Chapter 343 She Doesn't Believe
Seeing a strand of hair on Elizabeth's shoulder, Betty took a deep breath, pushing down her last bit of hesitation. She reached out and, like she was brushing off some dust, patted Elizabeth's shoulder a few times. Then, quick as a flash, she grabbed the hair and held it tight in her hand.
Elizabeth noticed and gave her a look. Betty, feeling a bit guilty, said, "I saw some dust on your clothes, so I helped you brush it off."
Elizabeth's eyes went cold. "Really? Then why did you take my hair?" She grabbed Betty's hand before she could pull away and took the hair back.
Elizabeth sensed something was off as she observed Betty's conflicted expression and glance at her own shoulder. She then saw the hair on her shoulder—it wasn't even hers, probably someone else's that got stuck on her clothes. But she couldn't let Betty have it and use it for who knows what.
A divination master is super careful about their hair and blood. Elizabeth couldn't let it stay on her clothes and be taken. She didn't stop Betty at first because she wanted to see if she'd actually take it. And she did, which was both surprising and expected.
Caught in the act, Betty panicked. She didn't think Elizabeth would notice such a small move. She forced a smile and said, "I saw more hair on your clothes, so I wanted to help you pick it off and throw it away."
Elizabeth stared at her. "If you look in the mirror now, you'll see your eyes and face look really guilty. Did Mrs. Baker ask you to get this hair?"
Being called out, Betty felt even more embarrassed. She shook her head, denying it. "No, why would Mrs. Baker ask me to take your hair? You misunderstood; I was just helping you brush off the dust and saw the hair, so I took it off to throw it away."
Elizabeth had no more hope or feelings for Betty. Otherwise, this would be really hurtful. She looked at Betty coldly. "Whether I misunderstood or not, you know very well. You always wonder why I don't acknowledge you and want to cut ties. Besides Brenda's relationship, these things are also reasons."
She added sarcastically, "So, you're planning to take my hair and give it to Mrs. Baker to use against me? Are you truly my mother, or my enemy? And yet, you've got the guts to play the elder card. Where do you get such confidence?"
Betty didn't take her hair without a reason; it suggested that Amy had encouraged her. Betty hadn't just chosen to support Brenda over her; now, between Amy and her, Betty again chose Amy. She hadn't expected this, but luckily, she had long stopped caring, so she wasn't hurt anymore.
Being bluntly called out by Elizabeth, Betty's face changed. She wanted to keep denying it, but seeing the sarcasm and coldness in Elizabeth's eyes, she couldn't say anything.
She was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes, Mrs. Baker did ask me to take a strand of your hair for her."
She pursed her lips and added, "She said you might have been cursed before. That's why you've become so heartless towards us. As long as I give her a strand of your hair, she can ask a divination master she knows to drive away the evil aura from you."
She looked up at Elizabeth with a hopeful expression. "I want the old you back, that's why I agreed. Please return my Elizabeth to me."
She really wanted the old, filial, and considerate Elizabeth back. This Elizabeth, who was full of thorns, cold, and heartless, was not her daughter.
Elizabeth suddenly laughed. "You're still fooling yourself. Do you really think I've been influenced by an evil aura? Can't you even tell if I'm your daughter?"
Elizabeth found it pretty ironic and kept going, "You know deep down that I'm still me. You just can't handle the fact that I cut ties with you and changed my attitude after you hurt me. You're just that hypocritical."
She switched her tone as she continued, "Do you really think Mrs. Baker wants my hair to lift some curse? If you truly believed that, why were you so conflicted and hesitant just now? So, you actually had doubts and suspicions that Mrs. Baker wanted my hair to use against me.
"It's just that I didn't go along with you and instead pushed back a few times. You convinced yourself that you were helping me remove a curse, that it was for my own good, and that you did nothing wrong. Mrs. Clark, am I right?" Elizabeth remarked, her tone tinged with sarcasm.
Elizabeth could read Betty like a book. And the more she did, the more grateful she was for cutting ties. Who would want such a toxic family relationship?
Betty's face changed as Elizabeth laid bare her inner thoughts. Her eyes flickered as she tried to explain, "I'm your mother, how could I want to help someone else harm you? Besides, you're so capable, how could you be harmed?"
She did have a slight suspicion that Amy had ulterior motives with Elizabeth's hair. But she figured that since Elizabeth was so strong, taking just a strand wouldn't do much harm—maybe just teach her a lesson. And if Amy was right, and the old, considerate Elizabeth came back, that would be perfect. So, she went for it.
Elizabeth chuckled, "You're still making excuses for your coldness and hypocrisy. I'm capable, so I deserve to be schemed against by you?"
She looked at Betty and said, "Mrs. Clark, we were just minding our own business before, but now you've crossed my line. If you provoke me again, don't blame me for being rude."
With Betty's personality, as long as Elizabeth wasn't the obedient daughter, Betty would always hold a grudge. Betty provoking her again was just a matter of time. By then, Elizabeth's counterattack would be justified.
Betty's face turned red with shame and anger. How could Elizabeth say that about her own mother? Elizabeth really knew how to push her buttons.
She said coldly, "These are just things you made up yourself; I don't acknowledge them."
Elizabeth shrugged indifferently. "Believe what you want."
Then she added meaningfully, "I now understand why Brenda is so cold and heartless. Because she was raised by you, she learned it from you."
Betty was so angry she was trembling, pointing at Elizabeth. "You..." She suddenly didn't know how to respond. What she hated most was being told that Brenda turned out this way because of her upbringing.
Seeing Betty so angry, Elizabeth's expression changed. She put on a look of concern and said, "For the sake of our past mother-daughter relationship, I'll give you a heads-up. I see a greenish tint on your forehead. If you keep hanging out with Amy and causing trouble like her, you'll have bad luck and misfortune. The worst outcome would be being abandoned by everyone."
She wasn't really trying to be kind and warn Betty, but to plant a seed of doubt in her mind. Betty was always very suspicious. If these words came true, Betty would surely trace the cause back to Amy.
Amy's attempt to sow discord between her and Betty didn't bother her; however, she wouldn't sit idly by and let Amy harm her indefinitely. She was scheming too; the closer Betty and Amy appeared now, the more acrimonious their relationship would become in the future. The feud between two society matrons could indeed be quite entertaining. Most importantly, in Betty's current state, there was no way she would heed her words.
Sure enough, Betty was trembling with anger. "You're way out of line, cursing me like that." She didn't believe she would have bad luck and be abandoned by everyone.
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