Chapter 3 Lilly's Eight Uncles To The Rescue!

Everything happened so quickly that the Hatchers had no time to react. By the time Stephen rushed out, he saw Anthony getting into his car and preparing to drive off. However, he had missed seeing Gilbert brush the snow off Lilly and pick her up from where she had been kneeling by the gate. "Oh my goodness! It's Mr. Anthony Crawford!" Stephen plastered a bright smile onto his face and cheerfully greeted the other. "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, their faces filled with welcoming smiles. When they saw Anthony's stern and aloof expression, 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 gain their favor. A true aristocratic family like the Crawfords, with old money and deep ties to Clodston, was rare. The Crawfords were elusive and mysterious; they preferred to stay out of the limelight. The only thing anyone in Clodston knew for sure was that the Crawfords had eight sons, but few had ever set eyes on them. Anthony occasionally made headlines in the financial news, which was why the Hatchers recognized him. "Mr. Crawford, please come in! It's freezing out here. We would love to have you stay for a while, despite our humble surroundings," Richard said enthusiastically. "Yes, please come in and have something hot!" Stephen chimed in, smiling. Now that they were in the presence of such a distinguished person, all the Hatchers couldn't help but try 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 could revive their failing fortunes! If luck was on their side, they might even become one of Clodston's top ten influential families… Anthony's face remained expressionless as he studied Stephen with keen eyes. Was this Lilly's father? Still without expression, Anthony coolly and enigmatically declined Richard's offer. "You did a good job, Mr. Hatcher." 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 'good job'... Does that mean he intends to help us?" Richard frowned. "Given his expression, I don't think he meant it as a compliment." Stephen ordered the servants to explain what had happened earlier. They recounted how the Crawfords had shown up at the Hatcher Mansion and taken Lilly away, and how a man in black had wrapped his coat around her and cradled her in his arms. He had identified himself as her uncle… When Stephen heard this, he was thunderstruck. Suddenly, everything became terrifyingly clear. It was common knowledge that the Crawfords had eight sons and a daughter. However, the daughter's health was frail, and she had never appeared in public before. Did this mean that the woman he had rescued four years ago was the Crawford family's one and only precious daughter?! The rest of the Hatcher family felt their hearts sink. How they regretted their actions! Paula's lips trembled. "So Jean was the Crawfords' daughter... we need to go and get Lilly back..." They would never have forced Lilly to kneel in the snow if they had known! In fact, they would have treated her like a goddess and worshipped the ground she walked on! Stephen also regretted his actions; when he recalled how harshly he had disciplined Lilly, he felt uneasy. Angrily, he snapped, "How are we going to get her back? Do you think we can just walk in and take her away like that?" Richard frowned so hard that his brow looked like a wrinkled prune. After a long moment of consideration, he said, "Well, regardless, we are still Lilly's blood relatives. We are her grandparents, after all! The Crawfords can't deny that, no matter how angry they are. Then again, Lilly did cause Debbie's miscarriage, that's a fact…" All they had wanted to do was teach Lilly not to be an irresponsible little liar! Unfortunately, Stephen had let his temper get the better of him and had disciplined her more severely than he should have… The Hatchers felt confident that they would be able to clear up any misunderstandings with the Crawfords. They just needed to provide a satisfactory explanation for everything. Once that was settled, they could look forward to a future of wealth and prestige… … Instead of returning to Clodston after rescuing Lilly, the Crawfords went straight to the nearest hospital. The previously vacant VIP suite in South Town's best hospital was now a hive of frantic activity. No one dared to raise their voices. The atmosphere was extremely tense, punctuated by the sounds of hospital equipment beeping and doctors and nurses rushing around. Hugh Crawford paced back and forth with the help of his walking stick. "Why are they still in there?" He muttered anxiously. Anthony glanced at the time, then gently told his father, "Dad, you should sit down." Lilly had immediately been taken to the emergency room as soon as they arrived at the hospital. Gilbert had gone with her, and neither of them had emerged yet. In the emergency room, Gilbert examined Lilly's bruised body with trembling hands. Broken bones were the worst outcome in cases of severe