Mia was the first to spot Orla approaching them. She called the attention of her other sisters and they rushed to the middle of the lobby, stylishly crossing her before she joined them.
The other three sisters smiled at the guests, gesturing to them to drink up and eat to avoid getting involved in their drama with Orla.
Mia's grip was hard on Orla, bruising her skin as she hauled her out of the lobby down to the garden. The rage that surged through her smite Orla, she almost regretted why she had to do that now.
Callan wasn't near, no one was near to save her.
"How dare you?" Mia yanked her arm off her, flinging her away. "How dare you ruin the party?" Her palm flew up and swiftly, it collided with Orla's face before she could swerve.
"She sure has some nerves. Who the hell do you think you are?" Camilla whisked towards them, tugging at Orla's hair. She pulled it so hard that her scalp began to hurt.
She was striving to get her hair off her sister's hand when Emma showed up, slapping and deterring Orla from fighting back.
"You ugly wench!" Emma squeaked.
"Please let me go, please." Orla cried out.
Her face, her head and her body ached all over. She tripped and fell flat. Looking up at her angry sisters, tears blurred her vision.
"Do you think you can do whatever you want because you are married to Callan? Huh, do you?" Mia barked. She nurtured a special beef for Orla because she took Callan from her. "You dare show up here and even have the nerves to step forward to do what? Huh, what the heck did you think you were trying to do by coming towards us?"
"Do you think you are one of us because you are dressed up in this filthy dress? Have they seen the face behind the ugly shitty face that you carry around?" Emma kicked her hard in the tummy. "You are so dumb, I hate you so much."
Orla managed to hop on her feet, she looked at her body and tears flowed down her cheeks. Hot, heavy and painful tears.
"I saw her husband, he was right there sitting. I guess he doesn't want to be seen with her." Camila laughed loudly.
"It's just a matter of time, he will kick you out of the house and you will be left on the streets. Until that time comes, you should stay out of our business. You do not by any chance belong to the Sullivan family, we do not recognise you as one of us." Mia swished her fingers at Orla.
Callan had been searching for Orla. The last he saw of her before going out to pick up a call was when she was heading forward to take pictures with her family.
He got back inside and didn't see her. Three of her sisters were missing too and she wasn't back at their table. He got the cue, Orla was outside crying or getting bullied by her sisters.
He slid out of the event room, heading towards nowhere in mind. He felt the need to look for her and there, he finally found her in the garden, amidst her sisters. Her head was down, her hands on her back, he heard her small sniffles and it sliced his heart.
He walked closer. "I have been looking for you, Orla." He reached for her hand, ignoring her sisters. "Are you alright?" He hugged her briefly and then planted a soft kiss on her forehead to soothe her. She had been crying so much.
"I am fine.” Orla said in a low voice, glad Callan was with her now.
"What did they do to you?" He tried to conceal the vicious side of him, but these ladies just summoned the devil in him. He cast them a glare, his teeth gnashing. "What the fuck did you do to my wife?" He slowed down after realizing they were women and he couldn't hurt them.
If they were men, he would have proven to them that his karate lessons were not a waste.
Fear was evident in the ladies' countenance as they all stared at Callan, but then he smiled.
His face softened very quickly. They exchanged glances among one another, a sigh of relief washing through them.
"You ladies are beautiful, very pretty." He commended, his eyes ogling them. Softly, the words left his mouth, "I guess that's why you all are so stupid. You traded your brains with beauty."
The words struck the three sisters hard. They stared at Callan, short of words.
"And that's why you all are still here, bullying an innocent woman." He gripped Orla's hand and pulled her closer. "If you were married, better still, if you had a brain, you wouldn't bully my wife."
"How dare you insult us because of this wench?" Mia shot at him. Her eyes killed Orla, she could have been below the ground now if looks could slay.
"Watch your words, Mia. I am only going easy with you because you are ladies." He inched closer to her, his face and hers on the same level. "You are the eldest here and I expect that you have some decency."
"I beg your pardon." Mia countered, her breaths falling and rising.
"You shouldn't lead your sisters to bully people," Callan said.
Orla was just there, looking at them all. Everything was happening too fast, it seemed like a dream to her. Never in her life did she ever think that Callan would stand for her. She never knew he would, he was supposed to be an asshole.
"Orla is mine, and I destroy people who lay their hands on what's mine. I am warning you all to back off, stay away from my wife if you don't want me to destroy you."
Orla smiled, and pride crammed her. She loved those words and wanted him to repeat them. She loved it whenever he called her his own.
"If you dare lay your hands on her again, I swear that I will crush you into unfixable pieces. You can try me though." He looked down at Orla and said. "We are done here, let's go home."
She nodded without hesitation, walking slowly beside him as he led the way to the garage. Her eyes were on him, she wanted to talk but didn't know where to start.
She took a glance at her sister and she glimpsed the defeated look on their pretty faces as they glared at her and Callan.
She smiled, she was satisfied with the angry faces and it was all because of Callan, she wouldn't have done that If he didn't show up to her rescue.
As they sat in the car, different questions ran through her mind. The hug, the kisses, the defending part, everything.
Were they real?
David kicked the car, driving out of the mansion. She cleared her throat and looked at him from the corner of her eyes
"Thank you," Orla muttered When Callan didn't say anything to her.
He inclined his eyes towards her, "There are no strings attached, Slow girl."
Slow girl? She locked eyes with him.
"What were you expecting?" He scoffed. "I did that because I owed you."
"Owe me?" She was confused.
"The lullabies you sing every night to get me to sleep." He cleared the confusion. I guess we are even now."
"I never asked for you to pay back." She was disappointed.
For a brief moment that evening, she had thought Callan showed up for her because he cared about her, but was it because of this?
"I have paid back. You shouldn't get your hopes high, Slow girl."
"I didn't…" She lied.
High was an understatement, she had gotten her hopes to the apogee.
"Good for you. I got my pills, you don't have to sing for me anymore. I can make do with my pills. And…" He stared at her long, longer than he should. He noticed the bruise on her skin and he so badly wanted to rip Mia and her sisters' hair off their heads. "I won't always be there to stand in for you. You should learn to fight for yourself and don't let them get the best of you. I don't know whatever happened that made your family hate you so much, but I hope you learn to speak and stand up for yourself too."
Tears dripped down her cheeks. What happened… she was so young and didn't…
"Crying won't solve a thing." He interrupted her thoughts.
She quickly wiped her tears, "Thanks for everything, Callan." She said again.
It didn't matter if he hated her. It didn't matter if he called her slow girl. It didn't matter if he came to the rescue to pay her back what he owed her.
All that mattered was that he showed up for her. He took her hands when her father berated her. He kissed her when her sister bullied her. He was there, always there whenever she needed someone. He was her knight in shining armor.
No one ever came through for her before she met Callan. He had always been the one, the only one she felt safe with.
"Liam is coming over for the dress fitting, we have another party to attend." And those words ended their conversation in the car that evening.