Chapter 477 Should I Help Betty?
After ending the call with Loren, Brenda dialed her "good friend" Elise Sinclair.
Elise had always harbored feelings for Loren but stepped back when he became engaged to Michelle. After Michelle ended the engagement, Elise attempted to get close to Loren, but he consistently kept his distance. Moreover, neither the Sinclair Family nor the Clark Family had ever considered a marriage alliance between them, mainly due to the long-standing animosity between Elise's mother, Claire Hawthorne, and Loren's mother, Betty. Both women, heirs from wealthy families, had disliked each other since childhood. Originally, Claire was supposed to marry Paul, but Betty stepped in and took her place, deepening the animosity between them.
This rivalry was well-known in their social circles. For example, when Betty faced a scandal, Claire hired netizens to manipulate the online narrative and insult her. Conversely, when Claire's family encountered issues, Betty retaliated.
Claire was the first to oppose Elise's interest in Loren. Elise's father, Lowell Sinclair, also held a grudge against Paul because Claire had almost ended up with Paul in the past. Despite the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation between the Sinclair Group and the Clark Group, Lowell steadfastly refused to collaborate, and Paul did not push the matter. Their interactions remained frosty.
Loren's plan for Brenda involved asking Elise to seek Claire's help in hiring a lawyer for her case. Claire had a nephew who was a top litigator, and doing something against Betty would likely please Claire.
Brenda and Elise's relationship was superficially friendly, but in reality, they were envious and suspicious of each other. Elise wanted to be close to Loren, which kept her near Brenda, while Brenda flaunted Loren's affection to provoke Elise.
When Elise heard about Brenda's troubles and her expulsion from the Clark Family, she was initially reluctant to help. She was too pleased with Brenda's misfortune to even consider helping her. However, when Brenda mentioned that Loren had asked her to call, Elise didn't immediately refuse. After hanging up with Brenda, Elise contacted Loren.
Seeing Elise's call, Loren smiled faintly and answered. Elise asked directly, "Loren, do you not want Brenda to go to jail?"
Loren sighed, "Although I don't condone what she did, and her biological parents are our family's enemies, she was young back then and didn't participate in those events. Plus, that bank card was indeed given to her by my mom. She's been my sister for so many years, and seeing her go to jail makes me uneasy. If she can avoid jail this time, it would fulfill the last bit of sibling bond between us. After this, there will be no more relationship between us."
Though Loren didn't explicitly ask for Elise's help, the implication was clear. Elise felt a surge of hope. She had long been frustrated by Loren's affection for Brenda and Michelle's disgust toward Brenda, which had led to the broken engagement. Elise had confessed her feelings to Loren while he was engaged to Michelle, but he had gently rejected her, emphasizing his loyalty to Michelle.
Elise had a crush on Loren since school and believed no one could measure up to him. She reached out a few times, but he stayed distant, keeping his distance for Michelle's sake. Though deeply hurt, she respected his loyalty and felt a twinge of envy toward Michelle. These circumstances left her with no reason to approach him again. She had to keep her feelings hidden.
After the engagement ended, Elise tried to get close to Loren, but his attitude remained distant. In anger, she went abroad and only recently returned, ready to move on and follow her family's arrangements to meet another wealthy young man. However, Brenda's call and Loren's attitude rekindled her hopes.
Elise saw this as a final opportunity to get close to Loren, especially since he mentioned severing ties with Brenda. She wouldn't have to witness their intimate behavior anymore, which was a relief. Loren's willingness to help Brenda, despite their strained relationship, showed he was sentimental, a quality Elise admired.
Just as Elise was about to offer her help, Loren changed the subject, and they ended the call before she could respond. Determined, she decided to help Loren regardless and later discuss the matter to reconnect with him.
Elise approached Claire, but instead of revealing her true motive, she framed it as an opportunity to make Betty upset. Claire, who had a poor impression of Brenda due to recent scandals, agreed to help, motivated by her dislike for Betty.
With Claire's nephew involved, they argued that Brenda had transferred money from Betty's account with Betty's consent. Betty had received notifications of these transfers and had not reported them at the time, indicating tacit approval. When their relationship soured, Betty sued Brenda, which appeared as an act of framing. Without evidence that Brenda had stolen the bank card, Betty could only watch as Brenda was released.
Betty, however, was determined to send Brenda to jail and vowed to find another way. Her hatred for Claire deepened.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth, aware of Claire's involvement in helping Brenda, discussed the matter with Raymond over dinner.
Raymond asked, "Elizabeth, should I help Betty? It's not theft; it could be changed to fraud or something." If he intervened, Brenda would undoubtedly face jail time.
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