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Short filmTranscript
00:00I'm three seconds from drop-kicking a customer when the entire diner goes quiet.
00:04Not the normal kind of quiet.
00:06The wrong kind.
00:07The kind that makes your stomach drop and your survival instincts kick in like you're
00:11suddenly standing in front of a lion that just noticed you exist.
00:14I'm balancing four plates.
00:16Two Monte Cristos, a club sandwich, and something called the heart attack special that's basically
00:21bacon on top of more bacon, when I feel it.
00:24That shift in the air.
00:26Like everyone in Sal's diner just collectively held their breath.
00:30Table seven!
00:31Maria hisses from behind the counter, her face going pale.
00:35Jewels!
00:35Don't!
00:37But I'm already turning.
00:38Three men walk in.
00:39No.
00:40Move in.
00:41Like they own the checkered floor, the red vinyl booths, the greasy air itself.
00:47They're wearing suits that probably cost more than my annual rent, and the way they carry
00:51themselves makes every other person in here look like extras in their movie.
00:54But it's the one in the middle who makes my heart forget how to beat properly.
00:59Tall.
01:00Dark hair swept back like he just stepped out of a magazine shoot.
01:04Jawline sharp enough to cut glass.
01:06And eyes.
01:07God, those eyes.
01:09Cold and assessing.
01:10Like he's calculating the exact value of everything in this room.
01:14Including me.
01:16We're full.
01:17I hear myself say.
01:18The entire diner gasps.
01:21Literally gasps.
01:22Like I just announced I'm setting the building on fire.
01:24The man, the man, because there's no question he's in charge, stops.
01:31His attention slides to me like a blade finding its target.
01:34One eyebrow lifts, and I swear I see something that might be amusement flicker across his face.
01:40Full, he repeats.
01:43His voice is smooth.
01:45Dangerous.
01:45The kind of voice that probably makes people confess to crimes they didn't commit.
01:50I can see six empty tables from here.
01:53Reserved, I lie.
01:55My grip tightening on the plates until my knuckles go white.
01:58Jewels, Maria whispers desperately behind me.
02:01That's Dante Castellano.
02:03Oh, oh.
02:05I've heard that name.
02:06Everyone in Miami has heard that name.
02:08Dante Castellano.
02:09The guy who owns half the city and definitely all of its shadows.
02:13The man you don't say no to.
02:15The man you don't even look at wrong unless you have a death wish and excellent life insurance.
02:20I just told Dante Castellano we're full.
02:23Well, I say, committing to what is clearly going to be my final mistake.
02:28They're still reserved.
02:29Maybe try the IHOP on Collins.
02:31I hear their pancakes are killer.
02:34I pause.
02:35Probably poor word choice.
02:37A beat of absolute silence.
02:39Then he laughs.
02:41It's not a big laugh.
02:42Not some villain cackle.
02:44Just a low, genuine sound that seems to surprise him as much as it surprises everyone else.
02:50His men look at each other like they just witnessed a miracle.
02:54What's your name?
02:56He asks, taking a step closer.
02:59Juliet.
03:00People call me Jules.
03:02I should shut up.
03:03I should absolutely shut up.
03:06What's yours?
03:07You know exactly who I am.
03:10Dante Castellano, I say, proud that my voice doesn't shake.
03:15Owner of the Castellano Empire.
03:17Probably several politicians and allegedly a really nice beach house in the Keys.
03:21Allegedly?
03:22Well, I haven't been invited to verify.
03:26His lips twitch.
03:27You're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.
03:31Why not both?
03:33I shrug, finally setting down the plates at table four, where the customers are frozen like someone hit pause on them.
03:41Look, Mr. Castellano.
03:43Dante.
03:43Mr. Castellano, I'm having a really bad day.
03:47My car got towed this morning because apparently parking in front of my own apartment is illegal now.
03:52My landlord raised my rent by $300.
03:55And the guy at table two has been snapping his fingers at me for the last 20 minutes like I'm his personal servant.
04:01I cross my arms.
04:03So forgive me if I'm not rolling out the red carpet for the mafia.
04:06Wrong thing to say.
04:08Definitely the wrong thing to say.
