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.”

History Speaks For Itself

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Scene 1

Off Camera

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Aphrodite Noel is in her dressing room when the door swings violently open and Glory comes storming inside.  Although Aphrodite can tell that this isn’t her “daughter” storming into the dressing room.  By the fire in her eyes alone she can tell that this isn’t Gloria Noel, but Glory Braddock.

Gloria: We need to talk!

Aphrodite: No... we don’t.

Gloria: YES!  Yes we do!

Her voice is loud and angry.

Gloria: I have spent several days thinking about the bombshell that Henry Van Stanton dropped on me the other night.  And yes, I am pissed off that he didn’t tell me when I had hired him as GCW President…

She points a carefully manicured finger at Aphrodite.

Gloria: ...but then there’s you!  You want to convince me that you care and yet then this happens?  Did you know that Henry is the son of the man that ended my father’s wrestling career and if so how long did you know this information?

Aphrodite: You should know by now I don’t like surprises! I had no idea Henry is the of the man who ended Glenn Braddock’s wrestling career. Think about it, Gloria, that would make Mason his son to, correct?

Gloria: Right, and just the perfect reason to keep that bit of information away from me!

Aphrodite. I appreciate the job Mason has done, he did manage to secure Autumn Von Stanton’s services to our Kingdom. Mason has a habit of being shortsighted at times. My best guess is he was so overcome by hubris he lost sight. I will let him know, one more mistake of that magnitude and its off with his head.

The British beauty marches further into the room and gets up in Noel’s face.  Tears form in her eyes.

Gloria: Henry has lied to me...Mason, not surprisingly, lied to me...and now there’s you...I believe you are lying to me as well.  Please, tell me the truth.  Did you know who their father was?  I promise I…

She sighs.

Gloria: ...I promise not to hurt you.  All I want is for one person, one damn person, to tell me the truth.  I’m tired of being lied to.

Aphrodite rest her hands on Gloria’s shoulders.

Aphrodite: From day one I have not lied to you. I have always been forthcoming about my intentions. If I knew the Von Staton boys father ended Glenn Braddock’s career I would have told you. We both know what kind of man Henry is when pushed to the limit. We secured his wife, he was bound to strike back. Why would it make sense for me to withhold that? Why would I leave you vulnerable to that bombshell? It doesn’t benefit me, at all. I hate you’re going through this, the truth Gloria is...

Aphrodite sighs.

Aphrodite: Nevermind.

Gloria: No...FINISH your statement!  I demand the truth!

Aphrodite: I legitimately care about you beyond this arrangement we have.

Gloria: And that’s the truth?

Aphrodite nods.

Aphrodite: I swear on my life. And to make this up to you, do with Mason as you wish. If he acts out of line, put him in his place. You have my permission. He now answers to you.

Gloria: Mason is not a concern to me...you brought him into the kingdom to teach me, to look after me, and I will continue to adhere to that.  After all, I need to learn now that I am a Princess.

She embraces Aphrodite..

Gloria: I love you...mother.

Aphrodite smiles.

Aphrodite: Love you too, daughter.

Gloria: I can see it now.  You have been the only one who has been honest with me from the beginning, about your agenda, about everything.  And you gave me a gift...the gift of power.  I am a Princess.  I am royalty, no longer a peasant like Braddock.  Thank you, mother.

Aphrodite: This calls for a celebration.

Gloria: Yes and after that I need to track down Mason.  He and I need to discuss IWC matters.  I am scheduled to face Lilith Evans next.

Aphrodite: I’m looking forward to you burying another peasant all in the name of our Kingdom.

Gloria: Chris Davids and now Lilith Evans and Samantha Raine.  IWC is insane.  I always have been wrestling royalty, because I always have been your daughter, your Princess.  The peasant Glenn Braddock merely made me into a killing machine, one that will choke out Lilith Evans.  I will choke her out or she will tap out.  Either way, they will worship me.

Aphrodite cracks a satisfying smirk.

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Mason Van Stanton

On Camera

==========

Hi there, Mason Van Stanton here, manager extraordinaire, the eyes and ears for Camelot in IWC, and the lucky as hell man who gets to look out for the sexy as hell Gloria Marie Noel.

You morons in IWC do not know how to treat royalty.  I shouldn’t have to keep begging for all of the appropriate celebratory items, namely the confetti and balloons.  It should just be understood that when celebrating the arrival of royalty, you should pull out all of the stops.  But no, you goofs want to disrespect royalty by giving her little to nothing in terms of a true celebration.

You forgot the fucking balloons!

