All That Glitters (20 page)

Nobody in the country liked Ella Riding any more. She’d started her career in the public eye as a glamorous rising star who was married to one of the most talented footballers in the UK, and now everyone thought badly of her. They thought she was a tramp. A gold-digger. And a cheap wannabe who’d only been after Danny for his fame and fortune.

There were debates on the TV and the radio about whether Danny should leave Ella, and her infidelity had created a storm in the press. Normally it was the footballers who played away. It was never the wives.

‘It will get better,’ Ella said softly, as she sniffed back the tears. She hoped her words would be of some comfort to her husband, even though they weren’t for her. How could they be? Everyone hated her, Danny despised her, and Johnny wasn’t taking her calls. Things couldn’t get much worse. ‘The storm will pass, everything will be back to normal, and then the public will like me again,’ she continued. ‘
You
might like me again.’

‘Shit, Ella, do you ever think of anyone but yourself?’ Danny said so forcefully that Ella was momentarily stunned. ‘To be honest, I don’t really care about the public liking you right now. Not only has Aaron banned Yves and I from seeing each other outside of training and matches, we’re still not allowed to phone each other. You’re not the only person hurting here.’

He ran his hands through his red-brown hair and pointedly stared at the TV. He’d had enough of this, and he just wanted to relax and forget about what was happening. Ella was making it so very difficult though.

‘Has Sancho been in touch?’ Ella asked in a small voice. She hadn’t wanted to ask, but she knew she had to. It was Sancho who seemed to be behind this mess, and Danny had a direct line to him.

‘Will you give it a rest?’ Danny snapped. ‘I don’t want to talk about this any more. Not tonight. Not ever.’

‘But—’

‘But what? Why do we need to go through this in detail? I’ve already told you Sancho sent an email thanking us for all the photo opportunities you provided him, and that since he’s made millions from the snaps he sold he’s decided to leave me alone for a bit.’

Ella looked down at the floor. ‘I was just wondering if he’d kept his promise,’ she said dejectedly.

‘He has,’ Danny replied curtly. ‘Although it’s only been a couple of days and it’s too soon to tell. Now if you don’t mind I’ve been looking forward to this final, and I’d appreciate it if you just kept quiet.’

Danny trained his brilliant green eyes on Madison Miller, who looked beautiful in a J. Crew black silk-organza bandeau dress and Burberry heels. Ella envied the dress, but she coveted Madison’s career even more. Watching her on
America’s Hits
sharply reminded Ella of the buzz of presenting a live TV show, and how it had been taken away from her. Her depression sunk in even deeper. She could have been the next Madison Miller.

But now she was nothing. Her attempt to try something different – to be a TV presenter rather than an entrepreneur – had failed as well, and now she was back where she’d started. She was nobody. Or worse, she was a famous nobody with a bad reputation.

Ella shut her eyes and tried to stay calm, but she couldn’t get the image of Sancho sitting in the audience of
Wonderland
out of her head. Okay, so she shouldn’t have had an affair, and shouldn’t have allowed herself to fall so deeply for Johnny, but she never would have done it – never would have gone on his show or agreed to present
Wonderland
with him – if she’d known it was going to end up like this. Of course she wouldn’t have.

The more Ella thought about it, the angrier she got. It was fair to say that she’d despised Sancho for blackmailing Danny, but since he’d sold the photos of her and Johnny her hatred for him had reached a new level. Danny had always said Sancho was hell bent on getting as much money out of him as possible, but despite all the hundreds of thousands of pounds her husband had given him, Sancho had still gone and done this. He’d seen an opportunity – Ella falling in love – and he’d made the most of her weakness.

Ella pulled her knees up to her chest and ignored the theme music of
America’s Hits
as the show went to a commercial break. She was lost in thought. After Fin had cheated on her she thought she’d never be able to fall in love again . . . but she had. And Sancho had no right to make her ashamed of her feelings for Johnny, and he had no right to use them to his own advantage. Whatever happened, Ella wasn’t going to be embarrassed of what she’d done. In fact, she was going to feel the reverse, and be proud that she’d opened up to a man again.

The fact that she’d not spoken to Johnny in days, and that he wasn’t answering her calls, was neither here nor there.

