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233|Not Even Once
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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
Beautiful Disaster 235|The Client List
Elizabeth retired to her room as soon as they reached the hotel, assuring Austin she'd order room service and he didn't have to worry about her eating alone.Glad his PA didn't need his company for the night, Austin headed to his suite, took a quick shower, and changed into chinos and a lightweight sweater before heading to Skyline, the rooftop restaurant where he met Seth and Kieran the last time he was in Rock Castle.Levi was running fifteen minutes late, giving Austin time to catch up on work with his capos."How far are you with the journo?" asked Tim. "Did you have a chance to meet with her?""When? You know damn well I've been holed up in negotiations for the last three days!""I take it your guys and gals are playing hardball?" said Angelo."To their own detriment," Austin replied. "I'm prepared to take this to CCMA. Anyway, is Nadia fitting well with the team?""As well as can be expected," replied Angelo. "But I reckon it's strange for all of us. I mean, we've never had a fem
Beautiful Disaster 236|Hoes Over Bros
Over a thousand kilometres away, Marybeth, like her husband, wasn't having the time of her life; their separation had taken its toll on her.Between her morning sickness, worrying about her father's health, and finalising report cards before the end of the third term on Friday, she was a hot mess of note. Thank heavens she had Anna to help her with Orlando.Monday, the day Austin flew out to Rock Castle, began like any other. But, when half of Marybeth's class still hadn't shown up for their first lesson, she resigned herself to the fact that they weren't coming. Now that they were approaching the end of the school term, it wasn't unusual for her pupils to start their break a week earlier. What she didn't know, though, was if Adeline had joined the rebellious gang willingly or if Carol had kept her home.Just the thought of Carol Scheepers made Marybeth's blood boil. Other than Austin, she hadn't told anyone about the wretched woman's crude attempt at extortion. Thank heavens she'd sto
Beautiful Disaster 237|Itchy Hands
The rest of Marybeth's Monday plodded on, and by the time the final bell rang, she couldn't wait to get out of there.Scarlett was already waiting for her in the parking lot, and Marybeth ran to Mirko and Henry's car and told them to follow them."кума," Mirko said sternly, his thick eyebrows furrowed in a concerned frown. "кум gave us strict instructions to not let you out of our sight.""You are not letting me out of your sight, Mirko," Marybeth maintained. "You'll be following behind us. What can possibly go wrong?""A lot," replied Henry, surprising Marybeth because he was a man of few words, leaving almost all communication between them to Mirko."Your friend can ride with you and Mirko, and I'll drive her car to your place," Henry suggested.Ever so precious about her car, Scarlett loathed the suggestion. But she quickly agreed when Marybeth's handlers made it clear that their offer was the only one on the table."Fine," she said, begrudgingly handing over her car keys.Exactly f
Beautiful Disaster 238|Baby Soprano
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Scarlet scooted out of her chair and ran to Marybeth's side. Taking her hands, she asked, "Do you mind running that past me again? What new baby? Do you mean?"Before Marybeth could confirm or deny her suspicions, Scarlett was already losing her mind with joy, drawing Marybeth into a happy dance as she twirled her around the room."Are you for real?" she asked, pausing mid-step. "I'm going to be an aunt? For real? For real?""I wasn't supposed to say anything," Marybeth said. "Austin's worried about too many people knowing. So Scar, please, keep this yourself.""I'm not 'too many people', you know!" Scarlett huffed, her hurt seeping through her words."Scar, you know what I mean.""Marybeth, I'm your best friend. You would have been the first to know if I was pregnant.""Do you think I wanted to keep this from you? Scar, look around you. Look at my life. I have bodyguards and have to be ferried everywhere. I didn't understand any of it at first. But having been thro
Beautiful Disaster 239|Break Or Heal His Heart
Marybeth's euphoric wave followed them to Neli's place, where they picked Orlando up, and all the way home, but vanished almost as soon as she saw her father waiting at the entrance of her apartment building.She jumped out of the car before her handlers could drive into the basement parking, informing them she'd shortly come up to the penthouse with her father."Daddy, what are you doing here?" she asked as she approached her father, horrified at how much older he looked. He was also frailer, like he'd lost a shit ton of weight in the past few days alone."Hey, Sweet Pea." Lionel's gaunt face split into a slow smile when he saw her. Marybeth opened her arms and hugged him, her heart aching when she felt his bony frame. She didn't have to be a doctor to know he wasn't getting better. He'd never get better."Is everything okay?" she asked, searching his face. "Is it Danica?""No, no, no! Dani's fine. She's at work. And I'm okay, too," he assured her.Marybeth begged to differ, but she d
Beautiful Disaster 240|Of Villains And Heroes
It began to rain soon after Austin's chat with Marybeth, and the gentle showers held steady for some time.Ordinarily, the soft pattering sounds of raindrops sliding down the windows would have sent Austin straight to dreamland. But not tonight. His much-needed shuteye remained elusive. It wasn't totally unexpected, though. After all, he had too much on his plate. Too many plans to execute. And too many thoughts churning in his head, so much so that not even a hit of nicotine could fix a fraction of his problems like it usually did. Exhausted at last from staring at the vaulted ceiling for the better part of the hour, Austin kicked off the bedsheets and dragged himself out of bed, resigning himself to working through the night.He padded to the living area and dumped his laptop and a handful of files on the large office desk in the living area. Running his fingers on the smooth Acacia wood, he stood there awhile, contemplating the untouched complimentary bottle of champagne. He could
Beautiful Disaster 241|Two Truths And A Lie
For the longest minute, Austin simply stood there, staring at the Russian, trying to compartmentalise his feelings and rein in his fury. When he landed in Rock Castle, he'd decided not to call Andrei because he wasn't ready to deal with his disloyal ass. But now…here he was, the devil himself in the flesh, smiling at him like they were still two idiot kids bound together not only by their shared destiny but also by a bond stronger than any brotherhood forged through blood ties—"Hawthorne!" Andrei snapped his fingers in front of Austin's face, drawing him out of his reverie."Did you hear what I said?" Andrei continued, one blonde eyebrow shooting up as amusement flashed in his eyes. Austin had heard him alright, and inviting him in wasn't a good idea, given the circumstances. But if he was going to shoot the Russian dead, he couldn't exactly do it in the middle of the hallway. So despite his gut screaming at him not to do it, to find some stupid excuse not to be alone with Andrei be
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