Granted you made up for that, but that wasn’t enough to satisfy my client.  Noel still stomped the hell out of Chris Davids.  Now she is going to continue to show you peons, you moronic fools how royalty is to be treated.

Gloria Marie Noel is a Princess.  That means she above each and every one of you on the food chain.  Especially Lilith Evans and Samantha Raine.

Some other chick was supposed to be there too but her effect was ended and her contract is gone.  Oops.

Evans and Raine will be the next two to learn what it means to worship at the feet of royalty, because even against two opponents, she will make you kiss her ring.

But just to show there’s no hard feelings, Lilith and Samantha are invited to kiss my ass after the match if they want!

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Scene 2

Off Camera

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Glenn Braddock watches with open-jawed awe as his daughter walks into his office at the Braddock Wrestling School.  What his him most surprised is her attire.  He has seen her on television but to see her in person is still a shocker.   Gloria is wearing a knee length red lace fit-and-flare dress that is made all the more pretty with a small sheer panel at the chest. A large cutout opens the back.  Her feet are encased in black pointed-toe pumps with an ankle cuff.  Her long auburn hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.

Gloria: Hi, daddy…

Glenn: Gloria?

She nods her head with tears forming in her eyes.

Gloria: Yes, daddy, it’s me!

By the decree of Aphrodite Noel, Gloria’s legal “mother”, Glory and Glenn, mother and father, have not been allowed to see one another for three and one half months.  But now, with Glory’s recent change of heart, how Glory has given in to Aphrodite and accepted her lot in life, she has been allowed more and more freedoms.  Glory has been allowed to go live with her husband Kurt Logan again and, now, it appears as if she can once again see her father.

However, has she truly accepted her lot in life or is this all a ruse?  That question remains for later on.  For right now, father and daughter run up to one another and embrace each other in a tight hug, a hug that has been a long time coming for the both of them.

After the embrace Glenn manages to tear himself away and he looks at his daughter, taking appraisal of her, nodding his head.

Glenn: You look beautiful.

Gloria: Thanks, daddy, but…you don’t have to lie.

The grizzled veteran of many ring wars shakes his head, running his hand through his daughter’s long auburn colored hair.

Glenn: I’m not lying.  You really  do look lovely.

Gloria: I feel ridiculous.  I feel like a freaking girl.

Her father chuckles lightly, despite the situation.

Glenn: But you ARE a girl…

His daughter is about to respond but she thinks on it for a moment before a smile crosses across her face.

Gloria: Ok, you got me there, but still…it’s a different look for me…

Glenn: It may be different, but you look beautiful, no matter how you dress.

He takes his daughter by the arm and guides her to a comfy black leather sofa where the pair sit down together, side by side.  They haven’t been able to have a nice, long conversation like this one for ages.  He wants to savor this.

Glenn: Why’d it take you so long to come to me, Glory?

She sighs uncomfortably.

Gloria: Please, daddy, call me Gloria.

Glenn: But you’ve always preferred Glory over Gloria.

The auburn haired beauty shuts her eyes tight.

Gloria: A lot has changed.

She turns her head away in shame.

Gloria: I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…

He can tell that she is in a great deal of emotional and mental anguish right now, so he begins to gently rub her back to comfort her.

Glenn: It’s ok, Glory…Gloria…

Gloria: No, it’s not…I’m weak.  I’m not the strong warrior you raised.  I am weak.

Glenn: No!

He turns his daughter around and stares into her eyes.  Tears are now flowing down her cheek as she fights back the sobbing.

Glenn: You are ALWAYS strong!  You are a strong fighter, always have been and always will be!  You are a strong Braddock!

Gloria: No, I’m not…

She covers her eyes with her right hand as she begins sobbing.  Glenn holds his daughter closely to his chest.

Glenn: It’s ok…it’s ok…

Gloria: No, it’s not ok…

She looks at him with her red tear-filled eyes.

Gloria: It is not ok and I am not a Braddock.

He narrows his eyes in confusion.

Glenn: Huh?

Gloria: Aphrodite Noel did more than just make me work for her as her servant.  She wouldn’t allow me to see my husband Kurt or my daughter Melinda.  And she wouldn’t allow me to see you.  I fought it as long as I could but I couldn’t bear not seeing my family, and my daughter.  I couldn’t bear it anymore so I gave her what she had been demanding from me…

She lowers her head in shame.

Gloria: …I went with her to the courthouse.  Aphrodite Noel is legally my mother.  I am Gloria Marie Noel.

The temperature in the room seemingly drops a few degrees even as Glenn Braddock’s temper starts to boil over.  Gloria can see that in his eyes and braces herself as he stands up and begins to pace the floor with agitation in his eyes and on his face.