04:11His expression doesn't change, but something shifts in his eyes.
04:14Something sharp and assessing.
04:15He studies me for a long moment and I can feel my heart hammering against my ribs like it's trying to escape.
04:23Everyone out, he says quietly.
04:26For a second, I think he means me.
04:29But then I realize he's talking to the diner.
04:32Every single customer, including finger-snapping table two, scrambles for the exit like the building's about to collapse.
04:39Even Maria disappears into the back, shooting me an apologetic look that clearly says it was nice knowing you.
04:45Within 30 seconds, it's just me, Dante Castellano, and his two human walls in expensive suits.
04:51Sit, he says.
04:52I'm working.
04:54Not anymore.
04:55Sit.
04:56I should run.
04:57Every instinct I have is screaming at me to run.
05:00But there's something in his voice.
05:02Not quite a threat.
05:03But not quite a request, either.
05:05That makes my legs move toward the nearest booth.
05:08He slides in across from me, his men taking position by the door.
05:12Up close, he's even more devastating.
05:13Dark eyes that miss nothing.
05:16A scar barely visible along his jawline.
05:19The kind of face that probably causes car accidents when he walks down the street.
05:24You don't seem afraid, he observes.
05:28Oh, I'm terrified.
05:29I'm just really good at hiding it.
05:32I fold my hands on the table.
05:34Are you going to kill me?
05:37Should I?
05:37Well, I'd prefer you didn't.
05:40I have a cat.
05:41She's a jerk, but she needs me.
05:44Another flicker of amusement.
05:46What's your last name, Jules?
05:48Morrison.
05:49Juliet Morrison.
05:51From Ohio.
05:52If you're building a file on me.
05:53I lean back.
05:5528.
05:56Single.
05:57No criminal record unless you count the parking tickets.
06:00I work two jobs, I'm drowning in student debt, and my biggest crime is occasionally stealing sugar packets from here to use at home.
06:07Why?
06:08Because sugar is expensive and...
06:10No.
06:12His voice cuts through mine, sharp and focused.
06:14Why did you lie about the tables being reserved?
06:18Oh.
06:19That.
06:20I look down at my hands.
06:22The truth sits in my throat like a stone, and for some reason, maybe because I'm already in too deep, maybe because his eyes make me want to be honest, I tell him.
06:32There's a guy.
06:34I start.
06:35Derek something.
06:36He comes in here sometimes.
06:38Big guy.
06:39Always with his buddies.
06:40They get loud, grab at the servers, leave terrible tips.
06:44I swallow.
06:45Last week, he cornered Maria in the parking lot.
06:48Didn't do anything.
06:49She got away, but she's scared.
06:51And this morning, I saw him drive by three times, circling, waiting.
06:55I meet Dante's eyes.
06:57When you walked in, I thought you were him.
07:00I thought...
07:01I don't know what I thought.
07:02That if I could make you leave, make anyone leave,
07:05maybe it would scare him off.
07:07Maybe he wouldn't come in if he saw...
07:10I trail off, realizing how stupid it sounds out loud.
07:14Dante hasn't moved.
07:15He's watching me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle.
07:19This Derek, he says slowly.
07:21What does he look like?
07:23Why?
07:25Answer the question, Juliet.
07:27Something in the way he says my full name makes my stomach flip.
07:31I describe Derek.
07:32The sleeve tattoos.
07:34The shaved head.
07:35The truck with the Confederate flag decal.
07:38One of Dante's men pulls out a phone,
07:40types something, then shows it to his boss.
07:42Dante looks at it and nods once.
07:45He won't bother you again, he says simply.
07:48What does that mean?
07:48It means exactly what I said.
07:52I don't want anyone hurt.
07:54He won't be.
07:56Hurt.
07:57The pause is deliberate.
08:00Much.
08:01I should probably be horrified.
08:03Instead, I feel something closer to relief,
08:06which is its own kind of concerning.
08:09Dante stands, buttoning his jacket with the kind of casual grace that should be illegal.
08:13He pulls out a card, thick, expensive cardstock with just a name and a number,
08:19and slides it across the table.
08:22If you have any more problems, he says, call me.
