offer, Dante says, moving behind a desk that probably
11:09cost more than my car. You work off the debt. $25,000. Doing what, exactly? Whatever I need.
11:18I cross my arms. That's ominous. I need someone I can trust in the VIP rooms. Someone who doesn't know
11:25anyone. Who isn't connected to any of the families. Who can observe without being obvious.
11:30He leans back in his chair, watching me. You're a nursing student. You're smart. You read people.
11:37I saw it in the car. And you're desperate enough to say yes. You want me to spy for you. I want you
11:44to be my eyes and ears. There's a difference. Not much of one. The pay is $5,000 a week. Work five weeks,
11:54your debt is cleared. Work eight weeks, and you have enough for your brother's surgery.
12:00The number hits me like a physical thing. $5,000 a week. That's more than I make in two months at the
12:06diner. What's the catch? I ask. You live here. Penthouse suite. I need you available.
12:15Available for what? His smile is slow and dangerous. Whatever I need, Harper.
12:21There's something in the way he says my name that makes my skin prickle. Like he's tasting it.
12:28Testing it. This is insane, I say. I don't know you. I don't know what you do. I run casinos.
12:35You run the mafia. The word hangs in the air between us. Dante doesn't flinch. Doesn't deny it.
12:42He just looks at me with those whiskey eyes and waits. I'm not stupid, I continue. Dante Ricci.
12:49The Ricci family. Even I've heard the stories. And yet you're still here. Because you didn't give me
12:56a choice. There's always a choice. He stands, moving around the desk with that predatory grace.
13:03You can walk out right now. Take your chances with the debt. With your brother's surgery.
13:10With your life as it is. He stops in front of me, close enough that I have to tilt my head back to
13:16meet his eyes. Or you can take a chance on something different. Something dangerous. Maybe.
13:23Something illegal. Possibly. Something that could get me killed. Not if I'm protecting you.
13:33My heart is hammering so hard I'm sure he can hear it. Why would you protect me?
13:38Because you're mine now, he says softly. The moment you hit my car, you became my responsibility.
13:45That's twisted. That's the truth. I should run. Every instinct I have is screaming at me to get
13:54out of this office. Out of this casino. Out of this city. But I think about my brother. About Kevin.
14:01Who's 17 and brilliant. And could lose everything if he can't pitch. I think about my nursing boards.
14:08About the mountains of debt. About the life I've been scraping by in for years.
14:12Eight weeks. Eight weeks. I say. And then I'm done. Eight weeks. Dante agrees. And I'm not doing
14:20anything illegal. Define illegal. Dante. His mouth curves again. That almost smile that does something
14:28stupid to my pulse. You have my word. Nothing illegal. Your word means something? In my world,
14:36it means everything. I extend my hand, feeling ridiculous and reckless and absolutely insane.
14:42Deal. He takes my hand, and his grip is warm and firm and completely enveloping. We shake once,
14:50twice, and then he doesn't let go. Welcome to the oasis, Harper Chen, he says. Try not to rear-end
14:57anything else. Try not to be such a terrifying crime boss. Where's the fun in that? And there it is
15:04again. That flicker of humor that makes him seem almost human. Almost.
15:09He releases my hand and pulls out his phone, typing rapidly. Sophia will show you to your suite and get
15:17you set up. Wardrobe, amenities, whatever you need. You start tonight. Tonight? I don't even know what I'm
15:24doing. You'll learn. He looks up from his phone, and his expression is unreadable.
15:30One more thing. Of course there is. Stay away from the East Wing, and if anyone asks who you are,
15:37you're my personal guest. Nothing more. What's in the East Wing? Nothing you need to worry about.
15:43That's not comforting. It's not meant to be. The woman from earlier, Sophia, appears in the doorway like
15:51she was summoned telepathically. Mr. Ricci? Take care of her, Dante says, already turning back to
15:58his desk. And Sophia? Make sure she has everything. Of course, sir. I follow Sophia out, glancing back
16:06once to see Dante silhouetted against those massive windows, the vaguest sun turning him into something
16:11between a man and a myth. You're very lucky, Sophia says as we walk. Mr. Ricci doesn't usually take
16:19such a personal interest in his staff. Lucky, I repeat. Right. That's exactly what I'm feeling.
16:27She smiles knowingly, and I realize with creeping dread that I've just signed myself over to a man
16:32who collects debts and people with equal precision. Eight weeks. I can survive eight weeks of anything.
