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162|Old Dog New Tricks
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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
Beautiful Disaster 165|Keeper Of My Heart
As soon as Orlando conked out while they read Beauty and the Beast for the millionth time, Austin headed to his study and jumped on the phone.He was exhausted and emotionally spent, but too many pots were burning, and they all needed his attention.The first order of business for the night was a call to Blake.As brief as their chat was, Austin couldn't help but wish he could jump into the phone and strangle him. There really was a fine line between love and hate, and he couldn't believe how quickly it could blur. But furious as he was, Austin was glad Blake was out of town when he confronted their father. He was way too emotional earlier, and if he wanted to destroy his brother, Austin knew he needed a cooler head and enough time to work on his plan."Why are you pulling me off Nadia?" Blake demanded on his end, interrupting Austin's thoughts of revenge. "I thought we agreed—""I'll handle it!" Austin cut in, praying he didn't sound as enraged as he felt. "Your fiancée is pregnant. Y
Beautiful Disaster 166|His Light
Austin was up at the crack of dawn. Not that he'd slept. How could he when he couldn't get his mind to shut down and stop reliving the horrific day he'd had?At some point between coming to bed and Marybeth falling asleep in his arms, a plan had slowly begun to form itself. And it was that plan, more than his strained relationship with his father, that had kept him awake. It wasn't anything solid. But it was still a plan, and vague as it was, he had to get cracking on it. So as soon as the birds began to chirp outside sometime after 4:00 AM, he jumped out of bed, took a leisurely shower, and headed to his study to make a few calls. Seth was first on his to-do list, and he didn't sound too excited to hear from him when he eventually picked up after Austin's fourth attempt. "Mr Hawthorne, do you know what time it is?" Seth grumbled. "Someone had better be missing, or your money was stolen. Those are the only acceptable excuses for calling me like this at the crack of dawn!""But it's 4
Beautiful Disaster 167|Music To His Ears
Austin's rage hit him like a ton of bricks when he stepped into the living room, and his eyes fell on all the numerous photographs of Iris covering every corner and crevice. He didn't mind when Orlando brought them back last week, figuring she missed her mom. But now…knowing everything he knew, he couldn't stand seeing Iris' face, and he was so terrified that if he continued to stand there like his feet were stuck in a block of concrete, he'd trash his living room. So he forced himself to move along and get Orlando's pancakes ready. Austin knew how to cook, but it wasn't something he enjoyed. Today, though, he was grateful for the distraction. It kept his mind from wandering into dangerous territory. The first batch of pancakes was done forty-five minutes later when Orlando bounded into the room, dressed in her school uniform and her hair tied in lopsided pigtails."Where's Marybeth?" she asked as she jumped onto the barstool and watched him pour a thin stream of batter into the non
Beautiful Disaster 168|Close To His Chest
After dropping Marybeth and Orlando off, Austin went for his morning jog and ran twice as long, pushing himself until he thought he couldn't possibly go any further.When he returned to the penthouse, he was surprised to find his capos waiting for him. "When did you get here?" he asked, taking off his sweaty hoodie and t-shirt. "Two hours ago," said Angelo. "Tough day at the office?" Tim asked. "You never run more than ten kilometres." Austin ignored his banter and grabbed a bottle of still water from the fridge. He gulped it down in one go, crushing the plastic bottle in his hand when he was done. "Can you not do that, please? That sound is damn annoying!" Angelo snapped, glaring at the bottle in Austin's hands. Austin turned to Tim, silently asking him what was wrong with Angelo. His cousin shrugged and rolled his eyes, mouthing something about trouble in paradise. Austin backed out of the room, choosing not to engage. He had enough problems. Meddling in Angelo's was low p
Beautiful Disaster 169|At The Heart Of It All
As soon as Austin saw his capos off, he returned to his study to check his emails, irritated as fuck when he didn't see anything from Laura Stone and Sienna. They'd clearly not taken the bait. Maybe he should have tried harder to sell them the dream. But now wasn't the time for regrets. Lionel would be arriving in exactly half an hour if he was as punctual as his daughter. So Austin got his ass in gear and rounded up his and Orlando's toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and combs. He bagged and sealed each item in its ziplock bag, labelled everything clearly, and shoved them in a black envelope. At 11:59 AM, the front doorbell rang, and Austin was damn relieved to find Lionel alone when he went to get the door. He'd worried he'd bring Danica along. "Son-in-law," Lionel effused, and Austin ignored his outstretched arms and shook his hand instead. "I must admit I was quite surprised to hear from you," Lionel said as Austin shut the door. "This is swanky," Lionel continued as he moved deeper i
Beautiful Disaster 170|Do No Harm
When Austin was done on the call with Sienna Roberts, he rounded up his stuff and set off for his meeting, colliding with Piper at the front door. "What are you doing here?" he asked, going from calm to furious when flashbacks of being pinned to the floor of his father's study like an animal surged to life again in his mind. "You weren't responding to my texts," she said, playing with the handbag strap on her shoulder. "Or taking my calls.""Do you blame me?" Austin sighed as he checked the time on his Cartier. He had exactly five minutes to spare if he didn't want to be late for the board meeting, and he told his doctor—well, former doctor—as much. "About yesterday," she began, but Austin gave her one quick glare, warning her softly, "don't… don't even think about going there, Piper." "I'm sorry," she went there anyway, pleading her case. "I didn't want to do it. But your father—"Before Austin knew what he'd done, Piper's back was pressed against the wall, her feet dangling in th
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