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186|Blood Will Have Blood
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Beautiful Disaster 187|Path Of No Return—Part 1
They all dispersed and returned to the barn after the Van Staden boys had finished burying Friar John. Austin, though, hung back at the burial site for a few minutes, staring morosely at the consigliere's grave, his heart splintering into a million little pieces when he realised the man would never have a headstone or even a homemade cross to mark his final resting place.Austin knew he was going to die someday. Maybe even sooner than he'd prefer. After all, nothing was as certain as death. But when it was his time, he hoped he'd have something a little fancier than an unmarked grave, and he prayed Marybeth would visit him from time to time and place flowers on his grave.The mere thought of his wife filled Austin with a yearning so intense he didn't realise he'd pulled out his phone and called her until he heard her groggy greeting, "Hello?""Were you sleeping?" he asked, stuffing his free hand in his pocket as he gazed at the crescent moon looming bright and proud in the night sky."
Beautiful Disaster 188|Path Of No Return—Part 2
"We'll need funding," said Angelo. He'd clearly decided to join Austin on his new venture."We'll need a shit ton of funding!" he repeated, puffing hard on his cigarette."I'm working on it," Austin replied. "But in the meantime, I need you to assemble a crew of share traders. Get me the best in the business.""It will cost you," Angelo warned him."I know, and I'm prepared to give them my inheritance if necessary.""This is crazy!" said Tim as he began pacing. "This is insane. Uncle Lukas raised me. He took me in when I didn't have anyone."Austin had figured Tim would be much harder to convince than Angelo. Not only because they were blood relatives. But his cousin also felt profound gratitude towards Lukas for raising him like his own when his parents were killed. So going against the Hawthorne patriarch was the ultimate betrayal in Tim's eyes.Austin finished his cigarette and addressed his right-hand man, "I'm not asking you to come with me. But when I'm done with my father, there
Beautiful Disaster 189|Set The Cat Among The Pigeons
"Thank God! Thank you, Jesus! You finally know the truth!" Anna was the first to unravel as she rushed from her seat and threw herself at Austin's feet, begging for mercy, to her husband's horror and disapproval."Anna! What the hell are you doing? Get up right this minute!" Willem bellowed at her, but she rounded on him with something Austin could only describe as resentment burning in her eyes."I warned you nothing stays hidden forever! We should have told him from the start when my baby asked for our help! If we'd listened to her, she'd be here today!" Anna ranted at Willem, tears trickling down her cheeks and vanishing into the creases of her wrinkly neck."We agreed—" Willem tried to split the blame evenly between them, but it was clear Anna was exhausted. Not just from the lies but also from the weight of their secret and all the guilt-tripping he'd put her through."I didn't agree to anything! It was you and Lukas!" she screamed, not holding back as she took her husband down me
Beautiful Disaster 190|Set The Cat Among The Pigeons—Part 2
'Devastated' didn't even begin to describe Willem's demeanour as he sat there, processing Austin's announcement. Every emotion under the sun flitted across his face until he finally crumpled in defeat.He held his head in his hands, silently denying what he'd perhaps long suspected but refused to acknowledge, "No! Not Jaco!""Yes, your golden-haired boy may have had a hand in your daughter's death," Austin said, unable to bring himself to feel sorry for the man. "Like you, I didn't want to believe it at first. I mean, they were cousins. But after reading Iris' journal and learning how deep their hatred ran… I've got to admit, where I'm sitting, Jaco's looking good for the job."Still in denial, Willem rose from his seat and paced the length of his den, growling at Austin, "Are you out of your mind? Jaco is family. He loved Iris. He was devastated when she died. He grieved for her!""Did he? Did he really grieve for her?" Austin murmured, steepling his fingers."Of course he did! He eve
Beautiful Disaster 191|His Home
Halfway through the flight, Anna, sitting directly behind Austin, nudged him awake."What is it, Anna?" he growled, annoyed that she'd interrupted his nap."I called around, but all the hotels in Pelican Surf are fully booked because of some conference or event. I can't remember what the booking clerks said—""Get to the point!" Austin said, pinching his nose."I was wondering, would it be possible to stay with you tonight?"Austin turned around, sorely tempted to tell her to make other plans. But as much as he despised her, she was still Orlando's grandmother, and he wasn't a heartless son of a bitch. Not all the time, at least. So he agreed to let her crash at his place, to the surprise of his capos and handlers."You can stay for as long as you want," he told her, settling back in his seat again.Thankfully, the rest of the flight passed by in silence. The ride to the penthouse, too, was just as quiet. They didn't have much to discuss outside their bond, born from their shared grief
Beautiful Disaster 192|Not That Hard
Marybeth spent a few minutes under the shower with Austin before quickly rinsing off, explaining she'd already taken a bath earlier and didn't want to turn into a prune. "There's no such thing!" Austin laughed as he lathered his hair with shampoo and watched her towel off in front of the mirror. "Yes, there is!" Marybeth insisted, mischief sparkling in her eyes as she stared back at him. "Studies have shown that if you take too many baths in one day, you'll turn into a prune. I'm a teacher, remember?" "If you say so, žena!" Austin smiled, dunking his head under the jet sprays. Marybeth stood there for a minute, maybe two, watching him scrub himself clean, feeling grateful he'd made it home safe and sound. After Elijah, marriage wasn't something she'd thought about often. But now that she was married to Austin, all she wanted was to hold on to him for as long as possible. With his line of work, she didn't know how many years they had to look forward to, so every night with him home
Beautiful Disaster 193|No More Secrets
Marybeth was still wide awake when Austin came to bed two hours later.She lay there for some time, listening to him toss and turn until he finally reached for her and held her tight."I know you're not sleeping," he whispered in her hair. "About earlier. I'm sorry. I was harsh. But, Beth, I have too much on my plate right now to worry about your ex and his bullshit!"Marybeth ignored him. She was too tired to get into another fight with him. In exactly three hours, she'd have to get ready for work. "Beth," Austin tried again to engage her, but her hurt and anger were still too raw. He always carried on about wanting their marriage to be a partnership. But so far, it didn't feel like one. The power balance was tipped in his favour, and she was constantly compromising, accepting, and changing herself to fit into his world. When would he compromise? When would he change to fit into her world? Why was she the one constantly giving in?"You're right," Austin said, surprising Marybeth
Beautiful Disaster 194|Too Far
Breakfast was an awkward affair the following morning. Anna had woken up at the crack of dawn to whip up a full-spread breakfast, to Marybeth's dismay and Orlando's surprise. Austin had no reaction whatsoever to Anna taking over his kitchen. If he did, he hid it well. After explaining to his little girl, as gently as possible, that her grandmother would be around for a while to spend time with her, they all settled down at the dining table to eat. But none of them seemed to have an appetite. Orlando was still fixated on the mystery surrounding her missing hairbrush, Marybeth was exhausted, and Austin seemed preoccupied with his schedule for the day. And well, Anna was just Anna, going above and beyond to make up for the silence at the table, talking about everything she could think of, from the lovely weather in Pelican Surf to her amazing sleep. Eventually, she got the hint and kept quiet, drawing patterns on her untouched plate with her fork. The weird atmosphere in the room was
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