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
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
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
Austin glanced at the digital display on the radio, groaning when he saw it was after three and schools were long out. Going to Sea Point now would be an utter waste of time. So he found the nearest exit and headed to Pelican Surf, calling his handlers on the way to the beach to check where they were.Arno picked up and confirmed they were headed to Tidal Wave for Orlando's swimming lesson."Is Beth okay?" Austin asked."Why do you ask?""I don't know. She called me out of the blue today and told me she misses me.""And that's a bad thing, why?" Arno asked."I can't shake this feeling that something's wrong," Austin said.When Arno remained evasive and tried to rush him off the call, he knew something was definitely wrong. He figured the other man couldn't talk because Marybeth was with him."Anyway," he said, wrapping up the call. "I'm at the beach. Bring them straight here after the swim lesson.""Will do," said Arno before hanging up.Austin found Jerome wiping down the tables. The
Marybeth didn't know if she should be offended by Austin's comment or what, but she'd never turn up her nose at a bubble bath. So she leaned in and pecked him on the cheek, her lips brushing the corner of his mouth."I can get used to this," Austin murmured, spinning her in his arms to give her a back hug. "I can seriously get used to you missing me, kissing me, and begging me—""Forget it," Marybeth said, laughing, as she sprung away from him and dashed to the master bedroom. She rested her back on the door while she willed her heart to stop racing. The man just had to look at her, and she turned into putty in his hands.She didn't know how much longer she could do this...how much longer she could hold out on Austin and his tempting cock. It was becoming harder every day to not beg him to fuck her brains out."Just swallow your pride and put yourself out of this misery," she told herself as she stepped into the bathroom and ran herself a bath.She slipped inside the tub, squealing wi
Marybeth had just finished changing into her pyjamas when Austin strolled in, a towel draped around his waist.She gawked at him, her lustful gaze jumping to his rock-hard hard abs and Adonis belt."You want more?" Austin teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "I'm open to hearing you beg me again.""Dream on. That was my only moment of weakness. It won't happen again!" she said, throwing her towel at him before sitting on the edge of the bed. She tapped the empty spot beside her for him to join her."What's wrong now?" he asked as he sank beside her.Marybeth took a deep breath before blurting out quickly, "I think Iris's death may be connected to the dead editor and the other three people murdered last night."Austin's face crumpled under a storm of emotions, cycling through confusion, heartbreak, disbelief and back to confusion again.He opened his mouth several times and shut it without uttering a word, and Marybeth wished she could have worked a little more on her delivery."E
The Gopals were scheduled to arrive at 8:00 PM, but Austin was at Royal Lights at six, just to make sure the venue was in tip-top condition for what could very well be his final Battle Royale with The Corporation.Austin trusted his assistant to do her job well, but for anything involving The Corporation, he liked to be a little hands-on. So as soon as he'd settled down in his office and responded to a few burning emails, he headed to the Cigar Room at the heart of the casino's dining hub in the south wing.He found Elizabeth hard at work, coordinating with the lounge's staff."Mr Hawthorne, you're here!" she said, briefly looking up from the clipboard in her hands."In the flesh," Austin replied, rocking on the balls of his feet as he shoved his hands in his pockets, a pleased smile on his face. "How's it going over here?""As well as can be expected, I suppose, for something so at short notice."Austin narrowed his eyes at her snippy tone. He didn't like being here more than she did
At 8:00 PM on the dot, the Gopals' motorcade pulled up at the entrance. Austin would not have expected anything less. After all, Vishal, the head of the Gopal family, was a stickler for time.The bodyguards were the first to step out of their cars, surprising Austin when two of them helped Vishal out of his sleek Bentley and placed him in an electric wheelchair.Austin had known for some time now that the patriarch's health was failing him, but he would never have imagined such a rapid decline. The man in the wheelchair was a far cry from the one Austin last saw at the Foundation's charity benefit four months ago.While he was still trying to hide his horror at the elderly man's pitiful appearance, Austin's world was thrown off balance yet again when Navya, Vishal's only daughter, stepped out of the second Bentley, their capos right behind her.Exquisitely dressed in a navy power suit that did very little to hide her stunning figure, her raven hair styled in an angled bob, Navya playe