Cheers To Comeuppance
Chapter 19

Third Person

“Mr. Von Doren, stop, please,” Annika pleaded, regaining control of herself after being swept up in the riptide of Leon’s desire. She was wholly unprepared for the k**s, which turned out to be more of a make-out session, and Annika had to admit it was indeed pleasant since her body reacted in ways she hadn’t anticipated. Despite that, as diligent as ever, her rational mind prevailed over her sudden urges, and the fact that Annika remained bound by her nuptials was a wet blanket over their heated moment.

Leon, however, was in a state of euphoria from Annika’s reciprocation that felt like rainfall to a parched, barren wasteland. He rested his forehead against hers as they both struggled to follow the rhythm of their hearts. After Leon and Annika returned to a state of equilibrium, he refused to be kept at arm’s length. His gargantuan hands lingered on her h**s while Annika rested her hands on his enormous pectoral muscles.

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t stop myself,” Leon apologized.

“Why did you k**s me?” she couldn’t help but question his motive for doing so and also feeling slightly exasperated at his sudden public display of affection.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he retorted, staring intently into her beautiful brown eyes as though he were trying to convey what was in his heart of hearts. “Annika, I have feelings for you.”

“Mr. … Ugh, I mean Leon, I’m still married. What if someone saw us just now?”

“So what if they did? It was a harmless k**s. It’s not like we’re sleeping together, and besides, you’re legally separated now, are you not?”

“Be that as it may, I’m not divorced yet. As two individuals embroiled in controversy against our will, we can’t afford to take unnecessary risks,” Annika warned. But somehow, her initial assertive tone withered in front of Leon, and she could not suppress the hint of remorse that betrayed her declaration of unease. She managed to pull away from him completely this time, and Leon couldn’t help but feel dejected as he watched Annika hastily patch up the walls he had just broken down. Annika was doing everything in her power to resist the tangible signs of their attraction. Leon had never met a woman as tenacious as her, which only fanned the flames of his burning desire to have her.

Still, Leon knew it wasn’t wise to push Annika to her limits after recovering from her silent treatment less than an hour ago. “I’m flattered that you’re attracted to me, truly, but it’s imperative we keep this strictly professional,” she uttered with difficulty, attempting to restore the line they had crossed between doctor and patient. Annika was no longer in denial that she too had developed feelings for Leon, but with her current state of affairs, being with a man, regardless of who it was, was the last thing on her mind.

“I understand. I’ll try to restrain myself for the time being,” Leon replied.

“Time being?” she repeated, blinking several times as she met his gaze. She was caught off guard by his smoldering eyes and inexplicable expression as he stared at her, and Annika was unaware of the underlying intentions behind those eyes. In Leon’s mind, his gaze was reserved for when a man admires the woman of his dreams, and it was too bad that Annika didn’t know this yet.

“Annika, I’m not going to give up. When this is all over, I want to be with you.” Annika gaped at him, at a loss for words at his brazenness. Leon blatantly admitted he wanted to be in a relationship with her as soon as their revenge plot fiasco was over. Annika was still wrestling with this unexpected development as she tripped over her words, trying to respond.

“Leon, I … I …”

“Don’t say anything yet because I know you’ll say no if you answer me right now. Let’s get through this bullshit, and then we can revisit this conversation later. I don’t expect anything from you, but I also want to let you know where I stand with you. I also need you to know that nothing will happen to you because those thugs Sadie hired would be six feet under before they could lay a finger on you.”

“How can you be so confident?”

“Because I’m going to hire bodyguards to watch over you. They’ll be in plain clothes, so you won’t be able to tell who they are, and neither will Sadie or her men.”

“I can’t ask you to do that for me.”

“You’re not; I’m offering and won’t take no for an answer. Unless, of course, you would rather tell your family everything right away and have them hire their own protection for the remainder of our plans?” Leon shot back and raised an eyebrow in a defiant manner that made Annika’s face plummet.

“Oh God, no! Fine, I’ll accept your help. You didn’t have to threaten me with my family,” she scowled. Leon couldn’t help but chuckle at her. Seeing her annoyed facial expression at his subtle threat to tell her family about everything going on had him thinking how adorable she really could be when she was irritated.

“I didn’t threaten you, Annika. It was merely another suggestion to replace a solution to our current predicament.”

“Whatever, it’s getting late. I’m going home.” Annika rushed off and didn’t even wave goodbye to Leon, still agitated over his suggestion that she tell her family everything for the sake of persuading her to consent to his help. Although she felt somewhat aggrieved about his methods to ensure compliance on her end, Annika couldn’t contain the subtle smile that formed on her lips upon entering her car. The last time she felt the comfort of someone else’s protection seemed like a lifetime ago.

