Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Lilly gazed blankly at the Hatcher Mansion. Her small face betrayed no emotion, and a dull ache pulsed through her head. The events felt like a distant dream, shrouded in the haze of her memory.

She pondered, Where are those eight uncles who showered me with affection? Was it just a fantasy from before | died? Yet, upon waking from my dream, | find myself still in the same old place.

Such thoughts lingered in her mind, causing her memories of her uncles, Grandpa, Grandma, Lisa, Mom, Dad, the weakling spirit, and the Harem spirit to fade gradually. The line between reality and illusion blurred to the point where Lilly questioned if it had all been a dream.

She struggled to crawl and retrieve the phone from the snow. In her dream, she had a Master who, as she faced death, shared Gilbert's phone number, urging him to come to her rescue.

As she dialed 159... her frustration grew. In her dream, she vividly remembered each family member's phone number, yet now, the sequence escaped her memory.

This marked a turning point for Lilly. For the first time, she resisted. Her mind plunged into chaos, consciousness wrestling against the turmoil within.

She remembered—Gilbert's phone number. Overjoyed, she immediately dialed the familiar digits. The phone rang twice before being quickly answered.

"Hello, is this Uncle Gilbert? It's me, Lilly!" Her voice choked with emotion as she finished speaking.

To her surprise, the person on the other end responded with, "Who is Lilly?" Gripping the phone tightly, Lilly hurriedly added, "My mother is Jean Crawford. Are you Gilbert Crawford?" The voice was so familiar, so warm—it matched the one from her dream. But disappointment washed over her again. Although the voice on the other end remained gentle, it shattered her hopes, saying, "Kid, you must have dialed the wrong number. I'm not Gilbert Crawford, and | don't know any Jean Crawford." A chill enveloped Lilly's heart. She pondered, Isn't that Uncle Gilbert? The person on the other end hung up abruptly, leaving her in a panicked state.

Relying on her memory, she promptly dialed Anthony's number. She thought, Uncle Gilbert seems to draw a blank, but Uncle Anthony, he surely won't forget me, right? "Uncle Anthony, it's me, Lilly... I'm Jean Crawford's daughter. You're my uncle, right?" The voice on the other end, though still recognizable, exuded an icy and authoritative air. In a brisk tone, he responded, "Huh? You've probably got the wrong number, kid." Lilly could almost picture Anthony furrowing his brow on the other end. Yet, to her dismay, he didn't recall her either. He ended the call decisively, treating it as a mere hiccup in his demanding workday.

Her heart turned cold as she mustered the courage to dial Bettany's number. The phone took its time connecting, and finally, Bettany's kind and warm voice came through. "Hello..." Gripping the phone tightly, Lilly burst into tears, pouring out. "Grandma! Grandma, it's me, Lilly! Grandma, | miss you so much.

I'm so cold and hungry..." A pause on the other end hinted at the strangeness of a sudden, tearful call from a child.

"Kid, don't cry. Did you get lost? I'll help you call the police, okay?" Lilly's heart sank even more as Bettany failed to recognize her. The grandmother who eagerly awaited her return no longer remembered her.

"Grandma," Lilly sobbed, her voice trembling, "I'm Lilly, my mother is Jean Crawford..." The person on the other end tried to reassure her, "Okay, okay, Jean Crawford, right? | will help you call the police. Where are you? Are there any adults around? Tell me about any special buildings nearby..." Lilly's lips trembled, her throat blocked by cotton, rendering her voice silent.

Suddenly, Stephen stormed out and kicked Lilly. "I was looking for my phone and realized it was missing. Did you steal it?" he accused angrily.

Fuming, he admonished her, "You're picking up some terrible habits at such a young age. Not only did you kill your brother, but you also stole my phone!" Lilly tumbled into the snow, her face buried in its icy surface, trembling from the cold.

She was kicked again and landed face-first in the snow pit. The coldness made her shiver uncontrollably. After reprimanding her, he retrieved the phone and returned indoors. The sound of him making a call echoed from the study.

"Hello, Hendrick, it's me, Stephen. | wanted to check if you know anyone from the Crawford family in Clodston," he inquired.

Then, he dialed another number, saying, "Happy New Year, Oliver! Do you happen to know anyone from the Crawford family in Clodston? We're facing some issues at the company..." Lilly lay in the snow pit, too weak to stand.

Clodston, the Crawford family... a once-familiar place now blurred by confusion. Was it all a hallucination, a byproduct of her impending demise? Her dreams felt eerily real, as if slipping away into a distorted reality.

It turned out Stephen had mentioned Clodston and the Crawford family multiple times, leading Lilly to assume the Crawfords were powerful enough to rescue her. Was that why her dream felt real? Her eyes remained fixed on the endless white snow before her.

In her dream, she had eight loving uncles. Gilbert and her third uncle were gentle and refined. Liam was a man of few words, icy cold, a domineering President.

Bryson was a pilot, and Jonas was a national movie star. Edward had a fiery temper, straightforward in nature, shouting in a babbling manner when coaxing Polly, earning Jonas" mocking.

Max, a scientist, had developed a virtual assistant named Stacy. Cloud, though impressive, sacrificed himself, crossing mountains and seas to return home. She and the Crawford Ancestor even took him on a journey of trials.

Gilbert, a doctor, was the first to find her and hold her in his arms. He even took off his coat to wrap her up. Lilly remembered the warmth, tears falling uncontrollably.

"Uncle Anthony... Uncle Gilbert... Grandpa, Grandma..." Stiff and unable to curl up, Lilly said, "I miss you so much, Mom and Dad. | really miss you all." She added, "Master... Why haven't you come to find me yet? | can't hold on much longer. | might not be able to wait for you anymore..." She slowly closed her eyes.