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190|Set The Cat Among The Pigeons—Part 2
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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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
Beautiful Disaster 198|The Worst Kind Of Grief
Dr Khan's office was surprisingly quiet when Marybeth bounded in just after 3:00 PM.Her father waved her over when he saw her, smiling broadly as he tapped the empty seat beside him.Marybeth was still highly pissed off at Austin and exhausted from fielding endless questions from Scarlett about Elijah, so she barely returned the smile as she plopped down in her seat and flicked her gaze through the room, noticing two other people were waiting to see the doctor."How's it going, Sweet Pea? Have you settled in? Is Hawthorne treating you like a queen?" Marybeth turned, smiling sadly at him, "Daddy, did you see the news this morning?""Honey, I'm so sorry—"Marybeth held up her hands to hush him up. She didn't want to hear it. "I wish you hadn't done that. I wish you never went to Austin. I get why you did it. But God, Daddy, you have no idea how messy and complicated my life has become."A hush fell over the room. The two other sick people in the waiting area looked up from the muted re
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Beautiful Disaster 300|Beautiful Disaster
Rock Castle was a breath of fresh air in many ways for Austin and Marybeth. Once they'd put down their roots, they embraced their new life, immersing themselves in the community and the social scene.When they were not entertaining or attending various social events, Austin focused all his energy on growing Stardust Inc. while fulfilling his duties as a board member of De Jager Inc. and Orlando's proxy.Marybeth, too, kept herself busy with various home improvement projects, including setting up the baby's nursery. She also joined the PTA at Green Meadows Primary, championing a few fundraisers. As if she wasn't already busy enough, Lukas low-key began sending her Foundation documents to review, mostly company policies and NPO funding applications. Never mind that she'd had zero orientation since she was only supposed to start the following year.She was so busy embracing her new life as a stay-at-home mom and the Foundation's silent CEO she didn't have time to miss her old job. And tim
Beautiful Disaster 299|Loved And Wanted
Austin left Clifton Bay under a heavy cloud of complex family dynamics, his departure shrouded in controversy. But Rock Castle welcomed him with open arms. The people close to him didn't care at all about the drama and scandals he'd been embroiled in over the past few months. They were just happy to have him in the same city with them, and it didn't take long at all for Eden and Natalie to reach out to Marybeth and take her under their wing, acting as her free tour guides, pregnancy encyclopedias or sounding boards.Completely sold by their raving reviews of Dr Emily Waylon, they set up an appointment, immediately falling in love with her bedside manner on their first check-up. She was attentive, not to mention patient, answering their endless questions with a comforting calmness.Orlando and Adeline couldn't contain their joy when they broke the news about the baby that evening. Marybeth's tummy had gotten so big they could no longer hold off on telling them."Is it a boy or a girl?"
Beautiful Disaster 298|A Fresh Start
The whole time Austin scoffed down his food, he noticed Marybeth wasn't eating, absently toying with her salad. His heart shattered all over again because he knew he was responsible for her lack of appetite and dramatic weight loss."Mr Hawthorne, can we talk, please?" Elizabeth appeared beside him, stealing his attention away from his wife."Sure, let's chat inside," he replied, leading her into his study."Long time no see," he said with a smile as he sat on the edge of his desk. "You look happy and younger, too.""Traveling will do that to you," she replied, flashing a brief smile that Austin found a tad unsettling because it was so unlike her. She was always stoic."So that's what you've been up to since I left the Group?"She nodded. "The place wasn't the same without you, so I left. And that's why I'm here. I want my old job back. If you'll have me, that is.""You'll have to take a pay cut," Austin said. "I'm starting from scratch, Elizabeth, so I don't have a ton of cash flow—"
Beautiful Disaster 297|Family
Barry De Villiers was at Sea Point Police Station at 9:00 AM for Austin's release, and after completing a ton of paperwork, they were finally out of there by 11:00 AM.Austin didn't talk much on their way to Pelican Surf, lost in thought and the scenery. It was like he was seeing everything for the first time. The sun on his skin, the wind in his hair, the light glaring in his eyes…it all felt different, somehow."So, what's the first thing you'll do when you get home?" Barry asked."Hug my wife and kids until they get annoyed with me," Austin replied with the biggest smile. "Maybe eat a nice home-cooked meal...Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the takeaways you got me, but nothing beats my wife's cooking!"Barry guffawed, throwing his head back. "Okay. What else?""Mhh, I think a nice long shower is in order, too," Austin said, sniffing himself, making sure he didn't smell like something out of a garbage can."You don't stink," Barry assured him."I know," Austin chuckled. "Just ma