08:26Why would you help me?
08:28He pauses at that, something unreadable crossing his face.
08:33Then he leans down, close enough that I can smell his cologne,
08:36something dark and woodsy and expensive.
08:39Because you're either the bravest or the stupidest woman I've ever met,
08:42he says quietly,
08:43and I haven't decided which yet.
08:46Then he's gone,
08:47his men following like shadows,
08:49leaving me alone in the empty diner with a business card
08:52and the feeling that my life just took a very sharp turn in a very dangerous direction.
08:57My phone buzzes.
08:59A text from an unknown number.
09:01The parking tickets have been handled,
09:03and you're working one job now.
09:05The other one just gave you a generous severance.
09:08Do I stare at my phone?
09:10Then at the card?
09:12Then back at my phone?
09:14Well, I say to the empty diner,
09:16I'm definitely going to die.
09:17But I'm smiling when I say it.
09:19Claude is AI and can make mistakes.
09:22Please double-check responses.
09:29Three days later,
09:31I'm standing in front of a building
09:32that looks like it costs more than my entire bloodline will ever make.
09:35The Castellano Tower.
09:38Downtown Miami.
09:39Seventy-three floors of glass and steel
09:41that catches the afternoon sun like a middle finger
09:44to everyone who can't afford to breathe near it.
09:46I shouldn't be here.
09:47I definitely shouldn't be here.
09:49But this morning,
09:50a box arrived at my apartment.
09:52Inside,
09:53a dress.
09:54Not just any dress.
09:55A cream-colored silk thing
09:57that probably has its own insurance policy.
09:59And a note in sharp,
10:00precise handwriting.
10:02Lunch.
10:031 p.m.
10:04Don't be late.
10:06D.
10:07I could just not go.
10:09I tell myself,
10:10clutching my purse like a shield.
10:12But I'm already walking through the revolving doors.
10:15The lobby is all marble and modern art
10:17and people in suits
10:18who look like they've never experienced
10:20a minor inconvenience in their lives.
10:22I must stick out like a neon sign
10:24because a woman in a headset
10:25immediately intercepts me.
10:26Juliet Morrison?
10:29That's...
10:30Yes.
10:31How did you...
10:32Mr. Castellano is expecting you.
10:3573rd floor.
10:36She gestures to a private elevator
10:38with gold doors.
10:40Actually gold.
10:41The code is 7319.
10:44I step into the elevator,
10:46punch in the code,
10:46and try not to think about
10:47how Dante Castellano knows my dress size.
10:50The doors open directly into a penthouse
10:52that makes my entire apartment
10:54look like a cardboard box.
10:55Floor-to-ceiling windows
10:57overlook the entire city.
10:59The ocean glitters in the distance
11:00like someone spilled diamonds on it.
11:03Everything is clean lines
11:04and expensive taste.
11:05The kind of place
11:06where you're afraid to touch anything
11:08because it probably costs more
11:09than your organs on the black market.
11:11You came.
11:13I spin around.
11:14Dante's standing by the windows,
11:16sunlight turning his white shirt
11:17almost translucent.
11:19He's ditched the jacket,
11:21sleeves rolled up to reveal forearms
11:23that should come with a warning label.
11:25His hair is slightly less perfect
11:27than last time,
11:28like he's been running his hands through it.
11:30You paid off my parking tickets
11:32and got me fired, I say.
11:34The least I could do was show up
11:35before telling you to go to hell.
11:37He smiles.
11:39Actually smiles.
11:40The dress fits.
11:41I'm not wearing it.
11:43I noticed.
11:45His eyes travel over my jeans and t-shirt.
11:47The one that says,
11:48I'm not arguing,
11:49I'm just explaining why I'm right.
11:52Stubborn.
11:54Self-respecting.
11:55I cross my arms.
11:57Why am I here, Dante?
11:59Lunch.
12:01He gestures to a table set for two,
12:03positioned perfectly to overlook the city.
12:06And conversation.
12:08About what?
12:10About why you haven't called me.
12:12I blink.
12:14It's been three days.
12:15Exactly.
12:18He moves to the table,
12:19pulling out a chair.
