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64|Everything You Touch Eventually Dies
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Beautiful Disaster 65|Desperate Times
As soon as the bell rang, announcing the much-awaited lunch break, Marybeth's kids grabbed their lunchboxes and scrammed out of the classroom.When she looked up from her laptop, she was glad to see Adeline still sitting at her desk. She'd planned to check in with her after school, but there was no better time than the present. So she grabbed her lunch bag and sat at the empty desk next to the little girl's. It was a tight squeeze and uncomfortable as fuck. Not exactly newsflash since she wasn't the target market."Hey, Adeline," she said as she took a piece of cheese and ham sandwich from her lunchbox and passed the other to her pupil. "How's it going?""Okay," Adeline replied, making no attempt to take the bread."Go on, have some," Marybeth coaxed her, but Adeline declined, explaining she had her own lunch."The aunties at Safe Haven made me a peanut butter and jam sammie. They even gave me juice," she said, reaching inside her surprisingly clean backpack for her lunch."Then what's
Beautiful Disaster 66|Relapsed
The question threw Marybeth for a loop.She sat there, her mouth agape and eyes wide, wondering if she'd heard her ex right."You didn't know, did you?" Elijah's brows shot up as genuine surprise flickered in his eyes."Of course I knew," Marybeth lied, picking up a plastic fork from the cutlery holder to distract herself from the sound of her fury rushing in her ears.How many more surprises were in store for her?How many skeletons from Austin's past would keep popping up?And how many lies would she have to tell herself and others just to save face?As much as she wanted to give her husband the benefit of the doubt, everything Elijah had told her so far had turned out to be true.There was also the lipstick stain on Austin's shirt the other night.Was it from the same woman? The same escort he was supposedly renting an apartment for?She snapped the plastic fork in two, surprising herself with how quickly her anger had manifested. She was even more surprised that it wasn't Austin s
Beautiful Disaster 67|Boiling With Anger
Ten minutes later, when Marybeth walked into the community hall where she held her music lessons and saw Austin sitting with his security not too far from a group of parents who'd come to watch their kids' progress, her horrid mood took an even sharper dip.He looked up from his laptop, turning her blood cold with his dazzling smile as he stood up and crossed the room.He almost had her in his arms when she warned him softly, "not here! I'm at work right now.""Sorry," he said, smiling boyishly at her as he took a step back."What are you doing here anyway?" she asked as she cast an anxious look at the other parents watching them with a little more than a healthy dose of curiosity."I promised Orlando I'd stop by for her lesson," Austin replied, searching her face. "What's wrong? You don't look okay. Is it Adeline?""I'm fine," Marybeth brushed him off, wishing he'd given her a heads-up about his visit. "Anyway, I have to start the lesson."She didn't give him a chance to say anything
Beautiful Disaster 68|Surf 'n' Turf
The directions Marybeth had followed led her to a food truck on the boardwalk, and if it wasn't for the big old sign flashing Surf 'n' Turf on the roof in big garish red neon letters, she would have thought she was lost.It really was low-key, and she was curious about how Austin, with all his fine upbringing and wealth, had found this place. There was a story there, and she was dying to hear it.He was already waiting for her at a lone table for two overlooking the sea. He stood up when he saw her and beamed at her as he opened his arms.She reluctantly eased into them, stiffening when he kissed her temple. Her reaction didn't escape his notice. He held her away slightly and scanned her face, asking in a low voice, "is everything okay?""Everything is perfect," she replied, her breath catching in her throat as she gazed back at him, enthralled by the honey flecks in his eyes. He had the most beautiful brown eyes she had ever seen.If only they didn't belong to a cheater…and a killer.
Beautiful Disaster 69|No Holds Barred
Marybeth glanced at the note, smiling sadly because she didn't want to get her hopes up. But she asked anyway, "so from now until midnight, I can ask you anything?"Austin nodded and picked up his fork."Anything, anything?""Yes," he said. "No holds barred. It's your one and only free pass, žena. After tonight, I can't talk about the family, my associates or The Corporation. So whatever questions you may have in the future, you'll have to remember we both took the omerta.""Why? Why are you doing this?""Because I don't want to end up like my father, Beth. I don't want to share my life with mistresses, and it's important to me that you learn to trust me, even if it's just a little bit."He looked so serious, so sad as he spoke, and Marybeth wondered if it was all the stuff with Blake bothering him or something deeper."You do know that trust is earned, right," she said, gulping down her wine."However long it takes me to earn yours, I'll do it," he replied.Now that he'd given her pe
Beautiful Disaster 70|Not Here To Fix You
"It smells divine," Marybeth said as she sniffed her food.When she took her first bite, and all the flavours, textures, and sensations hit her mouth, she couldn't stop herself from moaning loudly.Austin smiled smugly at her, "I told you it's the best mussels you'll ever have."Blushing, she put down her fork and twirled her free pass between her fingers, thinking of her next question."Aren't you eating?""Is that part of your interrogation?" He cocked his brow and laced his hands behind his head."No." She quickly shook her head. "Are you a hitman?"Austin gazed at her for a while, silence engulfing them as soon as she asked her question.Sitting up, he pulled his plate closer and took a small bite of his food. "I told you I don't kill for the fun of it, Beth, and I've never been paid to kill. Now, I have a question for you.""What?""Are you still in love with him?""Don't be absurd!" she reached for the bottle and topped herself up when it became obvious he wasn't going to do it
Beautiful Disaster 71|Make Things Right
Austin followed Marybeth home, trailing a few feet behind her, with Arno and Benji cruising beside them in the car.He didn't go up to the penthouse with her, though. Instead, he stood on the sidewalk and gazed at the top floor, waiting for the master bedroom lights to come on. He only turned to the car when he saw her silhouette on the window as she shut the blinds."Didn't go well, did it?" Benji said when Austin slipped in the back."Not at all," he replied."To the office?" Arno asked."To Boshoff's apartment.""Are you sure that's a good idea?"Glaring out of his window, Austin shook his head. "No, I'm not sure. But I have to fix this."His handlers said nothing to this, and he was glad they didn't try to change his mind. Marybeth was right. It wasn't her place to teach him right from wrong, and as much as his ego screamed at him to stay the fuck away from the cop, he had to fix his mess.""The information you asked for on Sebastian Sloane," Benji said as he handed him an embarra
Beautiful Disaster 72|In Way Over His Head
After his brief stop in Sea Point, Austin headed to Hawthorne Towers and spent the night reviewing the audit report from Angelo's guy.Sometime after 1:00 AM, he called his capos.They were both thoroughly pissed, which was understandable, considering he'd broken their sleep. But their feelings were the least of his concern. They had work to do, and they wouldn't get it done by sleeping."Couldn't this have waited till the morning?" Angelo grumbled as he stifled a yawn."I don't pay you to sleep!" Austin growled. "Now, walk me through the three accounts!""Hold on, let me head to the study. Zuki's sleeping, you know," Angelo mumbled as he placed him on hold, leaving him alone with Tim on the call."So, how did the hot date go?" his cousin asked."It's over," Austin said."Yeah, I figured. It's 1:00 AM, after all.""No. I mean, it's over between Beth and me," Austin said and touched his chest, baffled by the tight, squeezing sensation in his heart. It felt like it was splitting in half
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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
