Winner Takes All

by Katie Price

  Richard was getting bored with this subject. ‘I’m sure we will sort things out. Anyway, let’s talk about you. Been on any more dates recently?’

  Lila side stepped that question entirely. ‘Really? So, you do want to get back together with her? Richard, that’s ace. Maybe if you begged her to come back she might consider it.’

  ‘Begged her? Darling, remember who you’re talking to.’ Richard was getting agitated. He decided to make another move and stroked Lila’s thigh. ‘Have I told you how gorgeous you look tonight?’

  Lila wriggled so that his hand fell off her thigh. She completely ignored his last comment. ‘Well, you’d probably have to beg a bit, Richard. I know there are two sides to every story but it was you who cheated, wasn’t it? She’d need a whole lot of convincing to call off the divorce now anyway.’

  Richard snatched back his hand and folded his arms crossly. ‘I wouldn’t beg that bitch back if she was the last woman on earth,’ he spat.

  ‘Oi! Jas might not be my favourite person at the moment but please don’t call my sister that. You’re getting really defensive.’

  This was not how Richard had expected the night to go. Clearly slagging off her sister wasn’t getting him into Lila’s good books. How much more did he have to put up with before she finally gave it up? He should’ve taken his chance at Jas’s flat while he had it.

  ‘You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just the booze talking. This divorce is hard on both of us, I guess. It’s not how I expected my life to go. Look, I can barely hear myself talk in here. Do you fancy going back to my place? It’s much more intimate.’ He stroked Lila’s thigh again. ‘We can talk properly.’

  ‘Whoa, Richard, bad idea.’

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘I just … I don’t think this is working any more. Us hanging out like this. It’s been really fun and it’s been nice to catch up with you again, but I’m starting to feel bad about Jas now.’

  ‘But I thought you hated your sister? She treats you like a child, you always tell me that?’

  ‘She’s still my sister.’ Lila was getting defensive again. ‘And I remember how miserable you made her.’

  ‘Miserable?’ He wiped his nose, poured himself a glass of champagne and knocked it back. All this preparatory work and he wasn’t getting anywhere. He was angry. And steaming drunk. ‘You know I’ve had just about enough of you Whiteleys,’ he shouted, his speech lulling a little from the booze. ‘The lot of you, you’re so bloody ignorant. You’ve been taking advantage of everything I’ve given you without giving a shit about your sister until now. That shows your real slutty personality, doesn’t it? And now all of a sudden she’s your best mate again? What the fuck is that about? You’ve just been using me, haven’t you? You’re a little prick-tease. Just like your sister. Your whole family are leeches. Jasmine wouldn’t even be down here in London if it weren’t for me, let alone living in fucking Hoxton. And you’re just a waste of space, too.’

  Lila was not only incredulous, she looked mildly frightened by Richard’s outburst and physically backed away. ‘Richard, calm down, you’re making a scene and being really horrible,’ she protested.

  ‘I didn’t hear you taking her side so much when you got me back to her flat,’ he sneered. ‘Or when I was plying you with coke. That’s hundreds of quid down the drain for nothing. That’s your family all over though, isn’t it? Cheap, money-grabbing whores.’

  People were starting to look now and Lila flushed with embarrassment and unease.

  Richard reached for the bottle of champagne to refill his glass when he brushed past the fourth shot of black-coloured tequila and it spilt all over Lila’s white top. He smirked as she let out a cry.

  ‘You wanker!’ she said, running towards the women’s toilets.

  Fuck this, Richard thought. Beckoning the waitress over for the bill and reaching for his wallet, he paused. Why the hell should he cough up yet again for a prick-tease slut? She’d left her bag on the seat. She could foot the bill for once. Richard smirked again, delighted that he’d ordered the most expensive tequila. Wobbling slightly, he slipped out of the bar. That would serve Lila right. He was done with all the Whiteley women.

  Chapter 32

  ‘So, you know what you need to do, Jasmine?’

