Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 671

Charles took a deep breath, then walked straight over to Clara and gently grabbed her hand.

“Clara, I’m just going to be real with you. You’re not actually my sister, but from now on, you’re as good as. If anything ever happens, call me your brother. If you’re in trouble, I’ll be the first one there for you, no matter what.”

Clara looked at him, her eyes wide with confusion, then surprise. “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Charles looked into her clear, innocent eyes and felt a sharp ache in his chest. She really didn’t understand. In her mind, she was still just a ten-year-old kid.

He tried to smile. “Nothing’s wrong. But listen, we can’t go out tomorrow. I want you to memorize my phone number, okay? This one’s special—only my big brother and Mitch know it. If you need anything, call me. No matter where I am, I’ll come find you.”

She nodded and reached up to wipe a tear off his cheek. “Brother, why are you crying?”

Charles let out a shaky laugh and waved her off. “Hey, guys can cry too. It’s not a big deal.”

Clara didn’t quite get it. “So… are we still playing cards tonight?”

He shook his head. “No, not tonight. I’m taking you to see the stars instead.”

She nodded, letting him lead her up to the rooftop.

There, a helicopter sat waiting, sleek and ready to go.

A doctor hurried over, worry written on his face. “Charles, you’ve been running yourself ragged for two days. Can you please just rest for a bit?”

But Charles couldn’t sit still. He knew Richard would be calling again tomorrow—he felt like every minute mattered.

“Come on, sis, let’s go see the stars.”

The doctor, seeing he couldn’t change Charles’s mind, turned to Clara instead. “Ms. Clara, you should get some rest. Your body still needs time to heal.”

Clara saw the concern in the doctor’s eyes and glanced back at Charles.

“Brother, can we just rest tonight? I don’t really like this helicopter.”

“Sir, it’s the little sister he picked up. She says only a helicopter covered in jewels is pretty enough.”

For the first time in his twenty-nine years, the man on the other end was left speechless.

The doctor rubbed his temples. He’d been with Charles for years and knew all about his childlike ways. Now there was someone else willing to go along with his antics—who knew what kind of chaos would follow.

The man sighed and loosened his tie. “Fine. If he wants them, let him have them. I’ll send someone over in the morning.”

Money was never the problem—not in this family. The only thing that mattered was Charles’s happiness.

And Charles was right. They had more gemstones than they knew what to do with.

If money could solve it, it wasn’t really a problem.

The doctor just shook his head. With the eldest brother’s approval, there was nothing more to say.