Chapter 169 At The Heart Of It All

• As soon as Austin saw his capos off, he returned to his study to check his emails, irritated as fuck when he didn't see anything from Laura Stone and Sienna. They'd clearly not taken the bait. Maybe he should have tried harder to sell them the dream. But now wasn't the time for regrets. Lionel would be arriving in exactly half an hour if he was as punctual as his daughter. So Austin got his ass in gear and rounded up his and Orlando's toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and combs. He bagged and sealed each item in its ziplock bag, labelled everything clearly, and shoved them in a black envelope.
• At 11:59 AM, the front doorbell rang, and Austin was damn relieved to find Lionel alone when he went to get the door. He'd worried he'd bring Danica along.
• "Son-in-law," Lionel effused, and Austin ignored his outstretched arms and shook his hand instead.