Chapter 12 She Will Be Lilly Crawford From Now On

• Hugh and the Crawford brothers stood around Lilly's bed, filled with sorrow as they witnessed the little girl crying for her mother in her sleep.
• Unbeknownst to them, another presence, Pablo, was also there with Lilly. Pablo gently touched her forehead and the red string on her wrist.
• In an instant, Lilly's face brightened with a small smile.
• "Hey, I've fulfilled my debt to your mother now..."
• …
• The plane landed at Clodston International Airport.
• Hugh exchanged a meaningful glance with Gilbert when he noticed that Lilly was still asleep. Gilbert carefully picked her up and prepared to leave, maintaining a bent posture to avoid waking her.
• The parrot swayed and cried out, "Kidnapper! Kidnapper!"
• Lilly's eyes immediately opened.
• The Crawfords were left speechless.
• They stood in silence, their gaze fixed on the beautiful parrot with its vibrant green feathers.
• Finally, they understood why it had learned the phrase "bird stew."
• Lilly blinked her glazed eyes, her hair slightly disheveled, and clutched a small stuffed rabbit in her arms. She looked incredibly adorable.
• The strongest bond was between Gilbert and Jean. Seeing Lilly in this state reminded him of Jean as a child.
• His heartstrings were tugged. He embraced Lilly, gently rubbing her head, and said, "Darling, we have arrived in Clodston. We are heading home now."
• Lilly, still dazed, nodded blankly.
• The Crawfords' car was already waiting outside the airport, and the four neatly parked Rolls-Royce Extended cars caught the attention of passers-by.
• "Oh my God! Take a picture now, hurry!"
• "Who is this car picking up? Such a grand display!"
• Eight tall men, led by an elderly gentleman, emerged as the crowd buzzed with excitement.
• One of the men held a small child in his arms. The young child clutched a small stuffed rabbit while wearing a white princess dress.
• A green parrot perched on the shoulder of the man next to her.
• The parrot sang loudly, "Uh-oh. I couldn't help myself; I'm almost at your house again, again!"
• Everyone fell silent.
• Something seemed... a little off!
• The eight men's faces darkened as they quickly climbed into the long, luxurious car that slowly pulled away from the airport, carrying the adorable little girl.
• "Wow! Who is this precious princess?"
• "I'm so envious! I am also a human like her. How did she get so lucky to be reincarnated into a wealthy family?"
• While taking pictures with her phone, a woman who appeared to be an internet celebrity exclaimed, "Fans! Today, we have learned so much! Four Rolls-Royces Extended! Do you have any idea how much one of these cars costs? It's at least eight million dollars! What kind of family is this..."
• Lilly leaned against the window of the luxury car, her gaze fixed on the skyscrapers outside.
• Her father had brought her there before when it was still called South Town. There were many tall buildings, but none as tall as the skyscrapers in front of her.
• "Uncle Gilbert, is this Mommy's princess castle?" Lilly asked, turning her head and leaning closer to Gilbert.
• Gilbert became emotional as he nodded and said, "Yes, this is your Mommy's princess castle."
• They had once wanted to buy an island and build a private castle for their beloved sister.
• However, those opportunities were lost.
• However...
• Gilbert gazed at Lilly for a long moment, and the pain in his heart began to subside.
• The car soon arrived at Crawford Mansion.
• This mansion was located in a picturesque lake area in the city center, surrounded by beautiful scenery and nestled in a tranquil neighborhood.
• Lilly, still a three-and-a-half-year-old child, no matter how intelligent she was, couldn't help but show shock on her little face as she looked at the mansion before her.
• Is this where Mommy grew up?
• The expansive lawn was adorned with numerous flowers. Would she be able to catch a glimpse of her mother if she ran as fast as she could across the lawn?
• Two rows of servants stood on either side of the mansion, smiling. "Little Missy, welcome home!"
• Hugh and Anthony walked ahead, speaking softly.
• "From now on, Lilly will be the precious little girl of the Crawford family, and she will bear our family name, Crawford."
• "Okay," Anthony nodded.
• Hugh was troubled as he asked, "What girl's name would suit the Crawford family?"
• We need to come up with a name for Sweet Pea right away.
• **
• Compared to how Lilly was treated, the Hatcher family wasn't in such dire straits!
• The Hatcher family went bankrupt, along with their other listed companies. Nonetheless, the boss still had some cash left to put towards a house or something.
• The Hatcher family's entire estate had been seized. Their bank accounts were frozen, and they were forced to sleep under the overpass.
• Living under the overpass was bearable for the Hatchers, but they couldn't understand why they kept getting beaten up. Someone would either come to drive them away or assault them.
• After three days and three nights of walking like beggars, they finally made it back to their countryside hometown...
• Stephen, suffering from severe wounds, dragged himself back. He was barely clinging to life and believed he only had one breath left.
