Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Hope’s POV

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I looked at the two of them back and forth as they continued to bicker. They didn’t say anything explicitly, but based on the conversation alone, I could already piece together a few things.

They had the same mother.

Zayla wasn’t a fan of her father.

And more than that, it seemed Levi’s father wasn’t in the picture anymore.

“Zayla,” Levi said in a warning tone, causing her to glance at me before letting out a sigh.

“Fine, fine. Let’s not talk about family trauma today.”

Levi narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You didn’t just come here because you wanted to see the game, did you?”

A sheepish smile appeared on her face.

“You really know me so well, hmm?” she asked brightly.

“You don’t even like hockey, Zayla,” he said, massaging the bridge of his nose. “You don’t come here unless there’s something else you want. So, what is it? A new bag? Money?”

“I don’t need that now,” she said dismissively. “My allowance is plenty.”

“It used to be not.”

“I’ve grown up, Levi,” Zayla said with a grin. “Anyway, I didn’t come here for any of that. You remember the family dinner for my-”

“I’m not going, Zayla.”

He didn’t even let her finish. The immediate rejection made her jaw drop.

“It’s for my birthday!” she exclaimed. “You didn’t even come last year.”

“And why do you think that is?”

The question hung heavily in the air. Zayla opened her mouth before closing it again. For once, she seemed to be carefully choosing her words.

Levi sighed when she remained silent.

“I know that our family isn’t the best,” she finally said.

He raised a brow.

“Alright. Our family’s the worst.”

That earned the slightest twitch from Levi.

“Grandma wants you to get married and have a child. Grandpa wants you to come back to the family and run the family business. And Mom wants you to quit hockey.”,

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Chapter 59

My eyes widened slightly.

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I turned toward Levi. His gaze remained fixed on his sister, but there was a tension in his expression that hadn’t been there before. So there really was a reason why he was always so guarded.

Levi exhaled slowly.

“I’ll treat you by myself again this year. I don’t need to go to the family dinner.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Suddenly, I heard a soft sniff beside me. My head turned toward her./My eyes

widened.

“Zayla?”

Fat tears rolled down her cheeks, one after another. Within seconds, she was crying so hard that her shoulders shook.

Alarmed, I hurried over to her side. She looked devastated by Levi’s rejection.

“You know this is my eighteenth birthday, right?” she asked between sobs. “It’s also going to be the last birthday I celebrate in the family house before I leave to study in Europe.”

Levi remained silent.

“We won’t see each other very often anymore, Levi.”

More tears streamed down her face. She wiped them away miserably.

“I also don’t want to deal with our family by myself that day. When everyone gathers together, they become even more unbearable.”

Another sob escaped her.

“At least if you’re there, I won’t feel so lonely.”

I felt my chest tighten. Maybe it was because she looked genuinely heartbroken, Or maybe it was because beneath all the teasing and chaos, it was obvious how much she cared about her brother.

Whatever the reason was, I found myself turning toward Levi. I looked him straight in the eyes. I didn’t know how terrible their family dinners were. But if this was truly Zayla’s last birthday before leaving-

Was it really so unreasonable for him to go?

Levi’s expression remained firm, but I noticed the slightest hesitation.

Zayla must have noticed it too because she sniffled even louder.

“I’ll miss you,” she whispered.

Finally, after a long moment, he released a defeated sigh.

“Fine.”

Zayla froze.

“I’ll be there for a little bit.”

Her transformation was instant. The tears disappeared so quickly that I wondered if they had ever been real in the first place. She casually wiped her cheeks and flashed a bright smile.

Chapter 59

“Great.”

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I stared at her in complete disbelief. Just seconds ago, she had looked as though her heart had shattered into a million pieces. Now she looked perfectly fine.

“See you there then,” she continued cheerfully. “The theme is green. My favorite color.”

Levi sighed heavily.

“You should become an actress, Zayla. I think you’d excel at it.”

“No way,” she said with a laugh. “Being an actress would be a death sentence in our family.”

She leaned back comfortably.

“They’re lucky enough that I’m actually interested in the family business.”

Levi looked like he regretted agreeing already.

“Anyway,” Zayla continued. “No take-backs, alright?”

A mischievous smile spread across her face.

“I’ll also tell Grandma that you’re bringing a date.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed.

“Zayla.”

The warning came too late. Before either of us could react, she had already pulled out her phone and shoved it toward us.

“I already texted her.”

Levi stared at the screen and closed his eyes, sighing impatiently.

Zayla then turned to me with a wide smile. “I’ll expect you there too, okay, Hope?”

My eyes widened.

“Me?”

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