Chapter 1 Don't Get Up Until You Apologize

Lambridge City, Promenade 1st Villa Area - the Hatcher Mansion. Today was the Lantern Festival. Colorful lights adorned the house, bringing warmth to the cold atmosphere of the Hatcher family. Suddenly, a scream echoed throughout the mansion. "Ah-" Followed by a thud, a heavily pregnant woman fell down the stairs! Everyone was startled and rushed to her side. Stephen Hatcher, the president of Ador Hatcher Corporation, quickly asked, "Debbie, are you alright?" The woman's face turned pale as she saw fresh blood trickling down her legs. Horrified, she replied, "Stephen, it hurts... Our baby... Please, save our baby!" The house's mistress, Paula Anderson, panicked and asked, "What happened?!" Debbie looked towards the top of the stairs with tears in her eyes. Everyone looked up and saw a three-year-old girl standing at the top of the stairs. Upon seeing everyone's gaze, she clutched her toy rabbit tightly in fear. Richard Hatcher angrily shouted, "Were you the one who pushed Debbie?!" The little girl pouted. "It wasn't me, and I didn't..." While crying, Debbie pleaded, "No... Dad, it's not Lilly's fault. She's still young, and she didn't mean to..." Her words only confirmed that it was Lilly's fault. Stephen's eyes darkened, and he immediately ordered, "Lock her in the attic! I'll deal with her when I return!" The others quickly rushed Debbie to the hospital while the servants dragged Lilly upstairs. Even when her shoe fell off, she maintained a stubborn expression and did not beg or cry for help. No light or warmth reached the dark and cold attic. The windows squeaked as if a monster would appear at any moment... Lilly hugged her stuffed bunny tightly and curled up in a corner. It's so cold... The truth was she never pushed anyone, but no one believed her. As it was cold spring weather, the snow and wind found their way into the attic through the cracks in the windows, adding layers of coldness to little Lilly. Soon, an entire day had passed. No one cared about Lilly, and no one even knew that Debbie had punished her the day before. She was already in a daze from hunger. Richard had ordered that she was not allowed to leave until she admitted that it was her fault. "Mommy..." Lilly's lips turned purple from the cold, and she shivered. She could only close her eyes and mumble, "Mommy... I didn't do anything wrong... It's not my fault..." She knew that her mother had died from an illness a year ago. After her mother passed away, her dad found another woman, and soon the woman was pregnant with a baby... However, the woman was two-faced. She was only kind to Lilly when others were present; otherwise, she would act like a demon and punish her. Mommy... Lilly thought as she squeezed her toy rabbit's ears before losing consciousness. Not knowing how much time had passed, the door suddenly opened with a loud bang. Stephen was furious as he picked up the unconscious Lilly, dragging her down the stairs and throwing her outside into the snow! Lilly shivered on the cold surface and struggled to open her eyes... "Daddy... I'm hungry..." she muttered. Stephen scoffed. "You killed Debbie's unborn child, and the first thing you're telling me is that you're hungry?! I can't believe I have such an evil daughter!" Lilly's eyes were hollow, and she couldn't speak as she was frozen stiff. The more Stephen looked at her, the angrier he became. Why is she still acting stubborn even though she's at fault? You malicious child! "It's my fault as a parent that you're behaving this way! Now that you've killed your unborn brother, who knows if you'll start murdering people when you grow up? As your father, I must teach you a lesson!" He looked around and picked up a broom from the corner, snapping the broom head off. He was going to give Lily a good beating with the broomstick. However, what Stephen didn't anticipate was that he accidentally struck himself. Lily lifted her head, hoping to plead with her father to spare her. Yet, what she saw was her father's shoulders carrying the two baby ghosts even younger than herself. Stephen was momentarily perplexed, suddenly feeling exhausted. He believed he might have lost his composure, neglecting to pay attention to the direction of his swing. Nevertheless, he glared menacingly at Lily once more, preparing to strike her with the stick. Unexpectedly, at that very moment, a fierce gust of wind swept through the area, swirling up the snow from the ground and obscuring his vision. Despite this, his resolve remained unshaken. If he didn't manage to punish this defiant girl tonight, he would be failing his own yet-to-be-born son. When the wind eventually subsided, Stephen's eyes burned with fury. He appeared as though he could consume Lily whole, a sight that sent the two baby ghosts on his shoulders into a hasty retreat. "Lily, I... I'm sorry. Your father is so terrifying," the two ghosts got off Stephen and cowered in the corner. They