By taking something so private and special to her and turning it into something that was meant to humiliate her, Sancho had made it personal.

She would never be able to forgive him. One day, Ella thought, she was going to get even.

ELL OF A RIDE: ELLA CHEATED ON EX FOR DANNY

Exclusive by
MATTHEW PARKER
, News Editor,
Daily World

KINGSTON UNITED
fan Fin Perrault told last night of his anguish when he discovered his fiancée, Ella, had cheated on him with Royals striker Danny Riding.

In revelations that shatter Ella Riding’s image even further, Fin told how Ella:

•
BEGGED
to move in with him, but refused to help with the rent;

•
CHATTED
up other men in front of him;

•
CHEATED
on Fin with Danny Riding, whom she met on a holiday in Thailand where she said she was ‘going to find herself’.
 

Fin said: ‘Ella is red-hot in bed, but I never thought she’d cheat on me. When I proposed she seemed over the moon, but she soon set her sights on other men. I feel like a fool. I was really taken in by her – she’s not as innocent as she makes out.’

DRINKING

The first time Ella cheated on Fin was with one of his friends, who asked to remain anonymous.

Car mechanic Fin said: ‘My mate told me one night that Ella had come on to him, and that she’d said we’d split up. My friend had sex with her, but he was horrified when he found out she’d lied and that we were still together.’

Fin, who lives in London, admitted he was ready to stick the boot in then and there, but Ella begged him to give her a second chance.

‘Ella’s a gorgeous girl with a great body, and she’s hard to resist. She promised she’d never cheat on me again, and I believed her. Then a few weeks later she said she wanted to go on holiday to “find herself”. I agreed she could go and even gave her cash for the flights because she didn’t have any money. Despite all her millions, she still hasn’t paid me back.’

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

Ella was on a beach in Thailand when she spotted Kingston United star Danny Riding.

‘She told me that as soon as she saw Danny she knew he was “the one” and she made her move,’ Fin said. ‘She knew who he was because he used to be one of my favourite footballers, and she knew he was loaded.’

Sources close to the Ridings reveal how Ella:

•
PRETENDED
how she didn’t know who the Kingston United striker was;

•
SEDUCED
Danny Riding by teasing him in skimpy bikinis;

•
MADE LOVE
to him the night they met.
 

Fin says: ‘I’ve kept my silence all this time, because who wants to admit their bird has left them for a footballer? But now it’s time for the whole world to see that Ella is nothing but a user and a gold-digger. I hope Johnny Cooper knows what he’s letting himself into.’

JOHNNY COOPER’
s pal has admitted that Johnny is shocked by the latest revelations about his former co-star and lover. The friend says: ‘Johnny really thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with Ella, but now he doesn’t know what’s going on, or what he’s going to do.’

Ella stared at the photos of Fin in the
Daily World
in shock. She couldn’t believe he’d gone to a paper and sold them a load of lies . . . and that they’d published them. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse it did, and she was half furious, half sickened. If she could, she’d jump on a plane and escape somewhere, assume a secret identity, and . . . and . . . she didn’t know what. Try and find a way to get back at Sancho and clear her name, or something. She couldn’t think straight.

‘We could probably sue over this article,’ Nash said quietly as he wrapped his large hands around his steaming cup of coffee. ‘Clearly none of this is true – and I’m sure we could prove it.’

Ella took a deep breath and tried not to look at the paper again. The photos of Fin doing his best puppy-dog expression were almost too much to bear.

‘But we couldn’t, could we?’ she said, as silent tears ran down her cheeks. ‘The only people who could confirm that the reason I went to Thailand was because Fin dumped
me
are all his mates, and he’s probably bought their silence. It’s hopeless.’

‘But you didn’t cheat on Fin, did you?’

‘Of course not,’ Ella sobbed. ‘Obviously I didn’t cheat on him with Danny, but I never cheated when we were together, either. I loved him, was practically obsessed with him. And I never would have done that to him.’

Ella and Nash stared at each other for a moment, and then Nash stood up, walked around the scrubbed kitchen table, and held Ella in his arms. Ella was so shocked that her tears instantly dried up. Why was Nash suddenly being so nice to her?

‘This is hard now, but this is the worst it’s going to get,’ he murmured quietly, as he wrapped his firm body around Ella’s frail one. ‘I promise you nothing else bad will happen. It just isn’t possible.’

