Cheers To Comeuppance
Chapter 38

Third Person

Leon was an amusing sight to see, delivering some Grade-A groveling as he threw out bids for affection to Annika throughout the day while touring his new business site. When no one else was looking, he constantly made small gestures to maintain physical contact. Be it brushing his hand against hers, lightly placing his large palm on the small of her back, or even trying to steal a k**s from her behind the construction foreman, Leon was willing to do whatever it took to get back in Annika’s good graces. However, to Leon’s complete dismay, she didn’t budge a single millimeter.

The progression of Leon’s expression plummeting further and further due to his failed advances was almost enough to make Annika break character, and there were a few occasions she thought she would lose it. Her poor boyfriend had zero poker face as he became increasingly sullen the longer she kept this up. Although Annika was only half joking about her threat of no intimacy later that night, she was also half serious.

Considering Annika had established her thriving medical practice from top to bottom, she knew better than anyone else it was necessary to be on good terms with one’s employees as a boss. The boss may be designated as the leader who handles all major decisions, but the employees take care of the business and maintain operations at the end of the day. For this reason, Annika had vehemently opposed Leon’s attitude toward his new H.R. director and wholeheartedly believed it was uncalled for. She knew it was necessary to be stern upfront with a man like Leon when involving differences of opinion. It was something Annika had learned the hard way from her failed marriage to Jeffrey. She had always given in; now, she realized her past mistakes and refused to repeat them.

“Mr. Von Doren, please don’t fret. Plans are going accordingly, as you can see. The site will be up and running as scheduled. We look forward to the grand opening,” the foreman told Leon upon finishing their site tour.

“I’m looking forward to it as well. Keep up the good work,” Leon praised the foreman sincerely. As they walked away and entered the construction elevator, which was the only one running at the moment, Leon made one final effort to hold Annika’s hand, and this time, she allowed it. He heaved a sigh of relief and wiped his proverbial sweat inwardly, hoping this meant Annika made an empty threat about withholding that evening; however, his relief was short-lived as her melodious voice burst his bubble.

“Just because I’m letting you hold my hand, it doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind,” Annika firmly spoke as if reading his mind.

“Doc, you can’t be serious!?” Leon whined, and it was quite the scene. His eyes were wide and round, brimming with sadness and disappointment, staring directly into hers while silently pleading for a bone. Annika was once again moved by his efforts and had to admit that this behavior was quite hilarious and adorable at the same time. Although I would hardly use the term adorable to describe Leon, she giggled to herself but maintained her stony expression.

“Leon, why are you acting as if I just ran over your puppy? It’s just s*x,” Annika said flatly.

“Just … s*x!? You weren’t saying that last night when I had you writhing beneath me from back-to-back o*****s. Or this morning when I had you pinned against the shower wall, screaming at the top of your lungs!” Annika was momentarily stunned, mortified that Leon would recite their deeds so loudly it echoed inside the elevator. Thankfully, it was just the two of them. Otherwise, Annika might have been forced to take drastic measures against Leon.

“Are you insane!? People can hear you!” Annika was acutely aware of how quickly her face had transformed into cooked lobster, appearing as though she was burned by the sun in an instant.

“And? Did I say anything that wasn’t true?” Leon returned fire, recovering his usual suave demeanor as though he didn’t just completely embarrass Annika, a hint of a smirk on the corner of his lips.

“What am I going to do with you, Leon?”

“I can think of a few things.” Leon moved in and pressed himself up against Annika, who briefly felt his growing e******n rub against her.

“No! Shoo!” Annika tried to brush his hands off, swatting Leon away like a fly. The billionaire heiress wanted to say she was playing hard to get, but in reality, Annika had never felt more flustered. Under normal circumstances, her jitteriness from his advances could be chalked up to nerves. In actuality, her current uneasiness was because Annika had reached her limit after fighting her attraction to Leon for hours on end. Suddenly, Leon being pressed against her, teasing her that way, made it more difficult for Annika.

Annika may have limited experience in this department, but she would never deny their intimate encounters the previous night and that morning were some of the best in her entire life. After being with only one man her whole life up until that point, Annika had one reference point to compare to Leon. There was no comparison. Leon’s skills in bed were out of this world, and he knew how to provoke a burning desire within her like nothing Annika had ever experienced.

“Baby, you do realize if I wanted to stop this elevator and take you right now, I would. Right?” Leon asked, pinning her against the elevator wall, caging her between his arms. Annika stared at him in shock and did her very best to shove him away, but their size differences were glaringly evident in their current position.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Annika sneered at him.

