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109|Two Minutes
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Beautiful Disaster 110|A Fool For You
As they drove to the Ivanovs storage facility on the outskirts of town, an unsettling silence wove its spell over the car. No matter how hard Austin wanted to lighten the mood and ease the tension swirling in the back seat, his rattled brain couldn't come up with anything appropriate to say. So, he eased back in his seat, oddly comforted by Orlando's soft, rhythmic breathing as she slept in his arms. He kissed her forehead, grateful she was a heavy sleeper. He would have hated for her to wake up in the middle of the chaos and be confronted with the brutal reality of their world."We're here," Jakov announced almost ten minutes later as they pulled into the parking area where Nikolai's shiny Bentley and the three cars his men had used in their ambush just moments ago were now parked.Having been here a few times before, Austin knew that not everything stored at the facility was legit. In fact, the place was the Ivanovs' home base for their drug operation.The main floor of the single-s
Beautiful Disaster 111|Beaten
Marybeth dozed off with Orlando in her arms almost as soon as they took off for the Blue Mountains, giving Austin a chance to quickly draft the agenda for the family meeting. He sent it off to Tim and Angelo when he was done.Next, he tackled his reports and contracts.His interest was piqued when he checked his emails and saw a vague message from his assistant asking him to call her ASAP.Austin reached for his phone, dialled Elizabeth's number, and had to wait exactly twenty seconds before she picked up, "Mr Hawthorne, I didn't expect to hear from you until you landed in the Blue Mountains. Is everything okay, sir?"Most people were usually cranky and disoriented at 1:00 AM on a Sunday. Not Elizabeth. She sounded chirpy and lucid. But then again, why was he surprised? She wasn't like most people. Sometimes Austin wondered if she was even human."I saw your message," he said, skimming through his mail. At the rate things were going, he'd have to hire someone just to man his inbox; th
Beautiful Disaster 112|Take The Throne
Austin was pleased to see that his message about expecting full attendance was well received. Everyone—from their soldiers right up to top management—was present and waiting with bated breath to find out why he'd called them in at the crack of dawn. They couldn't even keep their curiosity in check long enough to give him a chance to turn on his camera, firing their questions as soon as he opened the meeting. "We're leaving The Corporation with immediate effect," he said calmly, his gaze unflinching as he stared straight at the camera. For the longest minute in history, stunned silence followed his announcement. Then the virtual meeting room descended into chaos when his words finally sunk in. Everyone spoke at once, demanding to know what possessed him to take such a drastic decision. "Have you lost your mind?" Lukas bellowed from the comfort of his living room in Clarence Estate. "I told you Blake was far better equipped to run this family. Look at the mess Austin has made!" Fria
Beautiful Disaster 113|Can No Longer Be Trusted
After the meeting, Austin asked his father to stay behind; he had a few urgent matters to discuss with him."What's this about?" Lukas asked as soon as the last of their men dropped off the call. "Don't tell me there's more to the mess with the Ivanovs!"There certainly was more with Nikolai, but Friar John was a far more pressing concern for Austin."It's not the Ivanovs," he told his father. "It’s your consigliere."Lukas leaned back on his Chesterfield couch and crossed his legs, his gaze steady as he stared back at Austin through the screen, "John? What's the matter with him?"Ignoring his father's question, Austin proceeded with his own fact-finding mission, "I know you two go way back, but how exactly did you meet? And how well do you know him?"Lukas seemed taken aback by his question, but he took a moment to mull it over before replying, "We met in '89. Back when I thought abalone trading was good business.""So you know about his past life as a game ranger, then?" asked Austi
Beautiful Disaster 114|Powerless
It took Austin a little while to get a hold of his emotions, and when he felt calm enough, he phoned Blake. He wanted to give him the heads up and check how far he was with his plans to get Sebastian and his family to safety. But his call went unanswered. So he sent him a brief text, letting him know the cleanup was about to begin.Dog-tired as he was, Austin still had a few more fires to put out, starting with briefing his handlers about Marybeth's security.He turned to the kitchenette, where they were lounging around, sipping on bourbon while they played a fierce game of crazy eights.They set their cards down on the counter and gave him all their undivided attention when he strolled in."What a shit show, huh!" commented Benji.Austin wasn't sure if he was referring to the family meeting, Lukas or the stuff with Nikolai, but he nodded anyway, snorting under his breath, "You have no idea!""What did Ivanov want?" Arno asked as he picked up his glass and twirled it in his hand befor
Beautiful Disaster 115|Three Oaks—Part 1
Three Oaks, the rehab facility Danica had checked herself into, wasn't too far from Gold Rush, forty minutes away to be exact, and Marybeth had planned to take an Uber there. But Arno and Benji wouldn't let her out of their sight, insisting Austin had given them strict orders to stay close to her.They'd just left the hotel's premises when Arno's phone rang on the dashboard, blasting out a Beetles' tune.He quickly snatched it up, hit the answer button and listened to the caller for a moment or two before wordlessly handing the phone to Marybeth."It's кум," he mouthed at her.She sighed, bracing herself for Austin's Spanish Inquisition. She'd barely said hello when he bombarded her with questions, demanding to know what had possessed her to head out on her own."I'm not on my own," she pointed out as she glanced at his handlers. "Arno and Benji are here—""That's not the point, Beth!" he muttered on his end. "Why didn't you wake me up? Christ, Orlando, set that bowl down! I told you
Beautiful Disaster 116|Three Oaks—Part 2
Sitting at a small round dining table in front of a window overlooking the horse stables, Lionel and Danica immediately burst into tears when they saw Marybeth, their tearful wailing reverberating through the room."You're both acting like you haven't seen me in ages," she scolded them as she wiped her father's tears before doing the same to Danica. "Seriously, it's only been a week.""A week too long, if you ask me, Sweet Pea," said Lionel as he took her in his arms again and held her tight.When they finally drew apart, Marybeth couldn't help but notice he'd lost a lot more weight since she last saw him. He was practically drowning in the pale blue button-down shirt and dark cotton slacks he wore.Danica looked just as awful, and Marybeth didn't know what was worse: the raccoon-like circles around her eyes, her brittle hair falling limply around her gaunt face, or her bony frame protruding through her cheap satin pyjamas.Aware that she was staring, Marybeth averted her gaze and sca
Beautiful Disaster 117|Three Oaks—Part 3
Marybeth hung back but watched, in awe, her father whisper gently to the animal. She'd never been on a horse. Never been fascinated with them either. And she blamed her lack of experience on her irrational fear of the animals. But it was nice to see her father so at ease with them. Maybe this place was good for him, too. Maybe someday she'd take him away from the city and set him up on a small farm somewhere in the countryside."I couldn't let them hurt you, Sweet Pea," he said, turning away from the horse to look at her. "If I hadn't reached out to Hawthorne, they would have come after you.""So you did this for me? Unbelievable!" Marybeth scoffed as she eased out of the barn; she'd taken all she could of the stench."I know it's hard to believe, but I did this for your safety—""I'm sorry, but did you honestly think selling me to the mob was the best way to keep me safe? Daddy, do you have any idea the week I've had? I've been harassed by Eli because I'm married to Austin. I've seen
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