One Or None

"Hey, Jules." Julie welcomed Isla. They exchanged pleasantries and sat in the living room.

"Where's Lucas?"A thin smile formed on Julie's lips.

"He is at work."

"Oh."

"Where's the lunch?" Isla noticed the dining table was empty and stared back at Julie.

"Um...Actually, I've not planned any lunch for us both."

"What the.... Julie, I hope this is not about Cade Hudson. I hope he didn't tell you anything."

"He did." Julie folded her arms.

"What? How dare you involve you in all of this?" Isla's voice was thick with malice.

"But nevermind that, you're gonna support me right?"

"Look here Isla, if we're going to talk about Cade, you have to calm down and answer my questions, okay?" Isla nodded, still angry about the whole issue.

"What really happened? Let me hear the choice of expressions you have to give."

"Julie, I was drugged by Wendy. I can't believe she'd drug me. Why would she wanna kill me? Cade is just making excuses to cheat!"

"Who knew about your going to BigEllie? It was just Wendy, right?" Isla nodded.

"Fine. Then who else do you think could have done such a thing?" Julie questioned.

"If you think it was Rhea, how did Rhea know about the 'gig' Wendy told us? Or is it a strange thing to your hearing that Wendy will be joining the modeling society and fully become a part of Rhea's modeling activities?"

"Wendy and Rhea must have plotted together. Who knows? Rhea must have actually used Wendy to get to you and hurt you badly."

"Why would Wendy betray my trust?" Isla was crying again.

"Wendy, apart. Why don't you wanna forgive Cade? I don't see any fault in what he did." Julie shrugged.

"What are you telling me, Julie? Cade....Cade and I were in a relationship – It wasn't based on love but he has no right to have a one night stand with another woman behind my back!" Isla snarled.

"Hear yourself – It wasn't based on love. Does that mean Cade will never fall in love as long as he's with you? You are not planning a life with this guy. You just use him to quench the fire of your urges. Why can't he fall in love and have his own life? His daughter needs a motherly love and that's definitely not you!" Julie spoke cleverly, waiting for Isla's response.

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"Are you just gonna look away from me like I'm Cade too?"

"I'm your best friend – Isla. Your childhood friend. I know what you're thinking right now. I don't know why you're battling hard with the fact that you're in love with this guy. Isla, look here let me tell you the truth." Isla swallowed and looked at Julie, her face wet from crying.

"Cade fell for you first. You just fell harder. He just doubted his feelings. He didn't want to hurt you. When he saw you in that state, being Brian's widow and shutting the world away from you, he hated that. That was why he stayed away from you. That was why it felt like he never accepted your feelings. I can never ever lie to you, Isla. He saw you as a delicate and fragile woman, a woman who her fans, friends and family find really strong. He saw you as someone with a soft heart. And if you allowed love back into your life, your heart could break if your love betrays you. He never wanted that. He didn't want his affection to be based on lust. He learnt to love a woman with you. He saw you differently, Isla. Brian never saw you that way – Nigel and Jake never."

"What he did with Wendy was for you. Rhea Sinclair is ready to do anything for money and fame to be all hers. What if she takes your life? Are you going to be sitting beside me crying profusely? Cade loved you so much. He did something he was never okay with for you. And here you are, flaring up and firing him, ending the relationship."

"Hey," Julie placed her hand on Isla's shoulder.

"You are not a real woman if you lie to yourself." She said inaudibly.

Isla blinked away tears and Julie wiped her face with her fingers.

"Julie, I...I...I just feel hurt. How could Wendy do this to me? Why did she drug me and put me in danger? Why did she choose a gig over our friendship?! It hurts so bad, Julie. And about Cade, how do you feel when you see a video of your man and your best friend? Maybe me."

"You'd be dead." Isla giggled.

"But...look. I love Lucas and he loves me too. And I'm sure if he was in that type of situation, he wouldn't have thought twice. Your case is quite different. You don't love Cade..."

"Says who?"

"Says Julie."

"Jules, really, you want me to say this myself." She blushed.

"Wait are you blushing right now? Shit, Isla you were crying just a few seconds ago because of someone you don't even love..."

"Jules, can you stop trying to make me say what I don't want to?"

"Its because you're stubborn!" Isla smiled contently, wiping her tears. As Julie was making fun of Isla, the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" Julie called out.