16:39Even Dante Ricci. Five weeks later, and I still haven't figured out if Dante Ricci is trying to save me
16:45or own me. Maybe both. I'm standing in the VIP lounge at noon, sunlight pouring through the glass
16:52walls, watching a group of men in expensive suits play poker like the stakes or pocket change.
16:57Which, for them, they probably are. I've learned to spot the tells. The nervous tapping, the overconfident
17:04smiles, the way someone's eyes dart when they're bluffing. I've also learned that Dante watches me the
17:09same way I watch them. He's across the room right now, talking to a man with silver hair and dead eyes.
17:16Marco Castellano. Rival family. I've been briefing Dante for three weeks on every conversation I overhear.
17:23Every suspicious glance. Every alliance that forms and fractures over thousand-dollar hands.
17:29And somewhere along the way, the job stopped being just a job. You're staring again, a voice says beside me.
17:35I turn to find Sophia, holding two coffee cups. She hands me one with a knowing smile.
17:41I'm observing. I correct. It's literally what he pays me for.
17:46Mmm. That's what you're calling it. What else would I call it?
17:51Harper. She gives me a look that says she's not buying my deflection.
17:56Everyone can see it. The way he looks at you. The way you look at him.
18:01He looks at me like I'm a chess piece. He looks at you like you're the only person in the room.
18:09I take a sip of coffee to avoid responding, but my eyes drift back to Dante anyway.
18:15He's wearing a charcoal suit today, the jacket fitting him like it was painted on.
18:20His hair is slightly disheveled, like he's been running his hands through it,
18:24something I've noticed he does when he's stressed.
18:26I've noticed a lot of things about him, like how he takes his coffee black with one sugar,
18:32how he gets quiet before he gets dangerous,
18:34how he absently touches that scar on his eyebrow when he's thinking,
18:38how he's never once made me feel like I'm just an employee,
18:42even when I'm reporting to him at two in the morning about something Marco's people said.
18:45It doesn't matter, I say finally.
18:50I'm leaving in three weeks anyway.
18:52Are you?
18:54Before I can answer, Dante's eyes find mine across the room.
18:58He says something to Marco, then starts walking toward me with that purposeful stride
19:02that makes my stomach flip every single time.
19:05Problem?
19:06He asks when he reaches us.
19:08No, sir, Sophia says, disappearing with the discretion of someone who's very good at her job.
19:15Harper?
19:15I hate how he says my name now, like it means something, like I mean something.
19:21Marco's been watching Table 7 for 20 minutes, I say, slipping into my role.
19:25The Asian businessman, second time this week?
19:28Recruiting?
19:29Or assessing?
19:31Either way, it's getting noticeable.
19:34Dante nods, his jaw tightening.
19:36Good work.
19:38That's what you pay me for.
19:40Is it?
19:41He steps closer, and I catch that bergamot scent that's become dangerously familiar.
19:47Walk with me.
19:48It's not a request.
19:50We leave the VIP lounge and head toward the private elevator.
19:53My pulse kicks up because I know where we're going.
19:56His office, where the walls are soundproof and the windows overlook a city that feels a million miles away.
20:02The elevator doors close and the silence is suffocating.
20:04You've been avoiding me, Dante says.
20:08I've been working.
20:10You've been hiding.
20:12Maybe I have reasons.
20:14He turns to look at me and the intensity in his eyes makes me take a half step back.
20:19What reasons?
20:20Because I can't breathe when you're near me.
20:24Because every time you smile, I forget why this is temporary.
20:28Because I'm falling for a man who lives in a world I don't understand and can never be part of.
20:34Three weeks, I say instead.
20:36I'm done in three weeks.
20:38My debt's paid.
20:39Kevin's surgery is scheduled.
20:41There's no reason for me to stay.
20:43No reason?
20:44None.
20:45The elevator dings.
20:47The doors open.
20:48Dante doesn't move.
20:49What if I gave you one?
20:51He asks quietly.
20:53My heart stutters.
20:55Don't.
20:56Don't what?
20:58Don't make this complicated.
21:00It's already complicated, Harper.
21:03It's been complicated since you rear-ended my car.
21:06That was an accident.
21:08This isn't.
21:10He steps out of the elevator, and I follow because I always follow him, even when I shouldn't.
21:16Come here.
21:17We're in his office now, sunlight streaming through those massive windows, turning everything gold.
21:24He moves to the windows and stands with his hands in his pockets, looking out at the strip.
