Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Honestly, Max and Duke weren't what you'd call cute—not in the Instagram-dog

way. They were big, intimidating, and had that look that made people cross the

street. Definitely not the kind of dogs you'd see winning "Prettiest Pup" at some

fancy dog show.

But Charles never cared about pretty. He liked strength. Pretty things were just for

show, and he had no patience for that. Max and Duke were the toughest dogs

he'd ever seen. Raised on special meds since they were pups, they didn't even

feel pain in a fight. They were just like him—made for battle.

Whenever Charles brought them to parties abroad, he instantly became the guy

everyone avoided. The socialites and heiresses would shriek the moment they

saw the dogs, making the rest of the Chester family want to disappear. Eventually,

Charles just stopped going to those parties. He got used to doing his own thing.

Even his older brother, Mitch, only ever called his dogs "impressive" or "fierce." No

one had ever said the word "cute."

So when Clara looked up at him with those bright eyes, it threw him for a loop. He

stood there, totally stunned, like his brain had short-circuited.

"Clara, why don't you just stay with me from now on?" he blurted out. "You think

they're cute too, right? We could go anywhere together."

Clara nodded, all in, eyes sparkling. "Okay!"

Charles jumped up, ready to make it official, but then reality hit. He remembered

his deal with Richard. In three days, he'd have to hand Clara over. And on top of

that, she was married now—to Dylan.

It wasn't that he minded her being married, but Dylan wasn't just anybody. Mitch

had warned him back when they were abroad: don't mess with that guy.

Now that Clara was Dylan's wife, she'd have to be careful with everything she did.

She'd probably end up just like those perfect, boring socialites he couldn't stand.

And he'd be left alone again.

If only Clara could stay just like this.

He dropped his head and started walking away.

Clara hurried after him, hugging her stuffed animal. "Charlie, what's wrong? Are

you upset?"

Charles tried to smile, but it came out crooked. "Aren't you only ten? How'd you

know I was upset?"

Everyone else always just thought he was throwing a tantrum—they never took it

seriously.

Clara caught up to him and stood by his side. "I can just tell. I don't want you to benoveldrama

sad. Did we not play enough? We can keep going if you want."

The more she talked, the worse

Charles felt. He almost wished he'd

never met Clara. If he hadn't, he

wouldn't have to deal with all this.

When they got back to the manor, the family doctor was still up. He saw Charles's

face and looked confused.

He'd left in a good mood—so why was he so down now?

"Young master...?"

Charles just slumped his shoulders, looking totally deflated.

At the entryway, Clara was struggling out of her shoes, still clutching her stuffed

bear. "Charlie, can I go see Max and Duke?"

She really did love those dogs—the way she looked at them said everything.

Charles felt his heart soften again.

"Yeah, of course. I'll take you."

Max and Duke were as wild as ever.

Charles never bothered with leashes,

not even at home. They followed

him everywhere, even slept in his

massive bedroom—the place was so

big you couldn't see the end of it.

He led Clara in, grabbing her wrist in his excitement. "This way, come on!"

Her wrist was still sore, but she didn't complain—just winced and kept quiet.

Max and Duke were dozing on the

carpet, but when they heard them

come in, they stood up. They were

huge, their coats shining under the

lights.

Clara put her big stuffed bear down in front of Max and reached out to pat his

head.

Charles's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. "Wait, don't just touch him—Max

can—"

Before he could finish, Max leaned right into Clara's hand, tail slowly wagging.

Charles stared, completely stunned, his eyebrows drawn tight in disbelief.