Cheers To Comeuppance
Chapter 29

Third Person

“What is taking them so long!?” Sadie shrieked as she became increasingly bent out of shape the longer she was detained, acting as though she was being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment while waiting in her cell at the police station. Despite putting on a brave face, she was beginning to feel as raggedy as her appearance, so she was hurling complaints left and right to maintain her haughty disposition. Her attorney was in no hurry to respond to Sadie for the umpteenth time and blew the non-existent hair out of his face after listening to her incessant bellyaching all night. Given the enormous shitstorm she dragged him into, he was a half-second away from cutting his losses and dropping her as his client. But the seasoned lawyer remembered it wasn’t up to him since the Galloway family signed the check for his services. He was only going through the motions at this point and started to ponder what he had done to deserve such punishment.

“Sadie, you do realize it’s past the time for the average person’s dinner, don’t you? When I made these calls to them, they were probably sitting down to dinner or had just finished.”

“Dinner!? How heartless can these assholes be!? I’ve barely eaten anything in the last 48 hours since being arrested! And I’m f*****g pregnant!”

“The fact that you have the audacity to call us heartless after the s**t you’ve done is truly baffling,” a familiar voice retorted. Sadie and her attorney snapped their heads forward and saw their long-awaited guests staring at them with condescending expressions.

“TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!” Sadie screamed as she lunged forward, grasping onto the bars.

“Where’s Jeffrey?” Annika looked back at Detective Corey, unfazed by the aggressive Chihuahua yapping in front of her.

“We had to separate Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum because they were constantly screaming and at each other’s throats. Since neither of them knew how to shut up, it was so loud that it echoed through the station and disrupted the work of the other detectives, so Mr. Hollands was moved to a holding cell in the narcotics department two floors down.” This information wasn’t surprising to Annika and the others, who nodded in understanding and turned their attention back to the two eyesores in front of them.

“Since we’re here, let’s get down to business, shall we?” Hunter announced while approaching the bench in front of Sadie’s cell. Her attorney stood on the side adjacent to her in order to face Hunter, and Annika promptly took a seat next to Hunter, crossed her legs, and just stared blankly at who she now considered her arch nemesis. Meanwhile, Leon and his representatives stood on the opposite side, awaiting their turn.

“Well, since it seems that you all arrived at the same time. Perhaps I could address everything with everyone simultaneously. That is, of course, as long as both representing parties have no objections?” Sadie’s attorney suggested. After a few seconds of contemplation, the plaintiffs and their attorneys nodded in agreement. “Perfect. So, as I mentioned to the detective, my client, Sadie Galloway, is willing to cut a deal with both Ms. Hiller and Mr. Von Doren in lieu of having the charges dropped against her.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Annika immediately spat. “Where do you come off trying to cut a deal after everything you did to Leon and me?”

“My past relationship with Leon has nothing to do with you, Annika Hiller.”

“It’s Silverton.”

“What?”

“My last name isn’t Hiller. It’s Silverton. The least you could do is address me properly after disrupting my evening,” Annika clapped back in a venomous voice.

“Whatever your last name is, do you want to hear my conditions or not!?”

“Fine. Let’s hear you out for the sake of you making us go out of our way to be here.”

“Thank you.” Sadie squared off her shoulders and flipped her matted hair back, cringing at the state of her personal hygiene as she was reminded that she hadn’t bathed since being detained a couple of days ago. “I’m willing to compensate both of you. Leon, I’ll pay you back everything I took in the divorce. And Annika, I’ll compensate you for everything that Jeff has paid for on my behalf. The monetary value of everything is in the mid-hundreds of thousands. I’m sure that you can use that money.” Sadie’s tone was anything but apologetic and held nothing but contempt towards Annika and Leon. Her attorney rolled his eyes internally and knew immediately that this wouldn’t bode over well. However, rather than appearing offended by Sadie’s pretentious tone or backhanded remark towards her, Annika took one look at Hunter and they both burst out laughing.

“Hunter! She’s offering me money to keep quiet! Me!?” Annika bent over and held her stomach. She couldn’t believe that Sadie had the nerve to bring money into this situation.

“What is so funny!?” Sadie shouted, oblivious to the reason behind their laughter. Her face became hotter by the second as she became increasingly irritated by how they were clearly making fun of her to her face.

“You are!” Annika pointed and let out a few more chuckles. “Oh, ahem, okay,” she said and gathered herself before composing her face into a stony-faced expression directed towards Sadie and her stupid attorney. “Ms. Galloway, in case you haven’t realized yet, having rich parents isn’t a personality trait to rely on. Money does not equal power, so I suggest you stop expecting people to bend over backwards in your name just because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. There isn’t anything you could possibly offer me that I don’t already have.”

