Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 569

Chapter 569: She’s going to kill him!

Hugo gazed at the other side of the backseat, tilting his head. His expression was calm as he assessed the neutral look on Zoren’s face.

"Are you that excited to go home?" he asked, prompting Zoren to look back at him.

Zoren blinked innocently, wondering if it was that obvious. Little did he know that anyone looking at him would not think he was giddy to go home. His expression was stoic, but Hugo seemed to see through him.

"Heh." Hugo snickered proudly. "It’s not that obvious, but you’re glowing. Normally, whenever you’re headed somewhere, you always focus on something else. But now, you’re looking out the window—straight ahead, rather."

The corner of Zoren’s lips curled up. "No wonder you’ve reached your rank at such a young age."

"I’m your second brother," Hugo reminded him. "Even if you’re... older."

An awkward silence settled between them as soon as Hugo mentioned that. After a minute, the two of them nodded at each other.

"Let’s not go over there," Hugo suggested, and Zoren nodded in agreement.

"You’re the second brother," Zoren added. "It’s better that way. Age doesn’t matter."

"That’s right." Hugo nodded back. "It’s a good thing First Brother is still older... isn’t he?"

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, hesitant to even mention Zoren’s and Atlas’s birth month.

"I’d like to think he’s older," Zoren said after a beat.

"You’re right. Let’s just assume."

Both men nodded at each other, telling themselves not to talk about age anymore. Not that it actually mattered, but it would’ve been nice if Penny’s husband were around the same age as she was.

"Now that I think about it..." Hugo’s expression darkened. "Did you pursue my sister when she was thirteen?"

"I’m not Ray," Zoren said. "I would never do that."

Hugo squinted suspiciously. "So, you waited?"

"..." Zoren fell silent, sensing the growing darkness around him. Even with a vision problem, he could tell it was getting darker much faster. "No, I did not wait for her... not like that. Please don’t misunderstand."

"Oh?"

"Penny is a good friend of mine. Our friendship is something I treasure with all my life. However, dating her is different," Zoren explained, not wanting this misunderstanding to escalate. "I pursued her as Penelope Bennet, not as Penny... my friend."

"Oh?" Hugo rocked his head, studying Zoren’s expression suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"I don’t buy it," he replied almost immediately. "But I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt."

Zoren heaved a faint sigh of relief, smiling. "Thank you."

’I see her every Thursday, and she always comes after school. Never once did she tell me she was having a hard time,’ Zoren thought, frowning. ’I had no clue my own cousin was causing her so much suffering.’