Chapter 291

The atmosphere in the hospital room froze.

All three occupants stood stunned, their expressions unreadable.

Just then, Dr. William Blackwood’s attending physician arrived for his rounds, accompanied by a team of young doctors, specialized nurses, and the head nurse. The group paused at the doorway, equally shocked.

For thirty seconds, no one moved.

Then, the attending physician snapped out of it first. "Oh my god! Mr. Blackwood’s condition is critical—he can’t be disturbed! Where did this child come from? She’s too reckless, too mischievous, too… adorable! Someone get her out of here!"

The doctor knew the Blackwood family well—this little girl wasn’t one of theirs. Nor did she belong to the Knight family.

She had no business being here.

As he stepped forward to remove her himself, the frail old man suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hehehehe! Oh, my precious granddaughter! You’re about to dig my nose right off my face! It tickles! Let go, let go—Grandpa will give you sweets! I’ll make them apologize to you, how about that?"

Lily Blackwood kept her tiny fingers firmly lodged in his nostrils. "Old man, are you telling the truth?"

"Call me Grandpa," William Blackwood huffed.

"Make them apologize first!" Lily pouted, stubborn.

The previously weak old man suddenly seemed revitalized. He glared at his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson and barked, "You three! Apologize to my great-granddaughter! Now!"

Richard Blackwood + Eleanor Blackwood + Ethan Blackwood: "…"

The medical staff: "…"

All eyes were on the little girl who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Hurry up!" William snapped.

Richard sighed. "Yes… I’m sorry."

Eleanor followed reluctantly. "I apologize, child."

Lily turned her sharp gaze to Ethan. "And you, stinky bad guy!"

Ethan smirked. "Fine. Daddy says he’s sorry."

Only then did Lily finally withdraw her fingers from her great-grandfather’s nose. The old man coughed violently, his face turning red.

Panicked, the medical team rushed to check his vitals.

Ethan took the opportunity to scoop Lily up and step back, watching as they wheeled his grandfather away for tests.

An hour later, the results were in.

To everyone’s astonishment, William Blackwood emerged from the examination room looking healthier than he had in months.

The doctor smiled at Richard and Eleanor. "It’s incredible. Yesterday, his condition was critical. Today, his vitals are stable, and his overall health has improved significantly. With continued progress, he could be discharged soon."

Richard exhaled in relief. "Thank you, Doctor." Then his gaze drifted to the little girl sitting beside Ethan.

Though she was a girl, her features bore an uncanny resemblance to Ethan’s.

There was no doubt—she was a Blackwood.

Her fearless attitude, the way she’d climbed onto the hospital bed and pinned the old man—it was just like Ethan at that age.

Father and daughter shared the same stubborn, unyielding temperament.

The more Richard looked at her, the more he liked her.

Just then, William declared, "This child is a Blackwood. Her surname must be Blackwood!"

Ethan met his father’s gaze coolly. "I am her father. I decide her surname. Since you’ve seen her, it’s time for her to go to kindergarten."

He turned to Lily. "Lily, let’s go."

Lily rolled her eyes but reluctantly followed.

She was still mad at him for badmouthing her mother earlier.

Ethan frowned. "I apologized. What more do you want?"

Lily stayed silent.

She was cunning, but she couldn’t argue with that.

If she didn’t want to go with Ethan, she had to go with Ethan.

The entire ride to kindergarten, Lily refused to speak to him.

When they arrived, Ethan tried to hand her off to the teacher, but Lily bolted inside on her own.

Then, at the last second, she spun around and ran back.

Ethan raised a brow. "What is it?"

"When school ends, I don’t want to see you!" she huffed.

Ethan remained impassive. "Fine. I won’t be at the gate."

And with that, he left.

That afternoon, Lily raced to the kindergarten gates, eagerly scanning the crowd for her mother.

The bad guy had said he wouldn’t show up—so it had to be Mom!

But instead, she spotted Nathan Carter waiting for her.

"Ugh! I don’t want to see you!" Lily stomped her foot but grudgingly took his hand.

Nathan chuckled. "Little princess, if you don’t want to see me, I can vanish right now. But then… who’s going to drive you home to Mommy?"

Lily scowled. "He can drive!"

"Who’s he?" Nathan teased.

"The stinky bad guy!"

Nathan feigned confusion. "Who’s the bad guy?"

Lily gritted her teeth. "…My dad."

Nathan smirked. "But I heard your dad say you didn’t want to see him either. Lily, are you just being tsundere? Do you actually miss him?"

"No! I don’t!"

Nathan shrugged. "Then I guess I’ll just take you home to Mommy."

"Fine!"

She climbed into the car—only to find Ethan already inside.

"Hmph! I said I didn’t want to see you!" Lily crossed her arms and refused to budge.

Ethan didn’t even glance at her. "Good. Walk home, then."

Lily’s jaw dropped.

She was outmatched.

She couldn’t win against the bad guy—or his driver.

If she couldn’t fight head-on, she’d have to outsmart them.

Her little eyes darted around mischievously.

Nathan tensed. This tiny terror had dug her great-grandfather’s nose. What else was she capable of?

After a moment, Lily smiled sweetly. "Okay, I’ll ride with you. Is Mommy waiting for me at home?"

Ethan nodded. "Yes."