The Real Heiress's New Family Adored By All novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71 Unwanted Company

Dinner would be served soon, and Holden offered to go fetch Zora himself.

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He headed up to the third floor, his gaze falling on the room right in the middle of the hallway where Zora stayed. A twinge of sorrow tugged at his chest.

The Marlow family truly treated her far better than the Knox family ever had.

Pushing down the heavy, lingering unease in his heart, he knocked softly on the door.

It opened right away. Zora had changed into a soft, pale yellow loungewear set. Her sleek hair fell loosely over her shoulders, her delicate face glowing, with a faint herbal scent lingering around her.

Spotting Holden standing outside, Zora said not a word and moved to shut the door at once.

Holden reacted fast, pressing his palm against the door to stop it from closing.

“Grandma sent me to get you for dinner,” he said.

Zora let go, leaving the door ajar.

Holden glanced past her and caught sight of her bedroom-lavishly decorated in a dreamy, elegant style.

It was nothing like the plain guest-room-like space she had back at the Knox Villa.

The weight in his chest grew heavier at the contrast.

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Zora stepped out with a cold expression, and Holden walked quietly beside her.

When they reached the living room, Opal was nowhere to be seen.

Reed had gone off to study already.

His honors class followed a completely different curriculum pace compared to Zora’s international program.

As a senior, Reed would be taking the SAT next year. Even known as a genius who always topped the grade rankings, his outstanding grades came from nothing but relentless hard work.

Nothing worthwhile in life ever came easy.

Down in the living room, it was just the two of them alone.

Zora had no wish to stay in Holden’s company.

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10:04 Sun, May 31

Chapter 71 Unwanted Company

She turned and walked toward the garden instead.

She planned to pick some blooms to dry later; they could be used as herbal ingredients.

The garden held far more than ordinary flowers now-rows of medicinal herbs grew all throughout. After Jensen learned about her knowledge of herbal medicine, he’d spared no expense to have a dedicated herb plot planted just for her.

Jensen was swamped with work at his company and couldn’t make it home for dinner every day.

Zora wasn’t sure if he’d be back tonight.

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She’d noticed he relied on endless cups of coffee to stay awake lately, and wanted to brew him herbal tea.

She also planned to make appetite-boosting herbal supplements and calming herbal tonics for Jett and Leighton.

Now that she was in school, she wouldn’t have this much free time once the homework started piling up.

She wondered how those two were faring, resolving to ask Jensen when he returned.

They meant a lot to Jensen, and she hoped nothing bad would happen to them.

There was little she could do for other troubles, but adjusting their health with herbal remedies was something she could manage.

Holden watched her leave and followed right behind.

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Once in the garden, Zora headed straight for the herb plot. She grabbed a small wicker basket and a tiny gardening hoe, but when she turned around, Holden was still trailing close behind her.

“You’re stepping all over my herbs!”

Zora spun around, staring at the crushed herbs under Holden’s feet. For the first time, clear anger flashed across her face.

Hearing her sharp tone, Holden lifted his foot in a hurry to move aside-only to trample over another patch of herbs in the process.

Zora’s frustration flared. She reached out, grabbed his arm, and pulled him firmly out of the herb bed.

“I didn’t-” Holden stared down at the plain-looking crushed plants, fumbling for an explanation.

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Chapter 1 Unwanted Company

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“What exactly are you following me for?” Zora lifted her eyes, looking at him with icy coldness.

“I didn’t mean to step on them. Tell me what these are, and I’ll buy new ones to replace every last one,” Holden said.

He felt stung by her cold stare and made no excuse. Seeing how angry she was, he honestly admitted his mistake.

He didn’t know those were herbs.

He’d never set foot in a farmland in his life as the heir of the Knox family.

Now standing in the herb patch, his crisp white sneakers were caked in mud and dirt.

“I don’t need you to replace anything. Just tell me why are you following me?” Zora’s voice stayed frigid.

“I…” He fell quiet. What was he even doing trailing after her like this?

He’d seen her ignore him, walk out of the living room, and instinctively followed. Even when she acted like he didn’t exist and refused to speak a word to him, staying close didn’t feel boring… or unbearable at all.

He just wanted to stay by her side.

Holden had never been so thoroughly ignored by anyone before, yet strangely, he’d used to Zora treating him this way these past few times.

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“Leave if you have nothing to say,” Zora said flatly at his silence, her expression unyielding.

“I do have something to say,” Holden blurted out without thinking.

“I don’t care to hear it.”

Zora turned to head back toward the herb plot.

Holden reached out and caught her wrist gently this time, barely looping his fingers around her slender arm.

He frowned at how frail and thin she felt in his grasp, hardly any flesh on her bones at all.

She was living in comfort now, no longer stuck out in the countryside. The Knox household had more than enough fine meals every day-so why hadn’t she put on any weight?

“Don’t you eat properly back home? How can you be this thin?”

“Let go of me.”

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10:04 Sun, May 31

Chapter 71 Unwanted Company

Zora stopped in her tracks, brows furrowed, her mood clearly soured.

“Zora, I need to talk to you. If I let go, you’ll just walk away and never listen.”

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10:05 Sun, May 31

The Real Heiress’s New Family Adored by All