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129|Shock Waves—Part 1
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Beautiful Disaster 130|Shock Waves—Part 2
"It's okay, Orly," Marybeth murmured, gently patting Orlando's back to comfort her. "It's okay to miss your Daddy.""I should be used to it," Orlando cried even harder, her words muffled as she buried her face in Marybeth's shoulder. "But I thought after Mrs Allan left, Daddy would have time for me. Why does he work so much?"Marybeth thought it was a rhetorical question, but when Orlando pulled away and stared at her expectantly, her eyes brimming with the tears her small heart couldn't contain, she didn't know how to answer her.She knew why Austin was always away, but a six-year-old should never be burdened with the knowledge that her father was a crime lord and perhaps one of the deadliest, if not the most dangerous."Do you want to practice the guitar when we come home?" she suggested feebly, hoping to shift their conversation to a much happier place when she couldn't come up with a good reason for Austin's absence."But it's not Wednesday," reasoned Orlando in her six-year-old l
Beautiful Disaster 131|Fall Off A Cliff—Part 1
The last person Marybeth expected to find waiting for her in the staff room was her ex. She would have nicely asked him to get lost if the clerk wasn't there, watching them like a hawk, just waiting to catch any bit of gossip."What are you doing here?" she asked, trying her damnedest to keep her voice emotionless. "Didn't we agree to stay out of each other's way?""I didn't agree to anything," Elijah responded. "And even if I had, if it concerns your safety, no agreement can keep me away."Perturbed, Marybeth stammered, "My safety?""We need to talk," Elijah replied, not giving her a chance to refuse. He grabbed her lightly by the elbow and led her out of the staff room to his car in the visitor's parking area.To Marybeth's shock and surprise, Arno and Benji were still there. She assumed they'd leave after dropping her off and go do whatever the hell it was that security for the mob did during the day when normal people like her were out and about, working. But here they were, about
Beautiful Disaster 132|Fall Off A Cliff—Part 2
"What are you doing?" Marybeth asked shrilly. "What the hell is wrong with you? Unlock the door right now!""I will," Elijah replied. "But not until we talk."He reached for the folder on the dashboard and placed it on her lap. "This is the real reason I pitched up announced. You're in serious danger, Beth. I don't know how else I need to make you see. What will it take to get through to you? What will it take to make you see that this man you claim to love is slowly poisoning you?"Marybeth scoffed at his melodramatic statement. But she still opened the file anyway, bile rising in her throat when she saw the photos."What is this? Why do you keep showing me crime scene photos?""Because maybe facts will get through to you better than my emotions ever will," Elijah said. "You must have heard or seen the news about Scandal's editor?"Marybeth nodded, biting her lower lip, "Camille Something.""Yep, that's her," Elijah said, pointing at the first photo of a lifeless woman slumped agains
Beautiful Disaster 133|Carol Scheepers—Part 1
Marybeth was restless the whole morning after her talk with Eli.Scarlett was off sick with the cold, and Austin was still ghosting her—none of the fifteen texts she'd sent him, all screaming of her panic, had been read—so she didn't even have anyone talk things out with.When one of the grade six learners bounded into her classroom with a message from Smith summoning her to her office, Marybeth was grateful for the distraction, feeling optimistic that the principal wanted to update her on Adeline. In a day filled with murder and conspiracy theories, she could do with a bit of good news.But when she strode into Smith's office and found her staring listlessly out of the window, Marybeth began to doubt the purpose of their meeting."There you are," said Smith as she crossed the room, wringing her hands at her sides."What's going on?" Marybeth asked, even though her gut told her it wasn't the good news she'd expected."Please take a seat," Smith gestured at one of the visitors' chairs,
Beautiful Disaster 134|Carol Scheepers—Part 2
Marybeth checked her phone, relief dulling her senses when she saw it was Austin trying to reach her. She didn't realise how worried she was about him until his call."I'm assuming you have to take that," said Seshnee, nodding at the still-ringing phone in Marybeth's hand. She threw her handbag over her shoulder, adding, "I'll send your application to the judge. We should hear back from her in a day or two. In the meantime, Adeline and her siblings will remain at Safe Haven.""What about Carol? What's going to happen to her? Will she be charged with child neglect?"Seshnee shook her head, her thin lips curling in a small smile, "You mean by the police? I'm afraid not. Now that Social Services has taken over, we'll investigate Carol's case.""So what's going to happen to her?""She's free to return to her home for now until the hearing. And if she wants her kids back, she'll have to attend mandatory parenting lessons and put in some work with a family therapist.""I see," Marybeth said
Beautiful Disaster 135|A House Divided—Part 1
Austin's 'urgent' meeting was with his father and Blake. Their old man had summoned them to Clarence Estate at the crack of dawn, yelling something about damage control. Austin had figured the cleanup plan had gone horribly wrong when he saw the news update about the Sloanes' nanny.So after he hung up from Marybeth, he just stood there, staring at the house, trying to decide whether to go in.He lit a cigarette, thinking about his call with Marybeth.She sounded…odd. Maybe because she'd never called him out of the blue. Or told him she missed him. It was…nice. Yet, a small part of him couldn't help but think something was wrong.He should have asked. Maybe he would have if he wasn't preoccupied with the damn meeting.Convinced he'd never be able to return to the Blue Mountains until he saw Marybeth and made sure she and Orlando were okay, he called his PA and changed his plans for the afternoon."So you'll only head back to the Blue Mountains tomorrow morning?" Elizabeth asked."Why
Beautiful Disaster 136|A House Divided—Part 2
Clearly struggling to control his emotions, Blake closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling several times before he opened them again, asking as he sat down, "what's the condition?""Marry Hadley in two weeks," announced Lukas."I don't understand the urgency," Blake said softly. "I don't understand why this marriage has become the be-all and end-all of everything.""If you didn't have your dick in Sloane's mouth, maybe you'd understand," Lukas snapped."You told him?" Blake glared at Austin, raw disappointment etched on his face."Why would I discuss your bedroom secrets with anyone?" Austin fired back, holding up his hands innocently. "There were tons of people at the mayor's address. Anyone could have seen you."Addressing his father, Austin continued, "as much as I'd love to see this wedding become a thing in two weeks, it's too close to Marybeth's welcome ball. I don't want Blake's big day to overshadow my wife's first official public appearance as the кума of this family. I'm afrai
Beautiful Disaster 137|With Time
Austin was about to pull out of the driveway when Hadley careened out of the house, waving her hands at him frantically."What now?" he mumbled as he rammed the brakes. He didn't think his day could get any worse, but the universe was determined to prove him wrong.He rolled down his window and asked, "what do you want, Hadley? Shouldn't you be with Blake right now?""He's with your father," Hadley said. "They're going over the wedding plans.""Shouldn't you be with him then?"She shook her head, asking, "can we please talk?"Austin didn't think they had anything to discuss, especially after she and Estelle tried to poison Orlando against Marybeth. But he found himself nodding at her to jump in, his heart softening at the lost, almost shattered look in her eyes.Hadley dashed to the passenger seat and made herself comfortable.Austin killed the engine and waited for her to state her case. But when two minutes passed, and she still said nothing, he turned to her, frowning, "can you tel
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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
