Cheers To Comeuppance
Chapter 51

Third Person

“Are you feeling better?”

“Much,” Annika replied as she peered up at Leon who was now lying down next to her on her bed in the penthouse. After Annika dropped the bombshell of her pregnancy on her family, everyone roared with excitement; that is, everyone except for Beau. He was barely accepting the fact that Annika and Leon were in a relationship and engaged, but now she was also pregnant. Beau was sulking and throwing a fit the entire drive home.

Now that Annika was aware that her nausea, dizzy spells, and fatigue were due to her expecting, the first thing she asked for was Açorda, which was a traditional Portuguese soup that Annika had loved since she was a young girl. When the group arrived home, Madalena wasted no time working with the maid to draw up something warm and nutritious for Annika to eat since she had been skipping meals due to morning sickness.

“I can’t believe it,” Leon muttered as he placed his hand on Annika’s still-flat stomach. “I’m going to be a father.”

“Well, not tomorrow,” Annika retorted and burst his bubble. Leon scowled at her for ruining his happy moment. He flicked her forehead making her scowl at him in return.

“Stop ruining this. I don’t think you realize how long I’ve wanted this. I’ve always dreamt of having my own family.”

“You’re not the only one, Leon. This is something that I’ve always wanted as well. And I’m so happy that it’s with you,” she replied. Her eyes met his, and all she could see was happiness, joy, warmth, devotion, and utter delight. Although she knew that getting pregnant right now was the worse timing possible, she wouldn’t change it for the world. She was even more excited because Kenzie would be her OB-GYN. Not only that, but Kenzie rightfully called for the role of Godmother, much to Micky’s dismay. But Annika reminded Micky that she was her baby’s aunt biologically, so being the Godmother wouldn’t make any sense.

“I know Doc Malloy is going to be your OB, babe, but I still want my private doctor to do regular check-ups on you,” Leon stated firmly.

“What? Leon, have you forgotten that I am a doctor?” she looked at him incredulously.

“Says the woman who had no idea she was even pregnant and fainted in the middle of a courtroom about five hours ago,” he countered. Annika pursed her lips without any retort. “That’s what I thought. Be a good girl and do as I ask. It’s for my peace of mind. Just in case I’m not around if something were to happen.”

“Fine. I’ll have your doctor on speed dial if it will make you feel better.”

“Thank you, baby.” Leon kissed her forehead, and then slowly slid down the bed. He got into position and slowly laid his head on her stomach.

“What are you doing!?” Annika asked while stifling her laughter.

“Shhh…I’m trying to listen to our baby.”

“Leon, the embryo is around 2mm long at this stage. Which is the size of a single grain of rice!” Annika giggled. Leon ignored her and kept his head on her stomach. His actions, although, silly, warmed Annika’s heart ten-fold. She shook her head and decided to leave him be. She laid her back, placed her hand on his head, and combed through his hair as they relaxed together.

While Annika and Leon were enjoying their newfound bliss of becoming parents, Jeffrey and Sadie were held in lock-up waiting for the retrial of Sadie’s divorce from Leon, and Jeffrey’s involvement in the Galloways defrauding Leon. Because court was to resume in less than two days, Judge Trainor had them remanded into county jail rather than allowing them to return to their respective homes.

Both of their cells were only three doors down from each other, so when Sadie’s attorney came in to check on her, Jeffrey saw and was able to hear their conversation,

“What’s going on? Why am I in here?” Sadie asked her lawyer.

“Malloy requested a continuance for the divorce trial. So, the judge is going to be moving up Leon’s retrial against you and Hollands.”

“Why?!”

“Annika passed out earlier today,” he replied. This caught Jeffrey’s attention.

“Anni passed out?” he questioned in a whisper to himself so that Sadie and her lawyer wouldn’t know that he was listening in.

“Why did she suddenly pass out? Tell me it’s karma coming to bite her in the a*s for f*****g up my life,” Sadie grumbled with spite and venom in her tone.

“You wish. I put out some feelers when she was hauled off by the paramedics.”

