Eight Uncles' Beloved Treasure (Lily)

Chapter 3 Lilly’s Eight Uncles To The Rescue!

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.”

Stephen ordered the servants to enlighten him about what had happened earlier.

how the Crawfords had shown up en masse at the Hatcher Mansion and taken Lilly away, and that a man in black had stripped off his coat and wrapped it around

was

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

this mean that the woman he had rescued four years ago was the

felt their hearts sinking. How they

was the Crawfords’ daughter… hurry, we

would never have forced Lilly to kneel in the snow if they had

would have treated her like a goddess and worshiped at her

recalled how

Do you think we can walk in and take

Lilly’s blood relations. We’re her grandparents, after all! The Crawfords can’t deny that, no matter how angry they are. Then again, Lilly did

they had wanted to do was to teach Lilly not to be an irresponsible little

had let his temper get the better of him and had

they had to do was to have a satisfactory explanation for everything. Once

…

of returning to Clodston after rescuing Lilly, the Crawfords went straight to

Town’s best hospital was now

tense, punctuated by the sounds of hospital equipment beeping and doctors and nurses hurrying

Crawford paced back and forth with the help of his walking stick. “Why

at the time, then gently told his father, “Dad, you should sit

the emergency room as soon as they reached the hospital. Gilbert had gone with her; up until now, neither of them

emergency room, Gilbert examined Lilly’s bruised body

A more detailed examination revealed that Lily had been badly beaten; in fact, her arms,

of the areas were so severely frostbitten they would require

years old, and

Can you hear me? If you can, please hang in

eyes were tightly closed, but she had the oddest sensation of her body feeling very light and warm all over. It

a voice by her ear that constantly

was this

to open her eyes, but she was unable to

she could hear this person talking to her as well, but she could not make a

…

out of danger, and the doctors all

little girl was wheeled into a hospital room, IV tubes plastered

Anthony the report from Lilly’s examination. When the Crawfords

these Hatchers! They even had the nerve to lay

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 is in pretty desperate straits. Recently they’ve been trying to

them? They can count themselves lucky if

that he wanted to tear the entire Hatcher family to pieces

worry, Dad,” Anthony answered. “They won’t last

lower lip and fell silent. After a while, he murmured, “Then how about Jean…what’s happened