Deals with devils

Just because you get cheered doesn’t mean you are worthy of the adoration.  Just because you receive the adulation and applause of the fans does not make you a hero.  The true heroes are often unsung and, worse yet, spat on and hated, because the true heroes will do what is best, the true heroes will do what is right…

...and what is right is not always what is popular.

I have been blessed to have wrestled as long as I have.  Competing all over the world is an honor and a privilege that few ever receive.  I cherish this blessing and understand that it comes with a price.  I sacrificed time away from my family, hell I sacrificed a normal childhood, so I could do what I do inside the ring, and so I can do it better than anyone else in the world today.  I cherish this blessing of being a professional wrestler also because I understand that there are many who will train, who will make many of the same sacrifices I made, who will bleed for this opportunity and unlike me they will fail.

Is it fair?  No, probably not.  But life isn’t fair.  And the fact remains that they will not get the same opportunities I have received.  So I cherish this opportunity to compete.  It also pisses me off when I witness others in this sport piss away their opportunities that they are blessed with.  When I witness men like Ace Marshall make a joke of themselves and this sport they piss on everyone who came before them, they piss on everyone who has tried and failed to become a professional wrestler.

Go ahead.  Tell me I’m no fun.  Tell me I have no sense of humor.  I’ll also tell you that I’m right and that I will always fight for wrestling.  I will fight for the memory and honor of those wrestlers who came before me and even those wanna-be wrestlers who failed to achieved their dream, all because I refuse to sit by and watch as Ace Marshall and his ilk just spit upon the name and legacy of professional wrestling.

Ace happens to be “popular” right now, so I understand and accept the booing and the jeers that will come my way.  I embrace it.  It will fuel me.  It will drive me to obtain retribution for those whom you have spat upon, whom you have disrespected, and for the sport that you seem to care nothing about.

Retribution is coming, whether you are ready or not Ace.  Sic Semper Tyrannis...

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March 7th, 2020

Miami, Florida

Off Camera

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The exquisite living room of The British Bombshell in Miami, Florida is a gorgeous, sleek modern design.  It is also clean; almost to perfection with barely a spot and even if one exists, it isn’t noticeable.  The cream colored sofa is soft, comfortable, and plush.  It is situated in front of a large flat screen television mounted on the wall above a fireplace.  The fireplace does seem slightly out of place as it is the only piece in this living room that looks relatively traditional.  It isn’t used often; this is Miami, after all.  Sitting in a comfortable recliner with her feet propped up is none other than “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock.  Her stone faced gaze is glaring across at a television set which is tuned into the nightly news, in which she is keenly interested…

“Today a grand jury in North Carolina has indicted former businessman and wrestling promoter Matthew Alan on several charges of embezzlement, money fraud, tax evasion, and other illicit and illegal white collar crimes…”

Hearing this news from the anchorman’s face brings a smile to The British Bombshell. The gorgeous honey blonde haired beauty is wearing a pink short sleeve dress with a hemline that stops just at the knees.  Her feet are encased in matching pink leather high heeled pumps.  Matthew Alan is the founder of the company that she now owns, Global Championship Wrestling.  It was once just a mere wrestling promotion, a small one at that, but she has built it up and expanded it to new horizons.  Now she has combined it with the wrestling school she owns, creating Global Wrestling Enterprise, of which both the promotion and the school are now a part of.  Utilizing her company Glory Braddock will now be able to shape the future generations of professional wrestlers.

Yet at one point this grand vision of hers seemed all but impossible.  In fact, there was a time that she lost her entire company to Henry Van Stanton, the son of the man who ended her own father’s wrestling career.  Needless to say, the two families have never been on good terms and Glory still isn’t exactly keen on the idea of her daughter dating Henry’s son, but for the sake of peace within the family she is remaining quiet about that.  Still, Henry poses no further threat to her corporate dominance.  Glory retook her company from Van Stanton and she does not wish to ever lose control of her company again.

Now she is seeking to make certain that any and all potential threats to her power are wiped out.  Eliminated.  And there is only one individual whom she views as a threat to her power within Global Wrestling Enterprise…

….and that person has just been indicted for multiple federal charges of white collar crimes.  Matthew Alan is the founder of the company, it may be under a new form and operating with a new name, but it is his original company, and many on the Board of Directors may show loyalty to him.  That loyalty would be impossible now with Matthew Alan all but assured to go to prison.