“What are you talking about!? You don’t have s**t! The only thing you have that is of any relevance is your penthouse and your practice. Why else would Jeffrey even bother staying with you over me? It’s not like you have the looks or the personality traits yourself, and I highly doubt you can please him in bed either! Not the way that I can. Why else would he turn to me for pleasure?” Sadie sneered and glared at Annika with her familiar smug look. “You think that Jeff just cheated on a whim? That might have been the case when he and I first met, but one taste of me was all he needed to know that you’re worse than a dead fish in bed! I give him everything he wants, needs, and desires! What can you offer him? Being a doctor doesn’t mean s**t. You’re as worthless as they come! He chose me. He will always choose me. And now that I’m carrying his baby, he will choose us! Imagine how much he has to despise you to the point where he doesn’t even want to be in the same house as you and actively avoids you. Face it. You weren’t what they call a filial wife. I don’t care if he’s not the D.A. anymore. My family has money; I don’t need his. I might be locked up right now, but it doesn’t matter. Because I win no matter what, so how about getting off your high horse and accepting your fate. Just take the money. Lord knows you’ll need it when I’m through with you!”

“Ms. Galloway, if you’re so eager to take what’s mine, then be my f*****g guest, and let’s see if you even have what it takes. I doubt a trust fund baby who has never had to lift a finger a day in her life could even begin to comprehend the meaning of building and retaining wealth. It’s obvious that your wires crossed, and you have been grossly misinformed about my identity. So, allow me to fill you in: The type of wealth attached to my name can only be attained by someone who actually enjoys making money more than they do spending it. While you sit around employing these pathetic, and useless I might add, underhanded tactics to get what you want and leeching off of Daddy dearest, I could influence government policies or dictate the course of a specific industry. If I made the decision that I hated blonde hair, which I actually kind of do because of a certain waste of space right in front of me, all it would take is a few phone calls to erase America’s perpetual blonde fetish. Or, I could even decide that the laws governing real estate investments are a bit too lax, so I could hire some lobbyists to clean up house. While you were so preoccupied with taking advantage of the silver spoon you were born with, you failed to realize there are people like me whose spoons were encrusted with diamonds and made of rhodium. That’s platinum, by the way, but someone of your measly stature couldn’t even begin to fathom the difference.”

As Annika said her piece, a vicious aura began seeping from her, compelling Sadie, her attorney, and everyone else in the room to hold their tongues. It was so eerily silent after Annika’s life-giving sermon that one could quite literally hear a pin drop. Hunter knew Annika had a tongue as sharp as a scalpel, but he never had the displeasure of being on the receiving end of her firing off such harsh facts. In fact, everything Annika said could be interpreted as a veiled threat towards Sadie and her attorney for their stupidity and presumptuous attitudes, believing they could sweep away all their malefactions by trying to bride her monetarily.

As Hunter was admiring the dignified way Annika had defended herself, someone else in the room was making every effort to keep himself from snagging her in his arms and making love to her in front of the entire room. Annika’s way of subtly digging on Sadie about her prosperous background exuded confidence without sounding overly obnoxious. Her carefully chosen words showcased her intellect and her resolve never to allow anyone to bully her into submission, especially when this was her show, and she was the main character in all of it.

“And if my words a minute ago weren’t an obvious answer to your so-called deal, Ms. Galloway, allow me to dumb it down for you. Go. f**k. Yourself.” Without further comments, Annika turned stood to her feet, turned her heel, and walked out of the holding area with grace and her head held high. Hunter smirked arrogantly at Sadie and her attorney, and rightfully so, before following Annika. Leon and his representatives also watched as Annika and Hunter left.

“That b***h has no idea who the f**k she’s dealing with! YOU’LL BE SORRY, ANNIKA! I’M GOING TO MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE!!!” Sadie squawked like a vulture defending her wealth of carcasses at Annika’s retreating figure.

“Sadie! Shut up! Did you forget that you’re in the damn police station!?” her attorney scowled at her.

“I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just threaten Ms. Silverton inside a room full of lawyers and police officers, Ms. Galloway,” Detective Corey warned and rolled his eyes at how moronic a person could be.

“Whatever! Ugh! Leon, what about you!?” Sadie quickly changed victims.

“What about me?”

“My deal! Are you going to take it or not!?”

