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100|Playing With Fire
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Beautiful Disaster 101|To Her Grave—Part 1
When Marybeth looked up from the journal, her vision was slightly blurry from staring at the pages too long, and her body was stiff from sitting in the same position for over two hours.Bewildered by all the deep, dark secrets the book held, she snapped it shut, wishing she could unsee everything.There wasn't anything about Andrei, but there were several entries detailing Iris' sordid love affairs, with Blake being one of the many men she'd had entanglements with.The woman didn't have a loyal bone in her body and was unfaithful almost from the very beginning—The sound of the door beeping open pulled Marybeth out of her thoughts. She placed the journal on the table and sprung to her feet when Austin stepped into the living area a moment later."What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised and thrilled all at once. She didn't expect to see him until much later."I thought we were meeting at the venue?" she continued as she yawned in her hand."I couldn't wait to see you," Austin re
Beautiful Disaster 102|To Her Grave—Part 2
"Let's go." Austin took her hand and tried to drag her along, but Marybeth stood rooted to the spot, refusing to move even an inch until they reached an agreement.Sighing loudly, he paused mid-step when he noticed she wasn't following along. Turning around to look at her, he asked, "What is it? What's going on?""Is that it? Are we not going to discuss Willem?""I need time to think about it, Beth," he replied and pulled her along, ending their discussion.Halfway to the venue, Austin reached for her hand and squeezed it, stunning her with his question."What did you find in the journal?""I—Eh—Nothing," she stammered and quickly averted her gaze.He gently lifted her chin with his index finger, forcing her to look at him. "Beth, what did you find?""Seriously—""What did you find?" he demanded again, his tone harsher than before.But Marybeth held firm, shaking her head. "It's nothing!""It is something!" he rumbled at her, startling her with his sudden anger.The mood in the car tu
Beautiful Disaster 103|Indigo—Part 1
If Marybeth had been paying attention, she would have noticed all the glitz and glamour all around them from the moment they stepped into The Leonardo. But she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. She was more concerned with the man standing beside her, whose world she'd just cracked wide open with her revelations."You can stop worrying about me, žena. I'm not about to go on a murderous rampage," Austin said when he caught her looking at him for the millionth time since they'd stepped into the elevator."That's a relief!" Marybeth smiled, glad to see that despite receiving the worst news of his life just minutes ago, he still had his sense of humour."Anyway, have you been here before?" she asked. Her eyes were now glued to the display panel, watching the floor numbers change at blinding speed as the elevator crept up."A few times," Austin replied and went on to explain that somewhere in this ritzy skyscraper, there was a five-star hotel, a rooftop chill lounge with 360 view
Beautiful Disaster 104|Indigo—Part 2
"That's my girl!" Colleen laughed as they watched her partner and friend stop at one of the display cases."What's the deal with them? Are they into each other?" asked Marybeth."No. They hate each other," Natalie replied. "And well, Holly is into Holly.""That's not fair!" Colleen came to the ballerina's defence again. "Holly is just misunderstood.""Misunderstood my ass. She's rude and self-entitled. If I were Andrei, I'd run far away from her! Remember Eden's art exhibition a few weeks ago? Holly asked if I was wearing a sales-rack dress! Who does that? Who says shit like that?" Natalie brought up ancient history, and it wasn't long before she and Colleen were arguing over the youngest Anderson child.Austin appeared beside Marybeth and whisked her off, leaving Colleen and Natalie to their bickering."Thank you, you may have extended my lifespan by another five years!" she said. "I thought I'd lose my mind with those two.""Why? Don't you like them?""I do," she admitted as she gra
Beautiful Disaster 105|Chasing Ghosts—Part 1
Austin had every intention of taking Tim's call, but once he stepped onto the balcony, he couldn't bring himself to pick up. So he stood there awhile, thinking about Marybeth's revelations, the beauty of the sun sinking low on the horizon lost to him.He'd tried the whole afternoon to keep it together for her sake, but now that he was alone, he could finally confront the intense emotions swirling in his heart.Was he surprised to learn about Iris' infidelity? Not really. After all, for years, there'd been rumours about her. But now that those said rumours had been confirmed, he'd be the first to admit he was bitterly hurt and somewhat enraged. Maybe because when they got engaged, he'd poured all his energy into making their relationship work and never thought of straying, not even once. He was a fool for believing she would do the same.When his phone rang again, Austin knew he couldn't keep ignoring his capo. So he reluctantly answered, "This had better be a life and death situation!