21:30My father built this empire on fear, he says.
21:33On violence.
21:34On making sure everyone knew the cost of crossing the Ricci family.
21:38He's quiet for a moment.
21:39I inherited that.
21:42The fear.
21:43The violence.
21:44The weight of every decision that could save us or destroy us.
21:47I don't know what to say, so I stay silent.
21:51And then you hit my car.
21:53He turns to face me, and there's something raw in his expression.
21:56This broke, stubborn, beautiful woman, who refused to be afraid of me, who looked at me like I was just a man, not a monster.
22:06Dante, I'm not finished.
22:09He crosses the distance between us in three strides.
22:12Five weeks.
22:13That's all it's been.
22:15And you've managed to do what no one else could.
22:17What's that?
22:20Make me want something more than power.
22:23The words hit me like a physical blow.
22:25I open my mouth, close it, try to find something to say that won't shatter this moment.
22:31You can't, I whisper.
22:33This isn't, we're not, why not?
22:36Because I'm nobody.
22:37I'm a broke nursing student who drives a Honda and lives paycheck to paycheck.
22:42You're, you're this.
22:44I gesture around the office at the empire he commands.
22:47We don't make sense.
22:48We make perfect sense.
22:50Your world is dangerous.
22:52So I'll protect you.
22:54Your enemies would use me against you.
22:57Let them try.
22:59Dante.
23:00I press my hands to his chest, meaning to push him away, but I just end up feeling his heartbeat under my palms.
23:08I can't be the reason you lose everything.
23:11You're the reason I'd fight to keep it.
23:14And then he kisses me.
23:15It's not gentle.
23:17It's not careful.
23:19It's five weeks of tension and denial and wanting poured into one desperate moment.
23:24His hands frame my face like I'm something precious.
23:27And I forget every reason this is a bad idea because nothing has ever felt this right.
23:31When we break apart, we're both breathing hard.
23:34Three weeks, I say shakily.
23:38That was the deal.
23:40Forget the deal.
23:41I can't just stay.
23:44His forehead rests against mine.
23:46Work for me.
23:48Build something with me.
23:50Let me show you that there's more to this life than fear.
23:53What if I can't handle it?
23:55You rear-ended my Rolls Royce and threatened to haunt me.
23:57I think you can handle anything.
23:59I laugh and it comes out half sob.
24:02This is insane.
24:04Probably.
24:05You're going to get me killed.
24:08Never.
24:09Promise?
24:10On everything I own.
24:13He pulls back just enough to look at me.
24:15Stay, Harper.
24:17Choose me.
24:17And I think about Kevin, who got his surgery two weeks ago and is already back to throwing.
24:24I think about my nursing boards, which I passed with flying colors.
24:28I think about the life I was living.
24:31Exhausted, broke, surviving but not living.
24:34Then I think about Dante.
24:36About how he brings me coffee at 3 a.m. when I'm studying.
24:40About how he laughs at my sarcasm instead of being offended.
24:43About how he looks at me like I'm the most fascinating thing in his entire empire.
24:47About how somehow I've fallen completely in love with a mafia Don who treats me like I'm worth more than all his casinos combined.
24:55I have conditions, I say.
24:58His smile is slow and devastating.
25:01Name them.
25:02I finish nursing school.
25:04Non-negotiable.
25:06Done.
25:07And I'm not just some trophy.
25:08I work.
25:09I matter.
25:10You already matter more than you know.
25:13And I take a breath.
25:15And you have to take me on an actual date.
25:17Somewhere normal.
25:19No bodyguards.
25:19No business deals.
25:20Just us.
25:21I can do that.
25:23He kisses me again.
25:25Softer this time.
25:26Anything else?
25:28Yeah.
25:29I grin against his mouth.
25:31You're teaching me to drive that Rolls Royce.
25:34He laughs.
25:36Actually laughs.
25:37And the sound does something dangerous to my heart.
25:39You're going to be trouble, Dante Ricci says.
25:43You literally forced me to work off a debt at your casino.
25:46You started it.
25:48Best decision I ever made.
25:50Even though I rear-ended your car?
25:52Especially because you rear-ended my car.
25:55He kisses me again.
25:56And through the windows, the Vegas sun pours gold over everything.
26:01Over the city.
26:02Over the casino.
26:03Over two people who had no business falling in love but did it anyway.
26:07Three months ago, I was broke and desperate and running on empty.
26:11Now I'm standing in a Mafia Don's office.
