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226|Only A Warning
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Beautiful Disaster 227|Routine Visit
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
Beautiful Disaster 228|Informant—Part 1
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
Beautiful Disaster 229|Informant–Part 2
"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
Beautiful Disaster 230|Blood Means Nothing
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
Beautiful Disaster 231|Meal Ticket
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
Beautiful Disaster 232|Blue Star
Marybeth looked up from her plate, surprised she'd spoken her thoughts out loud when she found four pairs of eyes staring at her."What did you say?" Blake pressed, leaning forward in his seat as he glared at her."Back the hell up," Austin snarled, squaring off with him.Marybeth had taken just about all she could of the madness. She pushed her plate away and dumped the napkin on the table before jumping to her feet, preparing to leave.Looking Blake dead in the eye, she murmured, "You are a disgusting human being, and you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to profit off of a little girl.""Wait a minute!" Blake yelled as he pushed out of his chair. "Listen here—""No. I've listened to your shit long enough. Now it's your turn to listen to me," Marybeth said firmly. "After everything Austin has done for you…after going through all the trouble of keeping the shit about your sex tape quiet, this is how you repay his kindness? What is wrong with you?""She knows about the sex tape?
Beautiful Disaster 233|Not Even Once
"I can pack my own bags, you know, žena," he said, watching her pull some underwear and socks from the drawers."I'm aware of that, but you've had a long day," Marybeth smiled warmly at him. "Anyway, things are so much clearer now.""With?""Iris and Aero," she replied. "Anna told me the Ivanovs were planning to buy Blue Core.""Blue Star," Austin corrected her with a hint of a smile."You knew about that?"Austin nodded. "It was an open secret.""So maybe that's why she became an informant? Maybe Blue Star was into some shady shit—""Beth," Austin said softly as he stood up and crossed the room. He took her hands in his and continued, "We've talked about this. You are off the case.""No, Austin, you talked and didn't give me a chance to decide if I want to be off the case.""I'm sorry, I didn't realise this was up for discussion!""A lot of things in a marriage are usually up for discussion!" Marybeth countered, holding his gaze."What do you want from me, Beth?" he asked, blowing out
Beautiful Disaster 234|Deadlock
Despite promising Marybeth to shut down the nonsense at Crush real quick and be back in the Bay in no time, three days in, Austin was still in Rock Castle.The negotiations with his staff had reached a deadlock, and the mood in the corner boardroom on the top floor of Blaine Inc, the law firm catering to the country's top one percent, was slowly deteriorating.Austin had spent his entire Monday at Crush, listening to everyone gripe about promises of a salary increase made by Gabe, the previous owner. Austin knew they'd been duped, but out of the goodness of his heart, he'd made them an offer. Six per cent. Nothing more, nothing less. But the greedy bastards had pushed back, insisting his offer wasn't worth the paper it was typed on; Gabe had promised them more.On Tuesday, Austin contacted his legal team and instructed them to make the entire mess go away.But by Wednesday evening, they were still nowhere close to a resolution.Austin was tired of sounding like a broken record, and his
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