Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Jake did not attend any of his extracurricular classes today. Instead, he took on the role of being Lilly’s chaperone and followed her to Mr. Taylor's home as well. “What's wrong, Lil?” he asked as he followed Lilly's line of sight toward the balcony of the opposite house. Lilly's little face was colored upset with a frown.

“Lilly?” Anthony stopped in his tracks. Valentine Taylor felt his stomach lurch in despair as he noticed Lilly’s obvious unhappiness.

Oh no, what's the little brat unhappy with now? He looked around and saw an overgrown bonsai plant to Lilly’s right. Perhaps she thinks the plant is hideous? “Quick, move the plant into the courtyard right now!” Valentine instructed two of his servants before rushing up to Lilly. “What's the matter, Ms. Lilly?” he asked.

Lilly remained facing the bungalow opposite with one hand on her waist. “Hey! Granny upstairs! I've put up with you for a long time now!” she yelled. The old lady just stared at Lilly with a sinister smile.

Anthony and the rest followed Lilly's gaze toward the balcony. Valentine felt goosebumps pricking his skin upon the grim realization that there was no one there.

“Ms. Lilly, the old lady in that house passed away last year...” Valentine gulped. The little brat could not possibly be seeing the old lady from next door, could she? His knees weakened at the thought.

Lilly turned toward Valentine. “Mr. Val, is that your house too?” she asked, referring to the house opposite. She took a good look at Valentine's face before turning back to look at the old granny on the balcony again. The two of them looked eerily alike! How interesting...

Valentine's eyes widened. “No... no! That house belongs to the Rosewoods. Now that you've mentioned it, it’s quite a tragic story for the Rosewood family who used to live there too...” Valentine paused. He could not help but feel as if someone from the opposite house was observing him too.

“What happened to them?” Anthony pressed.

Valentine sighed before continuing. “More than ten years ago, the Rosewoods had a daughter who was murdered by her close friend. The murder was extremely cruel, and | heard the police only found her dismembered body parts with no bones. The Rosewoods only had one daughter, and Old Mrs. Rosewood went mad after her death...” Valentine's voice lowered into a whisper as he looked left and right. “But before the girl was caught, the police found her dead body in an old printing factory. Rumor has it that it was Old Mr. Rosewood who arranged for her murder. Perhaps it was a clean job or someone in the police did not have the heart to arrest the old man, but the old man got away due to a lack of evidence and the case was closed. The old couple continued living in the house, always looking out for any news about their daughter's remains, but the old lady finally kicked the bucket last year.” Old Mr. Rosewood was the only person living in that old house now. Valentine felt a chill down his spine as he recounted the story to Lilly and her entourage.

“He didn’t force the girl to reveal the location of his daughter’s remains?” Anthony asked.

Valentine shook his head and looked down. “I'm sure he did, but he never got an answer.” Pablo appeared from the shadows of the towering walls of the villa. “If my guess is correct, this should be the house inhabited by the vanity ghost,” he commented. It was all too much of a coincidence that Pablo felt there must be more to it. He raised his head in contemplation.

Lilly stomped her foot impatiently. “Uncle Anthony, | want to go in... can we knock on the door?” she pleaded. Anthony immediately carried Lilly into his arms while motioning for his assistant to go ahead and knock on the door.

“Does... Ms. Lilly know the Rosewood family?” Valentine asked, treading cautiously. To be honest, he was not all that keen on going into the Rosewood home. He had even previously considered selling off his own villa, but his fortune teller had told him that his villa was in a good location that would help his business prosper, so he never did. However, he did not anticipate having to enter the Rosewood home ever. He was still traumatized by the tragic incident! “But Uncle Val... your mother is up there!” Lilly remarked innocently.

“Wh... what?” Valentine stammered.

“The old granny up there looks exactly like you!” Lilly explained.

Based on Lilly's description, it was only then that Valentine realized the ghost the little girl had been seeing was the ghost of his own mother! “Oh! Come, let's go in right now!” he exclaimed upon his realization. As Lilly glanced at Valentine, he was already rushing to the front of the Rosewood home himself. “Mr. Rosewood, it's me, Valentine Taylor, your neighbor!” he shouted out loud after ringing the doorbell several times to no response.

“Mr. Rosewood doesn't like people disturbing him, especially more so after Mrs. Rosewood’s passing. He barely even steps out of the house nowadays,” Valentine explained to the entourage.

Finally, after several long rings, a tired, raspy voice spoke through the intercom at the door. “Who is that?” the voice asked.

“Mr. Rosewood! We... Uhh...” Valentine began, but he soon realized he did not know what excuse to give Mr. Rosewood for turning up at his doorstep so abruptly. He could not possibly tell Mr. Rosewood his mother was lounging at Mr. Rosewood’s balcony! He looked at Lilly helplessly.

“Mr. Rosewood, | know where her remains are,” Lilly spoke into the intercom. She did not have to mention who she was talking about.

There was a lingering silence in the air for a few moments before the group heard the door unlatching. The door had opened automatically! “Come in...” Old Mr. Rosewood’s voice rang through the intercom again. His voice was soft and weak, yet somewhat urgent.

The group entered the Rosewood house in a line. Jake swallowed nervously and clung on nervously to Anthony's pants as he took a step forward. He promised himself this was the last time he was going to be reckless.

As they entered the hallway, Lilly raised her head to peer at the second-floor balcony that was right above the main door. She found the old lady in the green dress holding onto the balcony rails, still staring intently at her. Lilly narrowed her eyes and stared back at the old lady.

Anthony, who was always constantly observing Lilly, could already guess what, or who Lilly had seen. On the other hand, Jake felt an imminent sense of dread when he looked at the balcony only to find no one there. He gripped onto Anthony's pants a little tighter.

Feeling Jake pulling at the fabric of his pants, Anthony glanced at the boy. “What are you afraid of?” his tone was rather flat and unemotional, even with his own son.

“I'm not afraid!” Jake shook his head, but he did not let go of his father’s pants. Wordlessly, Anthony offered a hand to his son who took it without thinking twice.

As the group ventured further into the house, they began to smell an unpleasant stench wafting through the air. It was the kind of scent associated with medication, elderly people and death.

A voice called out from above them. “Come upstairs... I'm on the second floor.” Josh jumped in fright at the sudden voice, but Lilly was already eagerly rushing toward the staircase, dragging Josh along. “Josh, quick!” she urged Together, they approached the master bedroom on the second floor and pushed the door open.

The room was pitch black, save for a sliver of sunlight peeking through the thick curtains. The old lady in the green dress was floating in a corner silently, her beady eyes still trained on Lilly.

Lilly breezed past the old lady, aiming straight for Old Mr. Rosewood’s bed. “Mr. Rosewood, could you open the windows? Just a little bit will do...” Lilly asked. There was a figure lying on the bed. Although his face was not visible, the room was filled with an eerie vibe.