Winner Takes All

by Katie Price

  ‘Have you spoken to him at all? Heard from him?’

  ‘No. Why?’

  ‘He asked me for your number when we were still in Ibiza, you know. He was gutted when you left, seemed more affected by it than by any other girl leaving. I knew you two had grown very close.’

  Knowing that Dylan actually had her phone number and still hadn’t been in touch only made Charlotte feel worse. ‘Oh, well, I guess he’s happy with Gabby then.’

  ‘Actually, Charlotte, that’s what I came to talk to you about. From the minute you left, Dylan said in his interviews that he felt terrible about the way it had ended. No offence, but I figured he’d kind of just get over it and settle down with Gabby. He had chosen her, after all.’

  Was this Jas’s way of trying to make Charlotte feel better? She was doing a pretty bad job so far.

  ‘But,’ Jas continued, ‘it seems he still hasn’t got over you. In fact, quite the opposite.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘He’s been in touch with Monica frequently over the last couple of weeks. Charlotte, he wants you back.’

  ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘I spoke to him myself, at length. We all have. He says he misses you terribly and that he’s certain he made the wrong decision by picking Gabby. Turns out the doubts he had as soon as you left won’t go away. I think he’s truly in love with you. Aaaaand … he wants another chance with you. If you’ll agree.’

  Charlotte’s heart rate immediately picked up.

  ‘We want to get you and Dylan back to Ibiza and film an alternative ending where he changes his mind in the final rose ceremony and picks you. And it would be great if you could act surprised and wear the same clothes so it looks seamless on film, et cetera. But first I had to come and talk to you, to see if you’d even consider being with him now.’

  Charlotte’s hands flew up to cover her mouth. She couldn’t believe it! But she had a track record of making bad decisions. Wouldn’t this just be another one? Was this all just a play to garner more ratings?

  ‘Wait a minute, Jas. He was shagging half the villa.’

  Jas shook her head. ‘Nope. He swears not. I already told you, kissing the contestants was a prerequisite. I had said to him he must flirt with everyone.’

  ‘What about slipping into the cinema room with Alex? Or that session in the hot tub on Gabby’s date? She was bragging about their night of passion.’

  ‘They only kissed. He and Alex were more mates than anything else. I know it may not have seemed like it at the time to you, but we could all see there was zero romantic chemistry between them. She was probably hamming it up to make you feel bad. In all the footage I’ve got, he was only ever smitten by you and Gabby.’

  ‘But I saw her myself, leaving his villa at the crack of dawn, still in her clothes from the night before.’

  Jas cleared her throat. ‘This is where it gets complicated. Did you, er, ever notice anything strange about Gabriella?’

  ‘You’re joking, right? Everything she did was strange!’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘Such as distancing herself from everyone in the villa apart from the other Mean Girls, being a total snob towards most of us, dressing in what was basically a wedding dress to have a barbecue with Dylan for their alone-date. She made me uncomfortable every time she stepped in the room. I know we were all competing for him, even though I hate saying that, but she was properly obsessed. Oh, and there was this bizarre conversation between her and Mackenzie I overheard the night she and Georgia left.’ Charlotte described the conversation to Jas.

  ‘None of that is a total surprise,’ Jas replied. She took a deep breath and relayed, word for word, what Dylan had told her about the night Gabriella stayed at his villa.

  ‘So, you see, Gabriella told him all those awful things about you in order to manipulate him. She’s crafty. As for Dylan, well, I genuinely believe that not only is he a good guy, but his feelings for you are the real deal.’

  Charlotte wasn’t so sure. She liked Jas but wouldn’t she say anything to get a dramatic ending for her series? Charlotte wasn’t about to be used to boost the show’s ratings. ‘He still chose Gabby over me.’

  ‘He didn’t believe her at first, but was already torn between his feelings for you and for her. When he tried to talk to you at the finale you brushed him off, so he thought you weren’t interested in him. He picked her in reaction to that and has been doubting his decision ever since. Her behaviour to him has only confirmed his belief that he should have picked you. He told us that, ever since the show ended, Gabriella has been acting bizarrely. The more we’ve watched and analysed her footage, the more certain we’ve become that she is seriously mixed up.’