“Why would I?” Leon countered straight off the bat. “It’s not like your family even has the money to return the tens of millions you stole from me. You and your family can barely afford to pay for your sad attorney right there, let alone pay back what is owed to me. Everyone in this room knows you took that money and squandered it as soon as you got it. Not only that, but a portion of it was funneled into saving your father’s company when it was on the brink of bankruptcy. You’re a fool to think I would never replace out what you and your mother did, Sadie Galloway. Targeting me for my wealth so you can save your father’s dying company?” Leon smirked as he stepped towards the cell, which instantly made Sadie shrink back into the corner.

“What? How?”

“You’re as empty-headed as they come, Sadie. You didn’t think the P.I. was just following Hollands, did you?” Leon derided her along with her attempt to save face by offering a deal to him. Sadie could feel the cold, hard brick wall against her back, and she literally felt like she was bricking herself upon hearing Leon’s words. “And in the great words of Annika Silverton, if my words a minute ago weren’t an obvious answer to your so-called deal, allow me to dumb it down for you. Go. f**k. Yourself.” Leon repeated Annika’s final words to Sadie before he turned away without skipping a beat and walked out of the holding area.

“Well, it looks like you’ve been given your answer, counselor. We will see you all in court. Oh, and by the way, here is a copy of the appeal that we will be filing against Ms. Galloway for her defrauding, defamation, and slandering of Mr. Von Doren,” one of Leon’s attorneys asserted with finality while handing a file to Sadie’s attorney, and they too walked out. Detective Corey didn’t bother to conceal the smirk forming across his lips.

“What are you laughing at!?” Sadie shouted at him.

“You, Ms. Galloway. I’m laughing at you and how stupid you actually are. I’ve been a cop for well over a decade, and I have to say, it’s quite nice to see some actual justice being served to rich people who think that they’re above the law. You obviously messed with the wrong people, and now, it will be very rewarding to see you get served. I looked forward to both yours and Mr. Holland’s court dates.” Corey himself walked away while shaking his head and laughing to himself. Being a man of the law, he hated to see rich people get away with crimes just because they could pay their way out of it. It was nice to see that someone who was even richer use their wealth to serve a slice of humble pie, or two, in this case.

After Sadie and her attorney were alone again, he quickly opened the file that Leon’s representative pushed towards him, and the one line in the appeal that caught his eye immediately was the dollar value that Leon was counter suing for.

“ARE YOU f*****g SERIOUS!?” he roared and shot daggers at Sadie.

“What?!”

“This is what!?” he shouted and shoved the file towards her through the bars of the holding cell. Sadie grabbed the document and opened it while her attorney continued on, “Leon is counter suing for over 37 million dollars!”

“WHAT?!” she shrieked in disbelief. “I only took 11 million in the divorce!”

“He’s suing for what you owe him in addition to the interest on those funds that could have been earned over the last 15 months!” he gritted his teeth.

“Can he even do that!?”

“OF COURSE HE CAN! THIS IS LEONARDO VON DOREN!” her attorney was so exasperated that he had nothing else to say to her. He snagged the file back and walked away from Sadie in order to avoid losing whatever remaining patience he had for her and her stupidity. “When we get to court, you better keep your damn mouth shut and let me do all of the talking. Heaven already knows you’re f****d as it is. The more you open that hole in your face, the deeper your grave is going to be. If you want to stay out of prison, pretend that you’re mute,” he concluded before leaving her. As he was leaving, he ran into Detective Corey who had a knowing smirk on his face. He kept on walking, and Detective Corey just silently watched as Sadie’s attorney left the precinct with his tail between his legs.

Though, Corey couldn’t help but wonder about what Annika had said—how she claimed she could influence a government, hire lobbyists to change an industry or even rid the worldview of certain stereotypes. Just who exactly was Annika Silverton, and exactly how much money did she actually have? Corey knew plenty about Leonardo Von Doren; all of New York did. He flaunted his wealth and his own underhanded business tactics of buying smaller companies for way less than they’re worth, then turning around and making a fortune out of them. But Annika? She was a mystery, a very beautiful mystery, to be exact.

As Annika was on her way home with Hunter, she was quiet the entire ride and only stared out of the passenger window. Although in everyone else’s eyes, she was poised, graceful, and oozing confidence when she told off Sadie, deep down, Annika couldn’t stop herself from thinking about what Sadie had said—how Annika didn’t know how to pleasure Jeff, that she wasn’t worth anything, which is why Jeff chose Sadie over her, and that Jeff despised her so much he couldn’t bear to be anywhere near her. All of these negative words kept replaying in Annika’s head, and no matter how much she told herself it no longer mattered because they were now considered to be divorced, it didn’t stop the feeling of nausea in the pit of her stomach or from asking herself, “Was I really that bad?”