Spoiled by Eight Uncles

Everything happened so fast that the Hatchers had no time to react.

By the time Stephen rushed out, he saw Anthony preparing to get into his car and drive off. However, he had not been in time to see Gilbert brushing the snow off Lilly and picking her up from where she had been kneeling by the gate.

“My goodness! It’s Mr. Anthony Crawford!” Stephen plastered a bright smile onto his face and greeted the other cheerfully. “What brings you here? It’s an honor to have you visiting our humble abode!”

By then, Richard, Paula, and some of the Hatcher servants had hurried out to join Stephen as well, their faces wreathed in smiles of welcome.

When they saw Anthony’s stern, aloof countenance, they became even more fawning and obsequious.

Anthony Crawford was the current head of the Crawford family’s business empire and the CEO of Crawford Holdings!

The Crawford family was one of Clodston’s four influential families; everyone wanted to butter them up and curry favor.

A true aristocratic family like this with old money and such deep ties to Clodston was rare. The Crawfords were an elusive, mysterious entity; they kept themselves out of the limelight. The only thing anyone in Clodston knew for sure was that the Crawfords had eight sons, but even then, few had even set eyes on them.

Anthony was occasionally featured in the headlines of the financial news, which was why the Hatchers had recognized him.

“Mr. Crawford, please come in! It’s freezing out here. We’d love to have you stay a little while if you don’t mind such humble surroundings,” Richard said enthusiastically.

“Yes, yes, please do come in and have something hot!” Stephen chimed in, smiling.

Now that they were in the presence of a truly distinguished person, all the Hatchers could not help trying to ingratiate themselves with him.

The Ador Hatcher Corporation was in dire straits; for the Hatcher family, this was a catastrophe.

However, just a word from Anthony would revive their flagging fortunes!

If luck favored them, they might even become one of Clodston’s top ten influential families…

Anthony’s face betrayed no hint of expression; instead, he studied Stephen with keen eyes.

Was this Lilly’s father?

Still without expression, Anthony declined Richard’s offer coolly and enigmatically. “Very well, Mr. Hatcher and family.”

Without another word, he got into his car and drove off.

The Hatchers stood there, confused and dazed, watching him leave.

Paula was the first to speak. “Mr. Crawford said very well… Does that mean he’s intending to help us?”

Richard frowned. “Given his expression, I don’t think he meant anything complimentary.”

enlighten

en masse at the Hatcher Mansion and taken Lilly away, and that a man in black

heard this, he was thunderstruck. Suddenly, everything became

However, the daughter’s

woman he had rescued four years ago

of the Hatcher family felt their hearts

lips trembled. “So Jean was the Crawfords’ daughter… hurry, we

kneel

they would have treated her like a

actions as well; when he recalled how he

going to get her back? Do you

prune. After a long moment of consideration, he said, “Well, regardless, we’re still Lilly’s blood relations. We’re her grandparents, after all! The Crawfords

had wanted to do was to teach Lilly not

temper get the better of him and had disciplined her more severely than he should

the Crawfords. All they had to do was to have a satisfactory explanation for everything. Once that was settled,

…

returning to Clodston after rescuing Lilly, the Crawfords

South Town’s best

punctuated by the sounds of hospital equipment beeping and doctors and nurses hurrying to and

Crawford paced back and forth with the help of his walking stick. “Why are they still in

told his father, “Dad, you

immediately been whisked off to the emergency room as soon as they reached the hospital. Gilbert had gone with her; up until now,

emergency room, Gilbert examined Lilly’s bruised body

could happen in cases of severe frostbite. A more detailed examination revealed that Lily had been badly beaten; in fact, her arms, ribs, and shins

patches of frostbite all over her body. Some of the areas were so severely frostbitten they would require surgical

was only three or four years old, and

is your Uncle Gilbert. Can you hear me? If you can, please hang

body feeling very light and warm all over. It was the

a voice by her ear that constantly murmured,

this

eyes,

as well, but she could not make a sound, no matter how frantically

…

before Lilly was out of danger, and the doctors all felt

wheeled into a hospital room, IV tubes plastered all over

from Lilly’s examination. When the Crawfords read it, they

“A fine, upstanding bunch, these Hatchers! They even

Hatcher family. In a frosty voice, he replied, “The Hatcher family’s business goods are under suspicion of being contraband. The company is in pretty desperate straits. Recently they’ve been trying to find some point of

merely laughed derisively. “Help them? They can count themselves lucky if I don’t ruin them

enraged that he wanted to tear the entire Hatcher family to pieces