had been confined to this villa for an extended period, unable to leave, and no one else could perceive their presence. It wasn't until Lily and her family moved in that they discovered this girl could occasionally see them, leading the three of them to become friends who played together. "It's... it's alright," Lily weakly replied. "Alright? It's not alright! You've prevented my son from being born! Do you understand your mistake? Do you?" Stephen bellowed furiously. "It's not me. It really wasn't me!" Lilly bit her lip and maintained a stubborn expression. Stephen grew even angrier upon hearing her words. "Then are you saying your stepmother willingly fell down the stairs?! Why would she want to fall when she's six months pregnant?!" He couldn't help but think back to what happened in the hospital. Debbie was bleeding heavily, and the doctor had declared her situation critical twice, but even on the brink of death, she insisted on asking him not to blame Lilly! She said that Lilly was still young when her mother passed away. She was simply afraid that her baby brother might steal the attention away from her and didn't mean to push her. Stephen felt even angrier as he thought. He beat Lilly while scolding, "You're still trying to deny it! Stop denying it!" With every sentence, Lilly would get hit by the broomstick. He was so absorbed in hitting her that he didn't even realize that his phone had fallen out of his pocket. When Lilly was severely beaten, he finally stopped, leaving her paralyzed on the snowy ground. "Stay here and kneel until your stepmother is discharged!" Stephen scolded her, tugged his tie, and walked away, leaving the broomstick behind. He had been feeling irritated recently as his company had been facing a loophole for half a month and had yet to receive help in resolving it. Then today, Debbie fell down the stairs and lost their unborn child, extinguishing the only hope for the Hatcher family. The consecutive unfortunate events overwhelmed him, and he couldn't help but take it all out on Lilly. Lilly's rabbit toy had already been battered to pieces. She tried to stand up but fell back onto the snowy ground with a thud... "Lily, don't fall asleep! Wake up!" The two baby ghosts kept calling out beside her. "Lily, have you forgotten what your mom told you earlier? Wake up now!" If Lily didn't wake up soon, she would become just like them. The smaller ghost couldn't help but cry, but being a ghost, no tears came out even when he cried. Lily felt so exhausted, and she really wanted to sleep, but her ghost friends kept urging her to stay awake. Would I be able to see Mom if I fell asleep? At that moment, she heard a faint voice. "Lilly, call your uncle! Your uncle is Gilbert Crawford, his phone number is 159xxxxx..." "Call..." Lilly opened her eyes and noticed the black phone lying in the snow. Her survival instincts kicked in as she desperately crawled toward it. "159..." Lilly stuttered, her stiff fingers struggling to move, and finally, she managed to make the call... ** Meanwhile, Hugh Crawford lectured at a courtyard house in Clodston, "Another year has passed. Gilbert Crawford, when will you take the test for the Chief Physician role?!" The eight brothers of the Crawford family exchanged glances while Gilbert touched his nose. Suddenly, the old man changed the topic and asked, "Also, it's been four years, and have you still not found your sister?" The expressions on the brothers' faces changed, their lips pursed. Their indifferent eyes now held a slight hint of sorrow. Their younger sister, Jean Crawford, was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia at a young age. Since then, she had been carefully cared for by the Crawford family as she underwent blood transfusions, anti-infection treatments, and bone marrow transplants... However, her condition worsened and even affected her memory. Then, four years ago, she suddenly went missing. Gilbert, a physician at the Shercaster Cancer Hospital, was in charge of Jean's treatment. That day, he had to save a critically ill patient, and it was at that moment... that Jean disappeared. For the past four years, guilt and regret had tormented him. Even with his exceptional medical talent, he had been unable to move forward since then. The Crawford family had eight sons, and Jean was their only daughter. After their daughter's disappearance, Bettany suddenly fell ill, and Hugh's temper became unstable. A heavy burden weighed on the hearts of everyone in the Crawford family, making them restless. The eldest son, Anthony Crawford - the CEO of the Crawford family's business empire - worked tirelessly day and night, causing his health to deteriorate and requiring him to take daily medication. The third son, Bryson Crawford - the accomplished pilot of Swift Airlines - failed the psychological tests and had been on leave for the past four years. The others... The study room fell into silence before suddenly, Gilbert's phone rang!