Filed to story: Eight Uncles Beloved Treasure
Anthony said, “This is the order form for the Galaxy Dress. Hannah is taller than Lilly. The dress was custom-made based on Lilly’s measurements, so it is meant for Lilly.”
Everyone was astonished. They had never considered this. The dress fit Lilly perfectly, but Hannah would never be able to wear it.
Winona still felt that they were biased and said, “I didn’t say the dress was Hannah’s. I only said Hannah cried because she doesn’t have what Lilly has.”
Everyone looked at Anthony again.
The assistant turned to another page of the document. Anthony said, “There is also a Galaxy Dress custom-made for Hannah. This is the order form for Hannah’s Galaxy Dress.”
Winona was speechless.
Someone looked at the form and said, “I thought Lilly’s Galaxy Dress was the most expensive one I’ve ever seen at a million dollars, but Hannah’s dress cost 1.1 million dollars!”
The additional cost wasn’t much for the Crawford family, but it showed that they weren’t biased.
Everyone started to look at Winona in a peculiar way.
A few people whispered, “Children don’t know anything. She must have thought the dress was hers because that’s what the adults told her.”
“I think so too. I wonder how her mother taught her…”
“I knew that child was rude…”
Winona was furious that they were speaking ill of Hannah in front of her.
Gilbert said, “Hannah, do you understand now? This dress is meant for Lilly. You have your own dress as well. However, if you want the same one as Lilly, we can also have it made for you.”
Hannah was confused. She started to calm down and listen to her uncles. All children were the same. They could be reasoned with as long as they knew the adults’ boundaries, and crying was their way of understanding that.
When Hannah stopped crying, Hugh said, “Drake, take Hannah back.”
He didn’t want Winona to take her away.
Drake didn’t like Hannah, but he still followed Hugh’s instructions. Hannah left with him while sobbing.
Winona was left alone. She was upset and hated how they were trying to educate Hannah.
Hugh stared at Winona with a cold gaze.
There was a hint of tenderness in his voice when he spoke with Hannah, but it had disappeared now.
“Liam, take her back so she can reflect on her mistakes,” Hugh said, his restraint evident. He didn’t want to reprimand Winona in front of everyone.
The others didn’t understand what he meant, except for Winona and Helen. Hugh probably wanted them to get a divorce.
Helen tried to persuade Hugh, saying, “Calm down. Winona only did that because she loves her daughter. It wasn’t intentional. After all, she is Hannah’s mother.” Helen said it with a smile, but her unhappiness was apparent.
Embarrassed, Winona stopped her mother and then turned around and left. Helen followed behind her.
As they left, Helen started complaining again.
“See? I told you they are biased. They are both children. How could they target their criticisms at Hannah? Hannah must feel aggrieved! They didn’t even scold Lilly. If this continues, Hannah might be pushed out of the family!”
Winona was annoyed. She angrily said, “Mom, stop talking. Just leave!”
Mumbling to herself, Helen left.
Winona walked alone, wiping away her tears. She believed she hadn’t done anything wrong and that it was the Crawford family who was biased.
Trying to suppress her grief, Winona saw two people outside the mansion. A security guard was looking for the butler and walked past her. Winona immediately stopped him and asked, “What’s going on?”
The security guard replied, “There are two people outside claiming to be Lilly’s parents… I was about to inform the butler.”
Winona was shocked. She wondered if it was Lilly’s biological father. She had heard about the Hatcher family from South City. After
Lilly caused her stepmom’s miscarriage, her biological father, Stephen, got angry and beat Lilly. The Crawford family bankrupted him immediately after that.
An idea flashed across Winona’s mind. She wanted everyone to know what kind of person Lilly was. A person who despised the poor, following her uncles and abandoning her own grandparents and biological father.
“Let them in,” Winona said.
The guard was stunned. “Mrs. Crawford, are you sure I shouldn’t inform Old Mr. Crawford?”
Winona frowned and said, “Am I no longer important here?”
Winona and the children were the ones who stayed in Crawford Mansion. The others didn’t come back as often. To some extent, she could be seen as the decision-maker here.
Stephen and Debbie had their wish granted as they stepped into Crawford Mansion. They were social elites in South City, but stepping into the luxurious mansion humbled them.
Debbie said gently, “Stephen, Lilly’s grandfather’s house is so luxurious. You are Lilly’s biological father. She can’t ignore you no matter what.”
“You don’t have to hide anymore if the Crawford family is willing to help you. Perhaps you can even live with Lilly.”
Stephen was agitated, and Debbie added fuel to the fire. She said, “If the Crawford family is going to be unreasonable, we will fight for Lilly’s custody. They might only be her grandparents, but we are her parents…”
Stephen nodded. He wouldn’t leave no matter what. As Lilly’s biological father, he would use it as leverage. His problems could be easily solved with a word from the Crawford family. He might even be able to make a comeback. He figured he should be rewarded for raising Lilly by exchanging Lilly’s custody for his own glory.
After the commotion, Lilly changed and was ready to cut the cake. Everyone around her was smiling and wishing her a happy birthday. Lilly was overjoyed to see so many people celebrating her birthday. Her unhappiness from earlier had disappeared.
Bettany kindly said, “Lilly, make a wish!”
Lilly clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
I hope Mommy can be happy in heaven. I hope I can still see Mommy. I hope Grandma can be healthy, so she can run as fast as the wind…
She made wishes for everyone, including all her uncles, except for herself. Then, she opened her eyes.
Gilbert lifted her up and said with a smile, “It’s time to blow out the candles!”
Lilly blew as hard as she could, but she could only blow out one candle.
Everyone laughed. Lilly’s uncles gathered around and blew out the rest of the candles with her.
Before everyone could start clapping, a voice interrupted, “Lilly!”
Stephen and Debbie were unhappy after seeing how happy Lilly was when they were in dire straits. However, they hadn’t forgotten their plan.
With tears in her eyes, Debbie said gently, “Lilly… Happy Birthday. I’m sorry I’m late.”
Stephen also said, “Daddy and Stepmom brought you presents.”
When Lilly saw them, her smile vanished. She turned around and didn’t want to look at them.
Hugh shouted angrily, “Who let both of you in? Get out!”
Stephen and Debbie suddenly kneeled. Stephen said, “Hugh, I was wrong. I admit that I was busy and didn’t take good care of Lilly. I was also wrong for hitting Lilly because I couldn’t control myself after Debbie’s miscarriage…”
Debbie started crying too. With a pained yet forgiving look, she said, “Lilly, it’s my fault… I wasn’t by your side when you needed me the most…”
Everyone finally realized that these two people were Lilly’s father and stepmother.
Hugh was very angry, but Anthony stopped him from doing anything further.
Stephen and Debbie were delighted. They thought their plan had worked.
Stephen continued, “Lilly… I missed out on so much while you were growing up! Can you forgive Daddy?”
Debbie choked out, “Lilly, I’ve thought about it too. I won’t have another baby. Let’s live our life as a family from now on, alright?”
Exposed
Bettany was furious as she looked at these two shameless individuals. She knew it was all an act, pretending to regret their previous actions and accusing Lilly of being cruel and ungrateful if she ignored the fact that she caused his brother’s death. When Bettany remembered how her daughter was mistreated by these scoundrels, she started having difficulty breathing and gasped for air.
