Chapter 286:

Elyse kept her head down, silently waiting for her driver. After nearly twenty minutes, a car pulled to a stop. Elyse immediately stood, quickly approaching the vehicle. A paparazzo spotted the car and exclaimed, "Check it out! A Rolls-Royce Phantom! That's impressive!" His companion, also noticing it, said, "Isn't that the woman who was sick? She's loaded, riding around in that luxury car!"

The two paparazzi exchanged glances, recognizing Elyse. Grabbing their cameras, they dashed toward her. "Ms. Lloyd! Ms. Lloyd! Could you wait a moment? We have a few questions," they called. Recognizing her, they eagerly pursued her, but Elyse slipped into the car before they reached her. The driver accelerated, leaving them behind.

Finally safe, Elyse exhaled deeply, slumping against the seat, looking drained. The driver studied her carefully. "Mrs. Owen," he said, "Mr. Owen isn't home. Are you alright?"

Elyse nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

After arriving home, Elyse received a call from Tracy. Tracy vented, "What's wrong with your sister? She misled people online, ruining your reputation. Then she shamelessly claimed she wrote those songs herself!"

Elyse chuckled helplessly. "She's always been like that."

Tracy said gravely, "Mabel's agency issued a statement insisting she wrote all the songs and only quit because of threats from a powerful person." After a pause, she added, "It's ridiculous! They have the audacity to make that announcement just because public opinion has shifted in Mabel's favor. What a damned company!"

Elyse scrolled through online comments. Everyone sided with Mabel. "Have you thought about how to handle this? How can we turn things around?" Tracy asked.

Surprised, Elyse answered truthfully, "I don't know. I don't have any proof."

Tracy was quiet for a moment. "So what now? Do we just admit defeat?" she asked.

"No way. Mabel's a fraud. She can't use my music to build her career," Elyse's gaze hardened. "Even if I don't have proof, she must have left something behind that I haven't discovered yet."

Tracy found her reasoning sound. She wanted to help search for evidence but had to hang up; she had another scene to shoot.

Elyse put down her phone and sat back, lost in thought about how Mabel had stolen her music. She considered it for a long time and guessed Mabel must have taken them from her locker, but she still didn't know when.

Elyse grabbed her phone and was about to call Darren to ask for help accessing surveillance footage when he called her.

"Elyse, bad news. Check out the latest online," Darren said urgently.

Stunned, Elyse immediately searched for the video clip Darren mentioned. In the video, Glenda sat before the camera, quietly shedding tears. "I'm sorry, this should have remained a family matter. I feel bad for my daughter, Mabel Lloyd, since her album had to be pulled. Mabel has always been musically gifted, unlike Elyse, who is just an average violinist. Elyse was jealous of Mabel's talent and tried to ruin Mabel's career. Elyse, stop being stubborn, apologize to Mabel and the public, and ask your husband to stop suppressing her. I'll forgive you, and you can still be my good girl," Glenda wept, touching many viewers' hearts, who began cursing Elyse.

With her own mother confirming Mabel's "genius," they demanded Elyse apologize. Mabel's fans became furious, shouting insults online.

Elyse was speechless, her eyes wide with disbelief. She mumbled, "Mom sided with Mabel again! She always stands up for Mabel. Didn't she apologize to me this morning?"

Darren sympathized. "Elyse, don't be upset. We all believe in you."

But Elyse couldn't hear him; tears fell onto the light-colored floor. With trembling fingers, she wrote a tweet and shared it online. . . .