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“All legal servings have to go through our legal department.” Shelagh moves to take the envelope, but the man holds it away from her and out to me.
I accept it. My gut tells me I know what this is about. I’m shocked she moved this fast on it, but she is probably trying to get ahead of the fact she knows I’ll be suing for everything.
I look down at the logo on the manila envelope. It’s from a firm I called, but they said they couldn’t represent me. Now I know why. She either hired them as soon as she walked away from me, or she was prepared for this.
“Thank you.” I turn my back on both of them and rip open the package.
“Sir, that needs to go to legal. You shouldn’t have signed for it.”
“This is personal. Leave, now,” I order her without turning back around.
Returning to my desk, I pull the contents of the envelope out. The top letter is addressed today, and several packets of paper follow. The last one is the one that catches my eye. Proof of Evidence of Nonparental Rights. I slam my hand onto my desk so hard everything rattles around, and a few things dump over. I quickly flip through the paperwork and see dates of phone calls and in-person visits. Several copies of emails are also included as well as text streams. I reach for my desk phone and snatch the handset off the base.
“Get in here. Now,” I growl when Shelagh answers. I hang up and then dial the extension for my head of security.
“Tom, I want you in my office in five minutes, or you’ll be looking for a new job. Bring the head of IT with you.”
The door opens, and Shelagh peeks in.
“Get in here and have a seat.” I point to one of the two chairs across from my desk.
“Sir, I advised you to seek legal first. You shouldn’t have attached your name to anything.” She’s craning her neck to see what I’m reading, but I flip the top packet over and move to the next one. This packet is marked with places for me to sign, releasing all my parental rights. I immediately tear the papers in half and drop them onto the desk. The next packet is a statement stating she isn’t seeking any child support, current or back. Well, isn’t that nice of her. The final grouping of papers is a proposed visitation contract. It includes stipulations like for the time being Orion will not know I’m his father. Another fucking thing that I’m going to contest.
The door opens again, and in walks my heads of security and information technology.
“Tom, please escort Ms. Brant from the premises. Make sure all of her personal belongings are the only things she takes. Please ensure she doesn’t leave with any company information. Have her show you she is deleting her work email from her device, and take her badge.”
“I demand to know why I’m being let go. I have done nothing wrong.”
I stand from my desk and cross my arms over my chest. “I don’t have to give you a reason. Washington is an at-will employment state.” I look at the packet I flipped over containing proof that Briar had contacted me. I can’t have Shelagh here if she did what it appears she has done. “But know this, I have proof you have been withholding messages from me.”
“I have only kept those that didn’t need to contact you away. Such as spammers and those posing false fronts. It’s my job to not disturb you and keep your life in order,” she responds.
“Is it your place to keep my child from me? Is it your place to not notify me when a friend comes to see me?” I round the desk. For a brief moment I want to punch her, but she’s a woman, and I won’t do that.
“I’ve never.” She huffs.
“Get off my property and out of my building.”
I watch as Tom takes her by the forearm and directs her out of my office. As soon as the door is closed behind them, I look at my IT manager, Paul.
“I have a packet of information here. I need you to scour the system looking for any emails from Briar Bennington to me through the general inbox or even mine.”
“Thor, I was asked several years ago to filter all emails from Ms. Bennington. They were to be redirected from you to Ms. Brant.”
My body vibrates as I drop hard into my chair, not believing what I’m hearing. “By whom, and when?”
“Ms. Brant showed me a memo not long after I was hired. It had your name and signature and stated you wanted Ms. Bennington to not have access to you via the premises and the internet.”
“Son of a bitch,” I yell as I pull at my hair. She’s been controlling this for a long time. “I want this document found. I want you to search the system for anything else similar.”
“There are protocols like this in place for several people, sir.”
“Who?” I bark at him as I stand so fast my chair slams into the glass behind me. I round the desk and storm over to my bar. I want to have a shot, but I have too much to do today.
“Well, honestly, Thor, it would be easier for me to pull the list of those who aren’t being directed to her. Only Ms. Bennington and Mr. Ryder were banned from the premises though.”
Shit. That explains why Chase never came here. I saw him either at his place or the university.
