Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Eight overprotective uncles and their beloved niece...

"Well? How is it?" Edward urged impatiently in a whisper.

Anthony stood with crossed arms at the back, looking quite "collected."

Bryson sighed. "Are we being too vigilant? Do we distrust Lilly that much..."

Max nodded. "Yeah, I agree. Given how well-behaved Lilly is, I bet she wouldn't sneak out in the middle of the night!"

"Mm... agreed," Jonas added. "Every time Lilly goes out, she informs us in advance."

Suddenly, Cloud pulled back his head, panic apparent on his face. "Lilly is really not in her room!"

It was now precisely 11:21 p.m. The eight Crawford men felt thunderstruck as their niece, who had been precious to them since she was a baby, had been taken away! "What did I tell you? That rascal is a crafty one!" Edward exploded.

Bryson frowned. "What is it they can't talk about during the day that they have to do it at night?!"

"Everyone, calm down," Gilbert urged. "Maybe Lilly just had something to attend to... Ivan might not have been the one who took her away."

Despite what he said, the eight brothers all exchanged glances, uncertainty evident in their eyes.

Suddenly, Lilly's door creaked open.

"Uncle Cloud... Uncle Gilbert, what are you guys doing?" Lilly looked at the two uncles closest to the door, puzzled.

Anthony went up to Lilly. "Lilly, can we go inside?"

"Of course, come in!" Lilly opened the door.

With that, the eight Crawford men swarmed in.

"Lilly, were you not in your room just now?" Gilbert asked "calmly."

Lilly nodded, seeing no reason to hide anything, "Yes, I went out for a bit."

The hearts of the eight men skipped a beat. Edward was eager to ask, but Jonas slapped a hand on his face, pushing him back. Then, with a relaxed demeanor, Jonas chatted casually, "You work hard, Lilly, still heading out in such late hours. Going out so late, our Lilly is truly hardworking... Did you go to meet someone?"

Lilly nodded. "Yes, I went to see-"

Suddenly, she thought something wasn't right, and before she could mention who it was, her eight uncles were already staring down at her.

Edward pretended to be busy with

his nails. Gilbert pretended to casually sip water. Bryson and Max also had water cups in their hands, studying the water inside. It was as if they all coincidentally came out to get a midnight drink.

Anthony sat on the sofa, looking calm and natural, but his eyes seemed a bit tense as he observed her. Cloud, with an even more haunting expression, floated around, waiting for her to spill the beans.

Lilly immediately swallowed her words about meeting Ivan and said, "I went to see a friend. It's Grandma's birthday tomorrow, no? I thought about what to get her, so... so I went to grab some stuff." Seeing that her uncles' expressions turned even more dubious, she quickly added, "He's a close friend. I called him to come over."

The hearts of the eight Crawford

men were shattered. They couldn't believe that not only had their precious niece gone out dating in the middle of the night, but she also even covered up for him! Alas, she's grown up and ready to fly out of the nest...

Anthony cleared his throat. "Lilly, don't be nervous. We're all just worried about you."

Bryson patted her head, speaking gently, "Yeah, we're just concerned. It's not safe for a young girl to be out late at night."

"We get it too, Lilly." Gilbert sighed. "You've grown up. It's normal for you to begin developing feelings for another person."

Lilly's mouth twitched. Seriously, Uncles, you guys are more nervous than me. Besides! I didn't go out on a date! Develop feelings for someone?

She felt a strange sense of guilt. She couldn't explain it, but it actually did feel like her uncles caught her sneaking out for a date.

"I didn't!" Lilly instinctively defended herself. "I didn't go on a date..."

"Yes, yes, you didn't." Max quickly added. "We believe you just went to see a friend."

Both amused and frustrated, Lilly commented, "Uncles, aren't you all being too nervous!"

Even though they misunderstood, Lilly felt incredibly touched. Her poor uncles, though. Despite their tendency to overprotect her, they did their best to hold back the urge, too.

She hugged them, reassuring them, "Relax. I just want to focus on my studies now; there's nothing else on my mind."