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119|Three Oaks—Part 5
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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
Beautiful Disaster 121|Lovers' Walk
Austin must have sensed her mood because as soon as they pulled away from Three Oaks, he asked, "Is everything okay?"Marybeth gave him a sidelong glance before allowing her gaze to wander off, "why do you ask?""You seem a little subdued," he replied. "Did you and your father get a chance to talk and work things out?""We did," she nodded as she shifted in her seat and made herself comfortable. "We also tried to sort out the rehab bill, but you beat us to it."Austin didn't say anything for a long stretch, and she was starting to think that he hadn't heard her when he finally spoke, "you don't seem happy.""Happy?" Marybeth scoffed. "Why would I be happy about any of this?""You were worried about how you were going to settle the bill—"She turned around so fast to glare at him she wouldn't have been surprised if she'd gotten whiplash. "It wasn't your place to settle it! Now my father and Danica will never learn their lesson.""You think I did this for your father and his crackhead w
Beautiful Disaster 122|This Life We Didn't Choose
Still reeling over their fight, Austin grabbed his laptop and headed straight to the administrative building as soon as he saw Marybeth and Orlando off. Apparently, he wasn't that good at hiding his emotions. Either that or his cousin knew him too well because as soon as he stepped inside Blake's office, Tim asked, "Who pissed you off?"Sitting behind the all-glass executive desk, Angelo looked up from his phone and frowned at him but kept his mouth shut."My wife!" Austin grunted as he placed his laptop on the coffee table and stretched out on the leather couch. He stared at the high ceiling, amazed at its intricate design. He'd never noticed it before. But then again, he never spent more than a few minutes here when Blake was around."What did you do?" Tim asked."Why do you assume I did something?""Because it's always the guy's fault, genius!" Angelo replied.Austin glanced at Tim, and he quickly shook his head, silently mouthing, 'Don't ask'.Austin was happy to drop it. He had e
Beautiful Disaster 123|His Achilles' Heel
When Austin returned to Blake's office, his capos had moved on from the sex tape and were now crowded around one of the laptops, watching Nadia and her crew."They just got here," they announced before Austin could even ask them anything."But they're one man short today," Angelo said, sipping his whiskey."Who's missing?" Austin asked as he took his place on the couch."The older son, Josef Something What's—His—Name," replied Tim, his eyes barely moving from the screen."Did you track down their hideout?" asked Austin as he reached for his laptop and got down to some work."They're renting a place in Montague Cove," replied Angelo."Swanky," said Austin. If it wasn't obvious before that Nadia and her little gang were raking in the money, it was now. Montague Cove was an upmarket neighbourhood in the east of town, and the rent was R20K minimum for a two-bedroom place."Well, they have to use their ill-gotten gains somewhere," Tim said wryly."Any word on Friar John?" Austin enquired a
Beautiful Disaster 124|Must Be In The Water
Turning back to the couch, Austin wasn't surprised to find his capos gawking at him like he was from outer space. He really shouldn't have placed Blake on speaker phone; now he'd have to field their fifty billion questions."If you have something to say, just spit it out!" he said with a heavy sigh as he returned to his place on the couch."The sex tape—" Angelo stammered, leaving the rest of his question hanging in the air, clearly at a loss for words.Tim didn't have his problem, though. He barraged on in a surprisingly coherent manner, asking, "It wasn't with a woman, was it?"Austin held his gaze for what seemed like an eternity but could have only been a few minutes before he spoke, "What makes you think that?"This was the last thing he needed; Blake's secret coming out like this. His capos may not have heard their entire conversation, but they were smart enough to add things up, and Tim was proving to be a dog with a bone, pointing out calmly, "Well, he wouldn't be so damn prot
Beautiful Disaster 125|Expedition
Pigs!They were all pigs, Austin fumed as he and Angelo waded through the unkempt rooms. They weren't even inside the Van Staden's five-bedroom apartment for five minutes, and he was ready to get the hell out of there.He didn't know what was worse—the bug-ridden kitchen overflowing with dirty cups and plates and days-old garbage bags, or the living room, where a heavy stench seemed to stain the very air they were breathing.He didn't even want to venture into the bedrooms because he was terrified of the madness he'd find in there.How anyone could throw away R40K on rent just to live in such filth was beyond him.With the amount of money Nadia was bringing in, he would have expected the woman to at least hire part-time help—"Don't just stand there! Help me!" Angelo said, breaking through his disgusted thoughts as he threw a pair of latex gloves at him.Austin caught them swiftly and reluctantly slipped them on. He wasn't a germophobe by any stretch, but even he had his limits, and i
Beautiful Disaster 126|I Want Him To Know That I Know
They made it back to Gold Rush just after 3:00 PM, and Tim was nowhere to be found. Austin figured he was dealing with Josef."I'd love to tag along and watch the bloodbath, but I have a meeting with Willem and Jaco," said Angelo as he threw his laptop in his backpack and headed out."Tell them we are not backing down. I refuse to clean their money until Willem gets on his knees and apologises to Beth!" Austin reminded his capo before he slipped out and slammed the door shut.Alone, Austin contemplated the laptop and notebook they'd brought back from the Van Staden's, wondering if they were worth anything now that they had Josef. He was prepared to beat the truth out of him. In fact, it might even be quicker than figuring out what the numbers in the notebook meant or trying to access the laptop. But he took both anyway and the plastic bag with the rhino horn and headed across the quad to Gold Towers, an old events venue currently undergoing renovations.As soon as Austin swiped himsel
Beautiful Disaster 127|Any Last Words—Part 1
Camille Charleston was properly fucked if the jelly-like feeling in her limbs and the throbbing ache in her lady bits were anything to go by. No surprises there. After all, Ralph, one of her junior reporters at Scandal and latest boy toy, knew his way around the sheets.He wasn't particularly good at his job by any stretch of the imagination. His weekly satire column on the country's politics often put her to sleep. But, what he lacked in the way of skills at the office, he more than made up for in her bed. And this was the only reason she'd kept him around. Camille didn't tolerate mediocrity in her life, and Ralph was far from mediocre when it came to using his tongue and dick.As satiated as she was, though, she had to send him home ASAP. She never made the mistake of allowing her lovers to stay the night. She wasn't about to start now with him. She loved her personal space too much. Though she'd admit, he looked thoroughly tempting as he lay there, with the covers spread over the l
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