Still, there are loose ends that need to be tied up.  There are still potential threats to her power.  Those loose ends will be taken care of and those threats will be eliminated in time.  But for now Glory Braddock can relax and be happy that one of the biggest threats has just been taken care of and she didn’t have to even lift a finger.  Those other threats, however, may take some more manipulation on her part.

“Is it something good?” The voice startles Glory just slightly.  She turns and smiles upon seeing her husband, retired professional wrestler Kurt Logan, entering the living room.  Her beloved husband carries two glasses of wine in his hand.  He approaches Glory and offers her one of the glasses of wine.  “Here, I thought you’d like something to drink.”

“Thanks, love.” Glory says graciously, accepting the drink.  Kurt sits down on the plush cream colored leather sofa.  He waves for Glory to join him. “Come on, babe.  Sit next to me.”

Braddock smiles back, perhaps naughtily?  It doesn’t matter.  The British Bombshell takes her glass of wine and gets up from the recliner.  She approaches the sofa and sits down next to her husband.  She leans her head on his shoulder.  Kurt wraps his arm around her shoulders.  He kisses her lovingly on the forehead.  He doesn’t know yet why she seems so happy but he certainly isn’t complaining.

“Whatever it was you saw on the TV must have made you very happy…” Kurt says, smiling wryly “...unless I’m just that good looking…”

Glory chuckles, taking a sip of her wine. “You are good looking, love, and you turn me on anytime you step into a room, but this time it wasn’t just your arrival that made me happy.” Braddock points at the television.

“Matthew Alan has been indicted by a grand jury.”

“About time…” Kurt pauses as if he is thinking about what his wife just told him “...but didn’t this happen already?”

“He was arrested back in January.  He has been held by federal authorities, questioning him, investigating him, and it all built up to this point, the authorities got him to a grand jury and they got the result they wanted; an indictment.  Now to be fair, an indictment is easy to get.  Hell, I could indict a cheese sandwich for murder if I wanted.  But how many people out there know that?”

“Few.” Kurt states.  Glory nods her head with a confident grin.

“Exactly.  As if he wasn’t humiliated before when he nearly bankrupted and ultimately lost his own company, he is forever tarnished here by the fact that he is indicted for a criminal offense.  Now the trial comes, he may yet be found not guilty but from what I’ve heard the evidence against him is overwhelming.  The authorities will convict him and he’ll go to prison.  Even if his defense team does manage to pull off a miracle here, he will still forever be stained and tainted with this indictment.  Any and all loyalty that certain members of my Board of Directors may have had for him will be gone.”

“Well that’s good, right?”

“Bloody hell is it ever good!” Glory exclaims.  Kurt then holds up his glass to toast.  Braddock responds in kind, clinking her glass with his.

“Cheers!” And with that, they each take a sip of their wine in unison.

“So what does that mean for you?” Kurt asks curiously. “I mean, obviously you no longer have to worry about Matt Alan or any of his allies trying to screw with you.  Does this mean you finally can focus on your wrestling career and let your new company president deal with the day to day handling of business?”

Braddock sighs deeply and shakes her head, indicating a negative response.  This was not the answer Kurt had been hoping for and Glory knows it.  She wishes she could just focus on her wrestling, because she certainly has her plate full now that she has a Trios Contract she can use for any match she wants, but there is also the one on one match she has against Ace Marshall at Retribution.  He is a clown, he treats this sport as nothing but a joke, he is more of an entertainer than an athlete, but as much of a joke as he is, Glory Braddock recognizes that he is still a big threat and she will need to be at the top of her game in order to defeat him at Retribution.  Focusing only on Ace at SCW Retribution would be ideal, but unfortunately for Glory Braddock that will simply be impossible.  There are other items on her mind that seem to be just as important.

“I wish I could, love, but I can’t.”

“Why not?” Kurt asks, almost in a demanding tone.

“I just can’t.”

“You’re spreading yourself thin, Glory.  I know why you’re doing it, I know why you feel that you must do it, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Braddock sighs and nods her head.  Her husband is right, she is spreading herself thin.  But she views this as a necessity.  She wants to compete and someday win her fifteenth world championship.  She knows that she can still make a difference as an active competitor.  She also does not want to risk losing her business again and she knows that so long as there are threats out there to her corporate power then she cannot just simply sit idly by and hope nothing bad happens.  She did that once and her idleness cost her everything.

She will not wait again.