"Its Cade." Isla's heart skipped as Julie turned to look at her.

"Should I let him in?"

"I...I...I will go see him outside."

"Go talk on the terrace! I won't come so you guys can have some space to talk!" Isla went slowly towards the door and opened it.

"Isla!" He exclaimed. Isla just ignored him and went straight to the terrace to sit.

"Isla, you have been crying." He sat too, closer to her. Isla's head was down, avoiding eye contact.

"I was crying. So what? Does it bother you?"

"It does."

"Why does my tears bother you?"

"Because I hate seeing you cry. It breaks my heart."

"So you have a heart? I don't think so. If you did, you wouldn't have done what you did."

"I'm sorry. I told you why I had to do it. That girl must have been planning with a venomous snake like Rhea Sinclair. If she doesn't kill you, she might torture you. And I won't take that."

"I've forgiven you. You should be on your way now because Julie and I are really about to have a lunch where we'll need privacy." Isla stood up, folding her arms. Cade stood up too.

"Thank you, Isla." He turned and was walking towards the gate.

"Cade, wait!" She ran towards him.

"I...I wanted to tell you that you could go back home! I was too angry then. Don't worry about Dora. She's home and she doesn't know anything." Isla told him with a smile.

"Oh. Thank you again."

"I love you." Cade's eyes flew even more open. Isla's eyes equally widened, because she thought her words had a terrible effect on him. She was tensed and her eyes shyly scanned his expression, anticipating his response that felt like forever.

"I – I was never expecting you to say that."

"Should I say it again?" Some sense of bravery came over Isla Sinclair but disappeared when Cade chuckled.

"Yes. I want to hear it again."

Isla placed her hand gently near her cheek, saying it in a slower and lower tone.

"I love you." Joy overflowed Cade's heart as he pulled her closer, held on to her waist and leaned for an endearing, passionate kiss.

Julie's voice trembled with rage as she recounted the story to Lindsay and Sasha. "You won't believe what Wendy did to Isla. She betrayed her, manipulated her boyfriend into leaving her for...for her."

"She had sex with Isla's boyfriend and somehow, sent their video to Isla."

"Eww!"

Lindsay and Sasha exchanged shocked glances, their faces filled with disgust."How could she?" Sasha whispered, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Rhea Sinclair must have gotten to her somehow. That woman will stop at nothing to destroy Isla."Just then, the door swung open and Wendy stood in the entrance, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. The room fell silent, and Julie's anger boiled over.

"You!" she spat, lunging at Wendy. Lindsay and Sasha quickly intervened, holding Julie back as she hurled insults at Wendy.

"You're a traitor, a user, a manipulator!" Julie shouted, struggling against Lindsay and Sasha's grip. Wendy crumpled to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.Sasha's expression softened slightly as she pulled Wendy close.

"Who sent you to do this?" she asked firmly. Wendy sniffled, her voice barely above a whisper. "Rhea...Rhea Sinclair. She promised me a gig if I did what she asked. But after I...after I betrayed Isla, she didn't give me anything. She just used me and discarded me."

Lindsay's expression changed from anger to a mix of sadness and understanding. "Why would you do that, Wendy? Isla thought you were her friend."Wendy's tears flowed harder. "I was desperate...I didn't think about the consequences. I just wanted the opportunity so badly."Lindsay and Sasha exchanged a glance, and for a moment, it seemed like they might give Wendy a chance to redeem herself. But Julie's anger hadn't subsided. "Get out!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the room. "You're not welcome here. You're dead to us."

Despite Lindsay and Sasha's attempts to intervene, Julie's rage propelled Wendy out of the room. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving Lindsay and Sasha looking at each other, both knowing that the situation was far from over.

"Wait, Julie. Whose boyfriend were you talking about earlier?" Lindsay asked, refusing to believe the whole thing.

"I said...Isla." Julie realized she had spilled the beans to them both.

"ISLA?" Lindsay and Sasha's voices were filled with excitement.

"Who's he? What's his name? Is he handsome?" They were asking simultaneously. 

"It's...it's huh...Cade..."

"CADE??" Sasha's eyes widened.

"THAT FINE SHYT?" Lindsay was batting her eyelashes while she watched Julie, still shocked that the Daisy Damsels knew already.

"Okay...I guess Isla has made the best choice of her life!"

