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50|Spiralling
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Beautiful Disaster 51|Nadia Van Staden
"How far is Angelo with the financials?" Tim asked, turning on his laptop."He knows a guy," Austin replied and hit play on the security footage he was watching before the unplanned break. "I'm guessing we'll know more about the other accounts in a week or two.""So I heard the girls met up last night. Something about Orlando's ancestry project—"Austin nodded, but he was barely listening. All his attention was on the full HD clip of the VIP room at Gold Rush, more specifically, at the elderly grey-haired woman with a pen and paper in her hand. She looked like a harmless, ordinary punter, but from all the footage Austin had seen of her so far, he'd quickly worked out she was the captain of this ship and ran it with military precision."Interesting," he murmured, rubbing his chin, a thoughtful look in his eye.What would possess an elderly person to even think of running such a scheme was beyond him. But then again, he decided, as he threw off his tie and contemplated the array of bott
Beautiful Disaster 52|Chain Reaction
Tim had just left when Austin's office door burst to life again.He looked up from the Van Staden file just in time to see his assistant run after the man he knew was Detective Elijah Boshoff, thanks to several photos Arno had included in his detailed report on the cop."I'm sorry, Mr Hawthorne, he refused to set up an appointment like everyone else," a flustered Elizabeth explained as she wrung her hands."Well, I'm not everyone else, am I?" Elijah retorted in a flat, toneless voice."It's okay, Elizabeth, we'll forgive him just this once for barging in," Austin said, furrowing his brow as he stared at the cop.To say he was taken aback by the man's audacity was an understatement. Sure, when he reached out to Rawlings last night and demanded the bastard's badge, he'd figured their paths would cross at some point. He just didn't think it would be so soon, nor in such a dramatic fashion."Are you sure, sir? I can call security," Elizabeth said, darting her eyes between him and the dete
Beautiful Disaster 53|All That Remained
The unending silence was one of the reasons Austin hated visiting his childhood home. It hung over the house with a heaviness that almost made it hard to breathe, welcoming him home as soon as he stepped inside. It was so total and complete in its stillness that he was convinced if he had to spend even one night here, he'd go mad.The place never used to be this gloomy, though. In fact, many of his early memories were filled with vibrant splashes of colour and sounds, and of love and happiness. But then his parents began to spend less and less time together. They'd talked even less, too. By the time his mom died five years ago, life and colour had long left the place, and all that remained were his father's regrets, missed moments, and the unceasing silence.As Austin strode down the hallway to his father's den, the thick, plush carpet swallowing the sounds of his brisk footsteps, he couldn't help but think about his own place, if it would also turn into a tomb when Marybeth left. The
Beautiful Disaster 54|Still Not Enough
As soon as the last of Marybeth's pupils dashed out of the classroom a little after 2:00 PM, she grabbed her stuff and headed out.She still had plenty of time to prepare for the dreaded night ahead, but the idea of wearing Liliana's dress seemed less appealing the more she thought about it. Sure, when she tried it on last night, it looked great on her, but she refused to attend another major event in a borrowed outfit."So Sea Point Mall it is," she decided as she snapped on her seat belt.A loud bang on her window as she was about to pull out of the parking lot startled the shit out of her, sending her heart lurching to her throat. She jumped slightly in her seat, frowning when she saw Scarlett waving and smiling at her as if she didn't just almost give her a heart attack."For heaven's sake, Scar!" she yelled at her friend as she rolled down her window. "Can you not do that? I thought…I thought you were…""What?" Scarlett asked when Marybeth's voice trailed off. "You thought what?"
Beautiful Disaster 55|On Her Sleeve
The state of the city address was always held at Clifton Bay's Civic Centre, but ongoing renovations had forced the council to host the event in Parliament.When Austin arrived at the venue, the red carpet was already ablaze with social media influencers who didn't even have a fucking clue when the country's constitution was passed, all dressed up in their Sunday finest and ready to mingle with the bigwigs of politics and business."Look at them," Austin snorted in disgust as he watched a herd of scantily-dressed women pose for the paparazzi. "They do know this is not a social media event, right?"Smiling, Benji gave him a sidelong glance. "I'm pretty sure they don't care, Boss. It's all about the eyeballs.""Huh!" Austin huffed and checked the time, wondering what was taking Marybeth so damn long."She's here," Benji assured him. "Arno's just confirmed they've passed the final security checkpoint."Sure enough, not even a minute later, Arno pulled up on the sidewalk.When Marybeth st
Beautiful Disaster 56|To Catch A Rat
"So, almost a week in. Any regrets yet?" Angelo commented as they strolled to the bar to grab drinks.Austin shrugged and accepted a glass of bourbon. He'd never admit it, but he had plenty of regrets where Marybeth was concerned.He regretted that she had learned the truth about his horrid past from someone else, and now knew stuff about him that clearly made him a monster in others' eyes.He also regretted that he'd rushed their relationship and fucked her the first chance he got when she might not have been ready for such a step. But most of all, he regretted pushing her into a marriage she never wanted.On the other hand, the four days he'd spent with her were some of the best he'd had in a remarkably long time. He could safely say the light Marybeth had brought into his life eclipsed all his regrets."I guess your silence means no regrets then, huh?" said Angelo."Can any man truly have no regrets?" Austin muttered, watching an influx of politicians flood the Assembly Chamber whe
Beautiful Disaster 57|In Pieces
Austin stood rooted to the ground, unable to process what his brain was clearly trying to tell him: to turn the fuck back around and pretend he never saw shit...Pretend he never saw his older brother with his dick in some guy's mouth, an expression of pure rapture on his face, his head thrown slightly back."No!" he whispered, absolutely horrified by the disaster of a train wreck unfolding before his eyes.How?Why?How could he not have known?Why did they not close the blinds?And why here, of all places?"Let's go," Marybeth tugged at his arm, dragging him away from the window. "We shouldn't be here!"Dazedly, Austin followed her down the hallway, his whole being numb, his heart in pieces. Not for himself but for his father. He'd been through too much. Learning the truth about his oldest son would completely destroy him."Not a word to anyone about this! Not a single word!" Austin said to Marybeth when they reached the ground floor, the sound of his papery voice grating on his nerv
Beautiful Disaster 58|Come Clean
There was a marked difference in Austin's mood when they returned to the Committee Room, and Marybeth was damn relieved. For a moment there, after their little mishap with Blake, she'd worried Austin would unravel and descend into madness. She may dislike him sometimes, and their relationship may be confusing, to say the least, but that didn't mean she enjoyed seeing his world turned on its head.But if she thought his obsession with his older brother would stop with their shocking discovery, she couldn't have been more wrong.While Tim and Angelo finished their drinks, Austin focused on Blake and Hadley, following the couple's every little movement as they worked the room.At some point, Marybeth had to step in and steer him away. "Austin, seriously, you need to stop watching them. If it's starting to creep me out, imagine what it's doing to your brother and his fiancée.""I'm just curious, that's all. I mean, how does he do it?" he said as they headed inside the public gallery in th
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