Cheers To Comeuppance
Chapter 37

Third Person

After Annika and Leon sated themselves through rigorous morning exercise, they enjoyed some room service together to replenish their energy and got ready for the day. Since the latter would be occupied with work, Annika had planned to go on a shopping excursion at the nearest mall, but that plan was foiled when Leon asked her to accompany him to his new business site. Annika was initially reluctant because she didn’t have anything business-related to wear. After all, she had come with nothing but the clothes on her back, and that dress was currently soiled. Leon, being the tactful individual he was, had instructed Toby to go out and purchase some clothes for Annika. She was rather impressed that Leon not only had the foresight to send out his assistant on her behalf but also knew her specific taste in clothing and size. His attentiveness, inside and out of the bedroom, still managed to take her breath away every time.

Annika was standing in front of the hotel bathroom mirror fixing her hair, which didn’t require much effort since she wore a shorter bobbed hairdo. While arranging sections of her naturally loose curls that resembled beach waves, Leon came in, signaling that it was time to leave.

“Doc, you ready?” Leon asked, stopping dead in his tracks to ogle the goddess that appeared before him.

“Yup.” Annika flipped her hair a few times so it would settle the way she preferred. “I must admit, Leon, you did well selecting this outfit. Very chic.”

“I pay attention,” Leon breathed into Annika’s ear as he came and hugged her from behind, causing a shiver to run down Annika’s spine. “I’ll make sure we go shopping after visiting the site and get some work done. Given that it’s only Friday, the mall doesn’t close until late anyway.” Annika nodded and smiled, enjoying the warmth of Leon’s body against hers. The two then went out to the living room to collect their belongings before heading out for the day. Once the couple was inside the elevator and the doors shut, revealing their reflections, Annika’s cell phone started ringing.

“Hello?”

“Annika, you’re f*****g out of your mind!” Kenzie’s voice blasted through, and Annika could have sworn it was over 85 decibels since it nearly ruptured her eardrums.

“Holy crap, Kenz! Why are you screaming in my ear!?”

“You sent Jeff a photo of you and Leon doing the deed!?”

“No, I sent him a photo of us after we did the deed.” Annika peered up at Leon when she said this, and he met her gaze while lifting a brow in confusion. Annika responded by waving him off, indicating she would explain later before continuing her conversation with Kenzie. “Jeff paraded around f*****g his w***e, so why can’t I have a little fun myself?”

“Yeah, but directly sending him a photo!? Damn girl, you savage!”

“What can I say? I’ve always been a little savage.” A mischievous glint appeared in Annika’s eyes, only to disappear without a trace after something dawned on her, causing her eyes to narrow instantly. “Wait, how the hell did you know I sent him a picture?”

“Jeff showed up at Hunter’s office this morning and started s**t. That’s how.”

“Huh. He didn’t waste any time, did he?”

“Wait, what? You expected him to do that?”

“Well, yeah. I’m sure Jeff’s accusing me of sleeping with Leon well before I outed him and his affair with the Galloway girl. He’s already accused me before, so it wouldn’t be beneath him to do it again. Only this time, now that I’ve officially moved on and actually slept with Leon, Jeff will assume that I was doing so from the get-go. Hell, he probably thinks that’s why I served him papers in the first place. Am I right?” Kenzie was speechless on the other end of the call because everything Annika said was how Hunter had described it to her right before she called her best friend to the tee.

When Jeffrey had barged into Hunter’s office that same morning, he did, in fact, accuse Annika of having an extramarital affair with Leon to get back at him and that she only served him papers because she was guilty of sleeping around first. Hunter was tempted to have Jeffrey thrown out immediately. However, once he heard Jeffrey’s ridiculous allegations against the latter’s ex-wife, who was 100% faithful during their marriage until the night before, he couldn’t stop himself from tearing into Jeff himself.

Hunter gave Jeffrey a piece of his mind and called him “the worst type of scum on Earth.” After everything Jeffrey had put Annika through with all of his lies, manipulation, and gaslighting, he still had the gall to accuse her of cheating. Hunter protected Annika’s good name because he knew better than anyone how pure-hearted and honest Annika behaved during her marriage, even after replaceing out about her husband’s affairs. Hunter could have denied Annika’s current relationship with Leon. But Jeffrey had shown him the photo she had intentionally sent to her ex-husband with her own two hands, and Hunter couldn’t refute it. Instead, he did something much worse. Hunter rubbed it in Jeffrey’s face how much happier Annika became after sending him to the slammer and admitting her feelings for Leon. He took it a step further by mentioning that Leon was more of a man than Jeffrey could ever aspire to be, and that faith led them to be together. The marriages that Sadie and Jeffrey had thoughtlessly sacrificed for their relationship were the very reasons that led the ones they had betrayed into the arms of one another. After saying his piece, it was then that Hunter had Jeffrey removed from the premises.

