Paityn’s popularity reached unprecedented heights, gaining over two million followers on Twitter in just a few days.
Various brands and luxury companies scrambled to invite her to beco their spokesperson.
Magazines vied for her to grace their covers.
Events and shows lined up to invite her at high prices.
This was the pinnacle of fa Paityn had once dread of.
However, she was now unfazed by fa and sha, having seen through the fickleness of the world.
Avery sized up Paityn before her, nonchalantly saying, "You can start talking now."
Maria, sitting beside Avery, adopted an aggressive posture. "If you want to take Josie, you’ll have to get through first."
Paityn, without a trace of makeup and wearing a simple gray long dress, appeared sowhat haggard, yet she looked calm.
Paityn said, "I won’t take Josie from you, nor can I. I’m here today to ask you to help keep sothing safe."
Maria replied warily, "What is it? It wouldn’t happen to be sothing dangerous, would it?"
Paityn didn’t answer imdiately. Instead, she took out a docunt from her bag and placed it before Avery.
"This is my will, and it has been notarized."
Avery and Maria were taken aback.
Maria thought, What did this an? Is Paityn having suicidal thoughts or planning to...
"I owe Josie an apology," Paityn said slowly. "At this point, I don’t know how to make it up to her.
"If I die, go missing, or beco a vegetable, all my assets will belong to Josie.
"There’s about ten million dollars in this card, and the password is Josie..." Her lips quivered, her voice trembling. "The password is the date I sent her to the orphanage. You can use the money when she needs it."
"We can take care of Josie," Maria said angrily. "We don’t need your dirty money."
Avery gently patted Maria’s shoulder, signaling her to calm down. Then she turned to Paityn and said, "This money is for Josie. Whether or not she wants it or how she uses it will be her decision. We won’t interfere."
"Thank you." Paityn raised her beer and took a small sip. "I visited Damon a couple of days ago.
"When I was on good terms with him, I learned so of his secrets. If these secrets were exposed, he would also face the risk of losing everything and being banned in his country.
"I used these secrets to warn him to give up on recognizing Josie and to never disturb her again."
Avery listened calmly, offering no opinion.
Paityn chuckled softly, a mix of mockery and sadness. "He just wanted to mold Josie into an international superstar, and he didn’t know why the Carter family and I opposed that.
"I told him that whether Josie wants to sing or be a superstar is sothing only she can decide. He cannot make that decision for her.
"Also, he’s not the only one who can turn Josie into a star. He overestimates himself."
This ti, Avery slightly nodded.
Paityn’s perspective showed that she truly respected Josie and prioritized her wishes.
Maria’s expression softened a bit but remained wary. "Do you really think this way? Are you up to sothing?"
Paityn closed her eyes, her voice hoarse. "No matter how much I say, it’s all aningless. I’ll do my best to atone."
Her words stirred sothing in Avery and Maria.
Paityn set down her beer can and picked up her bag, seemingly preparing to leave.
Noticing her movent, Avery suddenly said, "Do you mind telling us about your relationship with Damon or how Josie was conceived?"
Paityn was taken aback. "Why do you want to know that?"
Avery gazed into her eyes. "Even if Josie is a child, she has the right to know who her biological parents are, under what circumstances she was born, why she was abandoned, and why her biological parents are fighting for custody.
"We don’t intend to hide her background from her. It’s just that she’s currently a bit stressed and lacks security. This isn’t the right ti to tell her the truth.
"We’ve already taken her for psychological counseling. Once she no longer rejects Hello Kitty, we’ll tell her everything, letting her decide whether she wants to et you, accept you, and seek revenge against you.
"If she wants to et you and accept you, or even leave with you, we absolutely won’t stop her.
"On the other hand, if she doesn’t want to see you and Damon, you can never hope to approach her."
Paityn gazed deeply at Avery, covering her face with her hand as tears stread down.
"Thank you, Miss Carter..." she choked out. "Thank you for being so understanding and for caring about Josie. You are truly remarkable.
