Paxton was clearly very pleased with Alvin's so-called "arrangement"!
Alvin hadn't forced the couple to accept anything. In fact, everything he'd done seemed to have been motivated more by concern for their little family.
Paxton liked Lucy a lot, and he genuinely wanted to help her.
With Sam's IQ of just seven, he simply wasn't capable of taking care of a child. He was a child himself, and an honest one at that!
Now Paxton could work with Jordan Beckford, Wall Street's superstar, and still help Lucy. Paxton and Annie thought it was the best arrangement possible.
Alvin watched Annie start crying again and felt a headache coming on. He glared at Shang-Chi in irritation, then turned to Lucy and Sam, who were beaming, and said, "You can stay with Shang-Chi for a while. Once Paxton and Annie are settled, Lucy will still have to go live with them.
That's the judge's decision. At the very least, we can't break the law!"
Then Alvin looked at Sam and smiled helplessly. "I'll find you an apartment next door to theirs. You can see Lucy every day, have breakfast and dinner with her, tell her stories, take her to the park...
"But first, your salary has to be enough to cover the rent and support Lucy...
"Sam, Paxton and Annie are genuinely good people. They just want to help you. Don't resent them. Think of them as friends..."
Sam nodded repeatedly. He didn't think there was anything wrong with that. As long as he could see Lucy every day, whether or not he was her guardian didn't matter to him.
Alvin looked at everyone, who all seemed satisfied, and shook his head helplessly. Lucy was beaming, and she seemed to have grown close to Annie again. She was cuddling little Cassie and