“Hunter said all of that?” Annika was blown away. She had placed the call on speaker phone while Kenzie was narrating the story to her so Leon could also listen in. Since he was part of the topic of discussion, Annika felt it was the right thing to do, and it would have been rude to exclude him from the conversation. Leon rolled his eyes outward after hearing Jeffrey’s outlandish claims, which changed nothing at the end of the day, and it merely added to the never-ending pile of bullshit Jeffrey incessantly spouted. Sure, Leon had feelings for Annika first, and he made the first move on her before they exposed their cheating exes. But since he was aware that Annika was already legally separated from Jeffrey, their k**s that night in front of Hunter’s office was entirely innocent.

“That’s everything that he told me.”

“What did Jeff say in response?”

“He didn’t say. Hunter just told me he had Jeff kicked out. Jeff’s jealous, just like that b***h. They’ve broken up and are both on the verge of bankruptcy. Their families are suffering because of their stupidity, while you and Leon have newfound happiness with each other.”

“What can I say? That’s karma at its finest.”

“Yup.”

“I’ll have to let you go now, Kenz. Leon and I are going to his business site, and then he’s going to treat me to some shopping.”

“LUCKY!”

“Bye! Make sure the clinic doesn’t burn down in my absence.”

“Psh! I’m going to steal all of your patients.”

“Have at it.”

“Really!?”

“NO!”

“Boooo!”

“Goodbye, Kenzie!”

“Bye!”

After disconnecting the call, Annika shook her head and looked over at Leon, wearing his signature smirk.

“What?”

“Are you and Doc Malloy always like this?”

“We’re best friends. Of course, we are.”

“I’ll be subjected to this type of banter between you two more often than not, aren’t I?”

“Well, if you plan on being with me for an extended period of time, then yes, Leon. You will have to listen to our banter.”

“Great,” Leon muttered under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, babe,” Leon replied and quickly took Annika’s hand into his, kissing the back of it to distract her. The pair had barely settled into the backseat of the car Toby had prepared for them when Leon’s phone rang next. As soon as he realized it was Jorge calling, he promptly answered and placed the call on speaker.

“What is it, Jorge?”

“Mr. Von Doren, is Ms. Silverton with you?”

“She is. The phone is on speaker, Jorge. Go ahead.”

“Ms. Silverton, I met with your brother, Royce.”

“You what? What do you mean you met with Royce?” Annika repeated with confusion.

“He and I were both made by that woman with whom Mr. Hollands’ family is acquainted.”

“What? She made Royce!? That’s just not possible!”

“Unfortunately, it is. But only because your brother wanted her to.”

“Why would Royce do that?”

“Why were you made, Jorge?” Leon interrupted.

“It happened because Ms. Silverton’s brother noticed me first. He was quick to spot me, and in doing so, it gave me away to that woman. But it’s fine. My being a P.I. doesn’t seem to be a threat to her. However, Mr. Silverton is another story. He was able to replace out information about the women fairly quickly. I mean, it’s only been 48 hours, and he already had a complete dossier on her. He eventually sought me out to share it with me, stating that because you and Ms. Silverton hired me, the files would be more valuable to us than him.”

“But Royce isn’t one to give up information that easily,” Annika pointed out while glancing up at Leon.

“Well, your brother did say that it doesn’t matter who the woman is, that anyone who is a threat to you would be—and I quote—so dead that they won’t even know they’re dead.”

“Oh, yeah. That definitely sounds like Royce. Anyway, what did the dossier reveal? Who is this woman?”

“Yes, the dossier. Here’s the thing. When I looked over it, it showed two different identities. One is real; the other is fake, obviously.”

“What?”

“Her false identity links her to the Hollands family as a distant cousin. She goes by the name Piper, is 42 years old, single, and has no children.”

“If that’s not her true identity, then who is she?” Leon asked.

“Sir, she’s actually Jeffrey Hollands’ biological mother.”

“WHAT?!” Annika and Leon both exclaimed in shock after being blindsided by the unexpected revelation.

“Wait, if she’s Jeff’s biological mom, then what about Ruth?” Annika questioned, her medical background suddenly coming into play as she attempted to decipher what was happening seemingly out of the blue.

“There’s no relation between Ruth Hollands and Jeffrey Hollands, as stated in the file your brother gave me. This woman, Piper Hollands, isn’t related to the Hollands, and her real surname is actually Masters.”