• Upon returning to his dilapidated hometown, he found the house in disrepair. He used to look down on country life and had no desire to fix up the old house. Now, he had no one to blame but himself.
• Stephen lay there, consumed by misery. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted his choices, and the more he regretted, the more unresolved he became. But there was nothing he could do!
• Stephen struggled to accept how far he had fallen, especially now that he was disabled. The disparity had become too great, and he was tormented to the point of madness.
• "Stephen, get up and have some soup..." Debbie approached with a bowl of egg drop soup, her eyes flickering slightly.
• She had added a spoonful of rat poison to that bowl of soup...
• Stephen glanced at the clear soup. When he noticed only a speck of egg floating in it, he angrily threw the bowl.
• "What the hell is this? Are you just feeding me this...?"
• He winced in pain as he pulled on his wound halfway through his words.
• Debbie lowered her head, wiping away her tears, appearing pitiful.
• From the living room, Paula yelled, "Debbie, hurry up and start cooking! Do you plan on starving us all to death?!"
• Debbie's face fell. She was not their servant, but they always treated her as if she were!
• However, there was nothing she could do about it!
• When she was living as a homeless person under the bridge, she attempted multiple times to seduce wealthy men, but for some reason, their wives always caught her. They would grab her by the hair and physically assault her.
• Her only skills were to entertain men, sleep with them, and manipulate them. However, she always ended up with nothing, which caused her immense pain because Debbie only knew this one "skill."
• If she had somewhere else to go, she would have never ended up in this rundown place with the Hatchers...
• At that moment, Paula, who was scrolling through TikTok's popular topics, coincidentally came across--
• "OMG! We learned so much today! Four Rolls-Royce Extended! Do you have any idea how much these cars cost? At least eight million dollars!"
• "I wonder which lucky princess got picked up in that car. I'm so jealous!"
• The video showed Lilly being carried into the car!
• Paula suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and struggled to breathe.
• "This is outrageous! She's having so much fun that she's forgotten about her grandparents! What an ungrateful child! We've always been kind to her, but she doesn't appreciate it! She's the black sheep of the family..." Paula couldn't help but express her disappointment.
• Debbie hid in the kitchen and discreetly turned on her phone to see what was happening.
• There were eight tall, handsome men, each wearing masks and exuding an air of authority. Security guards were also present to clear the way.
• But the most striking figure was Lilly, being carried as if she were surrounded by a constellation of stars.
• Debbie looked at the four luxurious cars, growing increasingly envious and resentful.
• After a two-year struggle, she unexpectedly managed to become Mrs. Hatcher, but now she found herself in this situation.
• The woman she mistook for a beggar turned out to be the daughter of the Crawford family!
• If she had known, she would have pretended to be Jean's best friend...
• The more Debbie thought about it, the more regretful she became, and the more she dwelled on it, the stronger her resentment grew. She couldn't understand what was so captivating about Lilly!
• She took out her phone and began typing furiously, almost shattering the screen.
• "The Crawford family's precious princess has a malicious heart and, out of jealousy, pushed her stepmother down the stairs, causing her to miscarry!"
• "Despite suffering from two severe hemorrhages, the stepmother managed to cling to life. However, the culprit returned to Clodston in a grandiose manner, arriving in four luxury vehicles."
• Debbie didn't dare to leak the news to the mainstream media, so she sent it to various gossip groups, knowing they would spread it like wildfire.
• Just as she leaked the news, she overheard someone outside saying, "The police are here." Terrified, her hands trembled, causing her phone to fall to the floor!
• Paula rushed into the kitchen and anxiously said, "Hurry, the police are here. Take Stephen and leave immediately!"
• Debbie was pushed into Stephen's room. Stephen was in a state of panic. When he saw Debbie moving too slowly, he slapped her across the face and shouted, "Hurry up! Help me get up and let's go!"
• Debbie endured the pain and assisted Stephen in escaping through the back of the kitchen. He stepped into mud, cow dung, and other filth without caring. He was in a desperate situation!
• After learning that the Hatcher family was under lockdown and hiding in the mountains, the two of them hid in the fields. Even though it was dark, they didn't dare to return.
• The mountain was bitterly cold, and both of them were shivering...
• Stephen looked at Debbie, who was right beside him, and spoke emotionally, "You're the best. You've always been by my side..."
• Debbie smiled affectionately.
• She wasn't doing it out of genuine affection; rather, she was thinking about her own future.
• She had already been married once. If she were to marry into another wealthy family, she would need to possess qualities that could rival others.
• For example, the quality of being "affectionate and loyal, never leaving her ex-husband even when he went bankrupt." This was something worth striving for.
• This was the real reason she didn't leave Stephen!
• A woman who valued affection and loyalty but was mistreated by her husband could evoke pity and sympathy from other men...