12:21Most people would have called by now,
12:23to thank me,
12:24or threaten to go to the police,
12:26or negotiate.
12:27Most people are probably smarter than me.
12:30I don't sit.
12:31What happened to Derek?
12:33He left Miami,
12:35decided to pursue opportunities in Alaska.
12:37Very sudden decision.
12:39Dante's expression doesn't change.
12:41I hear it's beautiful this time of year.
12:44Cold, but beautiful.
12:46You didn't kill him?
12:48No.
12:49I'm not a monster, Juliet.
12:50He says it like he's correcting a mild misunderstanding about his coffee order.
12:54I simply explained his options.
12:57He chose wisely.
12:59I should leave,
13:00pack my stuff,
13:01change my name,
13:02move to Alaska myself,
13:03though apparently Derek got there first.
13:06Instead,
13:07I sit.
13:08This is insane,
13:09I mutter.
13:10What is?
13:12This.
13:13You.
13:13Me being here.
13:15I gesture around the penthouse.
13:18Three days ago,
13:19you were a stranger.
13:20A dangerous stranger.
13:22And now I'm having lunch with you like this is normal.
13:26Nothing about this is normal.
13:28He sits across from me,
13:30and suddenly the massive table feels intimate.
13:32But I haven't been able to stop thinking about you.
13:37My heart does something complicated.
13:40That's a line.
13:41It's the truth.
13:43He leans forward.
13:44Do you know what happened after I left the diner?
13:46I had two meetings about a shipping deal,
13:49one conference call with my lawyers,
13:51and a very important dinner with a city councilman.
13:54And through all of it,
13:55I was thinking about a waitress who lied to my face without flinching.
13:59I wasn't lying about the reserve tables.
14:01No.
14:04You were protecting someone.
14:07His voice softens.
14:09That's rare in my world,
14:11loyalty like that.
14:12It's called being a decent human.
14:15In my experience,
14:16decent humans are the rarest commodity of all.
14:20There's something in his voice,
14:21something dark and tired,
14:22that makes me wonder what kind of life shapes a man like him.
14:26Before I can stop myself,
14:27I ask,
14:28Why the mafia?
14:30He laughs,
14:31short and sharp.
14:32That's what you want to know?
14:34I want to know why someone who looks like they should be modeling watches in Milan
14:38decided organized crime was the career path.
14:41My father built this empire.
14:43His jaw tightens.
14:45I inherited it at 23 when he was killed by a rival family.
14:49Had two choices.
14:50Take control or watch everything burn.
14:52So I took control.
14:54Do you like it?
14:54The question seems to surprise him.
14:57No one's ever asked me that.
14:59Well, I'm asking.
15:01He's quiet for a long moment,
15:04studying me like I'm a puzzle he's trying to solve.
15:07No, and yes, it's power, protection, security.
15:10But it's also...
15:12He trails off.
15:14It's a cage made of gold.
15:16Something in my chest tightens.
15:19I recognize that feeling,
15:21being trapped by circumstances you didn't choose.
15:24Why did you really bring me here?
15:27I ask quietly.
15:29Because you're interesting.
15:31I'm a broke waitress from Ohio.
15:34You're a woman who stood up to me in a room full of people who wouldn't dare.
15:38You protected your friend without thinking about the cost.
15:40You haven't asked me for anything.
15:42Not money.
15:43Not favors.
15:44Not protection.
15:46He pauses.
15:47You're either very brave or very stupid,
15:50and I still haven't figured out which.
15:52What if I'm both?
15:54Then you're perfect.
15:55The word hangs between us like a held breath.
16:00Before I can respond, the elevator dings.
16:03A man steps out, older, sharp suit, sharper eyes.
16:07He stops when he sees me, his expression hardening.
16:11Dante, we have a situation.
16:13Marco, this is...
16:14I know who she is.
16:17Marco's voice is cold.
16:19The diner waitress.
16:20Half the family's talking about her.
16:22Then they should talk more quietly.
16:25Luca's upset.
16:26Says you're getting distracted.
16:28Luca can be upset.
16:30Dante stands,
16:31his entire demeanor shifting.
16:33Gone is the man who smiled at my t-shirt.
