Arthur stood up, rolling up his sleeves, and said, "We’ll go together. We have so many people in our family. Why should we be afraid of them?"
"Alaric can’t be relied on. Forget about him. I’ll call Brandon and Zayn back right now."
"Oh, and let’s bring Bello along, too."
Alaric was still out competing.
Brandon was busy. He had just left in the morning with his breakfast.
Zayn was filming out of town and couldn’t return in time.
"We don’t need that many people," Jaden shook his head. "We’re going to negotiate with them, not start a fight. One or two representatives are enough."
Arthur immediately raised his hand. "I’ll go."
Maria raised her hand too. "I’ll go as well."
The others remained silent.
If Arthur and Maria went, they’d definitely end up arguing with the Pittman family, and arguments wouldn’t solve this issue.
Jaden cleared his throat and said, "I think it’s better if Avery represents our family. I’m free these days, so I’ll go with her."
When Arthur and Maria heard Avery would be representing the Carter family, they both sighed in relief and had no objections.
Arthur patted his chest. "Avery, don’t worry when you meet them. I’ll be on standby nearby. If you need me, I’ll rush in to help with the argument."
The guys around them looked exasperated.
Avery didn’t need his help to deal with a confrontation.
Avery smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Arthur. I’ll call you if I need you."
Then she contentedly put down her spoon, wiped her hands with a towel, and said, "Everyone can go back to their work. I’ll wait here for the Pittman family and Damon to show up."
With Avery taking charge, there wasn’t much left to discuss.
Wesley chuckled. "Well, thanks, Avery. The rest of us will get back to what we were doing."
At half past eleven in the morning, Avery’s phone rang. It was Paityn.
Under the watchful eyes of her husband and mother-in-law, Paityn steeled herself and got straight to the point, saying she was Josie’s biological mother and wanted to discuss arrangements to bring her back.
Avery responded calmly, "Presidential suite, fifth floor of the Moran Hotel. Twelve o’clock. Be there on time or forget it."
Then she hung up and drove with Jaden to the Moran Hotel.
They arrived at the suite on time, but there was no sign of the Pittman family.
Avery wasn’t upset. She ordered some food and drinks, enjoying lunch with Jaden while they waited.
When Saanvi and her party of four finally strolled into the suite, a waiter was just clearing away the dishes. Avery was wiping her mouth with a napkin, while Jaden was drying his hands with a clean towel.
Saanvi, seeing this scene, looked displeased. She was about to mock them for being rude and eating before their guests arrived.
But Avery spoke first, her tone indifferent. "You’re not our guests. You’re our enemies. We don’t wait for enemies. The only reason we haven’t left yet is because we wanted to finish our lunch. Now that we’re done, say what you need to, or we’re leaving."
"You know what? I can’t stand the sight of you, so let’s wrap this up quickly," Saanvi said, sitting down in front of Avery, with the others taking seats beside her.
Using a forceful tone, she continued, "Josie is Paityn’s daughter, and Paityn is a member of the Pittman family. So, Josie belongs to the Pittman family. We absolutely will not let one of our own live outside the family.
"We’ll take Josie back now and register her as part of our family. It’s an honor for her.
"You’ve raised Josie for a few years, so name your price."
If Brandon or the other Carter family members had been there, they would have made a scene now.
Avery, however, remained composed. Without even glancing at Saanvi, she looked straight at Paityn and asked, "You say Josie is your child. What proof do you have?"
No matter how reasonable or logical the assumption may be, it couldn’t substitute for evidence.
One of the main reasons Avery was sitting here was to see that proof.
Paityn, looking tired with dark circles under her eyes and a hoarse voice as if she had a bad cold, said, "I named my daughter Alina. This is her birth certificate."
As she spoke, she pulled out documents from her bag and laid them on the table.
Paityn said, "These are my prenatal check-ups from when I was pregnant with Alina. This is my hospital record and birth certificate from Aeloria. These are photos and videos of Alina when she was born. These are pictures of me and Alina from her birth until she was three."
The girl in the photos and videos was unmistakably Josie. There was no way to fake that.
Avery replied calmly, "We will need a DNA test."
Paityn was clearly prepared for this.
She pulled out a small glass vial from her bag, unscrewed the cap, and took a toothpick. Gritting her teeth, she pricked her finger and let drops of blood fall into the vial.
The Pittman family watched her with no sign of concern.
Avery and Jaden observed without a hint of reaction.
After dropping three droplets of blood into the vial, Paityn capped it and pushed it forward. "Test it however you like. If Josie isn’t my daughter, I’ll apologize."
Jaden took the vial and said coldly, "We will certainly have it tested."
Saanvi said, "The facts will prove that Josie is Paityn’s child."
She reached for her cup but found nothing in front of her. Her irritation flared up again, and she said icily, "Just name your price. We can sign the agreement now. Once the test results come in, we’ll pay you and take Josie away."
A middle-aged man in a suit, seated next to Westin, pulled out two copies of an agreement from his briefcase and placed them on the table.
"I am Paityn’s lawyer. This is the agreement for her to regain custody of Josie. You can fill in the amount of compensation you’d like."
Avery ignored the document and kept her eyes on Paityn. "Why are you so eager to take Josie back? What do you plan to do with her?"
Before Paityn could respond, Saanvi snapped, "That’s none of your business.
"Paityn is Josie’s biological mother. She has the right to regain custody, and you can’t stop her.
"What we do with Josie after taking her back is none of your concern."
Avery sneered, finally glancing at Saanvi. "What if we refuse? What are you going to do about it?"
This was the second reason she was sitting here: to gauge the Pittman family’s bottom line.
Saanvi smirked, "If you won’t play nice, then you’ll have to deal with the fallout. We’ll take it to court."
Paityn’s lawyer added, "In most cases, the law favors biological parents. We’re confident we can regain custody of Josie.
"However, if this goes to court, Josie’s status as an illegitimate child will be exposed. She’ll become the subject of public scrutiny and may never lead a normal life again.
"Furthermore, if Ms. Shepard wins custody through a court battle, your compensation will be minimal — far less than what you could receive now.
"From a professional standpoint, I recommend you sign this agreement today."
Saanvi chimed in with a cold remark, "The Carter family has so many children, and Josie is just a girl. Giving her up won’t hurt your family at all."