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54|Still Not Enough
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Beautiful Disaster 55|On Her Sleeve
The state of the city address was always held at Clifton Bay's Civic Centre, but ongoing renovations had forced the council to host the event in Parliament.When Austin arrived at the venue, the red carpet was already ablaze with social media influencers who didn't even have a fucking clue when the country's constitution was passed, all dressed up in their Sunday finest and ready to mingle with the bigwigs of politics and business."Look at them," Austin snorted in disgust as he watched a herd of scantily-dressed women pose for the paparazzi. "They do know this is not a social media event, right?"Smiling, Benji gave him a sidelong glance. "I'm pretty sure they don't care, Boss. It's all about the eyeballs.""Huh!" Austin huffed and checked the time, wondering what was taking Marybeth so damn long."She's here," Benji assured him. "Arno's just confirmed they've passed the final security checkpoint."Sure enough, not even a minute later, Arno pulled up on the sidewalk.When Marybeth st
Beautiful Disaster 56|To Catch A Rat
"So, almost a week in. Any regrets yet?" Angelo commented as they strolled to the bar to grab drinks.Austin shrugged and accepted a glass of bourbon. He'd never admit it, but he had plenty of regrets where Marybeth was concerned.He regretted that she had learned the truth about his horrid past from someone else, and now knew stuff about him that clearly made him a monster in others' eyes.He also regretted that he'd rushed their relationship and fucked her the first chance he got when she might not have been ready for such a step. But most of all, he regretted pushing her into a marriage she never wanted.On the other hand, the four days he'd spent with her were some of the best he'd had in a remarkably long time. He could safely say the light Marybeth had brought into his life eclipsed all his regrets."I guess your silence means no regrets then, huh?" said Angelo."Can any man truly have no regrets?" Austin muttered, watching an influx of politicians flood the Assembly Chamber whe
Beautiful Disaster 57|In Pieces
Austin stood rooted to the ground, unable to process what his brain was clearly trying to tell him: to turn the fuck back around and pretend he never saw shit...Pretend he never saw his older brother with his dick in some guy's mouth, an expression of pure rapture on his face, his head thrown slightly back."No!" he whispered, absolutely horrified by the disaster of a train wreck unfolding before his eyes.How?Why?How could he not have known?Why did they not close the blinds?And why here, of all places?"Let's go," Marybeth tugged at his arm, dragging him away from the window. "We shouldn't be here!"Dazedly, Austin followed her down the hallway, his whole being numb, his heart in pieces. Not for himself but for his father. He'd been through too much. Learning the truth about his oldest son would completely destroy him."Not a word to anyone about this! Not a single word!" Austin said to Marybeth when they reached the ground floor, the sound of his papery voice grating on his nerv
Beautiful Disaster 58|Come Clean
There was a marked difference in Austin's mood when they returned to the Committee Room, and Marybeth was damn relieved. For a moment there, after their little mishap with Blake, she'd worried Austin would unravel and descend into madness. She may dislike him sometimes, and their relationship may be confusing, to say the least, but that didn't mean she enjoyed seeing his world turned on its head.But if she thought his obsession with his older brother would stop with their shocking discovery, she couldn't have been more wrong.While Tim and Angelo finished their drinks, Austin focused on Blake and Hadley, following the couple's every little movement as they worked the room.At some point, Marybeth had to step in and steer him away. "Austin, seriously, you need to stop watching them. If it's starting to creep me out, imagine what it's doing to your brother and his fiancée.""I'm just curious, that's all. I mean, how does he do it?" he said as they headed inside the public gallery in th
Beautiful Disaster 59|Balls Of Steel
They didn't say a word to each other on their way to Sea Point.While Austin typed away on his laptop and caught up on work, Marybeth got on the phone with the principal.Smith sounded unimpressed, but she agreed to contact the social worker assigned to Adeline's case."I'll call you back soon with an update," she said and hung up.Marybeth wasn't holding her breath to hear back from her. If the case was reported months ago, and the social worker still hadn't followed up, there was zero chance she'd drive to Sea Point after hours on a rainy Tuesday night.Sighing, Marybeth placed her phone on her lap and watched the sleek sheet of water slide down her window, comforted by the gentle pit-patter of the raindrops falling on the roof of the car.Her mind was a constant war zone, an endless loop of chaotic thoughts bouncing between her worry for Adeline and her anger at Austin.She should have known their truce wouldn't last. But when he confided in her about his brother, the fool she was
Beautiful Disaster 60|I'll Be Good
"I have good and bad news for you," Smith said. "Which one do you want first?""Hit me with the bad first.""Alright, unfortunately, I can't get through to the social worker."Marybeth rolled her eyes. She could have told her that. "What's the good news then?""We've managed to get beds. It's actually two cots at Safe Haven for the little boys—"Marybeth cut in, asking, "what about Adeline? Where does that leave her? You can't separate them. They don't know where their mother is, and Adeline's been looking after them the whole day. They won't handle the separation well—""With all due respect, are you trying to teach me how to do my job?""Of course not! But you're the one who read me the riot act about not following protocol, and I'm pretty sure leaving one of the children by herself is not protocol!""Marybeth!" Smith inhaled hard, clearly outraged by her brazenness. "You understand Safe Haven is doing us a favour here, right? There is no bed for Adeline. They've taken in four of ou
Beautiful Disaster 61|Not A Good Man
On the brink of breaking down, Marybeth absently began to tidy up the place, convinced that if she didn't distract herself, she'd fall apart.Behind her, Scarlett cleared her throat."We'd love to stay and help you clean up," she said, pointing at her watch when Marybeth turned around. "But Lewis has an early meeting tomorrow.""Of course," Marybeth gave her a small smile and placed the ashtray back on the coffee table before walking them out, leaving Austin and his men huddling in the kitchen, speaking in hushed tones.They lingered in the corridor, with Scarlett dying to share her piece as soon as the front door shut behind them. "You didn't tell me how bad things are!""I did," Marybeth insisted. "But you were too concerned with Smith and signing a warning. Do you see now why we have to get Adeline away from here?""It's not just her anymore, you know that, right? When the social worker eventually shows up, those three kids will very likely be placed in foster care."Marybeth was w
Beautiful Disaster 62|A Tale Of Two Brothers
When the office stirred to life sometime after 7:30 AM, Austin had long been hard at work, going over the Groups quarterly reports.He was on his third when Elizabeth knocked on his door and bounded in with a fresh cup of coffee. She placed it on his desk and lingered, clearly waiting for something. Austin had no idea what she wanted, though. After his restless night, he wasn't in the mood to play guessing games with her."Was there anything else you needed, Elizabeth?" he asked, barely glancing at her."The mayor called, sir," she said quickly. "He was so disappointed you didn't show up for the press dinner after his address. He was looking forward to discussing the city's proposal for the entertainment district—"Austin got a headache just listening to her. He didn't know how many times he had to say it for everyone to understand that if the city wanted to play hardball green-lighting his plans for a new casino in the Bay, he didn't give a shit about investing in Mayor Stone's littl
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