16:35In his place is the dawn.
16:37All ice and authority.
16:39Tell him I'll handle it.
16:41He wants a meeting.
16:42Today.
16:43Says if you don't show,
16:44he's taking it to the council.
16:46Something dangerous flashes across Dante's face.
16:50Let him.
16:52Marco leaves,
16:52but the tension stays behind like a bad smell.
16:55I stand,
16:56suddenly very aware that I'm in the middle of something I don't understand.
17:00I should go, I say.
17:02No.
17:03Dante turns to me and his expression softens slightly.
17:07Not yet.
17:08Please.
17:09Who's Luca?
17:11My cousin.
17:12Second in command.
17:13He thinks I'm going soft.
17:15His laugh is bitter.
17:17Maybe he's right.
17:19What does that mean?
17:20It means there's a war coming.
17:23He moves to the window,
17:25staring out at the city.
17:27The Moretti family's been pushing into our territory.
17:30Small moves at first.
17:31A business here.
17:32A protection deal there.
17:33But it's escalating.
17:35They hit one of our shipments last week.
17:37Took two million in merchandise.
17:38What kind of merchandise?
17:41I probably don't want to know.
17:43The legal kind, actually.
17:45Electronics.
17:46But it's not about the money.
17:47It's about disrespect.
17:49He turns back to me.
17:51In this world,
17:52showing weakness gets you killed.
17:53And spending time with you,
17:55bringing you here,
17:56my family sees it as a distraction.
17:59Then maybe they're right.
18:01Maybe.
18:01He closes the distance between us,
18:03and suddenly I can't breathe properly.
18:05Or maybe you're exactly what I need.
18:07I'm not getting involved in a mob war,
18:10Dante.
18:11You're already involved.
18:13His voice is quiet,
18:14intense.
18:15The moment you challenged me in that diner,
18:18you became part of my world.
18:21People saw.
18:22They're watching.
18:23And in my world,
18:24that means you need protection.
18:26I don't need...
18:28Yes.
18:29You do.
18:31He reaches up,
18:32tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
18:34The gesture is so gentle,
18:35it makes my chest ache.
18:37The Morettis play dirty.
18:40They'll use anyone close to me as leverage.
18:42And you,
18:43Juliet Morrison from Ohio
18:44with your smart mouth and brave heart,
18:46you're the biggest target I've ever painted.
18:49I should be angry.
18:50Terrified.
18:51Instead, I'm focused on how close he is.
18:53How his cologne makes my head spin.
18:55How his eyes have gone soft
18:56in a way that makes him look almost vulnerable.
18:59What do you want from me?
19:01I whisper.
19:01I want you safe.
19:04I want you close.
19:06His thumb brushes my cheek.
19:09I want to figure out
19:10why a waitress I met three days ago
19:12has become more important
19:13than 20 years of careful planning.
19:15My phone buzzes.
19:17A text from Maria.
19:18Are you okay?
19:20There are men watching the diner.
19:22Ice floods my veins.
19:23I show Dante the message.
19:25His face goes hard.
19:26Marco!
19:27Marco reappears instantly.
19:29Sir?
19:30Put a detail on Sal's diner.
19:32No one gets near it.
19:33And get Jules an apartment in the tower.
19:35Today.
19:37What?
19:38No!
19:39I start.
19:40This isn't negotiable.
19:42Dante's voice is pure command.
19:44You're moving in.
19:45Here.
19:46Where I can protect you.
19:47You can't just...
19:49I can.
19:50And I am.
19:51He takes my face in both hands,
19:53forcing me to meet his eyes.
19:55Please, Jules.
19:56Let me keep you safe.
19:59And God help me, I nod.
20:01Living in the Castellano Tower
20:02is like being trapped in a luxury prison.
20:05It's been two weeks.
20:07Two weeks of waking up in a bedroom
20:08bigger than my old apartment.
20:10Two weeks of guards stationed outside my door,
20:13watching my every move.
20:14Two weeks of Dante disappearing for hours,
20:17sometimes days,
20:18while his war with the Morettis
20:20escalates into something that makes the news.
20:22And two weeks of falling for a man
20:24I should absolutely be running from.
