Of course, the article wasn't much nicer to the rest of them. It recounted the trouble from Oliver's first marriage and hinted that he was after the al Mussad fortune for revenge. Callum wasn't sure why anyone thought Oliver needed the money or how both Ollie and Tori could both be perceived as greedy. Naturally, the tabloid also accused Callum of heartlessly choosing Tori over the mother of his unborn child. Despite Talib's best intentions, the Thea story was still causing damage and likely would for many months to come. If she was pregnant-and he didn't believe she was-Thea would play the role of jilted lover up to the birth. If not, he could bet she would claim a miscarriage brought on by all the stress.
The time had come to deal with her head-on. He hadn't given a damn before, but now he had to think about Tori.
Rory leaned over, keeping his voice as low as possible. "I'm hoping Tori doesn't see that. Once we get to the country house, we can turn off the Internet and tell the staff to keep the papers away."
He looked across the car to where Tori was asleep, her head on Oliver's shoulder. From the moment she'd dropped to her knees and asked them to take her away, one of them kept a hand on her at all times. They'd decided to put off her punishment and any play until they arrived safely in the country, but they weren't foolish enough to give Tori a moment alone.
"You're the only one who comes out of it all right," Callum murmured.
Rory's eyes rolled. "You're joking, right? They imply I'm the idiot who's giving into your lust and Oliver's greed because I'm too stupid to think for myself. Ridiculous. The more pressing concern is Thea."
Callum sighed and pushed the tablet away. "As much as I hate it, it's time to pay her off."
"We tried it before," Rory warned. "Perhaps if we raise the payment, she'll bite. She must know that we won't be throwing Tori over for her, especially after we've just traveled to Bezakistan to bring our girl home. Maybe that's the shot of reality Thea needs. I know you hate paying her for something like this, but it's the quickest way. She signs a nondisclosure, and we still get our paternity test. If the child is yours, we agree to pay child support, but she can't ever talk to the press about you or your family again."
"We won't owe child support." God, Callum hoped they at least believed him about that.
"I know, but we'll have to put some language like that in the contract. I'll be honest, I think she's a bit unstable. We need to treat her as if her story could be true. Once she signs that document, she won't be able to discuss the incident and it will be over."
Callum nodded. They had more important things to talk about.
"What do you think happened to him?" He gestured Oliver's way.
Their older brother seemed like a different person. Not the Oliver before Yasmin, but not the shell he'd been after, either. This man had walked through the fire and forged a new strength. He'd certainly taken charge of Tori. He hadn't backed down or blended into the background.
A ghost of a smile crossed Rory's lips. "Alea happened. I talked to her before we left. Apparently Ollie didn't remember the night as well as he believed. He thought he'd given up."
"I can't imagine that," Callum muttered.
He'd never read the reports. They were too bloody, too real. He hated thinking about that day. He'd gotten the call in the locker room and walked out on a match. It had been the only time he'd missed one for anything other than injury. But he'd walked away because his brother needed him. That flight had been the longest of his life. He hadn't known if his brother was alive or dead.
"At least it appears that he's stopped believing Tori is anything like Yasmin. Not that the latest news cycle is going to help."
"What are they saying now?" Tori yawned sleepily. "You two aren't as quiet as you think you are."
Oliver stretched as she sat up. "They never have been. Cal's indoor voice resembles most people shouting."
Callum winced. Maybe that was something he should work on.
"Come here, love." He patted his thigh and found his lap full of soft, sweet woman in no time at all. Tori wrapped her arms around his neck and cuddled against him. He had to ask the one question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to. "Are you going to use these thirty days to fuck us out of your system?"
She stiffened but didn't move off his lap. "Not intentionally."
Rory huffed. "I thought this was over."
The little minx actually cuddled closer to him. "I need time to figure a few things out."