Ella couldn’t quite believe that Nash was there for her. He smelt peppery and sweet, of cedar wood and grapefruit, and because it felt like a lifetime ago that someone had touched her and had offered her physical comfort, she allowed herself to sink into Nash’s arms.

‘But do you think Johnny is really having second thoughts about me?’ she asked in a small voice. ‘I don’t think I could stand it if he wasn’t interested in me any more.’

Nash pulled away and stared intently at the
Daily World
again, as he flicked through the four pages the paper had dedicated to Fin’s revelations.

‘You said he’s not returning your calls,’ Nash began as professionally as he could, as if he hadn’t just been holding her against his chest. ‘So I suppose you don’t really know how he’s feeling. If it was me I’d be feeling quite cut up about this stuff in the paper about you cheating on Fin—’

‘It’s not true though!’ Ella interrupted angrily.

‘But Johnny doesn’t know that, does he?’ Nash replied calmly.

Ella frowned. She couldn’t believe that Johnny would think she was a gold-digger, or worse, a girl who made a habit of sleeping around behind people’s backs. ‘He
knows
me though,’ she said. ‘He knows I’d never do anything like that.’

Nash raised his eyebrows. ‘Ella,’ he began delicately. ‘Technically you
have
been doing something like that. In everyone’s eyes you’ve been having an affair.’

Ella stared at the plate of biscuits in front of her and pushed it away. She knew she wasn’t eating properly, but she didn’t care. ‘But Johnny said he loves me,’ she said softly. ‘He knew I wasn’t comfortable having an “affair”, and he loves me. I know he does.’

‘Then he’ll phone,’ Nash said simply. ‘If he loves you as much as he told you he did, he’ll get in touch.’

Ella hoped with all her heart that he was right, but she didn’t want to think about it any more. She couldn’t. It hurt too much.

‘Nash . . .’ Ella began slowly, ‘why are you being so nice to me today? I always thought you hated me.’

Nash sighed and looked away. ‘I never hated you. I just . . .’ His voice trailed off.

‘What?’ Ella asked curiously.

‘I suppose I didn’t respect you. When Aaron told me about your sham marriage to Danny I assumed you were a gold-digger, and were just out for what you could get.’

Ella’s mouth dropped open. ‘It was never about the money! Or the lifestyle!’

Nash had the decency to look a little bit sheepish. ‘I know that now,’ he concluded, ‘but what was I supposed to think? Why would anyone as lovely and as gorgeous as you decide to enter into a loveless, sexless marriage if not for fame and fortune?’

Ella thought about this. ‘So what made you realise that’s not who I am? Not what I’m about?’ she asked.

‘After the phone call I made to you in Paris I had a long chat with Danny. He told me about how close you two were – that you’re best friends – and that you married him to help him.’

‘I could have told you that, if you’d just asked.’

Nash nodded. ‘I know. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I admit I’m a bit bitter about marriage ever since my wife left me, but despite that, I believe that marriage isn’t something to be taken lightly, to be entered into for any reason apart from love.’

‘I agree with you, and Danny and I
do
love each other,’ Ella said softly. ‘It just wasn’t the romantic, traditional sort. After Fin, I genuinely believed I’d never fall for another man again. Johnny Cooper was never part of my plans, and I never, ever thought I’d have an affair – even one approved by my gay husband.’

‘I know that now. I’m not proud of how I behaved towards you, and I’m sorry. I’ve not really been there for you, and I want to be. I tried to be professional but you were clearly aware of my personal feelings towards you, and I apologise.’

Nash looked so stiff, and so uncomfortable, that Ella wondered if she should give him a hug like he’d just given to her. Instead she reached out and awkwardly patted his hand.

A week passed, and Johnny hadn’t phoned. The damning newspaper articles castigating Ella had died down, Danny was given permission to see Yves in private, and the Ridings’ life was starting to get back to normal. Even Aaron’s bad mood had eased up.

‘Give it another week and it will be time for you and Danny to hit the town,’ he said as he towered over Ella. She was fully dressed in a daisy-print Anna Sui mini dress, but she was laying on her bed, not caring what Aaron thought of her or if the linen of her dress creased.