“And what did they tell you?” she carefully asked while giving him a side-eye.

“A little birdie told me that Annika Silverton is expecting.”

“WHAT!?” Jeffrey hollered from his cell and caught the attention of Sadie and her lawyer. “ANNIKA’S f*****g PREGNANT!?”

“Hollands, you do realize that eavesdropping on my conversation with my client is forbidden, don’t you!?”

“NEVER MIND THAT! TELL ME THE TRUTH RIGHT NOW! IS ANNIKA REALLY PREGNANT!?”

“From what I’ve been told, yes.”

“THAT TWO-TIMING b***h! HOW DARE SHE CONCEIVE ANOTHER MAN’S CHILD!?” Jeffrey roared and gripped the bars of his cell so hard that his knuckles began to turn white.

“That’s rich coming from you, Hollands. Last I checked, my client, is pregnant with your child. And yet, you’ve continuously told her to get an abortion. But now that your soon-to-be ex-wife, who if I might add, is legally separated from you, is pregnant by Leon Von Doren, you’re calling her a two-timer? How do you not see the irony and hypocrisy?”

“Leon!?” Sadie ululated.

“You didn’t know?” her lawyer asked her.

“Know what!?”

“Wow. Uh, okay. Leon and Ms. Silverton are engaged.”

“THEY’RE WHAT!?” Sadie and Jeffrey screamed.

“Oh boy…” her attorney heavily sighed and pulled out his phone. He showed Sadie the post that Paradox’s PR department released an hour earlier.

Paradox Official Account: Congratulations to our C.E.O. Leonardo Von Doren and his fiancé Annika Silverton on their engagement!

“We’re not even officially divorced, and she’s engaged to that fucker?!” Jeffrey shouted.

“You might as well be. Just because the judge granted a continuance doesn’t mean he won’t sign off on the divorce agreement. You pissed him off beyond words today, Hollands. Trainor is a righteous man. He will never rule in your favor. Your divorce is imminent. There’s nothing you can do about that. Now whether or not you’re going to pay restitution to your ex-wife for her emotional trauma is another ruling in and of itself.” Jeffrey scowled at the i***t attorney, huffed, then turned his back to them.

“Jeff, if you think you can get out of paying me alimony for our baby, you’d better think again! This baby is yours as much as it is mine!”

“Before you threaten me for alimony, you’d better be certain that thing is mine. As I said before, you open your legs for just about anyone.”

“JEFFREY HOLLANDS!!!” Sadie screeched like a banshee at his blatant insult. Her attorney cringed at her nails on a chalkboard scream and wondered if he had committed a grave sin in a previous life for him to have been the Galloways’ family lawyer. The $1,000 an hour he’s charging them seemed to be getting less and less worth it.

“I have nothing else to update. You’re stuck here until court resumes in 36 hours, Sadie. I suggest you keep your head and voice down. Stop bringing unnecessary attention to yourself. You’re just going to make my job that much harder.”

“You’re supposed to keep me out of jail!”

“At the rate that things are going and the evidence that has been stacked against you, it’s almost impossible to keep you from serving time. My job now is to make sure that you spend as little time behind bars as possible. But if you insist on making a name for yourself, and pissing off the judge, don’t blame me for the way things turn out.” With those final words, he left holding and went about his merry way. As soon as he walked out of the door, Sadie turned her anger toward Hollands.

“This is all your f*****g fault, Jeff!”

“My fault?!”

“Had you just divorced the b***h when you first promised me, we wouldn’t be in this f*****g mess! We’d have everything we’d ever wanted!”

“You mean everything that you ever wanted! I never wanted to hurt Annika! Especially not physically! But you and your f****d up way of thinking is what landed us in this predicament! All you had to do was be patient. But then again, you’re nothing but a spoiled cunt!”

“And you’re a bastard!”

“I don’t know what the f**k I ever saw in you!”

“Saw in me!? I don’t know what I ever saw in you! I should have stayed with Leon! I wouldn’t be poor if it wasn’t for you! Had I stayed married to him all of his riches would be mine!”

