The couple Sandra Mills and Ric Castillo
	Home   Cette page en Français

In everyone's eyes, this odd pairing between a medium and a small-time trafficker could only end in failure. Neither of them harbored mutual feelings. Sandra Mills was using Ric Castillo. Ric Castillo was using Sandra Mills. Sandra was trying to get to Cruz Castillo. Ric was trying to get closer to his brother. Their relationship was nothing more than a sordid game of cat and mouse, where each in turn would one day be the cat, and the next the mouse. Each was trying to reach different objectives through the other.

As a tender-hearted medium, did Sandra foresee that Ric could only lead her down a dead end filled with disappointment ? That is an answer we will never have. However, had she seen it, it is almost certain that her passion for Cruz would have driven her to ignore that vision and believe that another destiny was still possible...

A relationship built on the wrong reasons

When Sandra and Ric meet, they are both faced with the grim reality of their failed lives. In Paris, while everything seemed to be working out for Ric, his entire life collapses in an instant when the truth about Charisse Castillo's identity comes to light. Ric loses his wife Hollis, who drowns in the Seine. He loses his daughter Charisse, who turns out to be Adriana, his brother's child. He loses his fortune, which, due to Hollis's will, returns to the Beaulieu family. He loses his home, being quickly thrown out of his apartment. He is then expelled from France because of his diamond trafficking. With no other options, Ric boards a plane to Santa Barbara, hoping to reconnect with some semblance of family among the Castillos, especially his mother.

Meanwhile, in Santa Barbara, just as everything seemed to be falling into place for Sandra, her passionate hopes for Cruz are crushed when little Adriana Castillo is found in Paris. Sandra loses any possibility of staying close to Cruz. She loses the right to live in the Castillo house. Finally, she loses any chance of winning Cruz's heart, as Eden returns to live with her husband. Yet ironically, it is partly thanks to Sandra that the Castillo family is fully reunited. Cruz, however, refuses to let her meet Adriana, aware of the tensions surrounding Sandra's presence.

The very first meeting between Ric and Sandra takes place at the Orient Express, where, like two magnets, they are instantly drawn to each other. After just a few words, a few looks, they end up in Sandra's room for a first night of passion. Passion through which Sandra senses she might get closer to Cruz. Passion through which Ric feels he is stepping closer to the life he wants to reclaim. The next morning, Cruz discovers them - or catches them - and is far from pleased with their newfound connection. He knows them both too well. He knows what Sandra dreams of, and what Ric is after.

A proxy relationship

Ric and Sandra make their relationship official by showing up uninvited at Julia and Mason's wedding reception. This is their first step toward their true goal : Cruz for Sandra, Cruz also for Ric - to prove to his older brother that he's not insignificant - and perhaps even Kelly Capwell for Ric. During an exchange with Eden, Sandra even hints that they might become more than friends, sisters-in-law... Their fragile relationship continues nonetheless. After a brief stint in jail, Ric rejoins Sandra. Electrified by each other's presence, the passion escalates, but just as they are about to make love, Sandra accidentally calls Ric by his brother's name. Part of the veil hiding their true souls is torn away, exposing Sandra's real motivations. After this, Ric's attitude changes, and his interest in Kelly becomes more tangible.

Yet their relationship does not end there, because Ric discovers Sandra's gift : she can predict horse race outcomes ! After love and sex, they build a new partnership, this time in business.

Ric's trip to Acapulco in search of his father creates a temporary distance between them. Ric grows closer to Kelly, while Sandra works for Robert Barr as an informant and consultant. Ric gravitates toward Kelly; Sandra, toward Robert - each finding a new balance. Yet neither of them seems to realize that their relationship can only lead to self-destruction and further failures. More failures for Sandra... In Mexico, Ric falls for Kelly. Determined to win her over, Ric continues to see Sandra, only to use her. Because Ric quickly volunteers to act as an undercover spy for the Capwells.

Obsessed with winning Cruz, Sandra lets herself be manipulated by Ric and reveals much about Robert Barr. But soon enough, Sandra has no choice but to face reality : she does not love Ric. In their final encounter, Sandra is honest with him : their relationship is anything but healthy. Neither of them feels anything for the other. Worn down by many small betrayals, Sandra ends things. Ric is now free to pursue Kelly's heart. As for Sandra, she once again uses her special gifts to take part in Cruz's investigations,including the murder of Leo Mitchell; the only way she can stay close to the man she loves. Yet again, Cruz remains deaf to Sandra's words and actions.

Disillusioned by the Castillo brothers, Sandra eventually leaves town with a broken heart, seeking new hopes elsewhere.

Though brief and built on weak foundations, the Sandra - Ric couple mainly served Ric as a way to redeem himself in his brother's eyes, but above all, in Kelly's. For Sandra, it was love by proxy, with Ric merely a substitute for Cruz. If their breakup was inevitable, we could have hoped for some final revelations from Sandra before her departure... She might have told Ric that one day, the past would break his heart but that in return, a sister would be given to him. And she could have told Cruz that if she had failed to pull him away from Eden, he should still beware of someone named Lisa...

Text written for this site by Lilian