The Beauty and the Brain

Chapter 80

Marie, as if influenced by the aroma of alcohol on his lips, felt her mind go blank, while tears

continued to flow.

Sobbing, Marie struggled to find the words, “Dennis… I…”

Dennis gently brushed his cheek against hers and whispered, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

He then lowered his head, falling asleep in Marie’s embrace.

With considerable effort, Marie managed to push him away, cover him with a blanket, and quietly leave

with her bag.

Exhausted, Marie leaned against the corridor outside the door, sitting on the ground, trying to collect

her thoughts.

Dennis was like a poison. She almost… almost wanted to tell him that she was the resurrected

assassin.

It was his words, “I will protect you,” that stirred these emotions within her.

Throughout her life, she had been conditioned not to trust anyone, not to rely on anyone. The only thing

she could rely on was the weapons in her hands.

So over the years, she had transformed into a perfect assassin. She liked Seth, but it was purely liking

him; she had never expected him to protect her.

It was her role to protect Seth.

For the first time, someone had offered to protect her.

The idea of being an ordinary woman, hiding behind someone like what Carly did, and pretending to be

weak suddenly seemed appealing.

She yearned to be protected, to have the confidence to cause trouble because she had someone by

her side.

On this night, Dennis’ words, “I will protect you” and “Don’t be afraid, I’m here,” unleashed all the

grievances she had endured in the past, manifesting as tears streaming down her face.

Marie hailed a taxi downstairs, and just as Cullen arrived and parked his car, he called Dennis, “Sir, I

saw Ms. Spence coming out of Glorious Estate. She seemed to be crying.”

“Follow her, make sure she gets home safely,” Dennis instructed.

Cullen trailed the taxi all the way to Cloudy Villa, watching as Marie entered. Once she was inside,

Cullen drove away.

Inside the house, Dennis sat up and opened his computer, but his gaze was distant, lost in thought.

He hadn’t been truly drunk earlier; he had only wanted Marie to accompany him back and spend

some intimate time together.

However, something had changed in Marie when she heard the mention of the Terry Group. Dennis

could sense her emotions shifting, as he always did whenever her emotions were in turmoil.

So he quietly lay there, watching Marie use his finger to unlock his computer and access the emails.

At first, he thought Marie might be an industrial spy.

But then he realized that Marie only looked at one email before closing the laptop.

He couldn’t fathom what one email could reveal.

He was increasingly unable to understand Marie. No matter how good he was to her, she guarded

her secrets fiercely, never letting go, like a dragon protecting its treasure.

Intoxicated by alcohol, he had kissed her, sensing her feelings for him and her unspoken

grievances. But he couldn’t comprehend why she refused to speak up.

Now, looking at the opened email, Dennis grew even more perplexed.

Marie had only looked at the invitation to the Terry Group’s Christmas banquet.

He rubbed his forehead, trying to connect the dots.

The first time, the Terry Group intercepted his belongings, and Rose helped him retrieve them. But

at the time, the only ones who knew about the interception were him, Cullen, Clayton who was

commanding the operation overseas, and Marie.

So how did Rose find out?

The second time, when cooperating with the Terry Group, they leaked confidential information. during

the meeting. But again, the only ones who knew about it were him, Cullen, and Marie. The

president of the Terry Group repeatedly assured them that their security measures were excellent

and that he was not the one leaking the information.

So who leaked the secrets and ruined the collaboration?

And now, it was the third time. Marie opened his computer and only looked at the email from the

Terry Group.

Every time there was something related to the Terry Group, problems arose whenever Marie was

present. The evidence was right in front of him, forcing him to believe it.

When Cullen entered the room, Dennis was still going through the exchanged emails with the Terry

Group and the information Cullen had gathered.

“Ms. Spence has safely arrived home,” Cullen reported.

Dennis nodded and asked, “What’s the situation with the Terry Group?”

“Mr. Terry insists that you attend the banquet. Mr. Philemon also mentioned a possible connection

between the Terry family and external forces. It might be wise to go,” Cullen replied. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Dennis remained silent, continuing to peruse the documents. Unable to resist his curiosity, Cullen

asked, “What are you looking for, sir?”

In frustration, Dennis threw the files aside, leaned back on the sofa, and rubbed his forehead. The

alcohol from earlier weighed heavily on his head.

He didn’t know what he was searching for because he didn’t know what documents or evidence could

prove Marie’s identity and link her to the Terry Group. Why did Marie repeatedly target the Terry

Group?

She was gradually becoming stronger, and Dennis initially thought it was because of the abuse she

suffered in her original family, which made her feel insecure. But now it seemed more like she was

desperately trying to target the Terry Group.

“How did Rose’s investigation go?” Dennis inquired.

Cullen shook his head helplessly. “We couldn’t find any substantial leads. There are numerous women

named Rose in France, but their backgrounds are clean and straightforward. None of them match the

profile of the notorious assassin. I’ve provided Mr. Philemon with all the information we gathered. He

said he would take over the investigation.”