Glenn: I’m going to kill her.

Gloria: Father, no…

Glenn: I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL HER!

He bangs his fist against his desk.  Gloria jumps up and walks over to him, embracing him.

Gloria: No, daddy, calm down!  That’s not the way!

Glenn: It’s the only way!  That brasser is trying to destroy this family!  That brasser…

Gloria: That brasser is my mother!

The elder Braddock goes from anger to shock upon hearing his daughter openly declare this woman, Aphrodite Noel, to be her mother.

Glenn: Gloria, think about what you are saying…

Gloria: I know what I am saying.

She takes him by his arm and guides him back to the sofa.  The pair sit back down.

Gloria: Listen, daddy, it’s been three and a half months since Aphrodite took control over my life.  I hate to admit it but, this has all begun to have an effect on me.  Besides, if this sacrifice can protect you in any way, then so be it.

Glenn: Protect me?  How is this in any way about me?!

Gloria: Contractually speaking, if I do not abide by my obligations to her, everything that is mine automatically becomes hers.  That includes this wrestling school.

His face grows downtrodden.   She nods her head.

Gloria: Yes, and I know this school is your life.  I will make this sacrifice for you.

Glenn shakes his head.

Glenn: You don’t have to.  Let me handle this.

Gloria: You can’t handle it.  What’s done is done.  If I can find a way out, or if she becomes merciful and lets me out of the contract, then so be it.  But until then I accept the fact that my name is Gloria Marie Noel, daughter of Aphrodite Noel, Princess of Camelot.

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Glenn Braddock

On Camera

==========

I had a daughter.  Her name was Glory Braddock.

Do you want to know who Glory Braddock was?  She was The Best in the World.  That’s the ever loving mother fucking truth.  No one could deny it, especially not that goose-stepping Germanic cult leading freak of a world champion you have right now.

Glory Braddock had taken on the best and had beaten the best.  But what you have right now in IWC is not Glory Braddock.  What you have right now is not The British Bombshell I know.  The individual you have is known as Princess.

Make no mistake about it, she doesn’t think herself royalty.  That role is being forced upon her by another freak ass cult.  My daughter, though, MY Glory Braddock, is buried somewhere deep down within Gloria Marie Noel.  Glory Braddock is somewhere hidden, chained up inside the soul of “Princess” Gloria Marie Noel.

Lilith Evans, you don’t hold a candle to Gloria Marie Noel.  You sure as hell wouldn’t stand a chance against Glory Braddock.  So don’t think you have a snowball’s chance in hell here.  You’re filler.

Samantha Raine is a different story.

You took Glory Braddock to her limits in a match for the GDW World Championship.  You gave The Best in the World everything you had and then some and you almost beat her.

Almost.

But at the end of the day, your best wasn’t good enough.  You say you want to bring back Glory Braddock.  I have one thing to say to you…

…please bring her back.  Please.  If you can bring her back, I’ll be forever in your debt.  You may have a chance at beating her, what with the fact that Glory Braddock is not here anymore.  You’re facing Gloria Noel.  But even if you do manage to beat her, will that be enough to bring my daughter back?

I don’t know.  We’ll see.

Good luck.

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Gloria Noel

On Camera

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I choose not to even address Angelle Laree.  She’s not worth my time.  She’s not worth anyone’s time.  And she is definitely far beneath someone of my stature.  She’s not even a peasant.  She’s the dirt on the bottom of a peasant’s shoe.

She’s a nothing.

Instead I’ll center this around the other two ladies who are going to try to challenge the authority of their Princess, their monarch.

Lilith Evans should remember who I am, but Samantha Raine has no damn excuse.  I choked you out back in GDW.  I choked you out to retain my GDW World Heavyweight Championship.  You should know me, if anything else, as the woman who choked your ass out.

And I will now be the woman who chokes you out again.

Lilith, take notes.  Take copious notes on mine and Samantha’s match back in GDW.  Take notes on how I performed.  Take notes on how I walked in as champion, dominated as a champion, and walked away as a champion after putting Raine down like the dog that she is.

Please, take notes dear Lilith, because what happened then is going to happen yet again.  History will repeat itself.  I will walk in as a royal monarch in  professional wrestling, dominate as only royalty can, and I will walk away the winner, I will make you both bow down to your Princess and worship at my feet.

History, as they say, is the best predictor.  And history tells us that I can beat you both.  History tells us that I will beat you again.  History tells two unworthy peasants like you that I am not just Gloria Marie Noel, I am not just another wrestler on the IWC roster.

I am The British Bombshell.  I am The Best in the World.

My name is Gloria Marie Noel, I am your Princess, and you will worship me.