Ryland #3
“Please don’t apologize. This is no fault of yours. We empathize with your situation. Your privacy was violated and I understand. I just wanted to give you a heads up about what to expect when you arrive to get Rylee this afternoon.”
“’Preciate that. I’ll get on the line with my team to see if we can get them cleared out.”
“Thank you. We’ll see you this afternoon.”
I ended the call and swiped through my phone, trying to find the reason the media was camped out in front of my sister’s school.
Somee was at my side, eyes glued to my screen watching while I typed my name into Quest. The search populated, and within seconds, a scowl was on my face while tension crept down the back of my neck and across my shoulders.
I tapped the first link I came to and my eyes blazed with rage as I scanned the images.
Copies of the papers I filed to allow me temporary custody of my sister, the one my father signed relinquishing his parental rights, and a copy of the NDA delivering the terms of our agreement.
There was even a copy of the form that provided his banking information along with details on where to wire the agreed upon amount.
“Fuck…” I yelled, gripping my phone so tightly I was surprised the damn thing didn’t shatter.
“How did they get this? It’s the original copies. She’s a minor. Isn’t her name supposed to be blacked out?” Somee’s hand movements were fast and angry.
“I don’t know,” I said without signing since she was within proximity to read my lips. “Get dressed. I need to make some calls and we have to pick Rylee up from school.”
“Does she know?”
I shook my head. “They said she was fine. The school is gated, so there is no access allowing them on campus. Get dressed.” I stepped closer and dropped a kiss on her forehead. She huffed in anger and began snatching up her clothes while I dialed Raaj, my attorney.
“Hey, Land, I’m working on it. Sov and Van already hit my line.”
“How the hell did this get out there?” I asked, once again cradling the phone between my shoulder and my ear while I reached for the clothes I had on earlier, feeling grateful we’d both showered after Somee tapped out on me.
“The NDA and your father’s banking information was leaked by the paralegal from the law firm we hired in Chicago who was sent to get your father’s signatures on the paperwork.”
“How you know he didn’t do that shit?”
“It wasn’t him. The minute the documents went viral, I called the firm, making sure they understood their best course of action was to hand over the reason why those documents were leaked.
Took them less than ten minutes to call me back with all the details on what happened.
Alyssa Martin, the paralegal, leaked the paperwork.
According to them, she didn’t think it was a big deal. ”
“It’s a very big fucking deal. You think I want people in my personal shit? It’s not just me, Raaj. Rylee doesn’t know anything about this or him. Now her name is attached to stories about me paying that muthafucker to move the fuck on so she wouldn’t have to be rejected by him.”
“I’m aware. It’s out there now, so we do the best we can with damage control.”
“Nah, fuck damage control. I want this handled legally.”
“I’m already in the process of finishing an ethical complaint with the state bar against the firm since she worked for them.
The state will make a recommendation to revoke her licensing as well.
We can sue the law firm for breach of contract since she was employed by them with a demand for punitive damages. ”
“She needs a more severe consequence than losing her fucking license. I want her world flipped upside down like ours is gonna be. Rylee is a gotdamn child and she disclosed personal and confidential information about my sister’s life.”
“She was fired immediately, and if you want to go after her personally, we can. But that’s going to be civil, which means a waste of time and paperwork. She doesn’t have anything of value, Land. You’re speaking from a place of anger…”
“You’re damn right I am. This shit is disrespectful and insensitive.”
“You need to focus on Rylee. Let me handle this. Go take care of your sister.”
The muscles in my jaw flexed. “What about the custody judgment? The firm didn’t have that.”
“Because the original documents circulating aren’t redacted, I’m assuming the media or a reporter reached out to someone at the County Clerk’s office after Alyssa leaked the paperwork your father signed.
Money provides access. It happens. I’m working on that also, but it’s not likely that we’ll get anywhere.
It will be damn near impossible to trace back to the person who leaked the documents.
Firing every employee at the County Clerk’s office is not an option.
I am working on it though. Give me time to handle things. ”
“Figure this shit out, Raaj,” I ground out, pissed that it was happening, not with him.
“I’m on it.”
After I ended the call with Raaj, I finished getting dressed so we could head out to get Rylee.
It was only an hour earlier than the end of her school day, but by the time we got there and spoke with the office staff, hopefully we wouldn’t have to disrupt her day.
It was already going to be enough trying to explain this shit in kid terms.
Rylee was only six but she had access to social media just like the kids at her school.
I didn’t want her being told some half ass story about me “buying her from our father”, which was what most of the headlines were using to gain attention.
As messed up as it was, they only cared about traction and attaching my name next to that type of headline would give them more than enough.