Cheers To Comeuppance
Chapter 20

Third Person

Annika awoke to the ear-piercing sound of her alarm blaring, and she sat up, clutching her head as the room swayed despite remaining motionless on her bed. The hangover headache was more oppressive than she remembered, and her brain felt like it had swelled past the capacity of her skull. Annika felt like death warmed up, and her dehydration became too much to ignore. And considering she had only slept for a few hours, she knew she was in no condition to practice medicine. Annika was a doctor, after all, and she knew her limits, but after being pushed over the edge last night, she could not give two f***s about anything and admittedly went overboard with the alcohol.

It was no surprise to Kenzie that Annika would not make an appearance at the clinic that morning, and she made some last-minute adjustments to her schedule. She instructed the front office to reach out to see if any patients were willing to reschedule to a different day so she could accommodate both hers and Annika’s appointments. Kenzie knew she had no choice but to roll with the punches and handle a loaded schedule.

In a departure from the norm, Hunter spared no details and explained the situation to Kenzie when he returned home from his meeting with Annika and Leon the night before. He was never one to break attorney-client privilege; however, Kenzie had her role to play aside from being his wife and Annika’s best friend. Kenzie was the first to witness Jeffrey with another woman and recognize him from afar, so she was now legally involved in the matter as an eyewitness along with Hunter.

Before leaving her office to see her first patient, Kenzie sent her husband a text message to tell him that Annika had called in that morning. Since the two shared a close relationship with Annika, they knew something was amiss because it was rare for Annika to miss work. Kenzie received Hunter’s reply that he would contact her to see if she was okay before placing her phone into her coat pocket and knocking on the exam room door.

Meanwhile, Hunter’s anxiety steadily rose as his attempts to get in touch with Annika went unanswered. Out of desperation, he decided to check in with Leon to let him know what was happening. At that time, Leon was in the middle of back-to-back meetings that occupied his entire morning and had his phone turned off. Upon returning to his office for his lunch break, Leon turned on his phone and was shocked to see several missed calls and texts from Hunter and Jorge. He had an inkling that Jorge’s missed calls and messages were related to Jeffrey and Sadie since they had agreed to move forward with a civil suit against them, so Leon figured he would return Jorge’s calls after listening to Hunter’s messages. He placed his phone on speaker and played the first message, but what he heard caught him off-guard.

“Leon, I know you’re probably busy, but if you have a chance today, do you think you could stop by Annika’s penthouse? Kenzie just called me and told me that Annika called into work today. Annika never calls into work. Something isn’t right with her. I don’t think she’s of sound mind right now, and it might have to do with everything that is happening. I know you have feelings for her, and I think it would be best if you went to go check on her.”

After listening to the message, Leon only stared at his phone for a few minutes. The fact that Hunter was aware of his feelings for Annika left him utterly speechless. He was under the impression that he had sufficiently masked his feelings for Annika, but then again, Hunter was a divorce attorney who could likely tell when someone was hiding something from ten feet away. Leon took what Hunter said to heart and tried to call Annika, but her phone went straight to voicemail. A few more tries later, he sent her a couple of text messages, but they were all left on “Delivered.” After contemplating for a moment, Leon decided to check in with the team lead of Annika’s security detail.

“Yes, Mr. Von Doren?”

“What is she doing right now?”

“Nothing, Sir. She hasn’t even left the penthouse since she returned earlier this morning. Is everything alright?”

“I’m not sure. Have someone go inside and get a security guard to do a wellness check on her.”

“Certainly. Let me get back to you.”

“Very well.”

Leon waited patiently for his man to report back; one minute, two minutes, then three minutes flew by in an instant. It wasn’t until approximately fifteen minutes later that he received a text message notification. He pulled out his phone eagerly but was stunned when he realized the message was from none other than Annika.

Annika: Really? You had security do a wellness check on me?

Leon: Those guys have big mouths. I told them to do a wellness check. Never gave them permission to tell you it was under my instructions.

