Chapter 345
It was Sunday, and Wesley had the day off. Donovan’s Restaurant was also closed.
When Athena and Jaden returned home, everyone was already waiting, except for Josic, who was taking a nap. Even Brandon had rushed back.
As soon as they arrived, everyone anxiously asked, “How did it go?”
“It didn’t end well.” Athena sat down, accepting the glass of water Maria handed her. “Jaden recorded the meeting. You can watch it.”
Jaden played the video of their conversation with the Pittman family on his phone. Then he explained, “It’s clear that the Pittman family doesn’t really care about Josie, and Paityn has no standing in the family. Everything is controlled by the Pittman family.
“Whether Paityn truly loves Josie or not, she can’t protect her.
“So, I firmly oppose giving up custody of Josie, and I also oppose letting her have any contact with Paityn.”
That was their third reason for meeting the Pittman family, to judge whether Paityn and her family genuinely cared about Josie.
They also wanted to understand the real reason the Pittman family wanted Josie, but the Pittman family hadn’t revealed their true intentions.
However, that didn’t matter anymore.
In any case, the Donovan family had no intention of letting Josie go to the Pittman family.
After watching the video, everyone from the Donovan family was furious.
Brandon was particularly extreme, saying, “We’ve got videos of Lola bullying Josie and other kids in kindergarten, right? I also heard Lola made a scene backstage last night, and there are videos, though the Pittman family has blocked them. If we really want to, we can find them.
“We can use these videos to threaten the Pittman family. If they don’t give up Josie, we’ll release everything. Let’s see who’s more scared.”
Arthur clenched his fist and added, “I heard Damon’s wife is a tough woman. Should we inform her about this to stop Damon and Paityn?”
Maria and Claire nodded. “You can’t deal with people like that in the usual way.”
Others remained silent, waiting for Athena’s response.
Athena said, “Those tactics would work, but it would also escalate the conflict and make things worse.”
“We might not be afraid of making a big scene, but what about Josie?
“When people say she’s an illegitimate child, with a mother who was a mistress and a father who was a scumbag, how do you think she’ll feel?”
Brandon and the others opened their mouths to argue but ultimately remained silent.
Maria, with red eyes, said, “But if we go to court, wouldn’t the result be the same?”
“Going to court would be different,” Athena explained. “First of all, Paityn and Damon are Josie’s biological parents. They
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have the right to fight for custody. No matter how much we dislike them, we can’t stop them from exercising their legal rights.”
She paused briefly and said seriously, “More importantly, only the law can resolve this issue completely.
“Otherwise, even if we forced the Pittman family and Damon to give up Josic now, they could still sue us in the future to regain custody. Instead of leaving this hidden danger, it’s better to resolve it legally now and put an end to it.
“And no matter how much we dislike Lola, she’s just a seven–year–old girl. We can’t exploit a child just because we don’t like her.
“After all, children are a reflection of their upbringing. If we’re going to hold someone accountable, it should be the Pittman family.”
After hearing Athena’s explanation, Maria and the others sighed “Athena, you always make so much sense.
“But Paityn and Damon are famous and wealthy. If we go to court, can we win?”
“We’ll definitely win,” Athena smiled. “As long as we can prove that Josie has been living well and is happy with us and that she wants to stay with us, we have a solid case.
“Moreover, if we can show that Paityn and Damon can’t provide a stable and loving home for Josie, we’ll have the upper hand in court.
“When the time comes, those videos of Lola bullying Josie and acting spoiled will be very useful.”
Hearing this, Claire and the others relaxed, “We have plenty of evidence showing that Josie has had a great life with us. But Paityn and Damon can’t prove they love Josie.”
The Donovan family had put in a lot of effort when they adopted Josie.
They had healed Josie’s leg injury.
Josie shone brightly and happily on stage and even said that her family was the best in the world. They were confident that in court, no one could argue Josie wasn’t happy with the Donovans.
Maria still had some concerns. “But if we go to court, Josie’s background will come to light. Can we prevent that from spreading?”
“We can’t stop it.” Athena shook her head. “But we can minimize the damage.
“I have ways to prevent the media from covering Josie’s story. Even if some manage to report it, it won’t last long.”
She planned to use her connections and influence to make sure the media wouldn’t touch the topic of Josie.
And if any media outlets dared to report on it, she would retaliate and make them pay.
As for the online gossip, that was even simpler. She could rely on Dark Matter and her quantum computer. Anyone who dared to spread rumors about Josie would find their computers and phones mysteriously malfunctioning.
“Also, while the case is ongoing, we can send Josie on a trip abroad. By the time school starts in a month, no one will remember any of this.”
“That’s right.” Maria’s eyes brightened. “If necessary, we can even have Josie change her name.”
“Exactly,” Athena smiled. “So, if the Pittman family and Damon want to take us to court, we’ll be ready.”
Everyone nodded, feeling much more at ease.
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Athena looked around and added, “I also believe that Josie, even at her young age, has the right to know who her biological
parents are.
“Instead of treating her like a delicate flower and shielding her from everything, we should face this storm with her together.”
Her words moved everyone, leading them into deep reflection.
After some discussion, they concluded that Josie indeed had the right to know about her biological parents, but they would take their time with it.
For now, they would gently hint and test her emotional readiness before telling her the truth at the right moment.
However, before they had a chance to tell Josic, the Pittman family made the first move.
At 5 p.m. the next day outside the youth activity center, the area was bustling with parents picking up their children.
Inside a nearby car, Paityn watched through the window, observing the children leaving the center.
It hadn’t been hard to find out Josie’s whereabouts.
The talent show committee’s contestant records clearly stated that Josie was the lead singer of the children’s art troupe.
Even during summer break, the children came here almost every day for training.
Saanvi and the others easily discovered the training schedule.
Soon, Paityn spotted Josie.
Josie had two cute pigtails, wore a pink dance dress and white ballet shoes, and carried an adorable little backpack with a Hello Kitty plush in her arms, happily skipping toward the gate. She looked utterly adorable.
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