📖 The Story Continues
The story doesn't end here.Continue reading the full story adaptation below and discover what happens next.
I Have Five Kick-Ass Brothers – Episode 11
The Lincoln dining table disappeared beneath the day’s earnings as Raina counted every bill for the third time. The total was almost three times what she had dared to expect. Around her, seven members of Brookfield’s wealthiest family behaved as though the modest stack were a miracle, because the joy on her face made it one.
“First, fresh groceries,” Raina announced, separating the money into careful piles. “No more canned vegetables pretending to be dinner. Then we save enough for rent and emergencies.” Her parents exchanged guilty smiles; the house was owned outright, and their pantry elsewhere could feed hundreds, but interrupting her pride felt cruel.
She opened a shopping page on her phone and showed them one final item: a robot vacuum. Mrs. Lincoln nearly laughed at the absurdity. A top model already waited in storage after Noah had removed it to support their disguise, but Raina mistook her hesitation for concern over the price.
“I’ll work for it,” Raina promised. “You shouldn’t spend every evening cleaning up after five grown men.” Henry protested that he was perfectly tidy, prompting four brothers to list evidence against him. Their mock argument filled the room until Raina laughed hard enough to wipe tears from her eyes.
Mrs. Lincoln watched the daughter she had lost build happiness from so little. Coco had once received expensive gifts without gratitude; Raina treated groceries and a cleaning machine as dreams worth earning. “I’m so glad she is our daughter,” she whispered to her husband when Raina left the room.
Noah heard and shared the feeling, but unease accompanied it. Their test had already proven Raina’s heart, yet the family continued lying about who they were. Each day of silence increased the chance that love would turn into betrayal when she learned the truth.
Across town, Coco sat in a private treatment room with Raina’s hospital photograph placed beside surgical instruments. The practitioner studied the long scar visible along Raina’s arm, then looked at Coco in disbelief. “You want me to cut healthy skin to copy this?”
“Exactly,” Coco said. Her voice did not tremble, though the sight of the blade chilled her. Theo’s fortune, name, and devotion waited on the other side of a wound. Pain was temporary; surrendering him to Raina would be permanent.
The practitioner warned that scars could heal unpredictably and infection might follow. Coco pushed an envelope of cash across the table. “Make it look exactly like the photograph. If you ruin it, you will never work in Brookfield again.” Fear overcame professional judgment.
As the anesthetic needle entered her skin, Coco imagined Theo discovering the mark and accepting it as proof. She would tell him her childhood memory had returned in fragments. Once the engagement became public, Raina’s version of events would sound like jealousy from a discarded daughter.
Theo, meanwhile, studied the duplicate hospital photograph in his office. The shape and location seemed right, but distance and poor resolution prevented certainty. He refused to confront Raina with a story that might burden her if he was wrong. He needed to see the scar himself.
His assistant suggested requesting medical confirmation. Theo rejected the idea. Raina had already endured investigators reducing her life to a file, and he would not violate her privacy further. He would return to the food stand, earn her trust, and wait for an honest opportunity.
The following morning, Raina arrived before the construction crews and found a luxury car parked beside her folding table. Theo stepped out carrying coffee for the entire family. His attempt at ordinary friendliness would have been more convincing without a driver and a suit worth more than the stand.
“You came back,” Raina said, unable to hide her surprise. Theo claimed his private chef lacked two essential talents: Mrs. Lincoln’s seasoning and Raina’s conversation. Heat rose into her cheeks before she could decide whether the comment was charming or ridiculous.
Noah accepted a coffee and watched Theo over the lid. He knew his friend’s reputation well enough to recognize genuine interest. The discovery should have reassured him—Theo could protect Raina from almost anyone—but an older brother’s suspicion refused to be rational.
Raina prepared Theo’s lunch herself. He noticed how carefully she packed extra sauce and remembered every preference from his previous visit. When he offered far too much money, she returned most of it and granted him only a small discount for becoming a regular.
“You negotiate with billionaires like they’re difficult customers,” Theo observed. Raina shrugged. “At this table, that’s exactly what you are.” Her refusal to flatter him felt refreshing after years surrounded by people who measured every word against his inheritance.
From inside a parked car across the road, Coco watched their easy conversation. A fresh bandage circled her arm beneath her sleeve, throbbing with every heartbeat. She had believed copying the scar would secure Theo; instead, seeing him smile at Raina revealed how much ground she had already lost.
Theo reached for the lunch box at the same moment Raina lifted it. Their fingers brushed, and the contact startled them both. Her sleeve shifted slightly, exposing the pale edge of an old mark near her wrist before she tugged the fabric back into place.
Theo’s attention sharpened. The glimpse had been brief, but it matched the photograph. Across the street, Coco saw exactly where he was looking and gripped her injured arm. If Theo uncovered Raina’s scar before Coco’s imitation healed, no lie in the world would save her.
