Leon’s eyes glimmered vividly with pure amusement, and he wore a wicked smirk on his lips after reading the final text message from Annika. Although their playful banter felt like an addict going through a relapse, he summoned every last ounce of his ironclad control and left the conversation where it was. There was work to be done, and he knew Annika would be busy from this point forward with her uncompromising resolve fully restored. Leon had no doubts that the main attraction would start soon, and there was no way he would miss it for the world.
After wrapping up her conversation with Leon, Annika briefly allowed herself to lower her guard. The smile that had so naturally formed was like sunlight illuminating the darkest corners of her room. Before she had even realized it, Annika found herself opening up to Leon, and an inexplicable emotion bloomed in her heart. She reclined against the headboard and closed her eyes while exhaling deeply. Annika couldn’t help but dwell on the excessive amount of time it had been since someone devoted this much effort to show they cared about her, and the thought instantly caused her mind to become hazy. She thought about their kiss last night, and her pulse quickened as her heart began to hammer relentlessly within her chest. Annika unconsciously touched her lips as the scene replayed in her mind as she recalled the feeling of his lips moving steadily and effortlessly against hers. Leon had mastered the art of kissing—that she knew for a fact. She inadvertently licked her lips the more she thought about it and went into shock after catching herself doing so.
“What am I doing?” Annika grumbled as she shook her head and buried her face in her hands. Only then was she reminded that her hands were injured. She grimaced from the stinging sensation and stared down at her open palms resting on her lap. The pain refreshed the memory of how her hands were reduced to such a pitiful state in the first place, and Annika immediately hardened herself before reaching out to Hunter.
“Holy hell, Anni, why haven’t you been answering any of my calls!?” Hunter exclaimed as soon as he answered the phone.
“Sorry, Hunter. I had a lot to drink last night.”
“Is everything okay?”
“No. It’s not. Jeff was waiting for me when I got home. Hunter, I’m done being sad over this. I’m pissed the fuck off, and I want Jeff to suffer so much that he will be crawling on his knees and begging for fucking mercy!”
“What happened, Anni?”
“HE FUCKING SLAPPED ME! THAT’S WHAT FUCKING HAPPENED!”
“HE WHAT!? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!?”
“YES! Leon’s goon squad bore witness to it!”
“Goon squad?”
“Oh yeah, Leon hired a group of men to protect me from afar because of what Sadie is plotting to do to me.”
“He did, huh?”
“Don’t give me that tone, Hunter.”
“I didn’t give you any tone, Anni. I was only clarifying that I heard correctly,” Hunter teased.
“Shut up. What’s the status of the documents that need to be presented to the judge?”
“I have everything we need at the ready. I just need to get in touch with my great uncle to arrange a private meeting in his chambers to discuss our case. Word will spread quickly, and because of Jeff’s role as a D.A., a meeting with a Supreme Court judge won’t take long to reach him.”
“I want to get this done ASAP, Hunter. I can’t stand the thought of being married to a douchebag bastard like him for even a second longer.”
“I get it. We can also add the assault to the case file if you want. Take some pictures of your face and body parts that were injured due to cause and effect.”
“I don’t think that will work because I slapped him back. Three times, in fact.”
“Nice!”
“Hunter!”
“Sorry. That’s okay. We can still add it and claim that you slapping him back was self-defense. Aren’t there cameras outside of the penthouse building?”
“Oh my god, you’re right! There are! See, this is why you’re the best in the industry, Hunter!”
“I’ll get Jorge to collect the evidence we need. It could be interpreted as self-defense if it shows that he hit you first and that you slapped him back afterward. Even if the video says otherwise, establishing that Jeff hit you first will go a long way in ruining his reputation. He could be labeled as abusive.”
“Good. I want to destroy everything about him. Jeff really thinks he can get away with shit like this, but I think not. He has no fucking idea who I really am and the shit my family and I are capable of.”
“No, he sure doesn’t.”
“Okay. Since we’re on the same page, please get everything taken care of as soon as possible, Hunter.”
“I got you, Anni. I’ll be in touch.”
“Also, Hunter, can you see whether the judge would be willing to sign off on a divorce decree without Jeff’s signature? After taking into account all of the circumstances behind this case, it should be possible to file for divorce without requiring Jeff to sign off on a divorce agreement.”
“I will definitely see about that, but I can’t make promises. What I can do is draw up a settlement that will prevent Jeff from getting anything out of the divorce. Regardless of your marital status, once we provide the evidence to prove the penthouse is in your family’s name and that Kenzie now owns the majority of the shares for the practice, we can stop Jeff from getting a single penny from you.”
“Okay. I can live with that. I’ll leave it to you then.”
“Talk to you later, Anni. Get some rest.”
“Will do, Hunter. Bye.”
Annika felt a surge of relief wash over her after talking to Hunter. Soon, the ghost of Jeffrey Hollands would no longer haunt her mercilessly and knowing all of this would soon be over felt as though the weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders. Still, it was maddening for Annika because she knew she couldn’t get too comfortable, for this was just the beginning. She knew all too well that she was in the eye of the storm because Jeffrey would not take this lying down, and neither would Sadie. Annika had established long ago that this wouldn’t end amicably, but she was prepared to fight to the bitter end.