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 him about what had

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

heard this, he was thunderstruck. Suddenly, everything

was common knowledge that the Crawfords had eight sons and a daughter. However, the daughter’s

mean that the woman he had rescued four years

their hearts sinking. How they bitterly

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

to kneel in the snow if

have treated her like a

actions as well; when he recalled how

he snapped, “How are you going to get her back? Do you think we

a long moment of consideration, he said, “Well, regardless, we’re still Lilly’s blood relations. We’re her grandparents, after all! The Crawfords can’t

to teach

his temper get the better of him and had disciplined her more

confident that they would be able to clear up any misunderstandings with the Crawfords. All they had to do was to have a satisfactory explanation for everything. Once

…

rescuing Lilly, the Crawfords went straight to the nearest

in South Town’s best hospital was

punctuated by the sounds of hospital

the help of his walking stick. “Why are they still in there?” He

gently told his father,

reached

examined Lilly’s bruised body with

severe frostbite. A more detailed examination revealed that Lily had been badly beaten; in

all over her body. Some of the areas were so severely frostbitten

four years old, and she had

murmured, “Lilly, this is your Uncle Gilbert. Can you hear me? If you can, please hang in there. You’ll make it

sensation of her body feeling very light and warm all over. It was the first time she had ever felt

was very quiet, except for a voice by her ear that constantly murmured, “Lilly…Lilly dear…little Tulip…Can you

this

eyes, but she was unable

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

…

took three hours of surgical procedures before Lilly was out of danger, and

little girl was wheeled into a hospital room, IV

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

They even had the nerve to lay hands

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 connection so that we’ll help

them? They can count themselves lucky if I

wanted to tear the entire Hatcher family to