The Beauty and the Brain

Chapter 114

Upon returning to the dining hall, Asher was already seated at the head of the table, with Marie sitting

to his left. She politely called out, “Grandpa.”

Asher laughed and asked everyone to sit down. Noel, who had just returned from outside,

travel-worn and weary, immediately greeted Asher.

Asher looked at his young and successful grandson with a smile and said, “Noel is back, sit down and

have a bowl of soup, dinner will be ready soon.”

Noel walked over and sat on Asher’s right side, facing Marie.

The dishes were all served, and Asher called everyone to eat. Among the six family members, not a

single person spoke; they all ate their meal quietly.

Asher and Noel discussed the current situation in the business world and the development of Spence

Group. Noel asked, “I heard Grandpa, you gave Marie 4% of the shares?”

Marie lowered her head and didn’t speak. Was she going to stand up for her sister?

Asher nodded, “Each of the three sisters will have their share. Carly, being naive, caused such a big

problem, so her share will go to Marie.”

Noel nodded, looked at Marie and asked, “Marie, are you planning to go back to work at Spence

Group?”

Marie shook her head, “I won’t go back, I’m not interested.”

Olive sneered, “Stepping on Carly to enter the entertainment industry, now having her own studio,

she even looks down on Spence Group.”

Marie laughed, “I do admire the Spence Group. How about it, Olive? Would you give me your shares

as well?”

Olive glared at her, “You dare to ask for shares? You stole my endorsement, and I haven’t even settled

the score with you yet!”

Noel frowned, “What endorsement?”

Olive immediately complained, “The online game endorsement was originally mine! It was Marie

who intervened and stole it from me!”

Marie laughed, “Your stuff? Did the game development company sign a contract or an agreement with

you? If you can show me one thing written in black and white, I’ll admit that I stole it from

.you.”

“You!” Olive was speechless. She had no proof, but the other party had been very satisfied with her at

the time, and she thought there was no way this could go wrong!

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“Olive, you really believe the lip service in the business world? If you haven’t signed a contract, it’s not

yours!” Marie said as she sipped her soup.

“But if it wasn’t for your meddling, this endorsement would have been mine!” Olive argued.

Noel frowned and said, “Alright, it’s a matter of individual abilities. I’ll accept the outcome of the

bet.”

Marie also laughed, “Did you hear that? You have to accept the loss if you’re willing to bet!”

Mason slammed the fork on the table with a “bam” and looked at Marie, “Have you had enough of

this?”

Marie glanced at Mason and asked, “What did I do?”

Mason glared at her, wishing he could rush over and slap her twice, “You’ve turned this home into a

tremendous mess. How far do you want to take this before you’re satisfied?”

Marie laughed, “If you want me to be satisfied, why not ask Ms. Dillon to tell me how my mother

died back then? Let’s clear this up so we can put it to rest.”

Mia stiffened for a moment, then smiled gently, “Marie, your mother did indeed pass away from

depression back then. What exactly are you trying to find out?”

Marie slammed her fork down on the table with a “bam” and said, “My mom died of depression? Until

now, there hasn’t been a single photo of her at home, no ID, no signatures, nothing. She was Mrs.

Spence after all, so why is there no trace left? No one was even willing to tell me my mother’s full

name. If your conscience is free, why not just say it openly and honestly?”

Mason pushed the chair back and stood up, making a harsh noise, and pointed at her, saying, “Your

mother was just a woman who brought shame upon the family! Promiscuous! Wanton! She didn’t

deserve a place in this household!”

“Enough!” Asher shouted, drawing everyone’s attention back.

Mason, still agitated, said, “That woman, your mother! She has no shame!”

With a “smack,” Asher threw the bowl beside him at Mason’s face. The porcelain hit Mason’s face,

causing blood to seep from his forehead. As if he hadn’t seen it, Asher shouted grimly, “Shut up!”

Mason stopped in pain, and Mia stood up anxiously, supporting Mason and shouting, “Darling! Darling!

Are you alright?”

Olive also went to check on Mason’s injury and asked, “Dad, should we call a doctor to come to the

house and bandage it up?”

Asher, visibly angry, sat in the main seat and said, “Noel, call the doctor to come home and bandage

your father!”

Noel nodded, went out, and called a doctor to come over.

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Olive turned her head and glared at Marie, angrily saying, “It’s all because of you! You jinx!”

Marie ignored her, looked at Asher, and said, “Grandpa, should I help you go back and rest?”

Asher sighed and nodded. Marie helped Asher back to the room, and he sat on the bed. Hesitating for

a moment, Marie asked, “Grandpa, you know about my mom’s situation, don’t you?”