  Charlotte thought back to the night of the final rose ceremony, when Dylan had indeed tried to pull her aside and talk. ‘But – but – I was only brushing him off because I thought he was sleeping with her and Alex! He didn’t deny it either!’

  ‘But did he admit it?’

  ‘Well, no, but—’

  Charlotte’s mind raced. Had Gabby been eliminating the competition – or trying to – one by one? Was Dylan genuine after all?

  ‘You really think he’s into me?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It’s not just for the show?’

  ‘No, honey. But while you think about that, I need to ask you some more things about Gabriella. Like, who did she argue with the most?’

  ‘That’s easy. Alex. One hundred per cent. Oh, and Kat. They had a massive fight the night before the football match.’

  ‘The night before Kat got sick?’

  ‘I guess so. And then the whole thing with Alex’s face. No one could ever forget that.’

  ‘Charlotte, do you think Gabriella is capable of poisoning Kat and Alex out of spite?’

  ‘I was just asking myself the same thing.’

  Chapter 38

  Jas got an Uber back to her flat later that evening, phoning Lyndsey and Monica from the car and then bracing herself for the next thing she needed to do: email Luke and arrange a meeting about the show for the very next day. If what they all suspected about Gabriella was true, then they were dealing with two serious possible charges against her, maybe even attempted murder.

  Despite everything going on with the show, Richard and Lila, the distance between Jas and Luke over the past few weeks had only convinced her that she wasn’t over him. Every time her mind wandered, it was to thoughts of him. Frustratingly, he wasn’t on Instagram or Twitter, and his Facebook page hadn’t been updated in weeks, thus offering no clues as to his personal life. He hadn’t called and Jas was determined that she wasn’t going to make the first move. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself further by seeming desperate.

  The next day, back at Channel 6, the thought of seeing him, even if it was for work, evoked mixed feelings in her. On the one hand, she was excited. Maybe he’d be pleased to see her too? And maybe the distance between them would have given him time to reflect and, most importantly, forgive. On the other hand, Jas was dreading it. Embarrassment at the way she’d acted still made her cringe and she couldn’t deal with the prospect of him being cold with her when she still had feelings for him. When she’d emailed him to arrange their meeting his response was short and businesslike. But the future of Mr Right, and quite possibly her own career, was at stake now, so she was determined to put her personal feelings aside and concentrate on the matter at hand.

  The twelfth floor where the legal department was situated was much more sterile-looking than the one where Jas worked. There, vases of flowers, books and magazines were strewn all over desks and they brainstormed using whiteboards with colourful, messy handwriting. Here on the twelfth, items on desks were sparse, save for a few black folders neatly lined up.

  Jas wandered through the banks of desks and spotted Luke at his computer with his headphones on, though he stood up when she reached his desk and gave her a nod.

  ‘Let’s go into the co
nference room.’

  Jas followed him in, feeling instantly unsettled. This was so formal. ‘How’ve you been?’ she asked as they sat down.

  ‘Good. Busy, but good. And you?’

  A few minutes of small talk followed. Luke told Jas he’d been to the Lake District with his family for a long weekend and had been playing rugby in between working. He avoided eye contact with her as he spoke, instead glancing around the room or down at his phone frequently, which she found incredibly annoying. When talk turned to the weather, Jas couldn’t bear the awkwardness any more.

  ‘Let’s just get down to things, yeah?’ she said sharply. ‘We have a big problem with Gabriella Bellamy-Hughes. Dylan’s gone off her entirely and wants to get back with Charlotte. We’re going to go back and film another ending where he realises he was in love with Charlotte all along and plans a big gesture to get her back. Burrell loves it and has signed us off flying them back to Spain.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘Problem is, we’ve uncovered some serious stuff about Gabby. I’m pretty sure it was her who was behind Kat’s food poisoning and Alex’s allergic reaction. They were the ones arguing the most with her and we have footage of what looks like Gabby stealing Alex’s EpiPen out of her bag. What do we do next?’