frostbite. A more detailed examination revealed that Lilly had been badly beaten; her arms, ribs, and shins were fractured. There were numerous patches of frostbite all over her body. Some areas were so severely frostbitten that they would require surgical intervention. Lilly was only three or four years old, and she had been subjected to such torment… Hot 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. You'll make it through, I promise…" Lilly's eyes were tightly closed, but she had the strangest sensation of her body feeling light and warm all over. It was the first time she had ever felt so comfortable. Everything was very quiet, except for a voice by her ear that constantly murmured, "Lilly…Lilly dear…little Tulip…Can you see me? Can you hear me?" Who was this mysterious person? Lilly tried very hard to open her eyes, but she was unable to do so. She wanted to respond that she could also hear the person talking to her, but no matter how desperately she tried, she couldn't make a sound. ... It took three hours of surgical procedures before Lilly was out of danger, and the doctors all considered it a miracle! The little girl was wheeled into a hospital room, with IV tubes covering her body. Gilbert's face was expressionless as he handed Anthony the report from Lilly's examination. When the Crawfords read it, they were furious. Hugh growled in anger, "These Hatchers are a respectable bunch! They even had the audacity to harm a three-and-a-half-year-old child!" Anthony had already conducted a background check on the Hatcher family. In a cold voice, he replied, "The Hatcher family's business goods are suspected of being contraband. The company is in a desperate situation. Lately, they've been trying to find some connection with us so that we'll help them." Hugh laughed scornfully. "Help them? They should consider themselves lucky if I don't completely ruin them!" The old gentleman was so enraged that he wanted to tear the entire Hatcher family apart right then and there. "Don't worry, Dad," Anthony reassured. "They won't last much longer." Hugh bit his lower lip and fell silent. After a while, he murmured, "And what about Jean...what happened to her...?" Anthony remained silent and did not say anything. Clodston and South Town were approximately 1200 miles apart. Four years ago, Jean had somehow ended up in South Town, severely ill and with no memory. Stephen had found her and brought her home. She had almost died while giving birth to Lilly but miraculously recovered and held on for another two years before succumbing to her illness, leaving Lilly alone in the world. The Crawford brothers' beloved sister had quietly passed away in a remote town without any acknowledgment of her status or even a mention of her name... Anthony's fists clenched tightly as his anger grew; his expression became even more stony. Hugh didn't dare to ask any further; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to handle the truth. Gilbert asked, "Why would they hurt Lilly like that?" Anthony replied in a chilling voice, "Stephen Hatcher's wife, Debbie, fell down the stairs and had a miscarriage. Stephen believed that Lilly pushed her." The other Crawfords couldn't help but frown at this. While this discussion was taking place, the Hatchers had finally located Lilly at the hospital. Anthony's assistant entered the room hurriedly and said in a low voice, "Mr. Anthony, the Hatchers are here. They want to see their granddaughter..." Anthony let out a scornful laugh and then ordered, "Turn off the heating on this floor and open the windows. Let them wait." ** Stephen, Richard, and Paula waited outside on the top floor corridor for a very long time. The VIP suites on this level were behind a controlled-access door, so the Hatchers were unable to enter. Anthony's assistant had arrived earlier, asking them to wait for a while, and then left. The Hatchers hadn't seen him since. Paula complained, "Why won't they let us in? Lilly is our granddaughter, after all! Why are they making us wait out here?" Stephen snapped, "Just be patient!" He had unintentionally beaten Lilly more severely than he had intended, so it was understandable that the Crawfords would be angry. However, the Hatchers soon realized that something was wrong. The corridor was rapidly becoming colder. Not only that, their waiting area was next to the windows, and the freezing winter wind blew in, causing them to shrink back and shiver from the cold! "This weather is terrible! No one can wait like this!" Paula, who had been pampered and sheltered her whole life, couldn't bear it any longer. "Stephen, you should find someone and ask what's going on!" Richard agreed, his brow furrowed. If the Crawfords were angry and deliberately making the Hatchers wait for a while, it would be understandable. However, they had already been waiting for half an hour, which was a bit too long. No one could endure waiting in such freezing weather.