The British Bombshell takes another big swig of her wine before setting it down on a nearby coffee table.  She turns and stares into her husband’s loving eyes.

“There are many people out there who are jealous of me, jealous of what I have achieved.  I have been a success inside the wrestling ring as a competitor and I have been a success outside of the wrestling ring as a corporate businesswoman.  No one can say that they have achieved the kind of success that I have achieved.  And now there are those who want to see me lose my power.”

“It almost sounds like paranoia.” Kurt remarks stoically.

“It may be paranoia, and hell, I hope it is, but I do not want to take the risk.  I want to be safe.  I want to make sure every base is covered and that there is no possible way for me to lose the corporate power that I have built up.”

“But Matthew Alan is the only person who could have taken you down.” Kurt answers immediately. “And now he’s indicted.  You said it yourself, he is done.  Who can possible hurt you now?”

“His family.” Glory answers quietly after a long, tense pause.  Kurt nods his head.

“Ok, fair enough.  I still do not like where you are going with this and I want to be on record as saying that I think this is a bad idea.”

“Noted.  I do ask for your support, though.” Glory states.  Kurt without hesitation leans in and plants a kiss on her lips.

“You don’t even have to ask.” He says with a grin. “I will always support you, Glory.  No matter what.”

“And that’s why I love you so much.” Glory returns the favor, kissing her husband on the lips.  Their passionate liplock continues for a few moments until they hear a ringing throughout the house.  They break their passionate kiss and begin to laugh lightly to themselves.

“It’s the door…” Glory says, her voice fading “...probably Meagan.”

“Ok, I’ll go let her in…” Kurt stands up but then pauses.  He turns to face Glory with a look of surprise on his face. “...wait, Meagan as in Meagan Collins?”

“Yes.” Glory answers.  Kurt just stares at his wife for several moments with no words.  Nothing comes from Glory either.  Finally Kurt just sighs.

“I won’t ask.” Kurt walks off, exiting the living room.  Glory sighs with a sense of regret.  She knows that her husband is not happy about her new working relationship with Meagan Collins.  Glory may seem to have the upper hand, she may seem to have her over a barrel, but Kurt and Glory both know that Meagan is very manipulative and cannot be trusted.  Still, it is someone like Meagan who can play a vital role in helping Glory achieve the firm grip she wants to have over her company.

As for Meagan, she will be loyal to Glory Braddock.  She has no choice but to be loyal.  Thanks to evidence obtained by private investigator Seth Rogers, Glory now has the photographs and documentation needed to blackmail Meagan into loyalty.  If Meagan wants to stay off of the front page of the daily news, then she will do whatever Glory asks of her.

A few moments later Meagan Collins emerges into the living room.  Typically Meagan is dressed in the finer attire but today Meagan is dressed relaxed, wearing tight denim jeans, black boots, and a plain white t-shirt.

Glory cannot help herself as she stands up and opens her arms up wide for a hug. She is taunting Meagan and knows it.  Is it wrong to taunt her?  Maybe.  But Meagan has done far worse things in her past.  And it is these crimes that Glory is holding over her head as blackmail.  Meagan is getting everything she deserves and then some.  Glory feels no pity or remorse.

Meagan does not accept the hug, instead walks over to the sofa and sits down. Glory tilts her head to one side and frowns.

“What’s wrong, Megs?  No hug?”

“What do you want, Ms. Braddock?”

Glory snickers nastily. “See?  This is why I knew you and I would make a bloody great team.  You want to get right down to business and so do I.” The British Bombshell walks back over to the sofa and sits down next to Meagan. “It does help that we live only an hour and a half away from each other!  It allows us to see so much more of each other!”

“Wonderful.” Meagan remarks, with a clear hint of sarcasm in her voice.

“It is wonderful and I am so glad to hear you say that it is wonderful, after all, we are going to become fast friends.  We are going to be seeing a lot more of one another.”

“What do you want?” Meagan asks, repeating her earlier question.  Glory decides it is now time for her to get serious as well.  Very few get to treat Meagan Collins like this and she isn’t going to squander this opportunity.

“Oh, well my husband and I were just watching the news and we saw how Matthew Alan was indicted by a grand jury.  That pretty much eliminates him as a threat to my company.  And I am thrilled by that, but you know that everyone has their weakness. Every Superman has a kryptonite.  And you know what mine is, right Meagan?”