“If she’s 42, and Jeff is 27, then she had him when she was only 15.”

“Yes. That’s precisely what happened. According to the birth certificate your brother found, Ms. Silverton, Jeffrey was born out of wedlock by his father impregnating Ms. Masters when he was already married to his wife. To avoid going to prison for statutory rape, Mr. and Mrs. Hollands made a legal agreement with Ms. Masters in order to raise the child as their own, if and only if the Hollands took her into their family and listed her distant relative.” After Jorge explained this, Annika and Leon’s eyes bulged out of their sockets.

“No wonder she was so hostile towards me when they left the penthouse. Jeff’s actually her son.”

“I guess the apple doesn’t fall from the tree. His father had an affair and got a minor pregnant. Jeffrey also had an affair and got his mistress pregnant.”

“This is insane. Jeff’s family is even more f****d up than I thought. Hold on, if Jeff’s real mother is this Piper woman, then what about Joey?”

“He is the biological son of Mr. and Mrs. Hollands. So, in reality, he’s Jeffrey’s half-brother.”

“Hold on. Why are you telling us all of this, Jorge?” Annika suddenly asked.

“Your brother believes we can use this to get the Hollands family to back off. Although the statute of limitations for statutory rape has long passed for Mr. Hollands, this information alone could be detrimental to the Hollands’ case against you. They’re accusing you of slander, are they not?” Jorge replied.

“Oh …” Annika pursed her lips and grumbled, knowing she would have to thank her brother when she returned to New York.

“I have to admit, Ms. Silverton. Although your brother looks like he is all brawn, he’s quite intelligent.”

“Don’t say that to his face. His head doesn’t need to get any bigger.”

“Thank you, Jorge. Forward this information to both my and Annika’s attorneys.”

“Of course, Sir.”

Leon hung up the phone, and upon doing so, he and Annika realized the car was coming to a halt. Annika peeked out the window and saw they had arrived at the construction site for Leon’s company building. Something caught Annika’s eye, which made her turn around to face Leon.

“What?”

“You, Mr. Von Doren, are a creature of habit.”

“What do you mean?”

“This building. It’s identical to the one in New York.”

“Of course, it is. It’s my company. Like any other company that opens multiple branches around the country, the layout is the same. Every corporation is like that. If you opened another clinic, wouldn’t you want the architecture to be the same as Land and Mall?”

“No. I would want it to be unique in its own way.”

“Maybe you should talk to your father about that. When it comes to running a multi-million dollar company in multiple locations, it’s important for your clientele to recognize it. Even if the company name is the same, if the layout or architecture is different, the clientele won’t be able to recognize it. The familiarity won’t be there, and consumers like familiarity. That’s why Target is Target and Wal-Mart is Wal-Mart. Every one of those stores has locations all over the country, and they’re all identical. Target has a red bullseye, and Wal-Mart is dark blue with white lettering. That’s what consumers recognize. So, no matter where they go, they can always replace those places.”

“I guess,” Annika conceded, failing to see the appeal of making everything look exactly the same. Though she could understand the logic behind it and Leon’s example in his explanation, she still thought it wasn’t in good taste. If Annika were to open a second location for Land and Mall, she envisioned an entirely different design that would set it apart from the original one. In her professional opinion, not everything had to be the same. Just like people, everything in life is different, so why be unoriginal by making it all the same? Even in the examples Leon gave, Target and Wal-Mart locations only appeared to be the same on the outside. The inner layout of each place differed from store to store that she had ever been to.

“Come on, let’s head on in,” Leon said as he opened the door. Annika nodded her head and followed him like a little puppy tailing their new owner. They held each other’s hands, as it was now second nature for them to do so, and made their way inside. The construction workers greeted Leon as he entered and walked past them, eyeing Annika curiously upon noticing her presence trailing behind his imposing aura. A human resources representative stood in the newly built lobby of the building, awaiting Leon, and was surprised to see Annika with him. She paused, looking between the two, and could only guess their relationship.

“Mr. Von Doren, welcome to the Dallas Office. I’ve been anxiously waiting for your arrival,” the woman greeted him professionally and kindly. “And this is?” she asked, glancing cautiously at Annika.

“You are?” Leon asked, clearly unaware of the woman’s position, and she was taken aback by his response.

“Sir, this is Maddie, the head of H.R. for this location. You hired her last week,” Toby answered in her stead while checking the employee file in his hands.