20:26You're staring at the door again,
20:28Maria says from the couch.
20:30She's been staying with me
20:30since Dante moved us both here.
20:32Turns out, befriending me made her a target, too.
20:35I'm not staring.
20:37You're staring.
20:38It's pathetic.
20:39Also kind of romantic.
20:41She throws a pillow at me.
20:43Just admit you're in love with him.
20:45I'm not...
20:46I catch the pillow.
20:48It's complicated.
20:50It's only complicated
20:51because you're both stubborn idiots
20:52who won't admit you're crazy about each other.
20:55She's not wrong.
20:58Every evening Dante comes home,
21:00and when did I start thinking of it as home?
21:02We have dinner.
21:04We talk.
21:05He tells me about growing up in this world,
21:08about the weight of expectations,
21:10about the people he's lost.
21:11I tell him about Ohio,
21:13about my dreams of opening a bookstore someday,
21:16about feeling invisible my whole life
21:18until he saw me.
21:19And every night,
21:20he stops at my bedroom door
21:21like there's an invisible line he won't cross,
21:24like he's giving me the choice,
21:26the control he won't take anywhere else in his life.
21:28It's driving me insane.
21:31My phone buzzes.
21:32A text from Dante.
21:34Rooftop.
21:35Now.
21:37Duty calls.
21:38Maria sings songs.
21:40Shut up.
21:41But I'm already moving.
21:43Heart racing.
21:44The rooftop garden is one of my favorite places in the tower.
21:48All glass walls and flowering plants and impossible views.
21:52The afternoon sun turns everything golden,
21:55and the ocean breeze feels like freedom.
21:58Dante's standing at the edge,
21:59hands in his pockets,
22:00looking out at Miami.
22:02He's in dark jeans and a black t-shirt,
22:04casual in a way that should be illegal.
22:06When he turns,
22:08his expression is serious.
22:09We need to talk.
22:11Those four words never mean anything good.
22:14I walk over,
22:15trying to ignore how my stomach's doing gymnastics.
22:18That sounds ominous.
22:20The Morettis made an offer.
22:22What kind of offer?
22:24Peace.
22:25He says it like the word tastes bad.
22:27They want to end the war,
22:29merge our territories,
22:30combine our operations,
22:31become one family.
22:33That's good, right?
22:36There's a condition.
22:38His jaw tightens.
22:40They want me to marry Gianna Moretti,
22:42their daughter,
22:43unite the families through blood.
22:45The world tilts sideways.
22:47Oh, I hear myself say.
22:50Very calm.
22:51Very collected.
22:52Like he didn't just put a knife through my chest.
22:55That's strategic.
22:58Jules,
22:59no, it makes sense.
23:00Mafia logic, right?
23:02Seal the deal with a wedding.
23:04I'm backing away and I can't seem to stop.
23:07When's the happy day?
23:08I'm not doing it.
23:10I freeze.
23:11What?
23:12I told them no.
23:14He moves toward me
23:15and there's something raw in his expression.
23:18I told them to go to hell.
23:19That I'd burn both families to the ground
23:21before I agreed.
23:23That's insane.
23:24You'd start a war.
23:25A bigger war.
23:26Over.
23:28Over you.
23:28He closes the distance,
23:30cupping my face in his hands.
23:32Over this.
23:34Whatever this is between us,
23:36I'd burn the entire world down
23:37before I let you go.
23:39Dante, that's not...
23:41You can't just...
23:42Why not?
23:44His voice is fierce.
23:46My whole life has been about duty.
23:48About the family.
23:49About doing what's expected.
23:51And then you walked into my world
23:53with your smart mouth
23:54and your brave heart
23:55and for the first time,
23:56I want something that's mine.
23:59Not the empire.
24:00Not the power.
24:02You.
24:02I'm a waitress,
24:04I whisper.
24:05You're...
24:06A man who's in love with you.
24:09The words are rough,
24:10like they're being dragged out of him.
24:13Completely.
24:14Impossibly.
24:15I'm in love with you,
24:16Juliet Morrison.
24:18My heart stops.
24:20Restarts.
