Chapter 208 I Neither Need nor Want It
Elizabeth initially noticed how deeply the family loved Brenda. In reality, there was no jealousy or hatred.
After all, they had raised Brenda for over ten years. Even raising a pet for that long would create a strong bond, let alone a person.
When Elizabeth first returned to the Clark family, they welcomed her warmly.
Paul immediately gave her a bank card, telling her to use it as she pleased. When the money ran out, she could go to Betty for more. Or she could come to him again; that was fine, too.
Betty held her hand and cried, saying she had suffered so much outside and it was good she was back.
Although her brothers weren't overly enthusiastic, they didn't target her at first.
Even Enrique, who was the coldest toward her, would still greet her and say a few words.
But it wasn't long before Brenda started to harm her.
Brenda hinted to the Clark family that Elizabeth wanted to take everything from her, even the status of an adopted daughter.
At first, they blamed her because of Brenda, and she explained, but they didn't believe her. Later, as it happened more often, Elizabeth got tired of explaining; it was useless. Anyway, whenever they accused her of things she didn't do because of Brenda, she would argue back. So they thought she liked to cause trouble.
Their hearts were biased; they only believed Brenda, whom they had raised for over ten years, and not her, their biological daughter, who had been away for just as long.
Elizabeth's disappointment and sadness stemmed from their unconditional favoritism towards Brenda. Their bias was evident, yet they never bothered to investigate Brenda's provocations and insinuations thoroughly. If they had, the truth about who was lying would have been clear.
To her, their so-called concern and care were nothing but a joke. That was why, before she was kidnapped in her past life, she had already been planning to distance herself from the Clark family. When they chose to rescue Brenda first during the kidnapping, Elizabeth's hope for them was shattered completely.
Betty hadn't expected Elizabeth to not only reject her but to do so so harshly. She thought, 'Elizabeth has indeed been good and caring toward them, but shouldn't that be expected between family members? We have been misled before, leading to our misunderstanding. Why can't Elizabeth let go of that?'
Betty was stung by Elizabeth's comment, "How can you be so shameless?" but she managed to control her anger and said, "The past is behind us. We now realize the misunderstanding. I want to bring you home, and we'll make it up to you, genuinely."
Elizabeth found this statement laughable rather than moving. She thought, 'Where has their care been all this time?' Her eyes were cold and distant. "You can save your goodwill and compensation for Brenda. I neither need nor want it."
She glanced at her watch. "I didn't realize this was what you had to say, or I wouldn't have wasted nearly ten minutes here. I'm going back to my room now. Feel free to leave, Mrs. Clark."
Elizabeth hadn't expected Betty to come with good intentions. She thought, 'Is Betty now beginning to see Brenda's true colors, recognizing the past misunderstandings and remembering my own kindness? What do they think they are to me?'
Elizabeth left without waiting for Betty to respond, walking away with resolute steps. Betty stood there, stunned, watching Elizabeth's figure disappear from view. It felt as if something precious had been lost forever. An overwhelming sense of frustration and sorrow lingered in her heart.
She thought, 'How could Elizabeth be like this? We're family! I've seen that Brenda isn't as innocent as she seems. Her claims of mistreatment toward Elizabeth might very well have been deceit. I've come in person to make amends, to clear up the misunderstanding, and to invite Elizabeth back home. And yet, she refuses to reconcile.'
Betty was feeling increasingly defeated. Paul's assistant had been trailing behind her the whole time and had overheard the conversation. He was taken aback by Elizabeth's resolute refusal and could clearly see that Elizabeth had no intention of rejoining the Clark family or reconciling with them.
Looking at Betty's bewildered and dejected expression, he thought to himself, 'If only they had valued Elizabeth more and not let Brenda's favoritism drive her away. Now that Brenda's true colors are showing, coming back to Elizabeth is just adding fuel to the fire.'
From an observer's perspective, it seemed like a classic case of too little, too late. Elizabeth didn't owe them anything. However, he kept these thoughts to himself and chose not to voice them.
He turned to Betty and asked, "Mrs. Clark, would you like to head back to your room or go for dinner?"
Betty's face was pale and strained. "I've lost my appetite. I'm already full of frustration."
She was genuinely upset, feeling more like Elizabeth's enemy. Coming from a privileged background, whether with her family or after marrying into the Clark family, she had never been treated so dismissively. To be accused of being shameless by her own daughter was a new low.
She could barely contain her anger and frustration. There was no way she could enjoy a meal in her current state.
Suppressing her rage, she told Paul's assistant, "I'm going to my room to rest. You can get back to your tasks. I'll reach out if needed."
The assistant nodded. "Understood."
After returning to her room, Betty's feelings of discomfort and anger only deepened. She could hardly shake off the irritation. In a fit of frustration, she picked up the phone and dialed Paul.
After listening to Betty recount her conversation with Elizabeth, Paul found himself at a loss for words.
"What on earth made you think it was a good idea to go see her now?" he asked, his tone dripping with exasperation. "All you've done is stir up more trouble."
Betty, sounding defensive, replied, "I know I misunderstood her in the past. I just wanted to make amends and thought this was a good opportunity. But she wouldn't even give her own mother the time of day."
"And what exactly do you suggest we do now?" Paul's voice was tinged with frustration.
Betty said, "It's clear to me that Elizabeth isn't playing games; she genuinely wants nothing to do with us."
Paul's incredulity was palpable. "You're only just realizing this?"
If Elizabeth had wanted to reconcile, she wouldn't have been so cold to her brothers. Paul had previously called her, asking for her help with a friend's tarot reading, only to be met with a frosty refusal. Her attitude today confirmed that she was serious about cutting ties.
"I had planned to handle Brenda first and then explain things to Elizabeth," Paul continued. "I thought it would show more sincerity if we sorted out the Brenda issue before reaching out to her. What you've done now just complicates things."
Betty, feeling a pang of guilt, stammered, "I didn't know all this. You didn't exactly fill me in."
Paul sighed, rubbing his temples. "I didn't expect you'd go directly to Elizabeth. Anyway, you've already done it. At least let her know that we never meant to choose Brenda over her. We're a family, after all."
He stressed, "For now, don't approach her again. Once we've resolved the Brenda situation, we'll go to her together."
Betty nodded. "Okay, I'll follow your lead. And what about my attitude towards Brenda? I can't bring myself to care for her like before."
Especially after being rejected by Elizabeth, Betty was convinced Brenda was the cause of all their problems.
Paul responded, "You don't have to be like before. Handle her however you see fit."
Betty inquired, "What if I bring her back and get someone to teach her some manners? Is that alright?"
Paul agreed, "That's a good plan. Try to keep her at home as much as possible."
He still needed to clear up some issues and didn't want to draw attention by sending Brenda away. Keeping Brenda under surveillance was the safer option.
Betty understood. "Got it! I'll take care of it." She thought, 'Keep her at home? I have plenty ideas!'
As for Brenda, who was currently in the hospital, she kept sneezing uncontrollably.
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