Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

His little sister was kind of clueless-there was no way she'd ever make the first move and call him.

He thought it over. That left only two other people, but both of them were trouble, not the type to reach out unless they absolutely had to.

He sighed, slumped back onto the couch, and waved his brother off. "Seriously, big bro, don't worry about me. Go do your thing. I'm perfectly fine on my own."

He barely finished the sentence when his phone buzzed.

Charles shot up so fast he was a blur.

There was this super secret number only his big brother and Mitch knew about. Usually, when that phone rang, it meant he was getting sent out on a mission.

But there hadn't been any jobs lately. If anyone was calling now, it had to be his little sister.

He grinned, excitement lighting up his face, and gave the old shepherd dog next to him a pat on the head before answering.

"Hey, sis!"

Clara felt a wave of warmth at his voice. "Hey, are you busy?"

"Nope, not at all! When I'm not working, I'm just waiting for you to call. Why don't you ever text me first? Is that husband of yours not treating you right? I told you, you should've picked Big Bro or Mitch instead. At least then, nobody would dare mess with you."

Clara was genuinely touched. She knew how much his big brother and Mitch meant to him.noveldrama

"You're the best brother in the world."

Charles beamed, unconsciously tugging out a handful of fur from the old

shepherd. The dog just wagged its tail lazily.

Across the room, a man watched Charles's happy expression, and his eyes grew colder.

He turned and walked back to his study, calling for the family doctor.

"When Charles was in Country Z, you're sure that woman wasn't some plant?" he asked.

It had only been a few days, and the kid was already acting like this. Unless someone was behind it, it didn't make sense.

Charles had survived the toughest training. For a while, he'd even been used as a test subject-the same experimental drugs they'd used on the two family dogs had been tried on him too.

All these years, his biggest fear was that someone would take advantage of Charles's mental scars and steer him down the wrong path.

But Charles had always been solid. Loyal to the Chester family, no question.

Still, Charles had never been willing to lend his two dogs to anyone-not even his own brother.

Now he was ready to give them to a woman he'd just met. The man's eyes darkened.

The doctor shook his head. “Sir, I checked. She's just an ordinary girl from a regular family in the capital Used to chase after some guy, then somehow caught Dylan's eye pretty lucky, honestly. Maybe that's why she got dragged into someone's scheme and ended up with the mind of a child. She's not really special, except maybe she looks a little like Miss Clara-a bit, not much."

Honestly, Clara was much prettier. But he'd never dare say that. Clara was the family's darling, their star. Comparing anyone to her would be an insult.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "But I don't think it's that either. Charles

and Miss Clara don't even get along. She's always calling him-well, the Chester family's dog, you know? So it's not about looks."

The man rubbed his temples,

thinking back. They'd picked Charles up from an underground fighting ring-no parents, just a kid covered in scars. If he hadn't poured the Chester family's resources into the boy, his face would never have healed.

Places like that, kids weren't allowed to be kids. Women weren't really women, either.

If Charles hadn't shown that wild, unbreakable spirit, he wouldn't have brought him home.

Without the Chester family, the boy would have ended up as nothing but a lab rat.

He leaned back in his chair. Whatever.

"As long as no one's getting close to him for the wrong reasons, maybe he's just lonely. I've been busy all these years and probably ignored how he feels. I figured he didn't need friends."

The doctor understood. After all these years under one roof, even the eldest and Mitch cared about Charles. People are only human—even if it's just a dog, you end up attached.

He was about to say something

when the man cut in, "Keep an eye

on him. If he goes back to Country Z, watch him closely. If that woman tries anything, take care of

ver

it-quietly. Don't let Charles find out. But if she keeps her head down, let it go."