Chapter 124

Fiona

“Wh-what?” The words tumble from my mouth before I can stop them. There’s no way he just said Jack, right? Did I hear him wrong?

I glance at Ethan who doesn’t look at me. He keeps his eyes on the rearview mirror as Ryan clarifies, “Goldman, the main partner, explained that he and the two other partners are opposing Jack because he has been making numerous mistakes in paperwork and cases for weeks.”

“Weeks?” I ask, dumbfounded. Jack was always good at his job, so what happened?

“They said his excuse was losing his secretary and then the divorce—”

“That’s ridiculous!” I shout, sitting up and smacking the back of the seat. I didn’t mean to be so loud, but I can’t help it. Ethan looks at me with raised eyebrows, surprised at my outburst. The heat that floods my cheeks sends me sinking into the seat with embarrassment.

“Sorry, Ryan. Continue,” I mumble, ducking my head.

Jeez. Could I be more awkward?

Of course, it’s Jack, and of course, he’s making stupid excuses. That’s what he’s done the whole time we’ve been together, even if I couldn’t see it until recently. It’s how he is. He lies and cheats, leaving everyone else to deal with the messes that he makes.

“There have been reports from Goldman that Jack has lost the last two cases he was in charge of for ridiculous reasons. He said one was because Jack neglected to fully review the opposing argument documents,” Ryan says, and I shake my head. Just like with our divorce case. Jack didn’t take the time to review what Mr. Adair submitted, leading to his defeat.

“He has also been charged with failure to follow proper client-lawyer confidentiality protocol when his client overheard him discussing their case with someone at a bar.”

I gasp at this, slapping my hand over my mouth when I realize I shouldn’t have made any sound. I need to keep my reactions to myself, but even I know that you shouldn’t talk about private cases with random people at the bar.

“How much is he getting sued for?” Ethan asks.

Ryan sighs, “Not him. The firm.”

“Excuse me?”

I sink further into my seat at the furious tone coating Ethan’s question. Guilt turns my stomach, even when I know I have nothing to be guilty about. I may be Jack’s ex-wife, but he’s not my responsibility.

Still, I reach over and take Ethan’s hand.

“That’s why Goldman called me. The lawsuit is against the firm, stating that Silverclaw Law Firm is responsible for violating lawyer-client confidentiality and the client’s privacy,” Ryan informs Ethan who grits his teeth.

“But it’s not the firm’s fault,” I say, confused.

“It’s not, but he’s high up in the chain, and that’s all they need to put blame on the entire firm,” Ethan tells me, squeezing my hand. “How much are they demanding?”

Ryan pulls into the driveway and turns around, making me even more nervous. We could continue this conversation inside, but none of us move. I wait on bated breath while Ryan looks to Ethan.

“Five hundred thousand.”

I choke on the air.

“Is there a way we could reinstate the lawsuit onto Jack Aldridge alone?” Ethan asks, and my eyes nearly pop out of my head.

Yes, it’s Jack’s problem and he caused this client to sue the firm, but I expected Ethan to be angrier. I thought he’d demand Jack pay, not calmly ask if they could put it on him.

“Goldman sent me the client’s details and their new lawyer’s contact information so you could get in touch with them,” Ryan answers, holding out a business card. Ethan takes it, and without looking at it, tucks the small card into his jacket pocket.

“I’ll take care of this. Jack won’t get away with dragging my firm’s name through the mud,” he says. I stare with amazement as the large amount of money and the issue at hand seems to slide right off Ethan’s shoulders. “Anything else I should know about?”

Ryan nods and picks up a large envelope that looks like the type you would put important papers in. He doesn’t offer it to Ethan, which I find strange. Instead, he just says, “Goldman listed off several other offenses against Jack Aldridge. Among the list he has been missing deadlines, fails to communicate with clients or employees, is not prepared for trial, and does not return official documents. I found the start of a paper trail with the help of Goldman that we can investigate.”

Once he’s done, he passes the envelope to Ethan. I watch as Ethan opens the orange packet to pull out a small stack of papers. He flips through some of them and stops on a page with my name and information.

Ethan glances at me, and I nod.

“He lost our divorce case for obvious reasons, but he was underprepared and disrespectful the entire trial,” I tell him, not really wanting to dwell on it much. I’d like to leave that in the past if I can, but if he needs me to talk more about it, I will.

“Looks like we’ll be busy for the rest of the night,” Ethan says before turning to me. “I’m sorry, Fiona.”

“No, don’t be sorry,” I tell him, touching his arm. “I don’t want you to be hurt because of this, so whatever you need to do to take care of this, do it. I have no love for Jack anymore, so don’t think you’ll hurt my feelings by going after him.”

Ryan smirks, looking a bit proud.

“Do you want me to come with you and help? I’m not sure what I could do, but three pairs of eyes could be better than two,” I tell him.

Ethan’s lips meet mine, making me jump back in surprise.

“What—”

Ryan clears his throat and turns to the front while Ethan pulls me close, almost moving me into his lap. I push against him, worried we’ll make Ryan uncomfortable, but I also want to get close. I briefly and silently question if he needs me close right now, which has me rethinking, and I let him pull me to him.

Ethan smiles, kisses me, then squeezes his arm around my waist. I glance at Ryan then look back at Ethan, waiting for him to say something.

“Thank you for the offer, but Ryan and I will take care of it.”

“Let’s get your bags, and you can go inside and rest,” Ryan says, jumping out of the car. I hold in my laughter at the seemingly uncomfortable vibe that sends him running. I didn’t mean to make him uneasy, so I climb out of the car too.

Ryan already has our bags out of the trunk, waiting for us to take them, but I stop him before we can take them inside.

“Thank you for taking over for Ethan so we could get away,” I tell him, digging into my bag. I find the little wrapped gift and take it out. “This is for you as a thank you.”

He stares at me for a moment, then looks at Ethan before accepting the gift. I watch with interest as he opens the package, hoping he likes it. I didn’t know what to give him because some people don’t want to accept a gift from a friend’s girlfriend.

“I hope you like it,” I blurt.

“It’s nice,” Ryan says, turning the leather bracelet over. The small moon shaped stone sits atop the leather band, and it’s simple but personal. “Thank you, Luna.”

“You’re very welcome, and I hope you can figure out the problems at the firm. I know Ethan wants me to stay home, but if you need my help, please call.”