Beautiful Disaster 106|Chasing Ghosts—Part 2
"You knew?" Austin scoffed, his anger sparking to life again."Come on," Andrei held up his hands and stepped back from him. "Don't do this.""Answer me!" Austin growled. "You knew Iris was cheating on me?""Everyone knew!" Andrei said, a sudden edge to his voice. "Everyone knew she wasn't faithful to you. You knew as well, but chose to turn a blind eye!""I didn't know!" Austin shouted, feeling his self-control slip away. "I know there were rumours, but I didn't want to believe them. I wanted to trust her.""A girl like Iris?" It was Andrei's turn to snort derisively."What's that supposed to mean?" Austin rounded on him and crossed the balcony at blinding speed."I'm not getting into this with you!" Andrei held up his hands again, withdrawing from the fight.They both leaned over the balcony railing and watched cars speed up and down Maude Street and vanish in the labyrinth of tarred roads and glass towers."Do you know who it was?" Austin asked. "Was it you?""Are you out of your m
Beautiful Disaster 107|Finish What You Started
They had to stop in Forrest Creek first to pick Orlando up from Mrs Allan's place before heading back to The Castle.As they drove through the cobbled streets of the artsy neighbourhood, Austin pointed out various places of interest, from the rooftop market at the Civic Theatre to the public swimming pool and the Garden of Remembrance in the middle of the Town Square."And that's Fugue," he concluded the tour, pointing at a fairly new building swathed in postmodern architecture in the distance.Marybeth craned her neck, trying to get a better look. "It sounds swanky. What is it?""An art gallery owned by Willow Anderson, Liam's middle sister," Austin explained."You seem to know a lot about the Andersons," said Marybeth as she tried to think back to the last time she had set foot in an art gallery. She couldn't."Not really," Austin replied, shrugging. "But since we move in the same circles, it's hard not to know everyone's business.""I see," she nodded absently, her eyes lighting up
Beautiful Disaster 108|Paranoid
Marybeth sat on the couch, her stomach immediately twisting in knots when she noticed her bathrobe on the wingback chair in front of the window. She clearly remembered leaving it on the couch before joining Austin in the shower earlier.Running her gaze through the room, her dread intensified when she noticed one of the drawers on the console table in the entrance hall was slightly open even though none of them had touched it."Beth?" Austin said from the doorway of Orlando's room."What's wrong?" he asked as he softly shut the door behind him and crossed the room. "Are you feeling sick? You look a little pale. Was it the food?""I'm fine," Marybeth said, pulling away from him when he tried to check her temperature with the back of his hand."You don't look fine," he insisted, his eyes dark with concern. "What's going on?"Marybeth opened her mouth to speak, but her brain couldn't articulate her terror for some reason. Surely Austin would think she was crazy and making shit up—"Žena,"
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Beautiful Disaster 300|Beautiful Disaster
Rock Castle was a breath of fresh air in many ways for Austin and Marybeth. Once they'd put down their roots, they embraced their new life, immersing themselves in the community and the social scene.When they were not entertaining or attending various social events, Austin focused all his energy on growing Stardust Inc. while fulfilling his duties as a board member of De Jager Inc. and Orlando's proxy.Marybeth, too, kept herself busy with various home improvement projects, including setting up the baby's nursery. She also joined the PTA at Green Meadows Primary, championing a few fundraisers. As if she wasn't already busy enough, Lukas low-key began sending her Foundation documents to review, mostly company policies and NPO funding applications. Never mind that she'd had zero orientation since she was only supposed to start the following year.She was so busy embracing her new life as a stay-at-home mom and the Foundation's silent CEO she didn't have time to miss her old job. And tim
Beautiful Disaster 299|Loved And Wanted
Austin left Clifton Bay under a heavy cloud of complex family dynamics, his departure shrouded in controversy. But Rock Castle welcomed him with open arms. The people close to him didn't care at all about the drama and scandals he'd been embroiled in over the past few months. They were just happy to have him in the same city with them, and it didn't take long at all for Eden and Natalie to reach out to Marybeth and take her under their wing, acting as her free tour guides, pregnancy encyclopedias or sounding boards.Completely sold by their raving reviews of Dr Emily Waylon, they set up an appointment, immediately falling in love with her bedside manner on their first check-up. She was attentive, not to mention patient, answering their endless questions with a comforting calmness.Orlando and Adeline couldn't contain their joy when they broke the news about the baby that evening. Marybeth's tummy had gotten so big they could no longer hold off on telling them."Is it a boy or a girl?"
