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.”

the servants to enlighten

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

heard this, he was thunderstruck. Suddenly, everything

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

years ago was the

their hearts

was the Crawfords’ daughter…

forced Lilly to kneel in the snow if they

would have treated her like a

when he recalled how

to get her back? Do you

so hard his brow looked like a wrinkled 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

they had wanted to do was to teach Lilly not

better of him and had

was to have a satisfactory explanation for everything. Once that was settled, they would be able to

…

of returning to Clodston after rescuing Lilly, the Crawfords

in South Town’s best hospital was now a

raise their voices. The atmosphere was extremely tense, punctuated by the sounds of hospital equipment

Crawford paced back and forth with the help of his walking stick. “Why are they still in there?” He muttered

gently told

off to the emergency room as soon as they reached

emergency room, Gilbert examined Lilly’s bruised body

could happen in cases of severe frostbite. A more detailed examination revealed that

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

four years old, and she had been made to undergo such

tears stung Gilbert’s eyes. Leaning down, he murmured, “Lilly, this is your Uncle Gilbert. Can you hear me? If you can, please hang in there.

feeling very light and warm all over. It was

ear that constantly murmured, “Lilly…Lilly dear…little Tulip…Can you see me? Can you

this mysterious

hard to open her eyes, but

reply that she could hear this person talking to her as well, but she could not make a sound, no matter how frantically she

…

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

girl was wheeled into a hospital room, IV tubes plastered

face was stony as he handed Anthony the report from Lilly’s examination. When the Crawfords read

Hatchers! They even had the nerve to lay hands on a

a background check on the Hatcher family. In a frosty voice, he replied, “The Hatcher family’s business goods are under suspicion of being contraband. The company

count themselves lucky if I don’t ruin

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