“Yeah right. Leon Von Doren is as greedy as they come. He would never trust anyone to handle his wealth. Especially not a two-timing gold-digging sugar baby who can’t keep her legs closed!”

“Stop calling me a w***e!”

“Your words, not mine.”

“AHHHH!!! Jeffrey Hollands, I’m going to f*****g kill you!”

“Smart, real f*****g smart. Threaten to murder me in a county jailhouse where the guards can f*****g hear you. You’re the definition of a dumb blonde, Sadie. I can’t wait to be rid of you for good.”

“I’M CARRYING YOUR BABY, YOU MORON!”

“I don’t care. Whether that thing is mine or not doesn’t mean s**t to me. You can sue me for alimony all you want, but what are you going to get from me? Hm? I’m broke, remember.” Sadie sucked in a sharp breath when she heard his words. “I might be representing myself in these trials, but I’m penniless. The state froze all of my assets, and I’m sure that you’re tens of millions in the hole after Leon counter-sued you. What are you going to sue me for? Huh?”

“You’re forgetting one important factor, Jeff,” Sadie scorned.

“What?”

“You’re not the only person I can sue for alimony to raise this baby,” she smirked. Although Jeffrey couldn’t see her face, he could hear her voice. He knew just from her tone what she was planning.

“LEAVE MY PARENTS OUT OF THIS!”

“Why? It’s their grandbaby. Even if you’re a deadbeat and will more than likely end up serving prison time along with me, once my baby is born, my parents will be given custody. And since your parents are still alive too, they’re also legally liable to help raise him or her until I’m released.”

“You’re unhinged you crazy b***h! My parents have no legal responsibility to that baby!”

“Oh, you think so?”

“I know so!”

“I guess we’ll just have to see how things play out when I have my parents sue yours.”

“YOU’RE OUT OF YOUR f*****g MIND!” Jeffrey roared in rage. “If you hurt my parents, I’m going to make sure your baby ends up in an orphanage and never learns of your existence!”

“YOU MONSTER!” Sadie cried out hearing his threat.

“Don’t push me, Sadie. I have nothing else to lose at this point. So, don’t test my resolve. If you even attempt to go after my family, I will end you and your parents. Need I remind you that I’m the material witness in your fraud case against Leon? I know where all of your skeletons are buried, Sadie.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“I will if you keep pressing your luck. I doubt you want an exorcist of your crimes to be conducted, so, if you want me to keep quiet, you better step in line, and keep that baby away from my family. I want nothing to do with it, so my family has nothing to do with it either.”

“If anyone needs an exorcist to occur, it’s you Jeffrey Hollands!”

“If it can get you out of my life forever, then I’ll gladly have a priest conduct one on me!”

“UGHHH!!!” Sadie screamed again and stomped her feet like a cantankerous child. Jeffrey sneered and blocked her out. His thoughts immediately drifted to Annika and the fact that she was now engaged to Leon and that they were expecting a baby.

Years of being with her, and never once did she ever get pregnant for him. Although he always wanted her to be on the pill or made her have a stash of morning-after pills, he was still shocked that not even an unplanned pregnancy ever occurred. However, Sadie got pregnant within a year, and Annika was pregnant for Leon within a couple of months. Jeffrey couldn’t help but think how unfair it was. The child that he wanted to have belonged to his ultimate love rival and the child that he didn’t want was constantly being hung over his head as leverage.

He sat down on the cot in his cell and slammed the back of his head against the wall in frustration. All he wanted at that moment was to turn back the clock and stop himself from ever getting involved with Sadie. But a part of him feared that even if he hadn’t cheated, Annika and Leon would have met some other way, and she would have left him regardless of his coquetting ways.

Jeffrey had to admit to himself that Leon definitely was manly and attracted the attention of the opposite s*x without even trying. Not only that, but Leon was also rich. Something that Jeffrey wasn’t. Jeffrey had been well off at one point, but he knew that his wealth could never compare to that of Leon Von Doren’s. Which was why Jeffrey had been so smug about taking Sadie from him. But now, Jeffrey was regretting every decision that he ever made.