Beautiful Disaster 298|A Fresh Start
The whole time Austin scoffed down his food, he noticed Marybeth wasn't eating, absently toying with her salad. His heart shattered all over again because he knew he was responsible for her lack of appetite and dramatic weight loss."Mr Hawthorne, can we talk, please?" Elizabeth appeared beside him, stealing his attention away from his wife."Sure, let's chat inside," he replied, leading her into his study."Long time no see," he said with a smile as he sat on the edge of his desk. "You look happy and younger, too.""Traveling will do that to you," she replied, flashing a brief smile that Austin found a tad unsettling because it was so unlike her. She was always stoic."So that's what you've been up to since I left the Group?"She nodded. "The place wasn't the same without you, so I left. And that's why I'm here. I want my old job back. If you'll have me, that is.""You'll have to take a pay cut," Austin said. "I'm starting from scratch, Elizabeth, so I don't have a ton of cash flow—"
Beautiful Disaster 297|Family
Barry De Villiers was at Sea Point Police Station at 9:00 AM for Austin's release, and after completing a ton of paperwork, they were finally out of there by 11:00 AM.Austin didn't talk much on their way to Pelican Surf, lost in thought and the scenery. It was like he was seeing everything for the first time. The sun on his skin, the wind in his hair, the light glaring in his eyes…it all felt different, somehow."So, what's the first thing you'll do when you get home?" Barry asked."Hug my wife and kids until they get annoyed with me," Austin replied with the biggest smile. "Maybe eat a nice home-cooked meal...Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the takeaways you got me, but nothing beats my wife's cooking!"Barry guffawed, throwing his head back. "Okay. What else?""Mhh, I think a nice long shower is in order, too," Austin said, sniffing himself, making sure he didn't smell like something out of a garbage can."You don't stink," Barry assured him."I know," Austin chuckled. "Just ma
Beautiful Disaster 296|Bargaining Chip
Austin's altercation with another prisoner was the last straw for Marybeth, the thing that pushed her beyond her limit and sent her over the cliff.He'd asked her to hang in there for a few more days, but the thought of him getting into another fight or possibly getting killed terrified her. The stalemate with his father would only get deadlier the longer he remained in custody. Something had to be done to bring him home, and it had to be done fast. So she called Lukas, begging him to end all the madness. But, he wasn't interested in hearing her out, telling her coldly that he was too busy picking up Austin's slack—running the family and The Corporation—to worry about her fears.Marybeth's desperation got so bad that she reached out to the one person she swore she'd never ask for help. Her mom.They met at a sleepy coffee shop in Virginia after Anna and Willem's joint funeral.As usual, Vivienne was dressed to the nines, dripping head to toe in designer labels despite the sombre occasi
Beautiful Disaster 295|The Folly Of Youth
That night, Austin couldn't bring himself to eat the takeaway Barry had brought him. How could he when his heart was in pieces?A thousand kilometres away, Willem Dejager had no appetite issues. In fact, after Maryke's death and his fallout with The Corporation, his appetite had improved, and the insomnia that had plagued him for years since Iris died had miraculously vanished. If he'd known revenge would cure all his ailments, he would have joined forces with Austin much sooner.He was still furious with him for going back on his word on Maryke. But seeing Lukas so broken, now that he didn't have an heir, more than made up for Austin's betrayal.Yes, things had gotten messy over the past few weeks, but they would only get even more chaotic once he sent the ledger to the cops. He just hadn't found someone he could trust yet. His old contact at the station—the man who'd finally given him the unredacted file on his daughter—had been recently placed on administrative leave, and Willem was
Beautiful Disaster 294|Special Kind Of A Hate
Swarms of reporters were waiting outside Sea Point's police station when Austin was dragged out of Gordon and Peterson's car. They mobbed him as soon as they saw him, pushing their cameras and microphones in his face, screaming for answers. The whole thing reeked of a badly organised PR stunt, and when Gordon and Peterson made no attempt to protect Austin from the crowd, even though it was their job, he began to think one or both of them had tipped the media off. Why wouldn't they, when they had finally taken down a member of the Hawthorne crime family? Never mind that Austin didn't belong to said crime family anymore. Never mind that they didn't have evidence to back up their charges. But who needed evidence? As far as they were concerned, this was huge, and if they miraculously managed to get the charges to stick, sending him away for twenty-five to life would be a huge career move for both of them. So parading him in front of the vultures was totally in their best interest, walking
Beautiful Disaster 293|Long Arm Of The Law
"I'm fine. Vivienne was just leaving," Marybeth nodded, grateful for the interruption; she couldn't handle any more threats from her mom."Yep, I'm on my way out," Vivienne affirmed, spinning around and making her grand exit. She turned back, calling over her shoulder, "Beautiful service, by the way. But I'm not sure if Lionel was worthy of it!""You!" Marybeth shook her fist at her, ready to go after her, but Austin pulled her back by her waist, reminding her people were watching."She's not worth your energy," he said, rubbing her back to soothe her. "What did she want anyway?""To see if there's anything she could do for me," Marybeth replied, shooting daggers at Vivienne's back as she vanished into the crowd of mourners. "And to warn you.""Warn me?" Austin asked, massaging her nape. "What for?""She said to tell you to 'wake the fuck up and fix things with your father'; her words, not mine. Apparently, there's chatter.""What kind of chatter?""I don't know," Marybeth admitted. "B
Beautiful Disaster 292|A Rare Gift
Nothing good ever happens after 1:00 AM.And no one ever calls with good news after 1:00 AM.But it was her father. Marybeth couldn't ignore him. So she hit answer and braced herself for the worst."Sweet Pea," he said, sounding awfully cheerful, considering how late it was."Daddy, what's going on?""I know it's late," he said, pausing briefly before he got to the heart of his call. "And I know we planned a road trip to Still Bay in a few weeks. But is there a way we can move it forward?""Forward?" Marybeth asked, confused by the proposal."Yeah, can we go today? I suddenly have this urge to see the sunrise. And you know how beautiful Still Bay's sunrises are."Understanding what her heart refused to accept, Marybeth's mind made all the decisions for her from that moment onward."Of course, Daddy. Let me grab a few things, and I'll be there in an hour," she told him before hanging up.She shot out of bed like a lightning bolt, threw on a lightweight tracksuit and sneakers, grabbed a