“I would, actually. But, since we’ve arrived at the bottom floor, it’s best that I don’t.” Leon winked at Annika before straightening himself out just in time as the elevator door opened, revealing Toby’s figure as he stood there waiting for them. Leon recovered quickly and kept his cool while Annika couldn’t, and he was itching to tease her about it. “Doc, you coming?” Leon innocently asked as if he didn’t just light a fire within her. Annika could only gulp and nod her head.

Annika and Leon had been at the site for several hours by that point, and since both had skipped their lunches, they were eager to fill their stomachs. Since Leon had no meetings scheduled on the first day, they could go out, just the two of them, while Toby dutifully made his presence disappear to give the couple some privacy.

“What do you want to eat?” Leon asked Annika as they sat in the back of the car.

“I’m not sure what’s all here in Texas, so you choose.”

“Isn’t your family from the countryside?”

“My dad’s side of the family is, but we didn’t grow up in the South the way he did. Plus, he hasn’t been to Texas in quite a while.”

“I see. Well, I know this place is very diverse, so it really depends on what you’re craving.”

“Whatever you want is fine with me.”

“Okay. Then how about this, why don’t we go to the mall and eat there? That way, we can shop afterward. Sound good? Leon suggested. Annika liked the sound of that and nodded eagerly. He instructed Toby to navigate them to NorthPark Center. Situated in uptown Dallas, it was the only place that came to Leon’s mind with both high and low-end fashion, in addition to a plethora of restaurants to dine in aside from the food court.

As the newly-formed couple was enjoying quality time together, becoming more comfortable in each other’s presence, Annika’s family was back home in New York, worried about her. The Silverton’s were troubled by her sudden decision to take a vacation, none the wiser that she went with someone of the opposite gender.

“She wouldn’t just up and leave like that!” Royce shouted at Huxley, who had been the one to take her to the airport the day before.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Royce. She woke me up at the asscrack of dawn to take her to the airport. She even screamed at me, saying I drive like an 80-year-old grandpa because I wasn’t going fast enough.”

“Why didn’t you stop her!?” Royce all but shouted again.

“If I didn’t take her, she would have driven herself! If you haven’t noticed, Royce, she’s not a child anymore!”

“She’s still Baby Bear!”

“BOYS!” Their father’s voice boomed from the doorway. “Stop your bellyaching!” Royce and Huxley ceased their arguing and looked at their father with respect. “Regardless of her reason, Baby Bear has every right to go away for a while. Look at everything she’s been through.”

“Is she not afraid of the public eye? Her business is all over the web!” Royce complained, not bothering to conceal his displeasure.

“For what reason would Anni need to be afraid, Royce?” their mother asked, entering the room as well. “She did nothing wrong. She’s the victim, and showing her face should have no direct consequences. If anything, people will understand her more when she’s out in public. They’ll be able to sympathize and empathize with her. It’s that good-for-nothing Jeffrey Hollands that needs to stay hidden.”

“I should have gone with her!” Royce grumbled as he slammed his body down on the sectional and rubbed his face.

“She wouldn’t have let you,” Beau reminded his son and poured himself a glass of brandy. “Any takers?” he asked around, but everyone shook their heads. “More for me.”

“Where did she say she was going?” Royce asked his older brother, still unhappy with the fact that Annika went off on her own.

“No clue. She said airport, so I took her. She ran in without any luggage.”

“What!?”

“She said something about shopping until her legs fell off. She’s probably going to focus on retail therapy the same way Micky does when she’s upset,” Huxley informed them. The penthouse monitoring system alerted them as Royce was about to open his mouth to object and pulled everyone’s attention. Beau glided over to see who could be buzzing them so suddenly.

“Yes?”

“Security, Sir. I’m sorry to disrupt you, but there is an unwanted guest here, but he refuses to leave until he speaks to his wife,” the security officer explained. Beau didn’t need to think too hard to know Jeffrey was outside.

“I got this,” Royce announced, standing up and cracking his knuckles.

“Sit.” Magdalena immediately pulled him back down to his seat. “Honey, you go and see what that garbage wants,” she pointed at her husband. Beau grumbled because that meant he would have to face that garbage. He put down his glass of brandy and promptly left to take care of the nuisance.

As Beau descended inside the elevator, the rumbling from the combined voices of Jeffrey and the security guards became louder and louder. Beau cursed under his breath at how much of a pain in the a*s Jeffrey Hollands was being. Isn’t he supposed to be on house arrest? Beau thought to himself, rolling his eyes. Once the elevator door opened, the Silverton patriarch was met with screaming and cursing, to which he cringed because Jeffrey sounded like a pissed-off alley cat.

