Maybe Oliver would read the words and think she was just as bad as his ex-wife.
Tori feared she would spend the rest of her life defending herself from rumors and allegations. She loved the people in her life-especially the three Brits who had captured her heart-but she couldn't handle this.
Her heart was pounding as if it was going to come right out of her chest. Her feet went numb. Everything else tingled as if she'd swallowed a jar of bees.
"I think she's having an anxiety attack." Someone was speaking. She thought it was her brother-in-law.
"Mindy, calm down. Take deep breaths. Rafe, I think we need a doctor."
Why did her sister sound so far away?
It didn't matter. Her brain was whirling. As she stared at the newspaper, the pictures and words seemed to swirl together.
She heard someone shout as the world became a blissful black.
* * * *
Rory stared at the paper. He'd read it twice and the words still didn't make sense.
The pictures of his lovely Tori could only be described as humiliating. At least he was sure she would see them that way. He thought she was cute, and damn he loved that breast. He just wished the rest of the world wasn't seeing it.
However, the piece written by one particularly vicious bitch had been picked up by more than one British paper. That article made him want to gut someone.
The "journalist" had described Tori as a gold-digging whore out for a perverted version of the love her sister had found. They'd even talked to Callum's ex, who implied that the former footballer had left her for Tori in order to please his brothers, who were under her spell. Thea had lied to the reporter, saying that Callum had asked her to marry him, and as a result, Rory and Oliver then threatened to cut him off from the family wealth. She claimed Tori had been behind the recent stories that her pregnancy was false and she was out to bilk her baby's father.
"We have to be certain Tori never sees this," Callum said, his face ferocious.
Oliver shook his head. "I'm sure she's already seen it. The press office of the palace receives newspapers from across the globe and they'll definitely inform the sheikh. He won't allow her to walk around ignorant. He'll sit her down and tell her what's happened."
"Surely he'll tell us first." But Rory suspected he wouldn't. Talib al Mussad would likely keep up his responsibilities to his sister-in-law until the moment they put a ring on her finger.
After a cursory knock, the door to their suite opened, and Piper stepped through followed by Rafiq and Kadir. She was pale and wore what looked like elegant pajamas, which were much more casual than he'd ever seen her.
Her eyes went straight to the papers. "You've seen it, then."
Oliver stepped forward. "Yes. Where's Tori? When we woke, she was gone."
"She told me she was going to the bathroom. She never came back," Rory explained. "It's been over two hours."
Rory feared she'd run away like a scared rabbit. He'd thought they'd settled things last night, but it looked as if they still had issues. Now he had to deal with the tabloids as well.
He swiveled a glance at her sister. If anyone knew how to deal with Tori, it was Piper. "Where is she?"
"In her room resting," Piper explained. "She didn't handle the news story well."
Rory could only imagine. "Why did you show her the article?"
"There was no way she wouldn't learn the truth," Rafe explained. "You don't understand how bad it is. These pictures come from a video."
Rory swore. "Which is all over the Internet by now."
"Yes," Kade affirmed. "Every tabloid has added its commentary. It's even made the news in some of the U.S. rags. She had to be told. We couldn't leave her to discover the news alone."
"Telling Tori should have been our responsibility." Callum stared at the al Mussad brothers. "She's ours."
Rafe launched into some ridiculous story about how they hadn't wanted to disturb the sleeping brothers, but Rory was watching Piper. She'd winced, turned pink. He'd worked in business long enough to know how to read a person. Rafe and Kade would never give anything away, but Piper's reaction told him she had something to hide.
"Your Highness, what do you know that we don't?" Rory would be polite, but he meant to get to the heart of the matter.
Kade stepped in front of his wife as though shielding her. "She didn't make this decision. The sheikh did, and we back him. Tori isn't your wife. Until such time, we assume responsibility for her."
"You'll have to forgive them," Piper said, trying to move around her husband. "They never left the Dark Ages. For them, a woman goes from her father-or in this case, her brothers-to her husbands."