Leon watched closely as Annika’s car vanished out of sight before calling his assistant, Toby, to explain the recent developments and give his orders. Annika would receive comprehensive monitoring and protection provided by Leon’s best men until all known threats were eliminated without exception. The heinous crimes that Sadie wanted to commit against Annika sent a shiver of disgust down Toby’s spine as goosebumps covered his skin. Toby frowned, realizing he had grossly underestimated Sadie Galloway’s unstable temperament and cruel disposition. She’s downright psychotic for actually plotting to murder Ms. Silverton, Toby thought to himself as he made the necessary arrangements for Annika’s security detail.

By the time Annika arrived home, she was shocked to see Jeffrey loitering in front of the car park, smoking a cigarette and looking disheveled as though he hadn’t slept in ages. Jeffrey was the last person Annika wanted to see, let alone speak to, so she pulled up to the gate and buzzed herself in with haste. Once Jeffrey noticed her car, he jumped in front of it to prevent her escape, and Annika slammed on the brakes just in time to avoid a collision.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING!? I COULD HAVE f*****g RAN OVER YOU!” she frantically screamed as she exited the car to confront him.

“Where the f**k have you been!? And don’t f*****g lie to me!” Jeffrey bellowed while grabbing onto her shoulders with such intensity that Annika’s immediate reaction was to cry out in pain.

“LET ME GO! YOU’RE HURTING ME!” she screamed, desperately trying to pry his hands off her. It came as no surprise that Jeffrey refused to listen and dared to tighten his grip on her even more.

“TELL ME WHERE THE f**k YOU’VE BEEN!?” he roared in her face.

“Why the f**k should I tell you anything!? We’re separated in case you’ve forgotten. What I do with my time is none of your f*****g business, Jeffrey!”

“Separated or not, we’re still married. I have every f*****g right to know where my wife is and who she’s f*****g!” Annika ceased to struggle when she heard his accusation.

“What the hell are you talking about!? Have you lost your goddamn mind?” she shouted back and pushed him away again, causing Jeffrey to lose his grip on her. He reversed course and appeared to back down, but in reality, he had completely lost his marbles after hearing Annika’s denial. Jeffrey then delivered a vindictive backhanded slap to Annika’s face in the heat of the moment. The unexpected blow took her by surprise, and she was knocked to the ground, which was littered with loose stones and gravel. Annika was left with scrapes on both palms as she tried to prevent further injury to her face.

Shaken up by the sudden assault, Annika looked up at Jeffrey from the ground in stunned silence. Tears welled up in her eyes, but they did not resemble the countless tears of sorrow she had previously shed. Quite the opposite, in fact, these tears came from a place of anger and hatred. No one had ever dared to lay their hands on Annika to harm her physically, and she was never spanked as a child. Any punishments she received in the past consisted of lectures and the occasional being grounded as a teenager, but her parents had never resorted to violence in the name of discipline.

Annika winced as she stood up and dusted off her hands, noticing the abrasions had started to bleed. In what could only be described as instant karma, Annika delivered a powerful open-handed slap to Jeffrey’s face the second she regained her footing. The dirt and b***d that stained her hands were now smeared all over Jeffrey’s face, and though the impact wasn’t enough to make him stumble, her slap stung in more ways than one. Shell-shocked, he turned to face her but was met with a second slap to the same cheek.

“The first one was for slapping me. The second one was for gripping my shoulders so tight that it left a mark. And this one,” she paused and gave him a backhanded slap, tit-for-tat, before continuing, “this was for accusing me of cheating! Jeffrey Hollands, you have some f*****g nerve, showing up at my home and accusing me of cheating! You’re the one who has been stepping out, and you have the f*****g nerve to accuse me!? Whoever this b***h is must have her hands wrapped around your balls so tight that it’s cutting off the circulation to your damn brain!” Jeffrey was so far gone at being slapped three consecutive times that he couldn’t even formulate words to counter her. “Stay the f**k away from me! Go back to your blonde-haired, piece of s**t, trash w***e that you call a f*****g mistress! We’re done! I’m done! I want nothing to do with you!” Annika belted out from the depths of her soul before returning to her vehicle. Annika was on the warpath as soon as the gate opened. She sped past him, unbothered by the possibility of striking him with her car, and waited for the gate to close. Jeffrey appeared to have turned into stone while attempting to comprehend the events that had just transpired when Annika’s words hit him like a ton of bricks. Go back to your blonde-haired, piece of s**t, trash w***e that you call a f*****g mistress! Those words echoed endlessly inside of his head. His eyes widened in horror as he pivoted toward the gate and saw the tail end of her car disappear into the parking garage. How does Annika know Sadie is blonde? Jeffrey wondered with a vacant expression. Annika knew that his mistress was blonde, and the notion was like a taser electrocuting him repeatedly. What were the chances that Annika had proof of his affairs and knew who Sadie was? He recalled Sadie mentioning that she went to Land and Mall for her medical appointments, but she had assured him that Annika was none the wiser.

