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189|Set The Cat Among The Pigeons
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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
Beautiful Disaster 195|Unforgivable
"Aren't we going with Daddy today?" Orlando asked as they made their way to Marybeth's car collecting dust in the basement parking of their apartment complex."No," Marybeth shook her head as she helped Orlando into the back seat and closed the door.She was lost in thought for a large part of their trip to Liberty Prep, her mind scattered in a thousand directions. She was deeply worried about Elijah and devastated for his mom and sisters. But her disappointment at Austin burned brighter than anything she'd ever felt.She couldn't understand his actions. Last night, he'd promised her there'd be no more secrets between them, only to blindside her with something bigger than anything they'd ever been through.Marybeth didn't know where to begin forgiving her husband or if he deserved forgiveness. What he did wasn't a mistake. It was a deliberate and well-orchestrated attack. She couldn't excuse his actions, no matter how much she loved him."Are you mad at Daddy?" Orlando asked from the b
Beautiful Disaster 196|Life Interrupted
Austin was extremely late for his 8:00 AM meeting with Nadia, and only because he insisted on following Marybeth to Sea Point to ensure she got there safe and sound. In her distraught state, he'd doubted she could get herself to work in one piece."We're almost there," said Benji in the driver's seat when Austin sighed loudly, clearly mistaking his worry for irritation. "The GPS says we're on the quickest route."Austin nodded and paged through Iris' ledger with all the transactions linking some of The Corporation's members to Dreams."What's the status on Boshoff?" he asked, skimming through the transactions containing his father's details. He'd counted five so far, dating as far back as eight years ago, when his mom was still alive and well."He's still in ICU," replied Arno. "No one besides his mom is allowed to see him.""Stay on him," Austin told him. "I want hourly status reports."Before Arno could give his affirmative, Austin's phone rang. It was Noah Boshoff. He'd been calling
Beautiful Disaster 197|In Motion
When Austin returned to the living room, Nadia was packing her stuff, informing his capos she had to meet her contacts for a scheduled money drop."I don't trust that woman!" said Tim when she'd left. "Something about her rubs me the wrong way.""Me too," Austin admitted. "But we need her and her network for now."He checked the time, glad to see he still had a few hours to prepare for his briefing with Laura and Sienna.While Tim and Angelo vetted the list of share traders Angelo's contact had sent, Austin sent a status update to his father, confirming Friar John had been eliminated.Like he knew he would, his father called as soon as he read the text, and Austin had to dig deep in his soul for the strength to remain calm while he chatted with him."That's my boy," Lukas said on his end, his voice oozing with pride. "I knew I made the right choice when I made you the leader of this family."Austin cleared his throat, cutting his father's enthusiasm short when he brought up the payment
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