  ‘Yes, Ralph. I’ve got all that. But I’m worried this still isn’t enough to convince the judge that Richard should grant me a divorce.’ Jas was talking through the finer details of her hearing, now just a few weeks away. Her solicitor Ralph was explaining that her claim was to be ‘irretrievable breakdown of the marriage due to unreasonable behaviour’, that her evidence against her husband would be cross-examined, and that she could be given a verdict straight away, or anything up to a few weeks later. There was even the possibility of a second hearing, which filled Jas with dread.

  ‘Oh, God. I don’t want it dragged out any longer than it has to be. What about the hearing itself, how long will we be in court for?’

  ‘I expect no more than one day. The courts have better things to do, quite frankly. But Mr Butler certainly isn’t willing to let this go easily.’

  ‘Tell me about it,’ muttered Jas. ‘I want this over with as quickly as possible. Do you think we have enough evidence to win?’

  ‘I wouldn’t like to answer that.’

  This didn’t fill Jas with much hope, but maybe Ralph was just managing her expectations.

  ‘Okay, thanks, Ralph. I better go. It’s the penultimate rose ceremony and someone is about to be sent home.’ Ralph knew all about Jas’s job, though she doubted very much that he was a fan of romantic reality TV.

  She was heading back into the villa when a tearful Nysha ran past her and up to her bedroom.

  ‘What happened?’ asked Jas when she got out to the terrace. ‘Did I miss something? Is Nysha going home?’

  Monica nodded.

  ‘Aw, I liked her. After getting down to the final four it must be painful.’ Jas gazed up at Nysha’s closed door, feeling disappointed on her behalf, as well as gutted to have missed the live action. ‘Is she okay? Should someone go and check on her?’

  Jas lightly knocked on Nysha’s door and opened it to find her flinging her belongings together in preparation for the last flight that night. Charlotte followed her into the room shortly after that and gave Nysha a long hug. After seven weeks of living in the same house, the two of them had grown close.

  ‘I really thought I had a chance,’ said Nysha, her big brown eyes filled with tears.

  ‘I thought you were happy to be going home?’ Charlotte said quietly.

  ‘It’ll be nice to see your family again, won’t it?’ offered Jas.

  ‘That’s true,’ sniffed Nysha. ‘I’m going to miss you, Charlotte, but I’m not sure I could take another week of the bitchiness between Gabby and Alex. Dylan’s a fool if he doesn’t pick you at the end of this.’

  Charlotte silently helped Nysha pack up the rest of her belongings, but Jas noticed her blush at Nysha’s last comment.

  The next morning Dylan dashed to the airport to await the arrival of his mother and Ruby. He hadn’t seen his daughter in almost two months and was at the airport two hours early, he was so excited. Later that day, he’d introduce her to Charlotte, Gabby and Alex before a week of alone-dates with the final three women. The following Saturday, he would decide on who was the perfect match for Mr Right.

  The entire crew fell in love with Ruby straight away. She’d inherited her dad’s brown eyes and sunny demeanour, and laughed and smiled constantly. Dylan spent the morning with her, letting her run around the crew’s villa and be showered with attention by everyone. She was a real sweetie.

  Meanwhile, in Villa Rosa’s office, Jas and Monica broke away from the crew for a quiet cup of coffee together.

  ‘Our final three,’ mused Jas. ‘Who would’ve thought Gabriella Bellamy-Hughes would have made it this far?’

  ‘Great villain for TV, though,’ Monica said, as she always said when Gabby’s
name was brought up. It was true. Nice girls didn’t often come first in the world of showbiz.

  ‘Can you believe we’re going into our final week?’ Jas asked.

  ‘No. It’s flown by. I’m really going to miss this place. Who do you think Dylan will choose? It’s gotta be Alex, right? She’s so stunning even I’ve got a girl-crush on her.’

  ‘Oh, I hope it’s Charlotte, she’s such a babe.’ As one of the youngest in the competition, even younger than Lila, Jas had a fondness for Charlotte. Jas still hadn’t spoken to Lila since their fight and was instead directing her big-sisterly energies towards Charlotte, listening to her gush about how much she was falling for Dylan and how alone she felt since Melody had left. Now, with Nysha gone as well, Charlotte was bound to feel even more insecure, up against Gabby and Alex, who were by far the two strongest and most confident women in the whole series.