"I'm gonna be the fan of their life!"

"Gawd, that guy is so hot!" Julie watched Lindsay and Sasha make dazed comments about the relationship.

"Hey, Julie! We should go to Isla's house or call her that we know already!"

"No, no, no! Don't do that!" 

"Are we going to hide it from them?" Julie nodded.

"If not, I'm gonna be doomed. So, I want you both to be quiet, okay?"

"Look who's talking. If you were quiet, we wouldn't be hearing it from you." Sasha rolled her eyes.

Rhea lounged on her plush couch, a team of masseuses working out the knots in her muscles. She sipped on a glass of rare, expensive liquor, the bottle priced at over $1500. Three bottles sat on the coffee table, next to a majestic three-tiered strawberry cake.

Her workers and friends mingled around her, laughing and chatting.One of the workers, curious about the cake, asked,

"Who's birthday is it? This cake is stunning!" Rhea, her words slurred from the alcohol, replied, "No one's birthday. I just wanted to party. I just landed one of the biggest modeling gigs in the country. I'm on top of the world!"Her friends cheered, raising their glasses in a toast. Just then, Rhea's phone rang, and she answered it, still basking in her celebratory mood. A Mexican accent greeted her,

"Hello, is this Rhea Sinclair?" Rhea confirmed, and the woman introduced herself as Carmen from Face Of Mateo.

"Congratulations, Rhea, you've been chosen as our new head model and ambassador," Carmen announced. Rhea squealed with delight, thanking them profusely. But her excitement was short-lived. Carmen dropped a bombshell:

"As our head model, Isla Sinclair, your daughter, will be featured as our main model, shining in magazines alongside you."Rhea's expression turned icy.

"What? No, no way. Exempt Isla Sinclair from the contract. I don't want her anywhere near this campaign." Carmen's tone turned firm. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Rhea. The contract is non-negotiable."

One of Rhea's friends, noticing her distress, whispered, "Take the deal, Rhea. We can work out a plan to...eliminate Isla's involvement." Rhea's eyes narrowed, her mind racing with schemes. She hung up the phone, her celebration mood shattered.

The cake, once a symbol of her triumph, now seemed like a bitter reminder of her ongoing feud with Isla.

"I just hope the guy doesn't get in too much trouble."

"I'm rooting for a season 2! This movie has got me really hooked, I haven't eaten all day."

"Same!" Isla lamented.

"I'm really proud of the way the woman fought with the demons. But its sad she was stabbed."

"Extremely sad."

"If I was in her position, I would have let it slide."

"Hey, be quiet..." They silently watched the movie for about five minutes, with Cade all relaxed and Isla laid down and her head placed on Cade's lap.

Suddenly, they simultaneously let out a high pitched laughter.

"He's the funniest one to me!"

"Too bad he's a demon."

"Bet he'll get defeated." The episode ended and the two felt bad.

"I told you sitcoms were fun too."

"But romcoms are better. I would really love it if Isabel fell in love with one of the demons. Like Nathan. She has a crush on Nathan but their friendship is short-lived."

"True."

Isla and Cade sat on the couch, laughing and chatting away. Isla's phone rang, and she answered it, her face lighting up as she heard Carmen's voice on the other end.

"Hello, Isla! We've got some fantastic news. We've chosen you to be our main model for our new campaign!"Isla's excitement was palpable.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I'm thrilled!" But her enthusiasm was short-lived as Carmen dropped a bombshell. "Rhea Sinclair will be joining you as our head model and ambassador."

Isla's expression turned cold. "No way. I refuse to work with her." Carmen pleaded with her, explaining that the contract was already signed and Rhea's involvement was non-negotiable. But Isla stood firm.

"It's either me alone or not interested. I'm not working with her."Cade noticed Isla's distress and stepped in, gently taking the phone from her hand.

"Carmen, it's her house manager. Isla Sinclair will do the campaign. We'll make it work." Carmen's voice was relieved on the other end.

"Great, we'll send over the details. Thank you, Mr. Cade."Isla shot Cade a questioning glance, but he just smiled and hung up the phone.

"What did you just do?" Isla asked, her voice laced with amusement and curiosity.

Cade's smile grew wider. "I'm getting you into this campaign, one way or another."

"Don't you know the company? A great way to widen this modeling career."

"Who are you to dictate what to do about my career?" Isla was pissed.