Chapter 272 Can You Let Me Go?
As the recording cut off, Raymond was fuming, his heart breaking for Elizabeth. He knew she had it rough with the Clark family, but hearing it laid out like that hit him hard.
He shot a fiery look at Enrique and Kevin. "Are you even human? And you call yourselves her brothers? Even strangers wouldn't be this messed up."
He then zeroed in on Enrique, dripping with sarcasm. "All that education, and this is what you do with it? Elizabeth earned her spot fair and square, and Brenda just wanted it. So Your whole family bullied Elizabeth into giving it up, or you'd snatch it for Brenda."
"Seriously, that's the most shameless thing I've ever heard. And isn't the title of Miss Clark supposed to be Elizabeth's? The way you act, it's like she's the outsider trying to take Brenda's place. If that's the case, why'd you even bring Elizabeth back? Just to make her look bad next to Brenda? You guys are straight-up evil. Elizabeth's really unlucky to have family like you."
Turning to Kevin, Raymond's voice turned icy. "And you, you lost Elizabeth back then, and now you have the nerve to demand she give up her spot for Brenda. Teaming up to crush and steal Elizabeth's stuff. How dare you say Elizabeth blames you for losing her? Shouldn't she? If she hadn't met Wayne, she would've been sold into slavery after being taken by traffickers. How do you have the guts to say Elizabeth blaming you is just her way of competing with Brenda for attention?"
Raymond's voice shook with righteous anger. "Does Elizabeth even care about Brenda's so-called favor? She only cared about you as family, which is why you took advantage of her. Since she came back, how much has she done for you? Don't you have any clue? From what I've heard, a lot. Like, she makes food tailored for each of you in the Clark family. Arnold often had a sore throat, and she spent over half a year making a throat lozenge that not only soothes but also relieves pain. But on the last variety show, he came to criticize Elizabeth. Those throat lozenges went down the drain!"
Raymond didn't hold back. "Elizabeth practiced dancing with you and got photographed by reporters. She got trashed by your fans, and you, the brother who lost her, didn't come out to explain. Later, you were photographed having dinner alone with Brenda. When Brenda got trashed, you immediately came out to clarify personally. And that's just what we know. What about the stuff we don't know? Elizabeth has done so much for each of you in the Clark family, cherishing the hard-won family ties."
He sneered, "But what did she get in return? Is this how you repay her? Your so-called compensation is to crush her, steal her things, and even falsely accuse her of stealing Brenda's stuff. You pushed her to the point where she couldn't stay in the Clark family, and to protect what she fought for, she had to cut ties with you."
He kept going, "But you know what? I've got it all figured out. Whether it's the past or this recording, it all points to one thing: you Clark family folks love twisting the truth, bullying Elizabeth, and falsely accusing her just to prop up Brenda. It's like a joke. The spot was clearly something Brenda wanted to snatch from Elizabeth. But in your twisted view, it became Elizabeth taking Brenda's resources."
Raymond turned to Arthur, looking for backup. "Arthur, wasn't Elizabeth the first one you confirmed as a regular guest for this variety show? Brenda came in later, right?"
Arthur, who had been all pumped up by the recording, now felt a bit sour. He didn't dodge the question. "Yeah, everyone knows Elizabeth is a master of divination. She saved my wife before the show was even a thing. She didn't ask for anything in return. After the show got confirmed, I wanted to repay her, so I asked Elizabeth to be a regular guest. Brenda came into the picture later when Richard brought her and Kevin to me. They said Kevin would join the show for free, but only if Brenda was included. Since Kevin's a big star, I couldn't say no, so I agreed."
Raymond nodded and turned back to Enrique. "Thanks for clearing that up, Arthur. So, Enrique, how exactly did Elizabeth steal Brenda's spot and resources? Explain it to everyone. Otherwise, we can't follow your twisted logic."
Enrique's face turned beet red, a mix of shame and anger. Being called out by Raymond like that was a punch he didn't see coming.
He opened his mouth. "I..." but nothing came out. He had acted on impulse, believing the twisted reasons they had cooked up to pressure Elizabeth. Now he had nothing to back it up.
Raymond sneered, "What? Cat got your tongue? You were pretty loud when you were telling Elizabeth to let Brenda have her way. Isn't it actually Elizabeth who wants you to let her go? From the start, it was you who provoked and accused her, and now you have the nerve to say Elizabeth won't let Brenda go."
Raymond kept going, "In the first episode, Kevin immediately jumped on Elizabeth, telling her not to bully Brenda. In the second episode, before the live broadcast even started, Arnold rushed at Elizabeth, accusing her because of Brenda, telling her not to go too far. And now, you're doing the same, coming in and falsely accusing Elizabeth as if she's the villain. If Elizabeth didn't have the recording as proof, you'd have falsely accused her of suppressing Brenda and stealing her resources."
He stared at Enrique and Kevin. "What beef do you have with Elizabeth? Why do you treat her like this?"
Elizabeth turned to them, looking defeated. "I want to ask the same thing. What grudge do you have against me that you keep targeting me? You stand up for Brenda and come to scold me. What did I ever do to you? Just like earlier, our relationship was already bad; we had already fallen out, and I didn't want to fake it for the audience. Suddenly, it's all my fault, and I'm the rude one. Also, can you please just leave me alone? Don't drag me into everything. I really don't want any ties or association with you! Can't we just be strangers?"
She thought, 'Raymond is really something, hitting all the key points from the recording and throwing it back at them.'
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