  ‘How are you feeling about going home? You still haven’t spoken to Luke, have you?’

  Jas shook her head. By now she’d told Monica all about her two nights with Luke weeks ago. Although she missed him being around, she was so embarrassed about the way it had ended she was almost glad that he was out of sight so she could avoid dealing with the situation for as long as possible. It wasn’t exactly the most mature approach, but her priority had to be finishing the show.

  Thankfully, they were all so busy with the series – filming and finalising dates by day, and either editing footage with Lyndsey or hanging out with Charlotte or Monica at night – she had kept herself suitably distracted.

  ‘I did some digging, you know,’ Monica said. ‘I spoke to the girls in the office back home and apparently Luke’s on holiday now with his family for his dad’s sixtieth birthday.’

  Jas wondered if the pretty brunette had gone with them, or if she was still on the scene at all. Yet another thing Luke and she hadn’t talked about. Jas wondered if she would be his girlfriend now if she had been more upfront with him from the start.

  ‘Why don’t you call him?’ Monica suggested.

  Jas shook her head. ‘If he wanted to speak to me, he would. I’ll be back in just over a week anyway. I think talking to him in person is best.’

  ‘Good plan. And we’ve got our wrap party on the twenty-ninth of September.’ It was the day they were all flying home. ‘He’s bound to come to that and will be desperate to see you by then. I’ll text him to make sure he knows the date. It will all work out, babe.’

  Jas loved Monica’s optimism. ‘Come on then, let’s get back to work.’ They were about to head over to Villa Valencia so that Dylan could introduce Ruby to his finalists. First Jas pulled him aside for an on-camera interview.

  ‘You’re clearly delighted to have Ruby here,’ she began. ‘How important is it that whoever Miss Right is, she really bonds with your daughter?’

  ‘It’s incredibly important,’ Dylan replied. ‘Ruby is everything to me, my entire world, and I want to share that with the woman of my dreams. And I know the woman of my dreams is in that other villa.’

  ‘So you have strong feelings for all of them?’

  ‘I never thought it was possible to be strongly attracted to three women at the same time. They’re all so amazing and my feelings are really developing from like to love.’

  ‘Is there a frontrunner to win at this stage?’

  ‘I think there’s one woman who has stolen my heart, yes. But we’ll have to see how the next week goes.’

  Dylan would be arriving any minute and Charlotte couldn’t wait to meet his daughter and his mother, Diana. She and Alex sat on the terrace filled with anticipation. Charlotte was wearing a cute yellow playsuit and Alex denim shorts and a white t-shirt. Gabriella flounced down to join them, typically overdressed in white trousers and platforms. Had she never run around after a toddler before?

  ‘Going somewhere special?’ teased Alex when she took in Gabriella’s attire. ‘You do know we’re going down to the beach, not to Ascot races?’

  Gabriella simply smiled and sat down on the other side of the terrace. Charlotte didn’t attempt to make conversation with her. She knew by now that being sociable with her rivals was not Gabriella’s strong point.

  ‘Hello, hello?’ Dylan’s booming voice echoed through the villa as he walked in, two cameras following him and the most adorable little girl holding his hand. At the sight of him, Gabby shot to her feet, smiling widely. He kissed all three women on the cheek and then bent down to his daughter’s level.

  ‘And this little princess is Ruby. Want to say hello to Daddy’s friends, sweetie?’

  Charlotte bent down and beamed at the four-year-old. ‘Hi, Ruby! Wow, your daddy didn’t tell me how tall you were!’

  Even frosty Gabriella softened in the presence of Ruby, who was so playful that within minutes she’d insisted on the three women accompanying her while she explored the pool area and gardens of the villa. She held onto Charlotte’s and Alex’s hands as she did so, with Gabriella not leaving Dylan’s side.

  ‘I wanna go swimming!’ Ruby announced, insisting that her new friends join her.

  Diana gently nudged Charlotte. ‘She likes you,’ she said, smiling and nodding towards Ruby.

  ‘Oh, it’s hard not to fall in love with her,’ said Charlotte.