26:13Being kissed like I'm the most valuable thing he owns.
26:17Planning a future I never thought I could have.
26:21I whisper against his lips.
26:23For what?
26:25For making me work it off instead of just letting me go.
26:29Dante pulls back.
26:30His eyes soft with something that looks a lot like love.
26:32Harper Chen.
26:35I was never going to let you go.
26:37Not from the moment you threatened to haunt me.
26:40Good, I say.
26:41Because I'm not going anywhere.
26:44And I mean it.
26:46Well, that escalated quickly.
26:47From fender bender to forever in eight weeks flat.
26:51Honestly?
26:52Goals.
26:52If you're sitting there thinking,
26:54I need more emotionally unavailable men in expensive suits making terrible life decisions.
26:59Then smash that subscribe button like Harper rear-ended that Rolls Royce.
27:03With confidence and zero regrets.
27:05Drop a like.
27:07If you'd also work off a debt for a man who looks that good in tailored charcoal.
27:11No judgment.
27:12We're all in this together.
27:14Comment below and tell me.
27:16Would you have gotten in that SUV?
27:18What's your dream meet-cute-gone-wrong scenario?
27:20Or just scream about Dante.
27:23I'll allow it.
27:24Fair warning.
27:25Subscribe and you're signing up for more mafia dons,
27:28impossible chemistry,
27:29and heroines who solve their problems by causing problems.
27:32No rear-ending required.
27:34But if you do hit a Rolls Royce, maybe just...
27:37run.
27:39See you in the next story.
27:41Don't make me send Dante to find you.
27:43Six months later, and I'm living in a penthouse
27:45with a man who has eliminating problems on his calendar
27:48between lunch and quarterly earnings call.
27:52I wish I were joking.
27:54Harper!
27:55Dante's voice booms through our ridiculously large apartment.
27:58Why is there a nursing mannequin in my office?
28:01Because I'm practicing IVs and your office has the best lighting.
28:05I yell back, not looking up from where I'm getting ready.
28:08Also, his name is Chad.
28:09Be nice to him.
28:11Dante appears in the bathroom doorway,
28:13all six-foot-three of frustrated Italian crime lord,
28:17wearing that white shirt with the top three buttons undone
28:19because apparently he's allergic to proper button usage.
28:22His tattoos peek out like they're personally offended by my life choices.
28:27You name the mannequin Chad.
28:29He has kind eyes.
28:30He doesn't have eyes.
28:32He's a torso.
28:33Then he has a kind torso.
28:35Don't body shame Chad.
28:37He stares at me for a long moment,
28:39and I can literally see him trying to figure out
28:41how his life became this.
28:43You're insane.
28:44You're dating me.
28:46What's that say about you?
28:48That I have terrible judgment and excellent taste.
28:51He leans against the doorframe, arms crossed.
28:53Ready for tonight?
28:55Tonight.
28:57The family dinner.
28:58The one I've been dreading for two weeks.
29:01Define ready.
29:02I say,
29:03I say,
29:03applying mascara with the precision of someone
29:05who's trying not to think about meeting a room full of Italian mafia relatives
29:09who probably have opinions about the girl who literally crashed into their family.
29:13Harper.
29:15I'm fine.
29:16Totally fine.
29:18Why wouldn't I be fine?
29:19It's just dinner with your entire family
29:21who probably think I'm either a gold digger or an undercover FBI agent.
29:25My mother already loves you.
29:28Your mother sent me a text that said,
29:30wear something modest with 17 religious emojis.
29:3317, Dante.
29:35He grins.
29:36And it's absolutely unfair how attractive he is when he's amused by my panic.
29:41She's protective.
29:43She's terrifying.
29:45Wait until you meet my Aunt Francesca.
29:47Oh my god, there's an aunt?
29:51Three of them, actually.
29:53I put down my mascara and turn to face him.
29:56I'm going to die tonight.
29:58This is how I go.
29:59Not in a blaze of glory,
30:01not saving lives as a nurse.
30:02I'm going to be murdered by Italian aunts
30:04with opinions about my hem length.
30:07Dante crosses the bathroom and pulls me into his arms.
30:10He smells like bergamot and danger and home.
30:13You faced down Marco Castellano last month and didn't blink.
30:17That was different.
30:19Marco only had a gun.
30:20Your aunts have judgment.
30:22He laughs into my hair.
30:24You're going to be fine.
30:26Promise?
30:27I promise.
30:29He kisses my forehead.
