The Real Heiress's New Family Adored By All novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69 A Twinge of Jealousy

Zora shook her head.

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She had been snacking nonstop after class today, eating way more than enough treats. But Hallie and the others had piled even more sweets into her hands, far too many for her to finish anytime soon.

“I see.” Reed nodded in understanding, then asked gently, “Has anyone at school been unkind to you today?”

“Not at all. Everyone’s really nice to me. Maya gave me candy, Easton handed me a lollipop, Felix shared his cookies…”

Zora chatted away as they walked, telling Reed all the little things that had happened that day.

Noticing him fall quiet, Zora pressed her lips together softly. “Reed… am I talking too much?”

She wondered if she was being annoying for rambling on like this.

Zora had never been much of a talkative girl, but staying at the Marlow Manor made her feel safe, little by little opening up more.

Jensen and Opal always doted on her and encouraged her to speak her mind, so she’d gotten used to sharing small daily things with them.

Still, she only acted this way around people she truly trusted. With everyone else, she stayed quiet and reserved.

Now that Reed had gone silent, it hit her that they’d only just met today. They weren’t nearly as close as she was with Jensen or Opal.

Maybe her chattering bothered him. No one liked listening to pointless rambling.

Back at the Knox Villa, none of her family had ever cared to listen to her. Her words were always brushed aside, ignored, never taken seriously…

With time, she’d stopped talking much around them too.

“Not at all. I love hearing you talk,” Reed said with a warm smile.

He reached out and ruffled Zora’s hair. Catching the cautious glint in her eyes, he bent down to meet her gaze directly. His easygoing manner softened into something earnest and firm.

“Zora, I like you very much. You never have to hold back or act carefully around any of your

cousins.”

“Thank

you,

Reed.” Zora stared into his warm eyes. The sunset glow gilded his ash-blonde hair,

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Chapter 69 A Twinge of Jealousy

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making him look incredibly gentle. Bathed in the golden light, her clear, bright eyes seemed to light up too.

She thought of the photos she’d received on her phone not long ago, and the faint disappointment in her heart faded away.

The empty, lonely corner of her heart that had felt devoid of family warmth was now sprouting tiny new hope.

There were people quietly looking out for her, without her even knowing it.

After growing up with the Knox brothers, Zora had long stopped holding any hope for what having an older brother could be like.

Then she’d met Jensen, then Kian, and now Reed.

She could barely even remember how the Knox brothers had ever treated her.

“No need to thank me.” Reed sounded a little regretful. “If I’d known how sweet and lovely you are, I would’ve come back home much sooner.”

If he’d realized his family had such an adorable little girl, he’d have returned long ago.

Then Jensen wouldn’t be the one closest to her.

“It’s never too late for you to be here now,” Zora said, her eyes curving into bright crescent

moons.

She already liked this kind, gentle cousin.

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“Zora! School’s over, why aren’t you heading home? What are you loitering out here for!”

A sharp, irritated voice suddenly called out from behind them.

Both of them frowned and turned around.

Holden stood right there, plainly looking furious.

“Holden, we’re heading home already. There’s no need to snap at her like that,” Reed said, frowning at his harsh tone.

Was Holden always this loud and harsh toward his own sister?

Holden fell silent.

He couldn’t even explain why anger had flared up inside him the second he saw them.

He’d watched Zora smiling brightly up at Reed, watched Reed ruffle her hair casually.

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ge of walousy

He had never even touched her hair.

She’d never once smiled that warmly at any of them.

He could count on one hand the times he’d seen her look happy around the Knox household.

More often than not, she kept a cold face and avoided them entirely.

Whenever she spoke to her Knox brothers, her words were sharp and guarded, like a hedgehog raising its spines, as if they meant to hurt her.

The contrast was stark-painfully so.

He was her own brother. Yet she was far warmer toward her cousin than she had ever been with

him.

A strange, possessive frustration welled up in Holden, like something that belonged to him had been stolen away.

That was why he’d blurted out that angry shout the moment he stepped outside and saw them laughing together.

The smile on Zora’s face faded the second she heard Holden’s voice.

When Holden saw that, he felt a wave of suffocation in his chest, and his fists clenched at his sides.

There it was again. Just as he’d expected.

She never had a kind smile for any of the Knox family.

The second she laid eyes on them, all warmth vanished from her face, as if they were something unpleasant to look at.

“You can smile like a blooming flower for him,” Holden snapped bitterly, “but the second you see me, your smile’s gone? Are you that good at changing your expression on a dime?”

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The Real Heiress’s New Family Adored by All