Chapter 1 Frozen Echoes of Betrayal

Today was the Lantern festival. Colorful lights were decorated around the house, giving a touch of warmth to the cold atmosphere of the Hatcher family.

Suddenly, a scream echoed across the mansion.

“Is it your fault?!” Stephen glared.

“It’s not me. It was really… not me!” Lilly bit her lips and maintained a stubborn face.

Stephen was getting more furious upon hearing her words. “Then are you saying your stepmother willingly fell down the stairs?! Why would she want to fall after being six months pregnant?!”

He could not help but think back to what happened in the hospital. Debbie was bleeding heavily, and the doctor had declared her situation as critical twice, but even on the brink of death, she insisted on asking him to not blame Lilly!

She said that Lilly was still young when her mother pa*sed away. She was simply afraid that her baby brother might get the attention away from her and did not mean to push her.

Stephen felt 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 engrossed in hitting her that he did not even realize that his phone had fallen out of his pocket. When Lilly was severely beaten, he finally stopped, so she lay paralyzed on the snowy ground.

“Stay here and kneel until your stepmother is discharged!”

Stephen tugged his tie after he scolded her and left the broomstick behind before walking away.

He had been feeling irritated recently as his company had been facing a loophole for half a month and had yet to receive help resolving it.

Then today, Debbie fell from the stairs and lost their unborn child, losing the only hope for the Hatcher family.

The consecutive unfortunate events stressed him, and he could not help but vent it all out on Lilly.

Lilly’s rabbit toy had already been beaten to pieces. She tried to stand up but fell back onto the snowy ground with a thud…

She felt that she was on the brink of death.

If I die, will I finally be able to see mommy?

At that moment, she heard a blurry voice.

“Lilly, call for 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 and stammered, 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 pa*sed. Gilbert Crawford, when will you take the test for the Chief Physician role?!”

The eight brothers of the Crawford family looked at each other while Gilbert touched his nose.

Suddenly the old man changed the topic and asked,

“Also, it’s been four years, and have you not found your sister?”

The looks on the brothers’ faces changed, with their lips pursed. Their indifferent eyes now had 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 nursed by the Crawford family as she went through 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 was a physician at the Shercaster Cancer Hospital and 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 been tormenting him. Even with his outstanding medical talent, he had been unable to move forward since then.

The Crawford family had eight sons, and Jean was the only daughter.

After their daughter’s disappearance, Bettany suddenly fell ill, and Hugh’s temper grew unstable.

A heavy stone lay in the hearts of everyone in the Crawford family, rendering them restless.

The eldest son, Anthony Crawford – the CEO of the Crawford family’s business empire – worked day and night tirelessly, causing his health to worsen and requiring him to take daily medication.

The third son, Bryson Crawford – the outstanding pilot of Swift Airlines- failed the psychological tests and had been resting at home for the past four years.

The others…

The study room fell into silence before suddenly, Gilbert’s phone rang!