“Tell Clayton to expedite the investigation. Regardless of what he finds, he must inform me

immediately!”

Cullen nodded but couldn’t resist asking, “Rose helped us once. Why do we have to investigate her

true identity?”

Dennis stared at the emails on his computer and suddenly said, “Continue investigating Terry Group,

along with Rose! Have Clayton assign someone to handle it.”

“Are you suspecting a connection between Rose and Terry Group?”

Dennis sighed, realizing he had no choice but to entertain suspicions. There seemed to be a conflict

between Rose and the Terry Group, and he couldn’t ignore the possibility that Marie might be

involved.

Once the seed of doubt is sown, it will quickly sprout.

Behind him stood the Whitney Group, Gavin, Clayton, and Andres. They won’t tolerate any potential

threats to his safety.

Get Bort:*****

The last thing he wanted was for all the doubts to point towards Marie, compelling him to investigate

her. However, he had to be prepared for any outcome.

Dennis stood up and said firmly, “Carry on with the investigation, Cullen. I need the truth.”

Cullen nodded and left Glorious Estate.

The next day, Dennis woke up early with a severe headache.

The effects of last night’s excessive drinking lingered, and he had stayed up late dealing with the

Terry Group matter.

He took a shower and walked out of the bedroom, towel-drying his hair as he strolled into the

dining room.

However, he froze in his tracks when he saw Marie wandering around with a cup in her hand.

Startled, Marie turned to look at him. “You’re awake? I made some honey water for you. Drink it; it

will help with the headache.”

Dennis walked over and took the cup from her hand, tasting the slight sweetness of honey on his

tongue. “Why are you here?”

Marie smiled. “You drank too much yesterday, and I was afraid you’d feel uncomfortable in the morning,

so I brought you breakfast.”

Dennis glanced at the various dishes on the table and smiled. “When did you become so

domesticated? And you even know about honey water?”

Marie stuck out her tongue playfully. “Jolie taught me. I learned on the spot.”

Dennis sat down to have breakfast, and Marie joined him, stealing glances at him from time to time.

“What’s wrong?” Dennis asked, noticing her hesitation.

Marie hesitated and finally asked, “Did you drink too much last night?”

“I did. You brought me back, didn’t you? I can’t remember clearly.”

Marie let out a sigh of relief. “Yes, I brought you back.”

They continued eating their breakfast in silence. Dennis sensed that Marie had come to ask him if

he was aware that she had gone through his computer the previous day.

She sought reassurance, and he was willing to provide it.

“I’ll be going on a business trip to France next week,” Dennis suddenly said.

“Huh?” Marie was taken aback.

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“I’m going to France for about three or four days. Do you have any plans?”

“What? Next week? I haven’t checked…” Marie’s voice trailed off as she became flustered.

“Take a look at your schedule. If you don’t have anything, we can go together.”

“What?” Marie was stunned.

“You mentioned that you’ve never been anywhere before, right? This trip won’t be too work-intensive,

and I can show you around.”

“Why are you going on this business trip?” Marie asked.

Dennis continued eating his breakfast, then lowered his head and said, “To attend the Terry Group’s

banquet.”

The spoon in Marie’s hand slipped from her grasp, crashing to the bowl with a clang. She stared at

Dennis in disbelief. Wasn’t he drunk yesterday? Why did he specifically mention the Terry Group

today?

Dennis looked up at her, meeting her gaze directly, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Marie shook her head, avoiding his eyes. “It’s nothing, really.”

“If you decide to come, let me know, and I’ll have Cullen book the tickets for both of us.”

Maric nodded, finished her meal, quickly cleaned up the kitchen, and left.

Dennis remained in the dining room, contemplating Marie’s reaction and feeling a mix of

emotions.

Their relationship had become complicated. From their initially beautiful encounter to now, they seemed

to be testing each other, keeping secrets from one another.

It felt as if an unfathomable chasm had formed between them, and as they cautiously approached each

other, they risked causing irreparable damage.

Back at her place, Marie retrieved her long-unused phone and messaged Emory, inquiring if he had

found any information about the Terry Group.

Emory didn’t reply. Luca, noticing her return in a hurry, knocked on her door and asked, “Marie, are you

okay?”

Marie stared blankly at Luca. “I’m going to France.”

Luca was stunned. “For what?”

To the Terry Group’s banquet.”

4

Fear flashed across Luca’s face, and he reached out to shake Marie’s shoulders. “Don’t be foolish!

With your face identical to Rose’s, going to the Terry Group would be like walking into death’s arms. If

Wren sees you, she’ll have a hundred ways to kill you!”

Marie covered her head, not knowing what to do. She wanted to stand in front of Wren and tell her that

she was not dead, but once she was exposed, her death would be imminent.