Meagan doesn’t answer right away.  She keeps her eyes steadfastly locked upon Glory’s.  This silence begins to irritate The British Bombshell.  She growls lightly under her breath before repeating the question.

“Don’t play games with me, Meagan.  I know how you operate as a businesswoman.  You always analyze the competition.  You always try to find their weakness.  I’ve been one of your biggest rivals in the wrestling ring and only recently did I emerge as a rival in the corporate world.  Surely you have worked out what my one weakness is?”

There is another long, tense pause.  Finally Meagan smirks...almost as if she finally feels that confidence reemerging.

“You’re a rank amateur when it comes to business.” Meagan answers with a sly grin.  Glory sighs and nods her head in confirmation.

“I wouldn’t quite call myself a rank amateur but yes, I am not as knowledgeable about business as I would like to be.  My inexperience caused me to lose my company to Henry Van Stanton. And then I lost my identity to Aphrodite Noel.  But while she took my identity she gave me valuable knowledge of the corporate world.  And once I regained my identity, I used the knowledge I obtained from Noel to retake my company.  That knowledge also has been of assistance in helping me get you in the situation you find yourself in...subservient to me.”

“Then why don’t you go running to mommy and ask for her help instead of crawling to me?!” Meagan growls angrily.  This was a mistake by Meagan in her attempt to provoke Glory and she realizes it the moment Glory reaches over and snatches her by the throat.

“SHUT UP!” Glory exclaims loudly. “SHUT UP NOW OR…”

“...or what?!” Meagan asks, almost daring Glory to pull the trigger and squeeze the life out of her.  Thankfully, cooler heads prevail and Braddock releases her grip upon Meagan.

“I apologize, Meagan.  I may have overreacted.”

“Overreacted?!” Meagan exclaims in shock, rubbing her throat.

“For years she played with my mind.  She got in my head and for years I couldn’t get her out.  It’s the reason I lost the company.  I still suffer minor bouts of PTSD from that experience.  Nothing noticeable to anyone but it’s there.  So for your sake, don’t bring it up again.”

“Yeah...I understand…”

“Good.  Now then, like I said the business world is not my strong suit.  I can defeat anyone in the wrestling ring but in the corporate world I still do not know all of the tricks of the trade.  You do.  I want to learn from you.  And one thing I want to learn from you right now involves Matthew Alan’s family.  He has just been indicted on federal charges.  He poses no threat to me, I understand that.  But what about the rest of his family?”

Meagan pauses for a moment to consider the question.  She has had many dealings with this family and it is for this reason that Glory Braddock wanted to have her assistance in this matter.

“His daughter has no interest whatsoever in business.”

“Geneva?” Glory asks.  Meagan nods her head in confirmation.

“Right, she just wants to be a wrestler.  But Matthew’s sister, Aurora Alan, is a different story altogether.  All she has ever done is business, but never the wrestling business.”

“What can you tell me about her?”

“Aurora in many ways is a perfect foil to her brother.  As sleazy and criminal as he was, she was every bit the perfect angel.  Everything she has done in the corporate world she has done fair and square, legitimately.  She earned everything she has ever received.”

“So she’s squeaky clean?” Glory asks.  Meagan nods her head.

“You could say that, yeah.”

“Bloody hell.  What are the chances she may be interested in going after my company?”

“Hard to say.” Meagan remarks. “I mean, she has never showed any interest in wrestling before but then again, her family started your company.  There are members of the Board of Directors who were there when Matthew Alan ran the company.  They may encourage her to go after you.”

“So we need to get rid of her?  We need to find some dirt on her so that…”

“Did you not listen to me?!” Meagan exclaims. “I told you that there was NO dirt on Aurora!  She has done nothing wrong!”

“Then we’ll make something up!”

Meagan arches her brow out of shock upon hearing Glory Braddock suggest this.  Then a sinister grin forms upon Meagan’s face.

“Are you sure you want to do that?  I mean, I can do that.  I’ve done it before, as you well know, but do YOU want to go there?  You’re already walking a very thin line here Ms. Braddock, but if you fabricate evidence against Aurora Alan, you would be firmly in the criminal realm with little old me.”

The British Bombshell stares at Meagan Collins for a few moments.  She allows her words to sink in and, eventually, the wisdom behind them takes over.  Glory shakes her head.

“Fine...that option is off the table, for now…”

“For now?” Meagan asks with a smirk. “When is it coming back ON the table?”

“None of your business.  Just tell me what you would suggest I do about this?”

