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156|Deserves Better—Part 1
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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
Beautiful Disaster 160|Trouble—Part 1
The outing to the SPCA was going so well that Marybeth almost forgot about the written warning she'd signed just before she and Scarlett left work for the day.Orlando was in her element, fussing over the puppies. When she wasn't playing mother hen, she was chirping away with the volunteer workers, asking them all kinds of questions.Scarlett, too, was a mushy mess, and once or twice she even hinted at Marybeth that she should seriously consider making a baby with Austin, explaining she was broody and would love nothing more than to hold a tiny bundle of joy in her arms."Well, you are holding one, aren't you?" Marybeth pointed at the pavement special in her friend's arms."It's not the same thing!" argued Scarlett as she set the puppy down, and they moved on to the next aisle on their itinerary."Why don't you have a baby then?" suggested Marybeth as she glanced at a sickly-looking mama cat hovering protectively around her litter in one of the numerous cages stacked on top of each oth
Beautiful Disaster 161|Trouble—Part 2
"How do we get in?" Marybeth mumbled to herself when she noticed there was no intercom."Daddy keeps the gate remote in his drawer," said Orlando as she wedged herself in the small space between the two front seats."Drawer?" Scarlett asked, her eyebrows fusing together in confusion."She means the glove compartment," replied Marybeth as she pulled it open and fiddled around."Yes, the glove compartment! That's what I wanted to say!" Orlando chimed in. "Press the green button, Marybeth, and the gate should open."Marybeth followed the instructions to the tee, and a moment later, the gate slid open, barely making a sound despite its humongous size.They drove up a long winding driveway and stopped near the colossal fountain facing the front door. When Orlando removed her seatbelt and tried to jump out of the car, Marybeth nicely asked her to stay put. She didn't know the situation inside the house, and the last thing she needed was to lead her into a minefield."But I want to see Gramps
Beautiful Disaster 162|Old Dog New Tricks
Leaving the Hawthorne family home without telling Lukas exactly what she thought of him would be a deep miscarriage of justice, in Marybeth's humble opinion. So she hit the brakes, bringing the car to a halt, much to the surprise of Arno and Benji following behind them."What's going on? Why did we stop?" Austin asked, addressing her for the first time since they left the house."I have to take care of something," Marybeth replied as she removed her seatbelt."Beth!" he gritted his teeth as she pushed her door open. "Where are you going?""I'll be back in a bit," she told him before jumping out of the car, well aware that she didn't exactly answer his question. In her defence, though, he would have likely tried to stop her from returning inside if he knew she planned to have another royal rumble with his father. Like earlier, Marybeth let herself in, hardly paying any attention to the housekeeping staff side-eyeing her as she made her way down the now-familiar hallway.She found Luka
Beautiful Disaster 163|Her Whole World
Marybeth drove a kilometre or so before pulling up on the roadside when she noticed Austin's hands trembling violently on his lap. She killed the engine and turned her entire body to look at him, taking both his hands in hers."What happened back there," she began as she gently kneaded his hands to soothe him. "Should never happen to anyone. And I'm sorry it happened to you, of all people. I know how much the family means to you—""I'm okay," Austin cut in, but Marybeth quickly hushed him up as she held his face in her hands, gazing into his eyes, "you are not okay. And no one can fault you for it. But whatever your feelings are about Iris and the stuff with your father, I need you to put a firm lid on them because there's a little girl who loves you with her heart and soul, waiting for you at home. Can you do that? Can you do that for me, please?""I'm sorry, I don't know if I can," Austin said, pulling away from her, adding as he stared off into the distance, "how do I look at Orly w
Beautiful Disaster 164|This Justice Of Yours
Orlando fussed over Austin as soon as they walked through the front door, demanding to know who'd messed up his face."Were you in a fight, Daddy? Did they punch you? Did you punch them back? I hope you kicked them and put them in a headlock like this—"She stopped talking long enough to show them exactly what she meant as she twisted her arms and got into a headlock position.Marybeth didn't know if she should be delighted or horrified at Orlando's enthusiasm and propensity for violence.Despite hurting all over, Austin was clearly proud of his teachings. He couldn't stop grinning, and Marybeth was glad to see him smile again."Of course, I did, Squeak! Just like I taught you! You should see their faces!" he said as he crouched down to give her a hug."It was more than one guy?" Orlando asked, her voice light with wonder.Austin nodded, "yep, about six guys.""Yes! Good job, Daddy!" Orlando cheered again. "That's how we handle bullies!""Always," Austin agreed, kissing her forehead. M
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