Charles took a deep breath, then walked straight over to ra and gently
grabbed her hand.
"ra, 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."
ra 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
She nodded and reached up to wipe a tear off his cheek. "Brother, why are you
crying?"
Charles let out a shakyugh and waved her off. "Hey, guys can cry too. It''s not a
big deal."
ra didn''t quite get it. "So... are we still ying 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 ra instead.
"Ms. ra, you should get some rest. Your body still needs time to heal."
ra saw the concern in the doctor''s eyes and nced back at Charles.
"Brother, can we just rest tonight? I don''t really like this helicopter."
Charles hopped down from thending pad, looking worried. "You don''t like it?
What kind do you want? I can get it for you just say the word."
She thought for a moment, remembering the sparkling gemstones they''d dig up
together in their games. "I like the ones with jewels on them."
The doctor blinked in disbelief. But before he could say anything, Charles was
already dialing his phone.
"Hey, big bro, yeah, I need those
gemstones. Can you get them set
into a helicopter? I want a lot-like
really a lot. You''ve got your own
mines, right? Why can''t you do it? I
need them now. Send someone to
get it done."
He hung up and turned to ra with a grin. "Don''t worry, sis. If there''s one thing
your brother''s got plenty of, it''s gemstones."
ra nodded,pletely innocent at ten, she had no idea what those jewels
were actually worth.
The doctor, listening to their conversation, felt like he was about to lose his mind.
His phone buzzed-a call from overseas.
He stepped away to answer, keeping
his voice low. The person on the
other end sounded all business
"Why does Charles suddenly want
so many gemstones?"
"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.