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112|Take The Throne
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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
Beautiful Disaster 118|Three Oaks—Part 4
When Marybeth came to, five sets of eyes gazed intently at her, and only one—a pair of brilliant green—was unfamiliar.Their owner identified herself as Dr Stephanie Sawyer. She was a pretty woman of about thirty or so with a tall, slim physique and a luscious mane of brunette curls framing her longish face. But it was her warm, sincere smile that made Marybeth want to like her."I'm a psychiatrist," she explained as she peered at Marybeth. "Our resident doctor is attending to one of the patients. But trust me, you're in good hands."Marybeth didn't know what to make of that. The last few times people told her to trust them, shit didn't end well for her."What happened?" she asked as she tilted her head slightly to check her surroundings. Disappointingly, she was still at Three Oaks, in Danica's room, and her ugly spat with her father wasn't a horrible dream after all."You fainted," said Dr Sawyer as she helped her up and propped two saggy pillows behind her."Oh, God!" Marybeth groa
Beautiful Disaster 119|Three Oaks—Part 5
"Is everything okay at home and at work?" Dr Sawyer forged on with her fact-finding mission as she checked the reading on the machine before going through the motions again. She clearly wasn't happy with the first reading. "Are you under a lot of stress?""Not really," Marybeth lied. She didn't want to get into her messy life with her. After all, she barely knew her. But Austin had no problem airing their dirty laundry—or some of it, at least. He was quick to rat her out, announcing, "yeah, she's been under a lot of stress lately.""Is that so?" Dr Sawyer turned her curious gaze on him but directed her question at Marybeth, "What's keeping you awake at night, Mrs Hawthorne?""Nothing," Marybeth shrugged. "I'm not stressed.""We've recently gotten married, and her work has been more than a little stressful," Austin willingly volunteered the information Marybeth was trying so hard to keep under wraps. She was sorely tempted to kick him in the shins at that moment. She would have if she
Beautiful Disaster 120|If You Have To Hate Someone
Their window table at Sunny-Side Up Cafe, the in-house coffee shop in the north wing, offered them a stunning view of the sparkling Mediterranean swimming pool overlooking the wellness spa. But the gorgeous scenery wasn't enough to lighten the tense mood hanging over them, and Marybeth couldn't even understand why Austin invited her father to lunch.Thankfully, Orlando seemed oblivious to it all—or maybe she was far more intuitive than the adults gave her credit for. She picked up their slack and kept the conversation going, asking Lionel all kinds of questions, from his age right down to his living arrangements.He played along, answering them with an unwavering smile, but when Orlando doubled down, and her inquisition became a little intrusive, Austin stepped in, "Orlando, that's enough!"She shrugged innocently and stared at the chicken and mayo sammie on her plate. "I didn't do anything wrong, Daddy!""She's right," Lionel said quickly, smoothing things over between father and dau
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