Asher looked out the window for a long time without speaking. So long that Marie thought Asher

didn’t want to talk about the matter at all. Then, Asher walked over to the safe by the bed, opened it,

and took out a photo from inside, handing it to Marie.

In the photo, there were Asher, Mason, a young woman, and a well-behaved baby in her arms – a

complete family portrait.

Marie was taken aback, “What is this?”

Asher sighed and said, “That baby, it was you.

Marie’s tears welled up in her eyes, her voice trembling, “So this woman… is… she is…”

“Your mother, her name was Luisa Pearson, I don’t know how she met your father, but she

wholeheartedly married him and helped him manage the Spence Group. Later, she gave birth to you.

However, after your birth, she became somewhat unstable, her speech was always unclear, and she

was indeed suffering from severe depression. Eventually, she ended her life,” Asher recounted briefly.

“Did… Did she really bring shame upon the Spence family?” Marie asked.

Asher sighed, and tonight, he had sighed countless times.

After a while, Asher said, “Marie, she was always your mother.”

Asher took out another necklace from the safe. It was made of an unknown material, and the gem

was carved into the shape of a four-leaf clover. On the back, the word “Luisa” was engraved.

Asher handed the necklace to Marie and said, “This is the only thing your inother left behind. I originally

planned to give it to you on your wedding day, but today… never mind, just take it!”

A nice New Year’s Eve dinner turned into a family argument, and Asher somewhat blamed her for it.

Marie nodded, didn’t say anything, and turned to leave the room.

Marie lay on her bed, examining the photo. Luisa wore a beautiful floral long skirt, with no jewelry

except for a four-leaf clover necklace, which looked elegant and refreshing. Her long hair cascaded like

a waterfall, and her delicate features had a hint of heroic spirit. Tenderness filled her eyes and

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In her arms, she held a young Marie, a tiny one, who was squinting her eyes and smiling.

lieve

She was unwilling to believe that Luisa was a promiscuous woman.

However, Mason said that it was because Luisa had caused a scandal that she was erased from the

family history, and Asher also acknowledged this matter.

So, did Mason hate me because my mother was a promiscuous woman?

Marie gently caressed the woman’s tender face, feeling a strong sense of suffocation in her heart.

This was her first time being so close to Marie’s mother, or rather, her own mother.

However, she was informed that her mother was a promiscuous woman who would only bring

shame upon the Spence family.

A part of her, she didn’t know if it was the original part of Marie, felt sad, helpless, and lonely.

The only evidence of the woman who gave her life in this world was this small photo.

Ring ring! Marie’s phone rang.

She picked up the phone, her voice sounding a bit hoarse. “Dennis?”

Dennis’ voice was deep and magnetic. “Come out.”

“It’s very late!” Marie said reluctantly as she hung up the phone. She hastily washed her face and

ran out of the mansion.

Stepping out of Cloudy Villa, Dennis’ car was parked under a streetlight. The man, wearing a dark

red coat, stood beside the car. Countless specks of dust swirled above his head, as if they were stars.

Marie ran over and asked, “What’s going on?”

Dennis pulled her into his arms and said, “I missed you.”

Marie hummed twice, “New Year’s Eve, why didn’t you go home?”

Dennis paused for a moment, holding her hand tightly, “I don’t know where to go back to.”

Marie was taken aback, and the surge of sadness in her heart almost brought tears to her eyes.

She realized that, for Dennis, he could never bring himself to hurt the man called his father more

cruelly, yet he also couldn’t act as a family member and share a New Year’s Eve dinner with him.

She reached out her hand, embracing the man’s broad back, and asked, “Glorious Estate… is there

still food at home?”

Dennis nodded, “A little bit.”

Marie pulled him into the car and said, “Let’s go, time to go home.”

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Dennis drove her back to Glorious Estate, and after Marie changed her shoes, she headed straight to

the kitchen. She found an apron she had never used before and tied it on herself, then grabbed

another one and tied it around Dennis’ waist.

Dennis looked confused, “Do what?”

Marie laughed, “Making New Year’s Eve dinner!”

The refrigerator was well-stocked with ingredients, and Melissa added fresh vegetables and meat every

day. Marie chopped up a bunch of celery, and gave the meat to Dennis to mince.

The two people were bustling around in the kitchen. Marie actually didn’t know how to cook much, but

Dennis knew a lot, so it didn’t seem too chaotic.

After mixing the meat filling, Marie looked at the dough and felt worried, as she really didn’t know

how to roll out ravioli skins!