Annika: They didn’t rat you out but given that you have men watching me like a hawk, it was pretty obvious that the wellness check was your doing.

Leon: That obvious?

Annika: Yup.

Annika: I’m fine, Mr. Von Doren. I just had too much to drink last night and woke up hungover.

Leon: Are you alright?

Leon: And I don’t just mean about the hangover. My men told me what happened last night when you arrived home.

Annika: Nosy brats =P

Leon: They’re just doing their jobs.

Annika: Uh-huh.

Leon: Seriously, though. Are you alright? How are your hands? What about your cheek?

Annika: In all honesty, I’m numb to the physical pain. It’s the mental anguish that’s eating me alive right now. It goes without saying that you know Jeff slapped me, and he didn’t just slap me; he bitch-slapped me. The pain from that was gone in two seconds flat, however.

Leon: I’m sorry, Annika. I can’t even imagine how much you’re hurting right now.

Annika: That’s the crazy thing, though. I’m not hurting. No, f**k all that. I’m not hurting. I am pissed off. The amount of rage and hatred coursing through my veins is inconceivable, so much so that my left eye keeps twitching, and my b***d pressure is through the roof right now.

Leon: Did you measure it at home or something?

Annika: No need. I think I know when my BP is high and might even be higher than yours the first time we met. Trust me. I’m a doctor.

Leon: Annika, I know this is a lot to take in. And the emotional distress from the betrayal is more than one should bear, but you’re a strong and tenacious young woman. It might all seem like a big circus show right now, but when this is all over and you’ve taken the time to heal from it, you’ll see that it’s nothing but a minor speed bump along the way on the journey we all call life.

Annika: Did you get that from a fortune cookie?

Leon: Um, I think that’s too long to fit onto a fortune cookie paper.

Annika: *insert laughing emoji*

Leon: As you said, the physical pain will fade, and eventually, so will the emotional ones. But what won’t fade will be the massive amount of embarrassment Jeff and Sadie will be facing once we’re done with them. The humiliation and defamation that awaits them will last a f*****g lifetime.

Annika: Oh, yes, it will. Jeff has no idea the hell that’s about to rain down on him.

Leon: That’s the spirit. Now that I know you’re okay, perhaps you should reach out to Hunter. He’s been worried too. And I’m sure you two have a lot to discuss and get sorted.

Annika: Thank you, Leon.

Leon: For?

Annika: For checking on me. That was sweet of you.

Leon: Sweet enough to earn me some brownie points?

Annika: No.

Leon’s eyes glimmered vividly with pure amusement, and he wore a wicked smirk on his lips after reading the final text message from Annika. Although their playful banter felt like an addict going through a relapse, he summoned every last ounce of his ironclad control and left the conversation where it was. There was work to be done, and he knew Annika would be busy from this point forward with her uncompromising resolve fully restored. Leon had no doubts that the main attraction would start soon, and there was no way he would miss it for the world.

After wrapping up her conversation with Leon, Annika briefly allowed herself to lower her guard. The smile that had so naturally formed was like sunlight illuminating the darkest corners of her room. Before she had even realized it, Annika found herself opening up to Leon, and an inexplicable emotion bloomed in her heart. She reclined against the headboard and closed her eyes while exhaling deeply. Annika couldn’t help but dwell on the excessive amount of time it had been since someone devoted this much effort to show they cared about her, and the thought instantly caused her mind to become hazy. She thought about their k**s last night, and her pulse quickened as her heart began to hammer relentlessly within her chest. Annika unconsciously touched her lips as the scene replayed in her mind as she recalled the feeling of his lips moving steadily and effortlessly against hers. Leon had mastered the art of kissing—that she knew for a fact. She inadvertently licked her lips the more she thought about it and went into shock after catching herself doing so.

