"How dare that mother...." She was trembling in tears. Cade buried her face in his chest.
"Hey, I'm here. You shouldn't cry unnecessarily because of that thing. He isn't the one to get you so teary." He said softly.
"Did you hear the things he said? He said I was a tragic widow. He said I was shameless, stupid and insecure. He said I'm delusional. I'm crazy. I'm a psycho, I'm losing my freaking mind." She was piercing and scratching Cade with her nails.
"Isla, stop!" He yelled at her and stroked her hair.
"NO! I'm not going to stop. I'm not going to watch Rhea Sinclair ruin my career."
"How is Rhea involved in all of this?"
"Rhea Sinclair must have asked Alex to come here and ask me out on a date."
"Did he ask you out? Why didn't you tell me? I would have broken his bones." Cade gritted his teeth but still held on possessively to Isla.
"There'd be no need for you to do that. Because I'm going to Rhea's house tomorrow and I'll kill her."
"What?" Cade pulled her off to see the look she had on her face. He held her arms.
"This is my career we're talking about, Cade. And I'll do anything to save it. I won't let her break me. I'll break her first."
"She's your mother, Isla."
"I don't care. She's a horrible bitch with desperation to be more famous than the daughter she brought into this world." Isla set herself free of the grip and crawled to her wheelchair. She held on to it as she walked into the house.
There was merriment in Rhea Sinclair's mansion. She was with the models of Alexander's modeling society, popping a champagne and toasting to a new beginning with AESTHETICS modeling society in co-operation with SKYLINE modeling society to attend the forthcoming fashion show, and the third biggest international gala, YasMin. There was a full table of desserts, drinks, sweets, salads, fishes, pizza, chips, fruits, assorted meats, soups from the best sources in American kitchens, fruit wines and expensive alcohol.
Each model had a glass of wine in hand, along with Rhea Sinclair and the other members of SKYLINE modeling society sitting by the left. The right side had members of AESTHETICS modeling society, including Alexander Dills, looking dashing in a tuxedo.
Suddenly, there was an impatient knock on the door, and extreme noise from outside.
"What's going on outside?" Everyone dropped their wines.
"Y'all don't have to worry. My bodyguards will take care of everything." Rhea's phone buzzed beside her.
"Hello Mrs. Sinclair, your daughter wants to meet with you and it looks like its very urgent. She's wrecking everywhere!" The bodyguard told Rhea.
"Amara!" She called one of the servants.
"Go outside and tell the person who's knocking to get out. She's not needed here."
"How did she even know we were having a party?" Some of the models of SKYLINE were discussing. Amara opened the door.
"Miss. Sinclair!"
"Where's your boss?" Amara was scared. Isla's hair was messy and she had obvious brown eyebags. Her nails were painted and fixed long but rough, and a thin line was formed on her lips.
"She's....She...." Isla impatiently and angrily pushed Amara and barged into the house. Amara fell to the ground.
"RHEA! RHEA!" She roared. Everyone stood up in unison. Alex drank wine to control his laughter.
"Where are you?" Some models were already recording.
"Finally, I have something to post on my Instagram." They giggled and spoke inaudibly. Rhea Sinclair went to the living room to face Isla.
"What's wrong with you? Why have you suddenly become a maniac? Why are you even in my palace?" Rhea said proudly, eye to eye with her daughter.
"I'm a maniac because I feel bad. I'm ashamed to have someone like you as my mother!" Isla burst out.
"That's old news. We know that, so cut it."
"Rhea, why? Why are you so desperate to ruin me? Why do you wanna bring me down? Why don't you want anything good for me? Why are you just thinking of ways to defeat me? It doesn't make any sense you sent this jerk to come to my house to ask me out so you can sign a contract with their society!" Isla pointed at Alex and all eyes were on him.
"Is that true, Rhea?" Dakota Williams sounded disappointed.
"You wanna get your daughter married to Alexander for more popularity? Then she ends up getting divorce again when your contract expires?"
"Isla. You're talking nonsense. If you have nothing better to say, use the door."
"Not only that, you could be such a worse mother and in law to murder Brian." Rhea's eyes widened madly as loud exclaims and gasps from the guests.
"Are you shocked?" Rhea clenched her fists.
"Does it sound strange to you? Killed my poor husband all because he was trying to get me a RiseUp code. He did nothing wrong. He really didn't. He's innocent. You killed the poor guy because you didn't want a future for me." Isla was crying uncontrollably as she spoke.
"A mother wants the best for her child. Why are you called a mother when you're so heartless? You made me a darn widow. All the days of my life I thought...I thought Brian died in an accident. He was just pronounced dead. MY HUSBAND DIED BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU'RE A KILLER!" Isla lashed Rhea and held on to the neck of her dress. She tried to push her but she rough handled her mother till they fell to the ground. Bodyguards rushed from all corners of the house and grabbed Isla by the arm.
"GET THIS FILTH OUT OF HERE!" Rhea snarled. Isla, somehow broke free and slapped one of the bodyguards when they tried to touch her again. He wanted to retaliate but stopped himself.
"Don't you dare!" She raised a finger. She looked at Rhea with scornful eyes.
"Why are you looking at me that way? Coming to my house, lying to my face, making false accusations, yelling at me forgetting that I brought you into this world, talking about fame, the same fame I gave you,and you're...."
"Gave me?"
"You forgot for a second that without me, there would never have been you. I gave you life, I gave you fame, money, I gave you a reason to live. And you dare say these stupid things to me?"
"Don't you dare give yourself importance. My dad did everything for me. I came to your society with my luck and...."
"STOP. What is the problem? What is it you need that you haven't gotten? Oh, a RiseUp code? One night stand with me?" Alexander went to face Isla with an evil smirk. Isla dashed to the dining without thinking twice, picked up a fork and pierced it ruthlessly into Alexander's skin. He fell to the ground. Everyone exclaimed. Rhea held her hand tightly and walked to the door.