30:30Besides, you're wearing that emerald dress.
30:33You look incredible.
30:34They'll be too busy being jealous to judge.
30:37You're just saying that?
30:38I'm saying that because it's true.
30:41Also because I've already gotten three calls asking if you're the one.
30:45My stomach flips.
30:48And what did you say?
30:50He looks at me with those whiskey eyes that still make my brain malfunction.
30:55I said you rear-ended my Rolls Royce and I've been stuck with you ever since.
31:00Stuck with me?
31:01Absolutely trapped.
31:03It's tragic, really.
31:04You know what?
31:05I'm breaking up with you.
31:07No, you're not.
31:08I'm very seriously considering it.
31:11Harper.
31:12He tilts my chin up.
31:14I also told them you're the smartest, bravest, most frustratingly stubborn woman I've ever met.
31:19And that I'm keeping you.
31:21Damn it.
31:23There go my sass defenses.
31:24That's really unfair, I mumble.
31:27What is?
31:29You being perfect when I'm trying to panic.
31:32Try harder.
31:34Four hours later, I'm sitting at a table with 11 members of the Ricci family, and I've learned several things.
31:40One, Dante's mother, Elena, cries at literally everything.
31:44Two, his father, Vincent, hasn't smiled since 1987.
31:49Three, the aunts, Francesca, Maria, and Lucia, have a group chat called Family Business,
31:56where they apparently discuss everything from lasagna recipes to territorial disputes.
32:01And four, I'm somehow surviving.
32:04So, Harper, Aunt Francesca says, passing me more pasta than any human should consume,
32:11you hit Dante's car?
32:13Here we go.
32:14I tapped it, actually, I say.
32:17Very gently.
32:18Like a love tap.
32:19A vehicular meet-cute, if you will.
32:22Dante chokes on his wine.
32:24His brother Marco, not the evil one, apparently there are two Marcos in this world,
32:29grins into his napkin.
32:30And now you live with him?
32:31Aunt Maria adds, eyebrow raised.
32:34And work for him, Aunt Lucia finishes.
32:37Interesting.
32:39I feel Dante tense beside me.
32:41But I've got this.
32:43I didn't survive five months at the Oasis by being intimidated easily.
32:47You're right, I say sweetly.
32:49It is interesting.
32:50I rear-ended a Rolls Royce, couldn't pay for it, so your nephew made me work it off at
32:54his casino.
32:55Very modern.
32:56Very romantic.
32:58We're thinking of pitching it as a Hallmark movie.
33:01The table goes silent.
33:02Then Vincent, the man who hasn't smiled in decades, laughs.
33:06Actually laughs.
33:08I like her, he announces.
33:10She's got spine.
33:12Elena immediately bursts into tears.
33:14Finally, a girl with personality.
33:17Told you, Dante murmurs in my ear.
33:20Shut up, I murmur back.
33:23Make me.
33:24Your entire family is watching.
33:27So?
33:28I turn to kiss him, and the entire table erupts in cheers, and I realize something.
33:33I belong here.
33:34Not because I crashed into Dante's life.
33:37Not because he gave me a job or helped my brother or made me feel safe.
33:40But because somehow, impossibly, this chaotic, dangerous, beautiful man and his equally chaotic
33:47family feel like home.
33:50Later, back at the penthouse, shoes kicked off and stress evaporated, I collapse onto
33:55the couch.
33:57That wasn't so bad, I admit.
33:59You called my family a Hallmark movie.
34:02Your dad laughed.
34:04I'm calling that a win.
34:05Dante sits beside me, pulling my feet into his lap.
34:08You know what this means, right?
34:11That I survived?
34:12That you're stuck with us now.
34:14No backing out.
34:16Damn.
34:17I grin.
34:18And here I was, planning my escape.
34:21Too late, Chen.
34:22You're a reachy problem now.
34:25Best problem you ever had?
34:27Absolutely.
34:29He kisses me, soft and sure.
34:31Even if you did rear-end my car.
34:34Especially because I rear-ended your car.
34:37And you know what?
34:38He's absolutely right.
34:40The end.
34:41Unless I crash into something else.
34:43Then this story has a sequel.
34:45Claude is AI and can make mistakes.
34:47Please double-check responses.
34:48The end.
34:49Friends.
34:49The end.
34:50I have to jump in.
34:50I have to jump in.
34:51I have to jump in.
34:51The end.
34:51The end.
34:52I have to jump in.
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