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151|Trust Is Earned
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Beautiful Disaster 152|Deception
Adrenaline kicked in right about the same time Austin's shock and disbelief wore off, jump-starting his brain to life.He gathered up the papers and haphazardly slipped them back inside the folder, not in the least bothered by their exact order now.He placed the file and gun on the desk, sat down, and patiently waited.He didn't have to wait long. Piper walked in two minutes later, chirpy as ever, blissfully unaware of how precariously close she was to losing her life."We should get your results in a day or two," she announced as she shut the door behind her with the heel of Louboutins and crossed the room, stopping in her tracks when her eyes fell on the gun beside the file.The terror painted on her face said everything her lips couldn't. She opened her mouth to speak but snapped it shut without uttering a word. Her jig was up, and there was nowhere for her to run to. Even if there was, Austin would have her brains splattered all over her white walls and marble floors before she c
Beautiful Disaster 153|Cooler Head
When Austin returned to Piper's posh, air-conditioned office, she still looked a little green around the gills."Austin, can we talk about this, please?""Sure, where would you like to start?" he asked, reaching for his gun and twirling it in his hands. It wasn't loaded. He'd removed the magazine before she came in, but she didn't need to know that."Iris…at first, she was furious about being forced to marry you.""I guess that gave her license to fuck my brother and one of my closest friends within what—days, weeks of fucking me?" Austin snorted.The rumours about Iris' infidelity had haunted their relationship almost from the beginning. Whispers about Orlando's paternity, too, had filled the hallways of his childhood home in Clarence Estate.But because Orlando was a baby when Iris died and didn't look like either of them at the time, he never paid much attention to the chatter. But now, as she grew older, she was starting to resemble Iris a lot more. She had no traces of him except
Beautiful Disaster 154| Anchor—Part 1
Devastated beyond measure, Austin operated on autopilot as he left Piper's office, only coming out of his trance-like daze when Arno snapped his fingers in front of his face to get his attention."Where to? To the office, penthouse or straight to the Blue Mountains?"His heart in pieces, his brain a frazzled mess of chaos, Austin could only give him a blank stare, unable to process his questions."He asked where you want to go? Home or the office," Benji clarified.Austin would never focus on work now, not in the emotional state he was in. His home, too, was the last place he wanted to be, especially with all the traces of Orlando sprinkled in every room and Iris' photographs taking up space in the living room."Sea Point Primary," he murmured, making up his mind right then and there."Is everything okay?" Arno enquired as he turned the key in the ignition and shifted the car into drive."Sure, everything's just dandy!" Austin lied, giving him a wan smile."You do know that кума has t
Beautiful Disaster 155|Anchor—Part 2
It took exactly five minutes for Marybeth to grace them with her presence. Judging from her breathless panting, Austin figured she must have run over, believing it was an emergency."Principal Smith," she gasped as she shot through the door. "You called for me?"Her boss pointed at Austin, still seated along the wall."Your husband wants to see you," she said, gently patting Marybeth on the shoulder before excusing herself. "I'll give you some privacy."As soon as the door slammed shut, Marybeth turned to him with a sour look on her face, ready to take him on for stopping by her workplace unannounced.But something in his demeanour must have given away his anguish because in an instant, she opened her arms for him, and he walked straight into them, and everything was perfect as a calm he hadn't felt since his chat with Piper descended on him. His mind and heart were at peace again, banishing all the chaos and noise from his discovery."What's wrong?" Marybeth asked over his shoulder a
Beautiful Disaster 156|Deserves Better—Part 1
Marybeth didn't get a chance to pull herself together. Almost as soon as Austin vanished from the room, the door creaked to life, and her boss stepped inside.She quickly brushed away her tears and stood up, taken aback when Seshnee sashayed in behind Smith."Ms Naidoo," Marybeth said, half-heartedly waving at the social worker. She didn't expect to hear from her until tomorrow or Thursday at the earliest, and she didn't know if she should be worried or relieved."Ms Tyson," Seshnee greeted back with a tight-lipped smile and set her Fendi bag on the desk."Is everything okay?" asked Marybeth, tilting her head slightly as she took in the other woman's appearance. With her red bodycon dress, matching high heels and long dark hair tumbling down her back in glossy waves, Seshnee didn't look like a social worker. But then again, Marybeth didn't know any other social worker."I thought we'd only hear from you tomorrow," she continued as she approached the desk.Seshnee took a seat and crosse
Beautiful Disaster 157|Deserves Better—Part 2
"Come on, pick up! Pick up!" Marybeth muttered as Benji's phone kept ringing."Fuck!" she cussed when his voicemail lady eventually picked up. Not ready to throw in the towel yet, she tried him again, but when she got the same result, she sent him another text, telling him to confiscate all of Austin's guns and any item he could use as a weapon.She waited for his response, but it never came. And when her alarm clock went off, reminding her of her meeting in five minutes, trying to avert a disaster of epic proportions stopped being an option.Marybeth left the cubicle and was startled to find a small group of second graders loitering near the sinks.Even though she was in a hurry and hadn't done shit in there, she had to set an example. So she washed her hands and dried them with paper towels while making small talk with the girls.They merrily chirped away, telling her how excited they were about the upcoming school holidays. For the first time in her career, Marybeth realised she wa
Beautiful Disaster 158|Dirty Laundry
Half an hour into their trip to Clarence Estate, Austin was jerked awake when the car suddenly stopped. He sat up, rubbed his tired eyes, and looked out of the window, checking where they were."Is something wrong with the car?" he asked as he sat back in his seat and yawned.Without saying a word, Benji handed him his phone."Cute," Austin said with a small smile as he read the text exchange between his handler and Marybeth."So why did we stop?" he asked, giving the phone back when he was done."We need to know you won't do anything stupid when you get to your father's place," said Benji."кума's worried about you," added Arno. "She asked us to take away all your guns—"Austin snapped at his handlers, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I know what she asked you to do! I may be the idiot who was cheated on multiple times, but I can still read!"Benji and Arno shared a look, their discomfort palpable, and Austin was instantly horrified at his outburst. It wasn't their fault that Iris wa
Beautiful Disaster 159|The Worst Kind Of Cancer
"Start talking," Austin said as he stood up and strolled to his father's desk. He grabbed the whiskey decanter and took it back to his seat, where he popped the lid and placed it on the coffee table before taking a huge gulp of the bitter liquid.Clearly over his shock now, Lukas stared at him with maddening arrogance as he casually linked his hands on his lap, "am I supposed to know what these reports mean?""Are you seriously going to sit there and deny everything?" Austin asked, setting the crystal container beside the lid as he reached behind his back for his gun.Lukas tried to do the same, but a quick shake of Austin's head stopped all his foolishness."Don't be foolish," Austin said, motioning to him to pull the pistol out slowly and hand it over."Now!" he growled when his father tried to stand his ground, glaring back at him with bristling defiance in his eyes."I don't want to fucking hurt you, Father. Not yet, anyway. I just want us to talk, man to man!" Austin continued, s
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