"LET GO OF ME!" Isla was crying and trying to break free of the grip. She hit the ground and Rhea dragged her, in front of everyone, opened the door and threw her daughter out.
"Get lost. And never show your face in my house, again. Your dealings with SKYLINE MODELING SOCIETY is over." Isla wanted to stand but Rhea kicked her knees and slammed the door in her face.
Her angry cries were heard until the bodyguards found a way to get her out through the gate.
Dakota Williams walked towards Rhea Sinclair and slapped her hard.
"Rhea, you've suddenly become a killer. Just because you want your daughter to lose her fame!" Dakota exclaimed.
"That girl was miserable when her husband died. Her world crashed. You didn't think about how she was gonna feel before you murdered her husband."
"You believe what she's saying?"
"Yes! Jake Hollidae came to me with a video. He asked me to end things with you and showed me that video. You killed that guy and took the code from him. YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Dakota thundered. There were hot tears in Rhea's welled up eyes, and she looked as plain as a paper.
"I didn't believe that, but hearing from Isla herself, I'm convinced. This girl has been with us for more than 20 years she has neither lied nor cheated."
In hours, the video of Isla and Rhea fighting was leaked on the internet and it had thousands of views and comments, people throwing hate.
Rhea had her fans' full support that Isla was a bad daughter who wanted to ruin her mom's good name. It was unbelievable that Rhea could kill Brian, who was confirmed to have died in a car accident.
Isla on the other hand, went crazy. She didn't talk to anyone at home, kept herself locked in her room, crying and reading all the hate comments and curses she got from Rhea's fans'.
"Dad, Isla's sad because of those videos online." Dora told Cade while they were preparing dinner. Cade tried to call Isla's friends. Lindsay, Sasha and Wendy were unreachable.
"Hi, Julie!"
"Hey, Cade. What's poppin'? How's Isla doing?" Julie asked, her brow furrowed with worry .There was a pause on the other end of the line before Cade spoke up.
"To be honest, Julie, she's not doing great. She's been locked in her room for days, crying nonstop. This whole thing with the leaked video fight between her and her mom has taken a toll on her." Cade's voice was tinged with worry.
"The hate comments on social media aren't helping. People are being brutal about her accusations against her mom."Julie's grip on the steering wheel tightened. She had seen the video, and she didn't believe Isla's side of the story either. The accusations against Rhea Sinclair seemed outrageous, and the way Isla had spoken to her mother in the video had been harsh. But Julie had known Isla for years, and she couldn't bear the thought of her friend going through this alone.
"I'm on my way," Julie said firmly. "I'll be there soon."Cade's voice was relieved.
"Thank you, Julie. I don't know what to do anymore. She's not eating, not sleeping...I'm getting worried."Julie hung up the phone and navigated through the traffic in her sleek, black Mercedes-Benz. As she drove, her mind wandered to Isla and the video fight. She couldn't help but wonder what had really happened between Isla and her mom. When she arrived at Isla's house, Julie took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever she might find inside.
Julie pushed open the door to Isla's room and was taken aback by the mess that greeted her. Clothes, shoes, and everything else were scattered carelessly across the floor. Isla sat in the midst of the chaos, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She was on the floor, her back against the bed, clutching her phone tightly. The screen displayed thousands of hate comments from her mother's fans, each one more vicious than the last.
Julie's heart sank as she took in the sight of her friend, broken and helpless. She rushed over to Isla, gently prying the phone from her hands and tossing it aside. Julie cupped Isla's cheeks, her thumbs tracing the tracks of tears on her face."Stop crying, Isla," Julie whispered, her voice soft and soothing.
"Please, stop."But the tears wouldn't stop falling. Isla's body shook with each sob, her sniffles growing louder as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Why are you punishing yourself like this?" Julie asked, her voice laced with concern. "Because of this stupid career? Isla, I know my opinion might not count, but from what I've seen, your mom seems...complicated. I wouldn't have imagined she'd do what you accused her of, but I believe you need to take care of yourself first.
"Isla's eyes flashed with a mix of anger and pain. She pushed Julie's hands away, her voice rising to a husky shout.
"You don't understand! Rhea Sinclair killed my husband! She's capable of anything!" Isla's words were punctuated by sobs, her body trembling with rage and grief.The intensity of Isla's emotions was contagious. Julie felt her own eyes well up with tears as she wrapped her arms around Isla, holding her tightly."
Oh, Isla...I'm so sorry," Julie whispered, her voice cracking.
As they hugged, Julie asked, her voice muffled by Isla's shoulder, "Do you have proof?"Isla nodded, her face still buried in Julie's shoulder.
"I do. And I'll make sure the world knows what she's capable of. I'll ask Jake to leak the video online."Julie's eyes widened in alarm.
"Isla, how would you stoop so low? You're trying to ruin your mother's reputation.
"Isla pulled back, her eyes blazing with determination. "You don't understand, Julie. Everything she's doing is to tear me down. She hates that I'm more popular, that I'm winning more awards than her. She wants to use me to get ahead, to sign a contract with Alexander Dills and the AESTHETICS modeling society. She wants me to marry him, to get fame and fortune, but I'd end up alone, just like the last three times."
Isla's words tumbled out in a rush, her tears flowing freely as she spoke.
"She's been sabotaging me, Julie. She has been giving some of my wins to Judy Keen, and that award I was supposed to win? It went to Natasha Jackson instead." As Julie listened, she felt her understanding shift. She saw the situation through Isla's eyes, and she realized that Rhea Sinclair's actions were indeed sinister. Julie's expression softened, and she nodded.
"You're right, Isla. Rhea Sinclair needs to be stopped."