“Honestly, your problems all come from one source; the Board of Directors.  You have enemies on the Board of Directors.  People who tolerate you but would rather see someone else running your company.  Some of them you will never win over because they just hate you.  But there are those on the fence whom you can either win over or at least have them become supporters.  You should focus on those who are on the fence.”

“How do I get them on my side?”

“First you need to ask yourself WHY are they on the fence.” Meagan grins from ear to ear. “And little Megs knows why they are on the fence.” Meagan points a long slender finger at Glory.

“They do not trust your mental capacity.  You said it yourself, you are still suffering some minor PTSD from your dealings with Aphrodite Noel and at the risk of getting choked out again I have to ask...just what the hell did she do to get inside your head that much?  Clearly she is still there otherwise you wouldn’t have tried to murder me just a few minutes ago.”

The risk of Glory choking Meagan out is a legitimate one as The British Bombshell does consider it.  Glory holds off.  She needs Meagan right now.  Glory sighs deeply as she begins to recall memories from a long time ago.

“I was a different person back then.  I was more of a practical joker.  Hell, I probably would have gotten along with the likes of Ace Marshall back then rather than fight with him like I’d going to do in a week at Retribution.  I was tough, I was a badass, but I was just as much of a clown as him and it was all because I thought I was strong.  I thought I was unstoppable.  But Aphrodite exposed me.  Just as I hold something over on you, she held something over my head and she used it to take away my identity.  Everything that made me who I was she stripped away and replaced it with her version of who she thought I should be.  I became her daughter.  When the Board got wind that Aphrodite controlled me they used that as an excuse to throw me out and install Henry Van Stanton.”  Braddock wipes a tear from her eye.

“I needed help but I escaped her control.  And I eventually reclaimed my identity.  But I never fully reclaimed all of my identity.” She taps her forehead. “A part of her is still there and I don’t think I will ever get rid of her completely.  I’m resigned to the fact that the old Glory Braddock will never come back.”

“And that’s what happened to your sister then, isn’t it?” Meagan asks. Glory nods her head.

“Yes, Aphrodite did the same thing to my sister Julia.  She had worse stuff held over Julia’s head, though.”

“What kind of stuff?” Meagan asks curiously. Glory smirks.

“Nice try but I’m not telling you.  She did blackmail Julia and like me she stripped away her identity, she made her into her daughter, though Julia took the next big step of rejecting her own family name and renaming herself Chastity Noel.”

“That’s surprising.  Obviously she didn’t get to you as bad as she did to your sister.”

“Well she almost did.” Glory remarks. “At my lowest of low points I considered completely renaming myself.  It was at that point that I realized that I needed to fight back.  And here I am today, not completely cured but almost…”

Meagan grins from ear to ear, an idea has popped into her head “I think you just gave yourself the solution to your own problem.”

“What are you talking about?” Glory asks.

“I’m talking about a way to win over enough of those worrisome Board members in a way that is squeaky clean and not criminal at all.  Though it may be slightly immoral.  So how immoral are you willing to be, Ms. Braddock?” Meagan asks with a sinister grin.

“Just tell me your plan.”

“Those Board members just want some confirmation that you are no longer influenced by Aphrodite Noel.  You’re all buddy-buddy with your sister again who clearly is influenced by Aphrodite and the Board doesn’t like that.  So what you could do is be the good and kind sister you are and get Julia, Chastity, or whatever her name is the professional help she needs.”

Braddock’s eyes grow wide with shock.  Then she narrows her eyes into a glare at Meagan. “You want me to get my sister institutionalized?”

“Aphrodite would hate you.  Your family would hate you.  But the Board of Directors would be solidly in your corner.  Hell, even your enemies on the Board would have no justifiable reason to oppose you, because you would have proven to them and everyone else that you are in no way influenced by Noel.”

The British Bombshell shakes her head furiously. “No! Out of the question!  I will not do that to my own family!”

“Suit yourself.” Meagan shrugs. “I’m only here to offer advice.”

“Just leave!” Glory angrily points towards the door. “Leave and think of better advice!”

“Will do...Ms. Braddock…” Meagan playfully salutes as she gets up off of the sofa, blows Glory a kiss, and then walks off.  Once she hears the door shut Glory pulls out her cell phone.  She dials a number and waits.

“Yes, Bob?  This is Glory.  Please contact Mason Van Stanton for me.  I have an idea…”