But Jeffrey couldn’t ignore the sneaking suspicion continually gnawing at his conscience. What if Annika knew who Sadie was and her involvement with him? There was no doubt in Jeffrey’s mind that his marriage would be over in an instant. He had been lying from the get-go and was unfazed by her initial suspicions of his infidelity. He had doubled down and called her crazy while walking out of the penthouse after being confronted instead of staying to convince her otherwise. Their past arguments flashed before his eyes, and Jeffrey could finally see things from Annika’s perspective. His actions spoke louder than words, and he realized the error in his ways. A loyal husband would prove his innocence rather than running away from home with his tail between his legs. Had Annika always known the truth? Did she cut him loose because he would predictably turn to Sadie immediately after that?

No, there’s no way she knows. She can’t possibly know. I’ve been careful. Sadie has kept a low profile since the mall incident a few weeks ago. Sadie and I have only been together a couple of times since then. Annika can’t know about anything. It’s impossible. She’s just guessing. She’s just phishing for information to try and catch me in a lie. Yeah, that’s it. She’s just phishing, Jeff reasoned inwardly. He repeated this to himself as he circled back towards his car. There was nothing Jeffrey could do since Annika had resorted to violence and almost ran him over just to get away from him. He would have to try another night. Jeffrey wouldn’t rest until he figured out the nature of her relationship with Leon Von Doren and the degree to which she knew about his affairs.

Meanwhile, Leon sat in his home office and waited to hear from Annika. He was more optimistic than ever since they had somewhat made up over their passionate k**s and mutual acceptance of his feelings toward her, hoping she would text him she had made it home safe and sound. As he was staring intently at his phone, it suddenly lit up and rang, and he was so excited that he forgot to check who was calling and immediately answered. “Hello?”

“Mr. Von Doren?” A masculine voice greeted him instead of the melodious one he was expecting. Leon pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the caller ID. He was disappointed to see it was the team leader of the security detail for Annika.

“What do you want?” he replied roughly.

“Sir, we followed Ms. Silverton home as you ordered. And unfortunately, we were too late to stop her from being injured.”

“What do you mean she was injured!?” Leon snarled as he jumped to his feet in anger.

“Sir, when we arrived at her home, we witnessed Ms. Silverton being assaulted by someone. He was shorter in stature compared to you and definitely not as built. He and Ms. Silverton seemed to know one another, so we hung back to observe. Before we knew it, he had slapped her so hard that she fell to the ground. She also seemed to have scraped the inside of her palms.”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU IDIOTS PROTECT HER!?”

“Sir, we were about to run over to her, but we stopped because she didn’t need our help.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ms. Silverton slapped the man back, three times consecutively, in fact. Then she screamed profanities at him, which we couldn’t make out clearly, and got back into her vehicle. She sped past him into a parking structure and nearly ran him over in the process.”

“She slapped him? Three times? And almost ran him over?”

“Yes, Mr. Von Doren. I don’t know where you found Ms. Silverton, but she seems to be able to hold her own when she needs to.” Leon smirked hearing the team lead’s words, and he couldn’t help but imagine the look on Jeffrey’s face when Annika delivered three slaps to his face back-to-back. “Sir? Are you still there?”

“Ahem, yes. Keep an eye on her from afar. She knows that you’re around, just not what you look like. Also, make sure that prick doesn’t show up again. As long as it’s not during work hours, he’s of no importance to anyone. Keep him away from Annika.”

“Yes, Mr. Von Doren.”

“Also, make sure that no one suspicious goes near her. If Annika doesn’t know them, you keep them away from her.”

“Of course.” Leon disconnected the call after that. Just as he was about to put his phone down, he decided to text Annika to see how she was doing after her ordeal with Jeffrey. He sent her a text, asking her if she made it home okay, but there was no response for some time. By the time Leon sent the text, it was already past one in the morning, so it made sense that she wouldn’t answer as she was likely asleep. Leon sent one more text to her and called it a night for himself.

Annika, however, wasn’t asleep at all. She was still wide awake, nursing her scraped hands with betadine and hydrogen peroxide. After she had bandaged her hands, she went to her liquor cabinet, poured herself a double shot of cognac, and downed it in one go. She poured herself another and downed that one as well. Shot after shot, Annika tried to drink away the pain in her hands and in her heart. She still couldn’t believe that Jeff had the nerve to slap her the way he did and accuse her of cheating. Annika now knew that there was no turning back. Everything Jeff had done since his infidelity started was like rhetorical slaps to her face, but now that he had actually slapped her, Annika was going to get her retribution ten-fold.

Annika held the glass of her double-shot in her hand as she swirled the dark liquid within the glass. Her eyes held so much anger and contempt towards the man who had once vowed to love her eternally, through thick and thin, for better or for worse, until death did them part. She never believed that in a million years, her husband would lay a finger on her in a fit of rage. Or for any reason at all for that matter. She shot back her drink without even so much a second thought while glaring off into the empty space around her and muttered,

“Jeffrey Hollands, you just opened Pandora’s Box.”