Beautiful Disaster 296|Bargaining Chip
Austin's altercation with another prisoner was the last straw for Marybeth, the thing that pushed her beyond her limit and sent her over the cliff.He'd asked her to hang in there for a few more days, but the thought of him getting into another fight or possibly getting killed terrified her. The stalemate with his father would only get deadlier the longer he remained in custody. Something had to be done to bring him home, and it had to be done fast. So she called Lukas, begging him to end all the madness. But, he wasn't interested in hearing her out, telling her coldly that he was too busy picking up Austin's slack—running the family and The Corporation—to worry about her fears.Marybeth's desperation got so bad that she reached out to the one person she swore she'd never ask for help. Her mom.They met at a sleepy coffee shop in Virginia after Anna and Willem's joint funeral.As usual, Vivienne was dressed to the nines, dripping head to toe in designer labels despite the sombre occasi
Beautiful Disaster 295|The Folly Of Youth
That night, Austin couldn't bring himself to eat the takeaway Barry had brought him. How could he when his heart was in pieces?A thousand kilometres away, Willem Dejager had no appetite issues. In fact, after Maryke's death and his fallout with The Corporation, his appetite had improved, and the insomnia that had plagued him for years since Iris died had miraculously vanished. If he'd known revenge would cure all his ailments, he would have joined forces with Austin much sooner.He was still furious with him for going back on his word on Maryke. But seeing Lukas so broken, now that he didn't have an heir, more than made up for Austin's betrayal.Yes, things had gotten messy over the past few weeks, but they would only get even more chaotic once he sent the ledger to the cops. He just hadn't found someone he could trust yet. His old contact at the station—the man who'd finally given him the unredacted file on his daughter—had been recently placed on administrative leave, and Willem was
Beautiful Disaster 294|Special Kind Of A Hate
Swarms of reporters were waiting outside Sea Point's police station when Austin was dragged out of Gordon and Peterson's car. They mobbed him as soon as they saw him, pushing their cameras and microphones in his face, screaming for answers. The whole thing reeked of a badly organised PR stunt, and when Gordon and Peterson made no attempt to protect Austin from the crowd, even though it was their job, he began to think one or both of them had tipped the media off. Why wouldn't they, when they had finally taken down a member of the Hawthorne crime family? Never mind that Austin didn't belong to said crime family anymore. Never mind that they didn't have evidence to back up their charges. But who needed evidence? As far as they were concerned, this was huge, and if they miraculously managed to get the charges to stick, sending him away for twenty-five to life would be a huge career move for both of them. So parading him in front of the vultures was totally in their best interest, walking
Beautiful Disaster 293|Long Arm Of The Law
"I'm fine. Vivienne was just leaving," Marybeth nodded, grateful for the interruption; she couldn't handle any more threats from her mom."Yep, I'm on my way out," Vivienne affirmed, spinning around and making her grand exit. She turned back, calling over her shoulder, "Beautiful service, by the way. But I'm not sure if Lionel was worthy of it!""You!" Marybeth shook her fist at her, ready to go after her, but Austin pulled her back by her waist, reminding her people were watching."She's not worth your energy," he said, rubbing her back to soothe her. "What did she want anyway?""To see if there's anything she could do for me," Marybeth replied, shooting daggers at Vivienne's back as she vanished into the crowd of mourners. "And to warn you.""Warn me?" Austin asked, massaging her nape. "What for?""She said to tell you to 'wake the fuck up and fix things with your father'; her words, not mine. Apparently, there's chatter.""What kind of chatter?""I don't know," Marybeth admitted. "B
Beautiful Disaster 292|A Rare Gift
Nothing good ever happens after 1:00 AM.And no one ever calls with good news after 1:00 AM.But it was her father. Marybeth couldn't ignore him. So she hit answer and braced herself for the worst."Sweet Pea," he said, sounding awfully cheerful, considering how late it was."Daddy, what's going on?""I know it's late," he said, pausing briefly before he got to the heart of his call. "And I know we planned a road trip to Still Bay in a few weeks. But is there a way we can move it forward?""Forward?" Marybeth asked, confused by the proposal."Yeah, can we go today? I suddenly have this urge to see the sunrise. And you know how beautiful Still Bay's sunrises are."Understanding what her heart refused to accept, Marybeth's mind made all the decisions for her from that moment onward."Of course, Daddy. Let me grab a few things, and I'll be there in an hour," she told him before hanging up.She shot out of bed like a lightning bolt, threw on a lightweight tracksuit and sneakers, grabbed a