“What am I doing?” Annika grumbled as she shook her head and buried her face in her hands. Only then was she reminded that her hands were injured. She grimaced from the stinging sensation and stared down at her open palms resting on her lap. The pain refreshed the memory of how her hands were reduced to such a pitiful state in the first place, and Annika immediately hardened herself before reaching out to Hunter.

“Holy hell, Anni, why haven’t you been answering any of my calls!?” Hunter exclaimed as soon as he answered the phone.

“Sorry, Hunter. I had a lot to drink last night.”

“Is everything okay?”

“No. It’s not. Jeff was waiting for me when I got home. Hunter, I’m done being sad over this. I’m pissed the f**k off, and I want Jeff to suffer so much that he will be crawling on his knees and begging for f*****g mercy!”

“What happened, Anni?”

“HE f*****g SLAPPED ME! THAT’S WHAT f*****g HAPPENED!”

“HE WHAT!? ARE YOU f*****g SERIOUS!?”

“YES! Leon’s goon squad bore witness to it!”

“Goon squad?”

“Oh yeah, Leon hired a group of men to protect me from afar because of what Sadie is plotting to do to me.”

“He did, huh?”

“Don’t give me that tone, Hunter.”

“I didn’t give you any tone, Anni. I was only clarifying that I heard correctly,” Hunter teased.

“Shut up. What’s the status of the documents that need to be presented to the judge?”

“I have everything we need at the ready. I just need to get in touch with my great uncle to arrange a private meeting in his chambers to discuss our case. Word will spread quickly, and because of Jeff’s role as a D.A., a meeting with a Supreme Court judge won’t take long to reach him.”

“I want to get this done ASAP, Hunter. I can’t stand the thought of being married to a douchebag bastard like him for even a second longer.”

“I get it. We can also add the assault to the case file if you want. Take some pictures of your face and body parts that were injured due to cause and effect.”

“I don’t think that will work because I slapped him back. Three times, in fact.”

“Nice!”

“Hunter!”

“Sorry. That’s okay. We can still add it and claim that you slapping him back was self-defense. Aren’t there cameras outside of the penthouse building?”

“Oh my god, you’re right! There are! See, this is why you’re the best in the industry, Hunter!”

“I’ll get Jorge to collect the evidence we need. It could be interpreted as self-defense if it shows that he hit you first and that you slapped him back afterward. Even if the video says otherwise, establishing that Jeff hit you first will go a long way in ruining his reputation. He could be labeled as abusive.”

“Good. I want to destroy everything about him. Jeff really thinks he can get away with s**t like this, but I think not. He has no f*****g idea who I really am and the s**t my family and I are capable of.”

“No, he sure doesn’t.”

“Okay. Since we’re on the same page, please get everything taken care of as soon as possible, Hunter.”

“I got you, Anni. I’ll be in touch.”

“Also, Hunter, can you see whether the judge would be willing to sign off on a divorce decree without Jeff’s signature? After taking into account all of the circumstances behind this case, it should be possible to file for divorce without requiring Jeff to sign off on a divorce agreement.”

“I will definitely see about that, but I can’t make promises. What I can do is draw up a settlement that will prevent Jeff from getting anything out of the divorce. Regardless of your marital status, once we provide the evidence to prove the penthouse is in your family’s name and that Kenzie now owns the majority of the shares for the practice, we can stop Jeff from getting a single penny from you.”

“Okay. I can live with that. I’ll leave it to you then.”

“Talk to you later, Anni. Get some rest.”

“Will do, Hunter. Bye.”

Annika felt a surge of relief wash over her after talking to Hunter. Soon, the ghost of Jeffrey Hollands would no longer haunt her mercilessly and knowing all of this would soon be over felt as though the weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders. Still, it was maddening for Annika because she knew she couldn’t get too comfortable, for this was just the beginning. She knew all too well that she was in the eye of the storm because Jeffrey would not take this lying down, and neither would Sadie. Annika had established long ago that this wouldn’t end amicably, but she was prepared to fight to the bitter end.