“Hm,” Leon hummed before scrutinizing Maddie along with her outfit. “Your attire is unacceptable for an H.R. representative. Business casual is permitted with lower-level employees; however, you should dress more formally for someone in your position. I expect this change in attire starting tomorrow. If not, you can replace another job.” Leon was cold and aloof when he said this to her, in stark contrast to the warmth his eyes exuded when he glanced over at Annika moments later. Upon witnessing the difference in his demeanor, Maddie couldn’t help but scowl. Luckily for her, it had gone unnoticed by those present.

“I apologize for my oversight, Mr. Von Doren.”

“Don’t let it happen again.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Where are we with new hires?” Leon asked, immediately changing the subject and getting right down to business.

“Umm …” Maddie paused as she took out her phone, but Leon’s brows furrowed with disapproval as soon as she did this.

“Why do you have your phone out?” Leon asked, his voice devoid of any pleasantry. The biting chill in his voice was so harsh, in fact, that it even startled Annika. She had never heard him use such a tone before, aside from when he dealt with Sadie.

“I … uh, I was checking on the new hires,” Maddie answered, unsettled by his piercing gaze and bipolar demeanor.

“Why are they on your phone?”

“Sir?”

“Are you dense, or are you just plain irresponsible!? Who in the world keeps privy company information on their phone!? What would happen if you were to lose it!? The personal and proprietary information of our employees would then become compromised!” Maddie was so shaken up that even breathing seemed to be a challenge for her. She had heard rumors that Leon was a hard man to please, but she had no idea that keeping information on her phone would stir up trouble during their first meeting. It wasn’t as if Maddie was sharing the information with outsiders, and she thought her methods for keeping track of everything were innocuous. She honestly believed there was nothing wrong with what she was doing.

“Leon,” Annika’s sweet voice rang in his ears, prompting him to look down at her. She squeezed the hand she was holding and gently shook her head to let him know he was coming down too hard on her. Annika’s timing was impeccable, as Leon was a half-second away from firing Maddie on the spot. However, he decided to give his new employee another chance due to Annika’s gesture.

“By right, you should be terminated for such an infraction. But considering we haven’t opened this location yet, I’ll give you 24 hours to fix this. Anything and everything company-related is to be switched to a verified company computer with the necessary firewalls to protect the information. Then, after that is said and done, you will turn over your phone to the I.T. department to have it purged of any remaining remnants of company data. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Mr. Von Doren. Loud and clear! I’m so sorry for this, and I promise it won’t happen again!” Maddie swore to the heavens, feeling relieved and hating herself for it.

“It better not. That’s strike two.” Leon didn’t even wait for a response before he took Annika by the hand and led her away from Maddie, whom he now internally dubbed the HR Eyesore. Toby shook his head at Maddie and quietly followed behind Leon and Annika. Although Leon had asked about the new hires, Toby could easily get the details from Maddie later. He knew better than anyone that once Leon was annoyed, it was best not to poke the bear since he couldn’t be bothered by the one who caused his irritation. Maddie was left behind and let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding in, feeling so aggrieved that she escaped to her office to cry.

Annika, who watched Maddie running away while wiping her eyes in the reflection of the lobby windows, shook her head after taking pity on the poor girl.

“Leon, you were way too hard on her,” Annika scolded him.

“No, I wasn’t. Maddie is the head of Human Resources, Doc. If she was hired at such a high position, it’s only expected that she would be more competent.”

“Leon, you can’t be scaring your employees the first day they meet you. They’re going to nickname you the boss from hell.”

“So?”

“What do you mean, so!? Leon, that’s not a good thing. Don’t you want to get along with your employees?”

“Doc, I told you already that I’m not here to make friends. I don’t have that luxury. I have a business to run; if my subordinates hate me, so be it. I have friends outside the office. I don’t need them here. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that I don’t like to mix business with my personal life.”

“Really?” Annika halted in her steps and swiftly removed her hand from his. Leon was stunned to see that Annika so easily extracted herself from him. “Then what do you call this?” she asked, pointing between the two of them.

“What about this?” he asked in return, mimicking her motions.

“If memory serves me right, we started out as a business partnership. You turned this personal; did you not?” Annika chastised him and put her hands on her h**s to accentuate her disapproval of his unsavory behavior towards Maddie. Leon suddenly felt chagrined. He had never once been scolded by anyone, let alone in his own building. And yet here was Annika, giving him the third degree about his behavior and contradictory ethics. “If that’s how you really feel about business and pleasure, then maybe we shouldn’t have any more pleasure since we’re here on business, hm?” Annika walked away without missing a beat, leaving Leon’s face crestfallen.

“Wait, what!?”