“What is the meaning of this ruckus!?” Beau shouted as he made his way over to them.

“Who are you!?” Jeffrey asked in return, wishing he didn’t sound so nasty upon realizing the man approaching them was much larger than anticipated.

“I’ll ask the questions here. How and why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be on house arrest!?”

“How do you … Wait, who are you!? Are you Annika’s father?!”

“And if I am? What are you going to do about it?” Beau lifted a brow and crossed his arms at his midsection. Even at his older age, Beau was still very fit and took care of himself, preserving his intimidating aura.

“I need to speak with Anni!”

“You don’t have that right. I suggest you leave before I have forcibly removed, young man.”

“Annika owes me an explanation about her affairs!” Jeffrey demanded.

“Affairs?” Beau huffed in annoyance, glaring at Jeffrey as though he wanted nothing more than to snap his enemy’s neck. Beau walked in slow, deliberate steps toward Jeffrey and got right into his face. “My daughter isn’t someone you can group with garbage like you or that disgusting mistress of yours, Jeffrey Hollands. My Annika has had no affairs, unlike you. Whatever you think you’re trying to pull on us, you better think again.”

“I know she’s been sleeping around! Why else would she go on a vacation with Sadie’s ex-husband!?” Jeffrey ululated, causing Beau to furrow his eyebrows at Jeffrey’s words.

“What kind of cockamamie bullshit are you spewing, boy?”

“Don’t play dumb with me! You’re all in on it, aren’t you? You were all aware that Annika had been stepping out on me! Why else would she move on so quickly before our marriage is even over!?”

“You’re not making sense. But I suggest you better start making sense before I bury you six feet under for speaking ill about my Baby Bear,” Beau gritted his teeth.

“You don’t believe me!?” Jeffrey once again doubled down on his belligerence and fished out his phone. He pulled up all of the photos that Annika had sent him and showed them to her father. As soon as the images were shoved into his face and fed to him like dog food, Beau wanted to hurl, seeing his precious baby girl in such a vulnerable state. “She sent me those! She did! That’s her arm holding the phone! That man next to her is Sadie’s ex-husband!” Deep down, Beau’s b***d was starting to boil. He had never expected Annika to do something so bold, but it was imperative that he maintain a certain façade in front of his ex-son-in-law.

“And?” Beau questioned without faltering.

“What?”

“How are these pictures proof of my daughter having an affair with this man? The last I checked, you two have been legally separated for some time now. My understanding is that she met this man after replaceing out about your extramarital affairs, and he helped her exact revenge on you. His being your girlfriend’s ex-husband is purely a coincidence. So what if you have these pictures of her? She obviously sent them to you to prove a point, and it seems that she has. She’s moved on, and she’s happy. Regardless of who he is, it doesn’t matter. As long as my daughter is happy, I don’t care who or what she does. As long as it’s not against the law, which she would never do because my Baby Bear is a good girl. Unlike someone who is annoying the s**t out of me.”

“Mr. Hill … I mean, Mr. Silverton, you can’t be—”

“Oh, but I am. Now, I think you should leave. I have no problems calling the police to notify them that you’ve violated your house arrest, though I’m not sure how you managed to do so. You’ve already crossed the line many times by cheating on my daughter, and you’re crossing it even more by being here. But you’re definitely stepping on my toes by insinuating that my daughter is an adulteress.”

“But!”

“ARE YOU DEAF, BOY!? GET OUT OF MY f*****g SIGHT BEFORE I MAKE YOU!!!” Beau shouted as his voice echoed in the lobby. Jeffrey backed away slowly because he realized that he had lost this battle and was no match for a man of Beau’s caliber. Jeffrey didn’t fail to take notice of his attire either; Beau wasn’t just dressed to impress, but he was dressed in name brands that even Jeffrey could never afford. He was forced to leave the building with his tail between his legs, but his brain was now in overdrive. Something about Beau Silverton seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Jeffrey knew the best thing he could do was return home to do some recon on the Silverton family.

Beau watched as Jeffrey left, but he had the inkling that Jeffrey was up to no good. Although he didn’t call the police to inform them that Jeffrey had violated his house arrest, he did contact his lawyers and had them add it to the list of charges they planned to press against him. Beau also had a profound intuition that if Jeffrey could circumvent the conditions of his house arrest, then he wasn’t a simple human being, and their family would have to be more vigilant in handling him. But first, he needed to deal with Annika and the new brewing shitstorm that she had created.