Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1114

Chapter 1114: This one… has his eyes, though.
After analyzing and observing the Pierson family, Penny realized that everyone had one thing in common. Aside from their constant desire for more power and the dislike they held toward each other, all of them referred to Zoren’s mother as “that woman.”

Zoren’s mother was a taboo subject.

Even when Old Mrs. Pierson spoke about her, she never referred to Zoren’s mother by name. Penny understood this because of what Zoren’s mother had done to him. It was also the reason Penny had never seen what Zoren’s mother looked like, nor did she have any idea what she even looked like.

Zoren wouldn’t talk about her, and Penny didn’t dare to ask. Her husband was still recovering, and since Zoren’s main issue was psychological, she didn’t want to mention anything — or anyone — that could bring back all the terrible memories that had pushed him to this state.

“So, this is her,” she whispered, looking at the beautiful woman standing beside a dashing man. “I didn’t expect her to look so… pretty.”

Deep lines appeared between her brows as her lips curved downward. She had imagined Zoren’s mother as someone who looked evil, but she didn’t look evil at all. Even so, one should know not to judge a book by its cover.

Sometimes, the most angelic faces hid the vilest hearts. At times, they didn’t even have a heart to begin with.

But as Penny stared at the woman in the family picture, she couldn’t help but notice, “She looks… nothing like him,” she whispered, only to flinch in surprise when she felt a hand creeping around her.

Instinctively, Penny hid the photo behind the book as Zoren squatted down behind her, placing her between his legs with his arms around her. Looking over her shoulder as he rested his cheek on it, she wondered if he had seen the photo.

“Renren,” she laughed nervously. “I thought you were sleeping?”

“I was,” he muttered, his eyes still closed, his voice groggy. “But I’m always aware when you’re around.”

Zoren paused, his eyes partially opening. “I was waiting for you, but you were taking your time to join me.”

“Ahh…” she laughed again. “Then let’s go back to sleep. I’ll join you.”

Zoren didn’t answer, instead, he just stared at her. “She doesn’t look like me, indeed. Makes me wonder if she’s actually my mother.”

“Huh?”

“That photo you were looking at,” he said, fluttering his eyelashes tenderly. “You don’t have to hide it. I already saw it.”

“Oh…” Her eyes scanned his face, trying to detect any negative reaction. Though his health problems didn’t appear suddenly, she still checked.

“I’m fine, Penny,” he reassured with a slight chuckle. “She no longer has power over my life.”

Penny pressed her mouth into a thin line. “Does that mean you can talk about her freely now?”

“That… I’m not sure of.” His answer was quick but calm. “After all, I don’t remember much about her. She was never really in my life.”

“You’re right.” Penny nodded in understanding, still keeping the portrait hidden. “I’ll just put this back.”

“If you still want to look at it, go ahead. I know you’re curious, and I don’t want to hinder that curiosity.”

“But I know you don’t want anything to do with her.”

“But I want everything to do with you.” He flashed her a reassuring smile. “There are plenty more pictures and paintings tucked away in my father’s storage. I can take you there if you want to look at his works.”

Penny’s brows rose as he smiled, then added, “This is my father’s study. He had quite a few hobbies. One of them was painting. His muse was… her.”

Zoren slowly pushed himself up, holding her arm to bring her with him. “Come with me. I’ll show you.”

Without waiting for her response, Zoren took her hand and led her with him. They didn’t need to go far, since the storage room he was referring to was on the same floor as the study, which he had converted into an observatory.

“It’s all in here,” he said, standing by the door and tipping his head toward it, arms crossed. “Take a look.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. He nodded, so she asked again, “What about you?”

“After you.”

“Oh… okay,” Penny mumbled as she reached for the knob. This was the first time Zoren had been so open about his parents, and she wanted to take this opportunity to learn more.

All she knew about his mother was what she had done to her son, and that everyone called her “that woman.” As for his father, Enzo Pierson, she knew that he was a wise man who had loved his son so dearly that he didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his life to save him. Enzo was also known for his vast watch collection. So many manufacturers and auction houses had reached out to Zoren when they had limited or rare pieces.

But Penny didn’t know Enzo Pierson could paint.

She was curious about his works because, to her, they would offer a glimpse into what kind of person Enzo was, without anyone describing him.

With that thought in mind, Penny opened the door and stepped into what turned out to be a workshop. They simply called it a storage room because it seemed to contain other things that were kept out of sight.

Penny stopped in the middle of the room, her eyes drawn to the painting still on the easel.

“It’s one of his unfinished works. From what I heard, he was working on it during his breaks when she got pregnant,” Zoren remarked, leaning against the doorjamb, not needing to enter. His eyes were fixed on the unfinished painting, which had one unpainted eye and lips.

“From what I know, the pregnancy was a sensitive one, requiring a lot of attention from my father and everyone around them. And then, that incident happened. That’s why he couldn’t finish it,” Zoren continued. “But somehow, I can’t help but wonder why he left it there sometime later before his death if he never intended to finish it.”

Penny looked back at her husband, only to find him staring at the painting coldly. She pursed her lips before turning her attention back to the unfinished portrait of a beautiful woman.

‘This one… has his eyes, though,’ she thought.