The Veil Is Removed, The Truth Is Revealed

Sexy sheer mesh detail, sharp geometric neckline and shimmering patterned sequins in bright and soft golds make this bebe cocktail dress, and its wearer who happens to be none other than Gloria Marie Noel, a marvelous showstopper.  She isn’t coming alone.  With her is none other than her sister, Julia Noel, wearing a stunning sheath dress featuring on-trend foil lace and curve-caressing fit. Sweetheart neckline with gripper tape. Detachable adjustable straps. Hidden side zip closure. Fully lined.  Two beautiful women looking like this entering a bar would be the target of any males.  They know this and have brought with them a large, burly bodyguard following ever-so closely behind.  The two Noel “sisters” can sense the disappointment on the faces of the other men in the bar, disappointment mixed with longing and desire as they watch the women make their way to a table.

The bodyguard pulls out the chair for Julia first and she sits down.  “Thank you, Brett.”

“My pleasure, Your Majesty.” He makes his way over and pulls out a chair for Gloria next. “Princess?”

Gloria smiles politely. “Thanks, Brett.”

She sits down and Brett patiently awaits his next orders, which come shortly from the lips of the new queen of Camelot Julia.

“My sister and I have much to discuss, Brett.” Her eyes narrow. “Private matters.  Stand over there in the corner.  You can watch us from there.”

He nods his head.  Brett turns and walks away, taking his spot at the position pointed out to him by Julia.  Once the two women are left alone Julia breaks the silence.

“Tell me, have you been here before, Gloria?”

The auburn haired British beauty shakes her head. “No, can’t say that I have, my sister.”

Julia studies Gloria for several moments, in an awkward pause, before a sly grin forms across her facial features.  A nasty laugh escapes her lips, a laugh that leaves Gloria rather confused, baffled even.

“What is it?” Gloria asks, sincerely curious. “What’s so funny?”

“You!” Julia shakes her head, still laughing a little but now calming herself down. “You keeping this act up the way you are.  I have to admit, though, you are a great actress.  You even have Aphrodite fooled.”

“Huh?”

Julia sighs. “Look, you can drop the act.  I know it’s an act, you’re not fooling me and I promise not to give you away to Aphrodite.”

Gloria stares in disbelief, and skepticism, at Julia her “sister”, in complete and utter silence.  Finally Julia sighs and shakes her head.

“Oh come on, Gloria, I know you’ve been dying for this opportunity for a long time.  Well here it is.  This is your one chance, and probably your last chance, to speak not as Gloria Noel but as Glory Braddock.”

Julia is right, for the longest time Glory has had to act at all times in public and most of the time in private as Gloria Noel, daughter of Aphrodite Noel.  Her real self, Glory Braddock, has been all but silenced.  She’s been wanting to get a voice, her true voice, out there in the open for a long time now.  Perhaps now is the time?

Glory nods her head. “Fine, you want Glory Braddock?  You got her.”

“Excellent.” At that time a waitress stops by their table. “Ah, there you are.  The finest wine for me and my,”

She winks at Glory “sister!”

Glory rolls her eyes as the waitress walks off to fill the order.  “You wanted Glory Braddock and yet you still want to consider us sisters?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you even want Braddock, then?”

“Because,” she leans in close with a sinister grin on her face “I want Glory Braddock to know exactly what has happened and I want her to understand that there is truly no escape.  And I want Glory Braddock herself to see the situation that she finds herself in now.”

Glory frowns skeptically. “And that would be what exactly?”

“Here I am, Queen of Camelot, and here she is, a Princess true but at the end of the day a Princess with no power, the least among royals in the kingdom.  Or in other words, our roles have reversed…cousin.”

Glory blinks several times with some surprise at this, especially the reference to them as cousins, their true relationship.

“What the hell are you talking about, mate?”

“Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t get it.  You always lived in a protective bubble, protected from the harsh realities of the world around you.”

The waitress returns with a bottle of wine and two glasses.  She sets the glasses down, one in front of Gloria and one in front of Julia.  She pours red wine into each glass and then leaves the bottle of wine there at the table while she walks away.   Once the waitress is gone Julia continues.

“The Braddock family was legendary in this industry.  In England your father Glenn, over the span of two decades, went undefeated until one singular loss ended his career.  But that didn’t stop him did it?” She shakes her head. “Glenn continued to train the next generation, allowing the Braddock line of dominance to continue, through his prized pupils…Trinity…”

Glory remembers Trinity quite well.  It is a group that consisted of her, Sophie and Mark O’Brian.  They graduated from her father’s wrestling school together and they were close, very close.  They were so close that people nicknamed them The Trinity.