  Luke held his head in his hands. ‘Jas, if what you’re saying about Alex is true, it’s GBH. Christ, attempted murder even. And under foreign jurisdiction. We need to launch a full-on investigation.’

  ‘This won’t affect the show, will it?’ She knew it wasn’t the most selfless reaction but, after coming this far, she couldn’t bear the thought of the show being in jeopardy.

  ‘Just keep going with filming the new ending and everything else we’ll keep behind closed doors for now. I’ll deal with it,’ he told her.

  Once again, Jas felt entirely reassured by Luke. She gazed at him and their eyes met and held for a few seconds, then Luke looked away. Jas couldn’t bear it any longer.

  ‘We can’t go on like this,’ she said. ‘Aren’t we ever going to talk about what happened?’

  Luke scratched his head. ‘What do you want to talk about?’

  ‘Us. How it ended.’

  ‘There is no us, Jas. Look, I didn’t really want to get into this now but I’ve started seeing someone else. It’s early days, but like I said to you last time, I think it’s better we stay just friends.’

  Luke’s words were like a slap in the face. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting – for him to run into her arms? Tell her everything was okay? – but certainly not this. It wasn’t just the fact that he was seeing someone else; the coldness in his voice cut her deep. Suddenly, Jas’s mind flashed back to memories of when she’d confront Richard about his bad behaviour and, instead of arguing with her or shouting back, he’d reply slowly and collectedly, with such chilliness in his voice it was worse than if he’d started shouting. Jas rarely cried, in fact she hadn’t since her argument with Lila and before that not for months, but now she started to well up with emotion. What was happening to her? With the worst timing possible, everything bad in her life was rising to the surface and threatening her hard-won security. Luke must have seen something in her face change. He looked concerned. ‘Jas? It’s not that I didn’t care about you but I just don’t know if we would work.’

  ‘You’re right. It’s best we leave it.’ Jas had to get out before the tears started. She wasn’t going to embarrass herself any further. She tried to sound breezy but it came out as defensive. Fists clenched, she stepped quickly out of the room and over to the lifts, thankfully managing to keep the tears in, though it was a struggle. Deep breaths, deep breaths, she told herself, urging the lift to hurry up.

  Luke appeared behind her and lightly touched her arm. ‘Are you okay?’ he said softly. Jas pursed her lips. Didn’t he know that the worst thing someone can ask you when you’re on the verge of tears is, ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Have I upset you?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘You know that no matter what’s happened with us, you can still talk to me. I’m always here for you.’ Jas couldn’t remember the last time anyone had said that to her.

  ‘Want to go get a cuppa?’

  The lift appeared and Jas nodded. She hadn’t confided in anyone else about Lila and Richard and was overcome with a desire to get everything off her chest.

  In the deli next to the office, with its red-and-white checked tablecloths and Italian waiters shouting orders to each other, Jas found a table at the back. Luke brought over two steaming cups of tea. Jas hadn’t known just how much she needed to talk or how much she’d been keeping locked away. She told Luke about her marriage to Richard, how young and in love she’d been and how they’d grown apart anyway but that his drug use and affairs had ultimately ruined the relationship for good. She told him how Richard had been preventing her from divorcing him, revelling in the control he had over her by doing so. Luke listened intently as the words flooded out of Jas, either nodding, shaking his head or raising his eyebrows at the more shocking aspects of her story.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me any of this at the start, Jas? I would have understood.’

  ‘At first I didn’t know how to begin. I did try to tell you once at my place. Then I felt so guilty …’

  ‘That’s why you broke it off ?’

  ‘Yes. And after that I went to Ibiza and I didn’t know what would happen.’

  ‘And Richard, he’s not been in touch since?’

  ‘Well, that’s another thing.’ Jas took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Luke about Richard’s verbal attack on Lila. ‘How could I possibly stay married to someone like that?’