"If only I had been as clear-headed as you back then, I wouldn’t have made such a huge mistake..."
Then, she slowly began recounting her story with Damon.
Paityn didn’t say much, and it was over in a few minutes.
Paityn ca from an ordinary city and a regular family.
Her father passed away when she was in middle school, and her mother remarried and had children, making her feel unnecessary.
After finishing high school, Paityn ran off to the big city to work and was discovered by a talent scout while singing in a bar, signing with a record label.
The company wanted her to learn singing and dancing and take a sexy route. Paityn was ill-suited for it and didn’t perform particularly well. But she caught Damon’s eye.
Damon brought her to his company, wrote songs for her, provided her with the best resources, and helped her find a style that suited her, leading her to shine and beco famous.
She admired Damon, trusting and adoring him imnsely.
As their relationship grew, Damon began to confide in her about the pains of his marriage—how his wife was domineering and didn’t understand him. He claid he couldn’t find joy in life and was considering divorcing his wife but feared loneliness afterward.
When a married man began to share the struggles of his marriage and the shortcomings of his wife with a young girl, that was when the trap started.
At the height of her youth, Paityn fell into this trap, feeling imnse sympathy for this handso, mature, talented, cultured, and charming married man, fantasizing about saving him and bringing him happiness. Damon also promised her he would divorce his wife and then marry her.
Thus they began their five-year secret affair.
Eventually, Paityn beca pregnant, and Damon officially filed for divorce. Damon’s wife warned him and blacklisted Paityn.
Damon’s wife ca from a prominent family and was the largest shareholder of the record label. To preserve his career, Damon chose to stay with his wife and forced Paityn to break her contract with the company, sending her to Aeloria to have the baby.
The subsequent events unfolded much like the gossip columns reported.
Paityn was abroad for a year, and as new artists erged in the music scene, she returned to find her glory days long gone.
She sought help everywhere and fell in love with Westin at first sight.
Upon learning she had a child with polio, the Pittman family told her that if she wanted to marry into the Pittman family, she must abandon her illegitimate daughter and never let anyone know this secret.
To marry into a wealthy family, Paityn chose to send Josie to an orphanage.
At this point, Paityn covered her eyes with her hands in agony. "It’s all my fault...
"When Josie was born, her right leg was fine. As long as she got vaccinated within the stipulated ti, she wouldn’t contract polio.
"However, I was eager to return to the music scene, and coupled with my anxiety over being abandoned, I left Josie with a nanny and returned to the country alone. The nanny didn’t take Josie for her vaccination, leading to Josie’s right leg disability."
Maria’s eyes turned red with anger. She banged on the table and cursed, "You don’t deserve to be a mother. Having a mother is a curse and a disgrace for Josie!"
"You’re right..." Paityn didn’t argue. Tears slipped through her fingers. "Thankfully, Josie t the Carter family and t all of you."
At that, Paityn stood up and bowed deeply to Avery and Maria. "I’m leaving Josie in your hands."
After saying that, she kept her head down, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, and quickly walked away.
She wouldn’t leave the music industry, and she wouldn’t rely on anyone ever again.
If Josie wanted to beco a professional singer, Paityn would silently use her own strength and influence to protect her from behind the scenes.
Paityn was out of Avery’s sight.
Avery was fine, slowly sipping her coffee.
But Maria seed a bit stunned. "She just left like that?"
Avery smiled. "What else would she do?"
Maria frowned, deep in thought.
After finishing her cup of coffee, Avery said, "Tonight, Lockwood’s Detective Diary is officially airing on the national channel and the three major streaming platforms. Let’s hurry ho and watch it."
Maria responded with a nod, standing up and following Avery out of the café.
It wasn’t until they reached the parking lot 660 feet away that Maria looked at Avery and solemnly said, "Avery, I’ll never give up my career, my dreams, or my dignity for a man."
Avery smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. "Very good. You’ll find happiness."
This was exactly why she had brought Maria to et Paityn.
And it proved to be very effective.
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