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Neither Greyson nor Ghost answered any of my numerous calls. I couldn’t blame them. According to clips I’d seen on the internet, they were dealing with a lot of fallout from the damn article.
I’d retreated to my apartment, furiously making phone calls while monitoring the fallout. First, I’d contacted a termination lawyer who’d advised me to craft a resignation letter that denied authorship of the article.
As I was typing up my resignation, I received a bevy of e-mails from Hollywood Exposé. Human Resources requested that I turn in my company badge and laptop by tomorrow morning. At that time, I would be given a few minutes to pack up my desk of all my personal property.
The email from HR was followed by multiple emails from company lawyers reminding me of the confidentiality agreements in place, the intellectual property on my laptop and any research conducted during my employment as belonging to Hollywood Exposé. Another email reviewed my employment contract and highlighted my legal indemnity clause.
Worried about my legal liability, I called the lawyer who had originally reviewed my contract. Luckily, he’d pushed back on Hollywood Exposé‘s standard clause and got a mutual indemnification clause agreed to. Still, my lawyer explained to me, if I got sued over this article and lost, I was financially screwed.
If any party named in the article proved defamation and could prove harm such as pain and suffering, damage to reputation, lost wages, or even personal harm such as shame, humiliation, or anxiety, I’d be found liable.
The lawyer explained if Ghost Parker canceled the rest of their tour, that was considered lost wages. If Greyson’s studio had to delay taping because of paparazzi, that was lost wages. And anyone would reasonably conclude that these types of false allegations resulted in reputational and personal harm.
God, it was a nightmare. I’d likely have to go up against Hollywood Exposé. My lawyer was preparing a letter demanding they publicly correct the false attribution of my name to the article, but they were heavy guns and I had no way of proving I didn’t author the piece. In the meantime, I was advised to publicly disavow authorship of the article on my personal social media accounts as I’d been locked out of access to Hollywood Exposé.
The lawyer told me my best hope was that the entire thing blew over quickly, but from what I could see, it was doing the exact opposite. It was blowing up like crazy. Ghost Parker and Greyson were getting a lot of blowback. Items from the article were being repeated and spread everywhere.
Even if they believed me that I didn’t write that malicious article, the legal clusterfuck didn’t end there, because suing me might not be in their hands anymore. Their businesses were being harmed. Greyson’s studio or the band’s record label could start a lawsuit.
My mind was spinning. With everything moving so fast, I had little time to prove my innocence in all this. I needed to find out how Dawn accessed my research. My co-worker, Linda, turned out to be no help. She hung up on me after informing me that she couldn’t afford to associate herself with a disgraced employee. Proving my innocence when I had no access to work any longer seemed impossible.
It was past dinner time when I finally finished with all the urgent matters my lawyer had advised me to do. I hadn’t eaten all day, but my stomach was too tangled to even think about food.
I still needed to explain the situation to all the people it’d affected. Ghost Parker was performing in Alabama tonight. With the time difference, Ghost should be done with the show by now.
My heart pounded as I dialed Ghost’s number, my fingers trembling over the keys. What would I say to him? How could I possibly make this right?
The phone rang once, twice, and with each unanswered ring, my anxiety spiked. Finally, it went to his voicemail. I hung up. I’d already left him two messages and several texts.
Greyson was definitely done taping for the day by now. He hadn’t called or texted me back either after I left him messages, but I didn’t blame him.
I took a deep breath and dialed his number, my heart aching with the weight of everything that had happened. The phone rang only once before he answered, his voice strained and tight. “What do you want, Remi?”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Greyson, I’m so sorry. I didn’t write that story. I would never hurt you like that.” I insisted, clutching the phone tighter.
“You have no idea what kind of train wreck you’ve caused.” His tone sliced through me like a knife, sharp and unforgiving. “Everything is in shambles because of you. Everyone is breathing down my neck — the media, the paparazzi, even reporters harassing my parents at their house!” Greyson continued, his voice reaching a crescendo. “My agent and the people at Devious are in talks, and with my contract up for negotiation soon, this could be the final nail in the coffin for me on the show. And it’s not just me, Remi! My coworkers are upset too, since the studio is now surrounded by a swarm of media vultures. And for what? So you could get your big break?”
“Greyson, I swear it wasn’t me.” My voice cracked, tears welling up in my eyes. “It must have been Dawn. She did it somehow.”
I could feel the weight of his disbelief pressing down on me. His words were like a slap to the face, cutting deep. “Only you had that information, Remi. How could Dawn possibly know any of it?”
“Maybe she hacked my computer. Maybe Linda helped her get my password,” I suggested, desperate for him to believe me. “I got fired from Hollywood Exposé because of this, Greyson.”
“That’s your own damn fault,” he said coldly. “I told you not to let your ambition get in the way of doing the right thing. You hurt so many people with that story, including Ghost.”
The image of Ghost, his haunted eyes reflecting the torment within, seared into my mind. My heart twisted at the thought of causing him pain, and the unfairness of it all threatened to consume me.
It had all spiraled so far out of control, and at the center of it all was my own ambition. But I hadn’t written that story — someone else had twisted my words, my work, and used it against me.
I bit my lip, struggling to find the right words. “Greyson, please,” I begged, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll prove I didn’t write the story. I still have the draft I was working on, and it’s nothing like what was printed.”
“Everyone is suffering because of you, Remi.” As he spoke, I could hear the strain in his voice and the barely concealed fury. “Rampant speculation about my past male lovers is everywhere. And to throw Talia and Ryder into the mix — Talia’s trapped in her house with her baby, with the vultures circling, waiting to pick them apart. Why would you do this to us?”
“Greyson, I didn’t—“ I started, but he cut me off.
“Save it, Remi,” he snapped, his voice cold as ice. “I don’t know what you were thinking, but you’ve caused enough damage already.”
I felt my heart break at the sound of Greyson’s anger and hurt. Even if I hadn’t written the story, I knew that my actions had played a part in this disaster. And now, not only was my own life falling apart, but I’d dragged the people I cared about down with me. I closed my eyes, wishing I could reach through the phone and comfort him somehow.
