It was good to know she had backup.
"I'm going to get everything I have coming to me, Claire," Thea taunted. "You poor thing. I feel sorry for you. It must be difficult to be the wren among peacocks. Your brothers are so handsome and you're such a pathetic nothing. Even that fat bitch they're playing around with is prettier than you."
Oh, Tori was so done waiting.
She shoved the door open, slamming it against the wall, and stared at her rival. She'd seen Thea in pictures but had tried to stay away. She could see now that had been a mistake. "Hello, Thea. I'm glad you could make it today. We've needed to talk for a while. I will say that being nasty to my sister-in-law isn't going to help your case."
Claire looked up and smiled. "It's good to see you."
"I'm sorry I'm late. I would have been here much sooner, but sometimes … we all need a swift kick in the pants to get us going. Or three." She cupped Claire's shoulder. "I think you're gorgeous. Plastic Sally over there wouldn't know real beauty if it bit her in the ass."
Thea huffed, then glanced at Oliver and Rory as they entered the room and seated themselves as far away as possible. She stared at the opening, as if longing for Callum to walk through.
The woman's lawyer sat at the end of the table, shuffling through papers. If he was upset by the scene, Tori couldn't tell. He raised grim eyes and sighed as though he'd rather be any place other than here. "Ms. Glen, I don't see what you bring to the proceedings."
"It's Mrs. Thurston-Hughes," Rory corrected. "By the laws of Bezakistan, she's our wife unless she chooses otherwise."
"I'm your wife, babe. I've already made my choice. I don't need two more weeks." She winked his way.
Tori took a moment to enjoy their shock while Thea simply pouted. "Where's Callum? He can't possibly have any interest in this odd marriage. He won't take his brothers' leftovers when he can have me."
"He's not coming." She needed to make that plain.
"What?" Thea's eyes softened, her mouth twisting. Somehow she forced out a pretty tear. She stared at the door as if certain her savior would appear any moment.
Tori rolled her eyes. Claire had been correct. Only another woman could properly deal with her. "He has no interest in seeing you."
Thea bit her bottom lip. "I don't believe you. You're hiding him from me. Do you get more money if you marry all three brothers? Is this some weird foreign deal you've made?"
"No, I'm marrying them because I love them. And before you accuse me of chasing them for their money, my brother is one of the richest men in the world. I'm not hurting." She'd wanted to make it on her own. Now, Tori saw that was still possible. This time, she'd follow her own definition of success. She would follow Piper's lead-be grateful and help the people around her. Tori realized she'd been given an opportunity to make a difference in the world, and she was done shirking her responsibilities.
"He's your brother-in-law," Thea said with venom. "He's trying to pawn you off on someone else so he doesn't have to deal with you."
"I would love to see you make that statement to the sheikh," Oliver said, his eyes narrowing. "You should understand he views Tori as his sister. He takes his family seriously. He's very protective. We had to work hard to get his permission to court her. She's precious to him, and anyone who threatens her should expect to feel the wrath of the al Mussads."
"And the Thurston-Hughes family," Rory added. "We're not without some power ourselves."
Thea dropped the innocent act. "We had a deal. I won't sign anything unless I get to talk to Callum. So if you want your precious deal, you better produce my boyfriend."
Tori dragged the riding crop across the table once or twice. She didn't miss the way Thea's eyes widened. "I found this in the stables. I was looking for something else, but I think the crop will do nicely. Callum will probably be happy I found it later."
Rory winked her way. "Oh, I'm sure he'll deeply enjoy using it on your backside, brat."
"Callum would never. He's a gentleman," Thea said, her face going red.
Tori scoffed. The woman didn't know Callum at all.
"Not if all that screaming at night is any indication," Claire said blandly.
"We'll attempt to keep it quieter, dear." Oliver tipped his head toward his sister.
Thea glared at Oliver, clearly stunned, as if she was just realizing that she'd meant nothing to Callum. She'd been a midnight hookup when he was at loose ends. It was obvious now that Thea had feelings for him. Tori actually felt a little bad for the crazy lady.