Chapter 3

The moment she spoke, Lily babbled softly.

[Grandma's right. If they find Brenda's daughter, everything will be clear!]

[Go, Chloe! Five hundred million dollars depends on you!]

Grandma Margaret was clearly giving me a chance to prove myself.

My breath hitched, and I immediately calmed my mind, trying to use the baby talk to pinpoint Brenda's daughter's location.

But Brenda's daughter seemed to be deliberately defying me. At this moment, I couldn't hear her voice at all.

Seeing Brenda's hand reaching out for Lily, I panicked, grabbed Lily, and sprinted towards Grandma Margaret.

But I'd only taken two steps when Brenda sped up, catching me and yanking my hair roughly.

I stumbled, falling hard to the ground.

To protect Lily, I twisted my body mid-fall, making sure my head and back took the brunt of the impact.

I saw stars from the impact, but I forced myself to get up, wincing from the pain. I urgently handed Lily back to Grandma Margaret.

"Grandma Margaret, from now on, please don't let Lily out of your sight. Especially don't let Brenda touch her!"

Brenda and I locked eyes. The hatred in her gaze felt like it could tear me apart.

Grandma Margaret had still harbored some doubts, but when she saw Lily grin at me and stretch out her tiny hands as if wanting to grasp me, she seemed to vaguely realize something.

"When you fell just now, you'd rather hurt yourself than let Lily get injured."

She shot a pointed glance at Brenda.

"Some people, however, appear enthusiastic but completely disregard whether Lily might get hurt."

Brenda's face flushed, and she quickly cried out in protest.

"I was just worried about Lily, so I might have been a bit rough. Mr. Davis, you know I've been with the family for five years; I would never do anything to harm Lily!"

Mr. Davis, still in shock, his veins bulging on his forehead, thundered, "Chloe almost hurt our daughter! I won't let this go!"

I desperately wished Lily could speak, could explain everything and get me out of this mess. But no matter how anxious she was, Lily could only produce blurry, innocent baby sounds that no one but me could understand.

Sarah, seeing my distressed expression, softened a little.

"Lily seems to really like Chloe. I don't think she's a bad person. Since no real harm was done, maybe we can just let it go?"

With kind Sarah coming to my defense, Mr. Davis’s face remained tense, but he suppressed his anger.

"It's Lily's birthday party today, so I'll let you off this time."

"Now get out of here. If you dare cause any more trouble, I'll make you regret it!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Grandma Margaret holding Lily tightly, with Sarah close by.

Relieved, I turned to look for Brenda's daughter. Only by finding the other baby could I completely end Brenda's scheme!

But for some reason, Brenda's daughter hadn't made a sound since.

I scurried around like a headless chicken, completely clueless. Where had Brenda hidden the fake Lily?

There weren't many places to hide a baby here. Why couldn't I find the child no matter where I looked?

After searching everywhere, inside and out, I still found nothing.

I gnashed my teeth in frustration, then had a thought. If I couldn't find Brenda's daughter, I'd just stick by Grandma Margaret and keep a close eye on Brenda, making sure she didn't get another chance.

But unexpectedly, just then, I heard Lily's faint cry for help.

[Help me, I'm stuck in a very dark, stuffy place! I'm so scared!]

[Chloe, please come save me! I don't want to die!]

My heart sank. I never expected that Brenda would succeed again after I'd only been gone for a few minutes!

Without even considering Mr. Davis's warning, I bravely turned and rushed back into the banquet hall.

"Something's wrong! Lily Davis has been swapped after all!"