“Sophie and Mark were five times the world tag team champions and Sophie herself a former four time world champion.” Julia points a carefully manicured finger at Gloria. “And then there’s you, the golden child of the Braddock family, a thirteen time world champion.”

Julia Noel takes a sip of her wine. “Do you realize how hard it was to live up to that?”

“No one asked you to live up to anything, Julia.” Glory snaps back at her. “No one asked you to follow in our footsteps.  You are and have always been your own person, you could have…”

“Oh quit with the self-righteousness, Glory.” Julia remarks nastily. “We both know that I had no choice in the matter.  Having the name ‘Braddock’ meant that the bar was set extraordinarily high for me.  It didn’t help matters that I didn’t have the same personality for this business that you, Sophie, and Glenn all had.  I mean let’s face it, you three took this business so damned seriously and all I wanted to do was have some fun.  In a lot of ways I was like another former student of Uncle Glenn’s…Matthew Bowden.”

She grins knowingly. “Matthew Bowden hated the tiresome, boring routine as well, but he wasn’t a Braddock, he could leave whenever he wanted and he did.  I had no such choice.  I was expected to follow in the Braddock line and I tried, believe me I tried Glory and when I didn’t live up to expectations, when I wasn’t the instant success that you and Sophie were, don’t think that I didn’t notice how Glenn treated me differently.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Glory begins. “He…”

“He treated me as a second class citizen.  You were always the favorite in the family.  I was the black sheep.”

Julia leans back in her chair, grinning from ear to ear. “I admit that being under Aphrodite’s thumb was trying at first, but then it hit me, like lightning…I was her favorite.  I was her beloved child, her sweet daughter that she cared about; something that my own family, not even my father, could say.”

She leans back in close to Gloria. “And now we have you, Glory Braddock…or should I say Gloria Marie Noel?  You are also Aphrodite’s daughter, like me, only difference is in this family I am the favorite.  She likes me better than she likes you.  The proof is in the pudding.  I am the Queen of Camelot.  I am the GCW Television Champion.  You may be a Princess in this kingdom but you’ll never have power and you’ll always be second best to me.  So why wouldn’t I embrace this fantasy of Aphrodite’s as my new reality?”

Glory glares angrily across the table at Julia, her eyes flaring. “But you’re still missing the big picture.  You can NEVER erase what the Braddock family has done!  No matter what you do to us, no matter what you do to me, you can NEVER EVER erase our achievements!”

Glory shoves her glass of wine to the side. “I am STILL the thirteen time world champion you spoke of and, by the way, the same GDW and MCW Hall of Famer!  By any other name I am STILL that same person!

“Which makes it all that much sweeter to know that I have beaten you.” Julia says with a sly grin on her face. “I mean technically mother beat you, but for me victory is knowing that I am part of a family in which I am better than you.”

“Yes and the Noel family will never be the Braddock family.” Glory shakes her head vehemently. “The Braddock family is and always will be The Best in the World.  You know it.”

“And I don’t disagree.” Julia sips her wine. “But what is your name?”

“My name is Glory Bra…”

“Uh Uh…” she shakes her head “…legally you are my sister, Gloria Marie NOEL.  When we were Braddocks, yes you were better than me.  But as Noel sisters I am your superior and you are inferior to me.  So yes, SISTER, the roles have now reversed and that, for me, is victory.”

Gloria is stunned, too stunned to talk for a few moments as she stares emptily at her glass of wine.  Finally she takes a sip and sighs deeply.

“I had no idea you felt that way, Julia.” She begins slowly.

“Yes, and your punishment, your entire family’s punishment, for being ignorant of my feelings is extinction.  I am a Noel, you are a Noel, and your own daughter is a Noel…”

“Melinda…” Glory’s voice trails off.

“Yes, sweet Melinda,” Julia cackles evilly “mother did a real good job on her.  She is actually brainwashed.  That means the line of succession in the Braddock family is gone.  Once your father is dead, you are all gone.”

“I know.”

“So say it, sister.” She holds up her wine glass for a toast. “All Hail The Noel Family!”

Glory holds up her glass and toasts Julia. “All Hail The Noel Family.”