“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.
Chapter 22
Somee
Iwas fuming and hurt for how all this was being perceived. As many times as I had personally indulged in celebrity gossip, never once had I been part of any. Nor had I ever assumed I would be, but thanks to the greedy, inconsiderate hoe who decided to leak documents about Ryland and his sister, my name and images were circulating all over social media. They had gone as far as finding pictures from Harrington’s social media page of me and Rylee and others from Areena’s birthday party with the three of us.
In all honesty, I didn’t give a damn about what they were saying about me. People were mean. I was a deaf woman now attached to one of Crescent Falls’s most eligible bachelors and the world felt it necessary to provide their hot takes on why I shouldn’t be. I read through a handful of all the think pieces and negative remarks posted to drag me because they were confused about how someone like me managed to lock down a man like Ryland Parks.
With this good ass pussy…
Our attraction was more than just physical, so the thought was childish, but I was annoyed. The women posting about me were thirsty ass hoes who needed to down me to justify whyRyland hadn’t chosen them. There was a whole thread on Trendz dedicated to women from his past posting pictures of themselves to prove why I wasn’t his type. The funny part was they couldn’t touch me. Being deaf didn’t have shit to do with my looks. I ate down every single time I showed my face but it wasn’t just about looks.
Their real problem was their belief that a deaf woman shouldn’t be on his radar. Well, not only was I on his radar, I was on his dick and in his life with a demand from Ryland that I never leave. A man like Ryland openly claiming me was what bothered them the most. The reality that all these women were so insecure and saw me as less than or unworthy of his attention was incredibly sad.
Rolling my eyes, I swiped out of the thread and moved to an article from Caught Live.
The 2.5 Million Dollar Question.
Okay Honies and Homies. It seems like our boy Ryland Parks dropped some serious bank to secure custody of his baby sister. 2.5 Million, to be exact, which leads me to believe there’s a story there. Now unlike the vultures over at Tattle Tales, we’re not posting names of the innocent, but I do consider it my civic duty to deliver the facts.
The story is out there, so let’s break it down. Sharks Left Tackle, Ryland Parks who will not be traded by the way—we were rooting for you, Love and look at God!—just secured the bag with a very sweet, five-year deal guaranteeing his spot on the Sharks roster. I know that’s right, but let’s get back to it. Documents were leaked providing details of a temporary custody order of Ryland’s sister. No names will be listed on our site because I don’t play about the babies.
Now the man that took the payoff to ensure baby sis remained in Ryland’s custody can get all the smoke because who puts a price on their child’s head? We’ll just consider him apiece of shit until he’s otherwise proven to be a decent human. I have a feeling his name will not be cleared.
Then there’s the brown skinned beauty who has seemingly stolen Ryland’s heart. Based on those pictures I’ve seen circulating, Ms. Somee Cole has our boy down bad. I’m rooting for you, sis. For those of you trying to say she’s not deserving, trust and believe you’re showing your hand. Not too much on my girl. Jealousy and envy don’t look good on you, babes! Try Jesus, not my girl Somee. Because with the way she has our boy handing over the keys to the castle, I’m willing to bet my girl is very much unbothered.
Let’s give the Parks family the privacy they deserve and mind the business that pays us. We’ll see your fine ass on the field next season, #55. Black love is beautiful and we’re here for it.
I was about to click on the pictures attached to the article but felt eyes on me. I turned my head to find Ryland with a scowl on his handsome face. We had both sat down with the admins from the school as soon as we arrived and Nicolette assured us the disruption was more of an inconvenience than a problem.
After multiple apologies, we were back in his truck, first in line for car pickup, waiting for the final bell. Ryland was annoyed that a problem attached to him had disrupted things at Rylee’s school. It wasn’t his fault but he still felt terrible that there was a crowd of reporters outside the school. So while we waited, he was on the phone with his publicist Vanessa, who was making arrangements to send a few guys from the security firm Rich and Des worked for to handle crowd control.
“Why you looking at that shit?”
“It’s my fifteen minutes of fame. I might as well see what they’re saying about me,”I signed to lighten the mood after dropping my phone into my purse. Ryland had asked me a million times if I was okay after he realized my pictures andsocial media profiles were highlighted on most of the posts and articles circulating.
“Fuck them folks. They don’t know a damn thing about you.”His face was tight and the muscles in his neck pulsed.
“Calm down, killer. I’m okay.”
I wanted him to release this anger before Rylee was with us. The last thing we needed was her observing his frustration.
“You didn’t ask to have your name out there.”
