"Son!" Lukas bellowed from his den in Clarence Estate. "What is the meaning of this? Who is this?""Oh, him?" Austin replied with a sardonic smile. "I don't know who he is. But as you can see, he played a stupid game and won a stupid prize.""What the hell does that mean?" asked Willem, his thick Afrikaans accent making it hard for anyone to understand what he was saying. "Wat bedoel jy daarmee? What do you mean by that?""I mean, he's dead," Austin announced. "I killed him."Shocked silence followed his confession, and Austin gave them a few seconds to allow his words to sink in while they commiserated among themselves. Before long, the cacophony of voices in the various rooms and in different languages became too much for him. He took the reins again, clapping his hands once to get everyone's attention."Now," he said, staring straight into the camera. "Which one of you cheap-ass motherfuckers paid this dipstick twenty grand to take me out?""Hey, dial down the disrespect!" Navya sna
With his world spinning out of control, Austin let out a feral growl as he furiously swiped everything off his desk in one swoop and watched the papers, some confidential and others long-forgotten, flutter in the air before they joined the rest of the stuff on the floor."Son of a bitch!" he cussed, ready to smash his hand on the bookcase. But he stopped when the door swung open, and Marybeth timidly poked her head inside."I won't ask if you're okay," she said, hovering on the threshold, her gaze shifting between the result of his rage splashed on the floor and his face. "But do you want to talk about it?"Austin shook his head, and she nodded, calling over her shoulder as she spun on her heel and left the room, "Clean this mess up and pull yourself together. I don't want Orlando and Anna to see you this way."With that, Marybeth shut the door, leaving Austin staring after her, wondering when she'd become so bold. She was really taking her role as his кума seriously, whipping him into
The housekeeping staff was surprised to see Austin. After his last skirmish with his father, everyone had figured he'd never set foot there again. He never would have if it weren't for his sheer curiosity about Blake.He found his brother and fiancée in their wing, relaxing in front of the TV in their living room. Hadley looked awfully cosy as she rested her head on Blake's lap."What are you doing here?" Blake asked, sounding unbothered for someone who'd ordered a hit on him."Benji and Arno told me Hadley's not feeling well, and that's why you couldn't make it to the meeting," Austin replied, sitting opposite the lovey-dovey couple. "So I thought I should pop in, make sure it's nothing serious. We don't want anything to happen to the Hawthorne heir, do we?"Hadley sat up and blushed like crazy as she lapped up all the attention."Oh, you flatter me, Austin," she murmured, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "We all know Orlando is the heir. After all, she is Papa Lukas' favourite.""As you
Austin wasn't exactly surprised to see the detectives on his doorstep. Hell, when the cops found Owen Bester's phone at Boshoff's crime scene, he knew he was royally fucked, and it was only a matter of time before law enforcement came knocking on his door—"Mr Hawthorne?" The stocky officer with a ruddy complexion and a bushy moustache broke through Austin's thoughts, forcing his attention back to pressing matters."Yes?" he said, grimacing at the officer. It was way too early to bring out his genuine smile."I'm Detective Adam Peterson from Sea Point's Violent Crimes Unit. This is my partner, Les Gordon. Can we come in?" The officer quickly introduced himself and his partner.When Austin still showed no signs of inviting them in, Les Gordon took the reins, stepping closer to the ajar door as he craned his spindly neck and peeked inside."We really need to chat with you, sir," he said, returning his gaze to Austin's face. "So, can we come in?""Do I have a fucking choice?" Austin retor
Austin watched Gordon consult his notes, struck by how different he was from his partner. He was, in many ways, Peterson's total opposite.He was a thin, fast talker with a shaved head and an almost fixed sardonic smile. His clothes and shoes weren't the most expensive or flattering, but they suited him somehow, giving him a far more professional look.Austin knew they had one thing in common despite their physical differences: to make his life hell. And if he wasn't careful, if he so much as let his guard down, today wouldn't be the last of such visits—Gordon cleared his throat and tapped his pen on the notebook, snapping Austin out of his thoughts."So," he said, handing the notebook to his partner."Detective," said Austin, crossing his legs as he drank his coffee. "I barely remember what I ate three days ago. How do you expect me to remember something that happened last month?"The detectives shared another look, their silence loud and clear. They knew he was bullshitting them, an
"Informant for what? Informant for who?" Austin shrieked in a voice he couldn't accept was his because it was unusually sharp."For Violent Crimes," replied Gordon. "I'm sorry, didn't Iris ever mention this to you?""Would I be this fucking surprised if she had?" Austin snapped as he began pacing."I'm sorry," said Peterson. "We thought you knew. She told the Unit her family was on board. And by 'family', we assumed you, Mr Hawthorne. It's clear now that there were things she didn't want you to know. Maybe you were part of the problem—""Watch your mouth!" Austin snarled as he yanked Peterson by the collar and slammed him into the wall. Gordon quickly intervened, separating them."You don't want to add assault of an officer to your long list of crimes," said Gordon as he pushed Austin back onto his armchair."Alleged crimes," Austin corrected him.Before Gordon or Peterson could give their comeback, Anna reminded everyone she was still in the room when she cleared her throat and asked
When Lukas called shortly after their shower, summoning them to a family supper that evening at Clarence Estate, all hope Marybeth had of an uneventful Sunday quickly vanished.She listened to Austin's side of the intense phone conversation for some time while she got dressed. Eventually, the heated argument between father and son lost its steam, and a fuming Austin threw his phone on the bed, cussing out his old man for his stubbornness."Can you believe him?" he seethed as he stormed to the walk-in closet to throw on some clothes. "I don't have anything to say to Blake! I'm not going to sit at that dinner table and sing fucking kumbaya—""Austin!""What, Beth?""Well, you did attack Blake last night," Marybeth pointed out as she quickly ran a brush through her hair, noticing how long it had grown over the past few weeks. It looked thicker and glossier, too. Maybe being pregnant wasn't terrible, after all—"Because he sent a bloody hitman to take me out, Beth!" Austin said, breaking t
They spent a blissful few hours at the beach, soaking up the sun while Orlando collected sea shells and built sandcastles.For Marybeth, those few hours were as perfect as life would ever get, and everything was as it should be.She didn't have to think about her father's illness, her ex fighting for his life in some undisclosed hospital somewhere in the Bay, or Iris being an informant and very likely getting killed for it.She didn't have to worry about the upcoming ball and possibly having an unwanted family reunion with a mother she hadn't seen in twenty years.With the sun rays dancing on her skin, the gleeful sounds of children splashing in the water, and the smell of hotdogs wafting in the air, it was so easy for Marybeth to fall under the idyllic spell of the breathtaking sea and forget the dark, ugly world of the Hawthornes.But, like all good things, their time at the beach had to come to an end, and they soon found themselves heading back home, where she and Austin spent the