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65|Desperate Times
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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
Beautiful Disaster 73|You Don't Know The First Thing About Marriage
Despite taking an over-the-counter sleep aid, which knocked her out soon after she sent Liliana home and checked on Orlando, Marybeth jerked awake sometime before 3:00 AM and couldn't go back to sleep.A pang of loneliness hit her with the force of an avalanche when she turned onto her side, and her eyes fell on the empty space where Austin should have been.The bed was too huge without him, the room too quiet.Yawning, she wondered whether he came home last night and decided to sleep in one of the guest rooms."Why do you care? You're over, remember?" she reminded herself as she pushed the covers aside and padded to the kitchen to warm herself some milk."Well, that answers your question," she mumbled when she strolled past the living room and saw Austin's strapping frame sprawled out on the couch, with his shoes still on, his head at an unnatural angle on the armrest, and a Hawthorne Foundation binder resting on his chest.Marybeth wanted to keep moving and pretend she never saw him
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