24:21Does something that might be
24:22permanent damage.
24:24You're insane,
24:25I breathe.
24:26Probably.
24:28This won't work.
24:29Don't care.
24:31Your family will never accept
24:32then they can leave.
24:35His thumb brushes my cheek.
24:37I'm done living for them.
24:39I want to live for you.
24:40For us.
24:41For whatever we can build
24:42that's ours.
24:44I should say no.
24:45I should be smart.
24:46Instead,
24:47I grab his shirt
24:47and kiss him.
24:48He makes a sound.
24:50Surprise.
24:51Maybe relief.
24:52And then his arms are around me,
24:53pulling me closer.
24:55The kiss is desperate and perfect
24:57and tastes like a promise.
24:58Like coming home.
25:00Like jumping off a cliff
25:01and finding out you can fly.
25:03When we finally break apart,
25:05I'm breathing hard.
25:06This is crazy.
25:08Best decision I've ever made.
25:10Your family's going to lose their minds.
25:13Let them.
25:14He grins and it transforms his face.
25:17Makes him look young and reckless
25:18and completely mine.
25:20I have a plan.
25:22Of course you do.
25:23I'm stepping down.
25:24I blink.
25:25What?
25:26From the family.
25:28Marco's going to take over.
25:29He's wanted it for years anyway.
25:32Dante's speaking fast now,
25:34like he's been planning this.
25:36I've already started liquidating
25:37the illegal operations.
25:39Cleaning everything up.
25:40The legitimate businesses.
25:42The real estate.
25:43The restaurants.
25:44The hotels.
25:45Those stay.
25:46But the rest?
25:47Done.
25:49You can't just leave the mafia.
25:51Watch me.
25:52His smile is sharp.
25:54I'm Dante Castellano.
25:55I can do whatever the hell I want.
25:57And what I want is a life with you.
26:00A real life.
26:01No guards.
26:02No wars.
26:03No watching over my shoulder.
26:05What about the Morettis?
26:06I gave them a choice.
26:08Accept the peace on my terms.
26:10No marriage.
26:11No merger.
26:12Just a clean division of territory.
26:14Or deal with Marco,
26:15who's significantly less reasonable than I am.
26:18He shrugs.
26:20They took the peace.
26:22Just like that?
26:24Well,
26:24there may have been some
26:26aggressive negotiating involved,
26:28but it's done.
26:30Signed this morning.
26:31He pulls me closer.
26:33We're free, Jules.
26:35Actually, free.
26:36I want to believe him.
26:39God, I want to believe him so badly it hurts.
26:42What if you regret it?
26:43I ask quietly.
26:45What if you wake up one day
26:46and hate me for making you give up everything you built?
26:49You didn't make me do anything.
26:52His voice is gentle.
26:54You showed me there's more to life than power.
26:57That I could be more than what my father made me.
26:59That I could choose.
27:01He kisses my forehead.
27:03And I choose you.
27:05Every time.
27:06Always.
27:08Tears are burning behind my eyes.
27:10I love you, too.
27:12I've been trying not to, but...
27:14But?
27:15But you're impossible not to love.
27:18I laugh.
27:19Watery and emotional.
27:21Even when you're terrifying and bossy and completely insane.
27:25I prefer determined.
27:27You would.
27:29He kisses me again.
27:31Slower this time.
27:32Sweet and deep and full of promise.
27:35When we break apart, the sun's lower on the horizon.
27:38Painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.
27:41So what now?
27:43I ask.
27:44Now?
27:45He grins.
27:47Now we figure out how to be normal people.
27:49Or at least our version of normal.
27:52I don't know if you noticed, but neither of us is particularly good at normal.
27:56Then we'll be spectacularly abnormal together.
27:59He takes my hand.
28:01I was thinking.
28:02That bookstore you mentioned?
28:04The dream?
28:05What if we made it real?
28:06With what money?
28:08I'm still broke, and you just...
28:10Jules.
28:10I'm stepping down from the family business.
28:13I'm not stepping down from being obscenely wealthy.
28:16He laughs at my expression.
28:18The legitimate businesses alone are worth hundreds of millions.
28:22I think we can afford a bookstore.