  Luke came around the table and gave Jas a hug, holding her tightly to his chest. ‘I can’t believe you’ve kept all this to yourself,’ he said softly. Jas was so exhausted she didn’t want to say another word, so closed her eyes and let him hold her for a few minutes of blissful silence in the otherwise noisy café where everyone else was too busy to notice them. She felt as if the chaotic world was moving hurriedly around her but, just then, she was in her own perfect place with Luke. It was exactly what she needed. Someone to be there and listen to her without judging.

  ‘Do you think you’ve got enough to go on with the judge?’ he finally asked.

  ‘I hope so. Statements from friends and family, emails and messages – conversations about his behaviour with my sisters and friends, which they will back up.’

  ‘Who’s your solicitor?’

  ‘Ralph Mackover. He’s good, I think.’

  Luke nodded slowly, tapping a finger on the tabletop, deep in concentration. ‘When’s the hearing?’

  ‘Next Thursday.’

  Luke’s phone bleeped. ‘Shit, I’ve got a meeting with the bosses. Will you be okay? I can try to cancel.’

  ‘No, no, don’t be silly. I feel loads better after letting it all out. You won’t tell anyone about this, will you?’

  ‘’Course not. It’s going to be all right, Jas.’ They shared another hug but were interrupted by his phone ringing furiously.

  ‘Go. You’ll be late.’ After planting a kiss on her forehead, which made Jas’s stomach flip with excitement, Luke left.

  Chapter 39

  As Charlotte sat back in the car Channel 6 had booked to take her to Stansted airport, speeding along the motorway, she felt a distinct sense of déjà vu. Just a few months ago, she was making this exact same trip, en route to Ibiza, a bundle of nerves and excitement about what would lie ahead. How much had changed since then. Charlotte had fallen in love and had her heart broken. She’d made friends in Jasmine, Melody and Kat, and, unwittingly, enemies in Gabriella, Mackenzie and even Alex, who had grown extremely competitive in the run-up to the final.

  Now Charlotte was heading back to Ibiza and, once again, she didn’t know what to expect. Ever since Jas’s visit to reveal that Dylan wanted to film an alternative ending where he picked her instead of Gabriella, she’d flipped between joy and anxiet
y. She’d grown so close to Dylan over the past two months and had truly fallen for him, but she’d been burnt and vowed she would never let herself be let down by a man again. Enough was enough. Could she really trust him?

  And if there was one thing she knew about Mr Right, it was to expect the unexpected. Was a romantic reunion really what Charlotte was being flown over for, or was she being set up? And what about Gabriella? Jas had revealed just how unhinged she seemed to be, and Charlotte didn’t relish the prospect of potentially seeing her again. Was she being flown out too just for Dylan to break up with her on camera?

  Charlotte wondered if she was making a huge mistake. But it was too late now. She’d agreed, the plane ticket was booked and in a couple of hours she’d be greeted at Ibiza airport by Monica and Jasmine and driven back to Villa Valencia.

  The car pulled into the terminal and Charlotte rolled her pink suitcase over to the check-in desk and produced her passport.

  ‘All right, Miss Truss, it’s Gate 54 for Barcelona and they’re already boarding.’

  ‘Oh, no, sorry, it’s Ibiza I’m flying to, not Barcelona.’

  ‘Um, nope, it’s most definitely Barcelona. Miss Charlotte Jane Truss? I have you down for one priority seat to Barcelona.’

  Charlotte pulled her phone out of her bag. ‘There has to be a mistake. It was booked by Jasmine Whiteley at Channel 6? Is there any record of that?’

  ‘Yes, Miss Truss. It was all booked by the travel desk at Channel 6. I can assure you there is no mistake. Do you need help with your bag?’

  An impatient queue was forming behind Charlotte so she obediently took her ticket and rolled her cabin bag towards the security gate. Feeling baffled, she texted Jas to ask what was going on.

  ‘Surprise! See you in Barcelona in a couple of hours. Don’t miss your flight!’ was the response. Charlotte had a dozen other questions but was kept busy passing through security.