She Outshines 341
Saanvi finally left.
Paityn, pale and trembling, leaned against the wall and sank into a chair, feeling as though she had
been plunged into an abyss.
She knew the Pittman family all too well.
There was no way Saanvi would truly ept Alina.
The most likely scenario Paityn could imagine was that the Pittman family wanted to control Alina
and prevent her from outshining Lori. They certainly wouldn’t let Alina be famous or make a
name for herself.
Paityn didn’t know what to do.
She couldn’t defy the Pittman family, nor could she fight them. But even more so, she didn’t want to
harm her own daughter.
Saanvi had said that the Pittman family would create some sort of distraction tomorrow morning to
keep Damon upied, while they’d head to Kitmore City to meet with the Donovan family and
discuss taking back Alina.
Paityn couldn’t imagine the chaos that would ensue if the Pittman family confronted the Donovan
family about this.
Paityn thought, ‘What now? Damon is just as unreliable as the Pittman family. How could I protect
Alina?‘
She paced around the room for a long time, chewing on her lip, before deciding she should warn the
Donovan family.
At least they had taken good care of Alina, even managing to cure her disability.
And besides, if she wanted to reunite with Alina without creating too much conflict, it would be better
not to alienate the Donovan family.
With this in mind, Paityn picked up her phone. Despite the fact that it was past 2 in the morning, she
dialed Arthur’s number.
There was no answer.
She remembered then that Arthur had blocked her.
Paityn thought, ‘Who else could she turn to now? Zayn?‘
Zayn was also in the entertainment industry. With her connections, it wouldn’t be hard to track down
Zayn’s number. But just thinking about Zayn’s stern, upromising demeanor made her hesitate.
Paityn thought, ‘How could I find anyone else from the Donovan family? Could I leverage my
contacts in the industry to get their numbers?‘
Suddenly, an idea struck her. Luna had a great rtionship with the Donovan family and had even
stayed at their country house for an extended period. Surely, Luna would have their phone
numbers.
As a queen of pop, Paityn had ovepping circles with Luna, a film star.
It didn’t take long for her to get Luna’s number from her manager. Without worrying about thete
hour, she dialed Luna’s private line.
Luna picked up but didn’t speak, clearly waiting for the caller to introduce themselves.
Paityn didn’t have time to waste on pleasantries and cut straight to the point, “Luna, it’s Paityn. I
need to tell the Donovan family something important about Josie immediately. Can you give me a
number for someone in the Donovan family who can make decisions?”
Luna stayed calm, “Is this about Jasie? Is it good news or bad news?”
Paityn hesitated and said, “I’m not sure yet, but if it’s not addressed tonight, things could get
worse.”
Luna replied, “Hold on. I’ll check if Athena is willing to take your call.”
Paityn thought, ‘Why is Luna contacting Athena first? Wouldn’t it make more sense to reach out to
Alina’s adoptive parents or
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her brothers?‘
Two minutester, Luna returned with an answer, “Athena said she’ll call you. That’s it. I have to
go”
Paityn was left speechless by how blunt Luna was. It was as if she didn’t want to waste a single
word.
Then Paityn’s phone rang again.
It was an unfamiliar number.
When she answered, a voice that was calm and indifferent came through. “Ms. Shepard, this is
Athena. You can speak about Josie now.”
Paityn frowned and said, “What I’m about to say is very important. Are you in a position to speak for
the Donovan family?”
“Of course,” Athena replied coolly. “When ites to the Donovan family, if I say something, no one
will oppose it.”
To be honest, Paityn found Athena quite irritating.
Athena was just in her early twenties, yet she always carried herself with this serene, all–knowing
air, like she had the whole world under her control. She wasn’t arrogant, but she exuded a quiet
confidence that seemed rooted in undeniable power.
Still, despite how much Paityn disliked her, she had no other choice right now.
“What I need to tell you is about Josie’s true parentage,” Paityn began slowly. “Josie was adopted
by your family. Did you ever consider looking for her biological parents? Josie must’ve mentioned
wanting to meet them, right?”
“No,” Athena replied calmly. “Josie has always believed she’s our biological child, and we’ve treated
her as such. None of us have ever thought about finding her biological parents.”
Paityn’s heart ached when she heard that.
“But her real mother never forgot about Josie…” Paityn’s voice trembled. “She’s been searching for
Josie all this time, and now that she’s finally found Josie, she… she wants to take Josie back.”
“You’re talking about yourself, right?” Athena said, her tone t, delivering what should have been a
bombshell revtion with no hint of surprise. “You’re Josie’s biological mother.
“Years ago, you abandoned your illegitimate daughter, who was suffering from polio, at the steps of
an orphanage to pursue your career and marry into the Pittman family.
“And now, with Josie’s polio cured, and her being beautiful, talented, and gifted with a marvelous
voice, you want to take her back to bring yourself glory.”
“That’s not how it is!” Paityn felt as if Athena had just ripped away her fa?ade in front of everyone,
leaving her exposed. Frantically, she tried to defend herself, tears streaming down her face. “I
looked for Alina after, but the orphanage had shut down, and the staff were nowhere to be found. I
couldn’t find her…”
“And if you had found her, what then?” Athena asked,ughing softly. “Would you have dared to
reveal that Josie was your daughter? Would you be willing to sacrifice your reputation and career
for her? Would you really defy the Pittman family for Josie’s sake?”
Athena’s tone suddenly turned cold, her voice sharp. “Or maybe you nned to quietly bring Josie
into the Pittman family, where she’d live like a Cindere, constantly bullied and overshadowed by
Lori.”
“No! I never intended for that to happen.” Paityn finally broke down, sobbing uncontrobly. “That’s
exactly why I called the Donovan family in the middle of the night…”
Athena said nothing, letting Paityn speak.
Through her tears, Paityn exined Damon’s and the Pittman family’s ns. Her voice broke as
she cried out, “None of them have Josie’s best interests at heart. They only care about her talent.
Not a single one of them truly loves her. I can’t let Alina fall into their hands.” Content ? N?velDrama.Org.
Athena’s voice remained calm, unshaken by the revtions. “Thank you for sharing this
information. But let me make it clear. No one is going to take Josie away from our family. Not even
you.”
感
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