28:24That's...
28:25You can't just buy me a bookstore.
28:27Why not?
28:29Because it's insane.
28:30Then we're perfectly matched.
28:33He pulls me against him, and I can feel his heart beating steady and strong.
28:37What do you say, Juliet Morrison from Ohio?
28:41Want to take a chance on a reformed mafia don with control issues and a bookstore fund?
28:46I look up at him.
28:48This impossible, infuriating, wonderful man who turned my life upside down in the best
28:53possible way.
28:54Who saw me when I was invisible.
28:57Who chose me over an empire.
28:59On one condition, I say.
29:01Name it.
29:02The bookstore has a cafe, and I get to name it.
29:06Deal.
29:07His smile could power the entire city.
29:10What are you going to call it?
29:12I think about the diner where we met.
29:15About the collision that changed everything.
29:18About how sometimes the best things come from the most unexpected places.
29:23Reserved, I say.
29:24We're calling it reserved.
29:26He laughs.
29:27That real, genuine laugh I've learned to love.
29:30And kisses me as the sun sets over Miami, painting our future in gold.
29:34Three months later, I'm standing in front of a storefront in Coconut Grove.
29:39The sign above the door says, Reserved Books and Cafe, in elegant gold letters.
29:45Through the window, I can see the shelves we spent weeks choosing.
29:48The reading nooks Dante insisted on.
29:50The coffee bar where Maria now makes the best lattes in Miami.
29:55Ready?
29:56Dante asks, handing me the scissors to cut the ribbon.
29:58I look at him.
30:01My partner.
30:02My love.
30:03My impossible choice that became my perfect reality.
30:07Then at Maria, beaming beside us.
30:10At the small crowd that's gathered, curious about the new bookstore.
30:14Ready, I say.
30:16And as I cut the ribbon and step into our new beginning, I think about that day in the diner.
30:21About how I lied to a dangerous man and somehow found everything I didn't know I needed.
30:26Sometimes the best stories start with a collision.
30:29Ours started with a laugh.
30:31And it's just beginning.
30:33The end?
30:34Or is it just the beginning?
30:35Or is it...
30:36So...
30:38Dante gave up an empire for a waitress with a smart mouth and zero filter.
30:43Honestly?
30:43Same energy we're all looking for.
30:46Drop a comment and tell me.
30:47Would you have told a mafia boss the diner was full?
30:51Be honest, we both know you would have combusted on the spot.
30:53Team, move into the tower immediately.
30:57Or team girl, run to Alaska with Derek.
31:00What should Jules name her first cat in the bookstore?
31:03Because you know Dante's buying her 12.
31:06If you're sitting here grinning like an idiot.
31:08Or crying or both.
31:10No judgment.
31:12Smash that subscribe button faster than Jules can roast a mobster.
31:15Hit the bell so you don't miss the next story where another ordinary woman crashes into an extraordinary man.
31:20And chaos plus chemistry, wink chef's kiss.
31:25Like this video if you think Dante made the right choice.
31:27Or if you just love a man who says,
31:29I'd burn it all down for you.
31:31And actually means it.
31:32Share with your romance loving bestie who's been reading Mafia Romance at 2am.
31:37And needs to know she's not alone in her obsession.
31:40Comment your favorite line mine.
31:43I prefer determined.
31:44The audacity.
31:45The confidence.
31:46The man.
31:47Now drop yours below and let's scream about this together.
31:49See you in the next story besties.
31:51Bring wine.
31:52You'll need it.
31:52See you in the next story.
31:55See you in the next story.
31:56See you in the next story.
31:57See you in the next story.
31:58See you in the next story.
31:59See you in the next story.
32:00See you in the next story.
32:01See you in the next story.
32:02See you in the next story.
32:03See you in the next story.
32:04See you in the next story.
32:05See you in the next story.
32:06See you in the next story.
32:07See you in the next story.
32:08See you in the next story.
32:09See you in the next story.
32:10See you in the next story.
32:11See you in the next story.
32:12See you in the next story.
32:13See you in the next story.
32:14See you in the next story.
32:15See you in the next story.
32:16See you in the next story.
32:17See you in the next story.
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