  ‘You seem very comfortable around children.’ Diana was a softly spoken woman in her late fifties who wasn’t anything like as boisterous as her son or granddaughter, but was clearly devoted to both of them and couldn’t stop smiling now that they were all back together.

  ‘I’ve got a Godson in London I’m very close to,’ Charlotte replied.

  ‘And you want kids of your own?’

  Dylan sprang over and kissed his mother on her forehead. ‘Mum, stop giving Charlotte the third degree!’ Diana held her hands up in protest and Charlotte laughed, instantly warming to her. Meeting Dylan’s family had only increased her feelings for him. But, much to her surprise, she wasn’t the only one bonding with Ruby. On the other side of the pool, Gabriella had the little girl on her lap and was plaiting her hair. Dylan went over to join them. Charlotte didn’t have Gabriella down for the sort of woman who enjoyed mucking around with kids. For someone so cold, she certainly knew how to turn on the charm when she needed to.

  Dylan decided to spend the entire next day with his mother and Ruby, the day after that with Charlotte, the next with Alex and the final one with Gabriella, before making his final decision.

  On their date, Dylan and Charlotte took a trip to the north of the island while Diana and Ruby went to explore the old town. They strolled hand in hand through quaint cobbled streets, went snorkelling in the sea and drank white wine while eating fish caught locally. Charlotte was blissfully happy in Dylan’s company. Conversation flowed easily and their mutual love of fitness meant they had a lot in common, though Charlotte realised their connection went deeper than that: they also shared the same values, hopes, dreams and ambitions.

  Charlotte, however, could never set aside the fact that she was competing with two other beautiful women, both just as smitten with Dylan and vying for his attention while equally desperate to win the show so they could have their shot at fame. And there was always a small part of Charlotte that questioned Dylan’s own authenticity. How well did she really know him, after all? Would he become someone else she’d got wrong? She was always so naïve when it came to men.

  During lunch in the town square, they gazed out onto the peaceful sea – a world away from the busy and boisterous party areas of the rest of Ibiza.

  ‘It’s so beautiful here,’ said Charlotte, who by now wasn’t fazed by the cameras circling them. ‘I had no idea that Ibiza was like this. I thought it was all super clubs and boat parties.’

  ‘Me too,’ laughed Dylan. ‘Who knew there was so much more to see? I have to say, I’m going to really miss it.’

  ‘Well, you won’t get any sympathy from me. You’re off to the Maldives in a couple of months.’

  They both smiled but there was an awkw
ard silence then. Of course, Dylan couldn’t reveal yet who he’d be taking with him on the winning trip, even if he did know by now. Charlotte hoped she hadn’t sounded desperate.

  ‘Charlotte, there’s something I need to talk to you about.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘I hope you know how much I care for you.’

  ‘And I care for you too, Dylan.’

  ‘And we’ve talked about this before, but I can’t escape the fact that I feel you’re holding something back from me. Like you’re not giving me your full self. Is there something you’re not telling me?’

  ‘No, of course not. Like I said, I’ve just been hurt so many times before. I suppose I’m still questioning your feelings too …’

  Dylan edged closer to her and held her face in his hands.

  ‘You never need to question my feelings for you,’ he said, before leaning in for a long kiss. Charlotte melted into him. There was no going back now.

  After their romantic day together Dylan walked her up to her room at Villa Valencia and kissed her again at the door, this time with more passion, holding her close.

  ‘Invite me in,’ he said as he softly trailed his lips over her neck. Charlotte was burning with desire for him by this point, and going into her bedroom alone would be torture, but she’d made the mistake before of sleeping with men too soon, let alone the fact that the villa was crawling with cameras. This was sure to be shown on TV and, while there were no cameras in the bedrooms, it wouldn’t take a genius to work out what they’d be doing if she led him in right now. What if he didn’t pick her on Friday night? She’d not only have had her heart broken, she’d be the laughing stock of the nation.

  ‘It’s not a good idea,’ she said. ‘Not tonight.’

  Dylan groaned and kissed her again, this time scooping her up and turning towards her door, but Charlotte wriggled free. She’d love to wake up with Dylan tomorrow, but him leaving her then to spend a romantic day with Alex was too painful to think about.