Chapter 3 Lilly's Eight Uncles To The Rescue!

Everything happened so quickly that the Hatchers had no time to react. When Stephen rushed out, he saw Anthony getting into his car to drive off. Unfortunately, he had missed Gilbert brushing the snow off Lilly and picking her up from where she had been kneeling by the gate. "Oh my goodness! It's Mr. Anthony Crawford!" Stephen put on a bright smile and greeted him cheerfully. "What brings you here? It's an honor to have you visiting our humble home!" Richard, Paula, and some of the Hatcher servants hurried out to join Stephen, all wearing welcoming smiles. Upon seeing 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 mysterious and elusive, keeping themselves out of the public eye. The only thing anyone in Clodston knew for sure was that the Crawfords had eight sons, but few had ever seen them. The Hatchers recognized Anthony because he occasionally appeared in financial news headlines. "Mr. Crawford, please come in! It's freezing out here. We would be delighted to have you stay for a while in our humble abode," Richard said enthusiastically. "Yes, please come in and have something warm!" Stephen added, 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? Without showing any emotion, Anthony coolly and enigmatically declined Richard's offer. "You did well, Mr. Hatcher." Without saying another word, he got into his car and drove away. The Hatchers stood there, confused and dazed, watching him leave. Paula was the first to speak. "Mr. Crawford said 'well'... 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 arrived at the Hatcher Mansion and taken Lilly away, and how a man in black had wrapped his coat around her and held her in his arms. He had identified himself as her uncle… When Stephen heard this, he was shocked. Suddenly, everything became 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. They deeply 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 her! Stephen also regretted his actions; he felt uneasy when he recalled how harshly he had disciplined Lilly. Angrily, he snapped, "How are we going to get her back? Do you think we can just walk in and take her away?" Richard frowned deeply, thinking hard. After a moment, 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. But 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 best of him and had disciplined her too harshly… The Hatchers were confident that they could 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 empty VIP suite in South Town's best hospital was now bustling with activity. No one dared to speak loudly. The atmosphere was extremely tense, with 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 and gently advised his father, "Dad, you should sit down." As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Lilly was taken to the emergency room. Gilbert accompanied her, and neither of them had come out 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 severely beaten; her arms, ribs, and shins were fractured. There were numerous areas of frostbite all over her body, some of which required surgical intervention. Lilly was only three or four years old, and she had endured such torment… Hot tears filled Gilbert's eyes. Leaning down, he whispered, "Lilly, this is your Uncle Gilbert. Can you hear me? If you can, please hold on. You will make it through, I promise…" Lilly's eyes were tightly shut, but she had a strange sensation of her body feeling light and warm all over. It was the first time she had ever felt so comfortable. Everything was 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 hard to open her eyes, but she couldn't. She wanted to respond that she could also hear the person talking to her, but no matter how hard 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 angrily, "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 tone, 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 a way for us to help them." Hugh laughed scornfully. "Help them? They should consider themselves lucky if I don't destroy them completely!" 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 survive for long." Hugh bit his lower lip and fell silent. After a while, he murmured, "And what about Jean...what happened to her...?" Anthony remained silent, not saying a word. Clodston and South Town were approximately 1200 miles apart. Four years ago, Jean had somehow ended up in South Town, seriously 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 passed away quietly 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 harm 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 in 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 were angry. However, the Hatchers soon realized that something was wrong. The corridor was rapidly getting colder. Not only that, their waiting area was next to the windows, and the icy winter wind blew in, causing them to retreat 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.