Post by matt on Dec 21, 2022 13:27:11 GMT -6
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Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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The incidents and events surrounding the life of Glory Braddock would have broken most ordinary individuals. These incidents would have rocked someone as tough and rugged as The British Bombshell to the core. Braddock has heard rumors and talk of a faction within her corporate board of directors plotting a hostile takeover to push her out of power, she has learned her that her oldest daughter Melinda Braddock is yet again dating arch nemesis Clyde Sutter, and to top it all off, Glory’s mother, Mary Kurinsky, has passed away, leaving Braddock without either one of her parents. Those close to her noticed the decline in her mental state. Notably Kurt Logan, her husband, noticed how his beloved wife Glory seemed to decline into madness after these three incidents occurred all at once, as if they were planned by some sadistic designer just to see how much she could take.
Yet suddenly the London native began to get better. She was calm, cool, and collected. It was as if she had no problems in the world. In fact, she began to have a run of success. She would go on to win the SCW United States Championship at Apocalypse. And despite losing it the next month at Under Attack, Braddock would not let that loss bring her down. In fact, she would go on one month later to win the MWE World Championship at their five year anniversary show, marking her seventeenth overall career world championship victory.
Most of her friends and family have simply shrugged it off as Glory doing what Glory does best. She is a fighter and a survivor. Glory can endure the most difficult and challenging of circumstances. This was no different. She refused to let the talk of a hostile takeover distract her, she refused to let her daughter’s drama distract her, and she refused to let the grief of the loss of her mother distract her. She continued to fight on and she earned two more championship victories. And now she stands on the precipice of yet another history making moment; with Chance Owens and Josh Hudson as her tag team partners, Glory Braddock could win her third Trios Tournament. A record setting achievement, to be sure. Even with the prospect of having to team with Hudson, a man whom she has been feuding with for the better part of 2022, Glory is still confident that her success will lead her to a Trios Tournament victory. And her friends and family do not find any of that unusual. That is just Glory Braddock being Glory Braddock.
Kurt Logan knows better. He knows her better than anyone else because Glory is his wife. He knows that something does not add up, that there is something hidden underneath the surface that The British Bombshell is refusing to reveal to the rest of the world, including himself. His wife is good at putting on a good front for the public. But in private she rarely is able to have such a quick emotional turnaround as the one she has just recently had. None of it makes sense to Kurt but he does intend to talk to his wife, to try and wrap his head around this.
Glory and her family are finishing up dinner in their luxurious dining room in their home at Miami, Florida. Kurt is currently washing the dishes but is keeping a close eye on his wife, who sits at the head of the table dressed in a knee length royal purple skirt, a matching purple blouse, and high heel sandals. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. Sitting perpendicular, to Glory’s left, is her youngest daughter Dawn, who has eaten most but not all of her roast beef dinner this evening. She is poking her remaining food with a fork but clearly is uninterested in finishing it. Kurt uses this opportunity to get his wife alone.
“Dawnie…” Kurt says in a sweet tone as he stops doing dishes long enough to turn and face his daughter “...are you going to finish that?”
“Nah…” Dawn says with a sigh.
“Well if you’re done you can go on upstairs to your room and play.”
“But mom said I had to finish it.”
“Don’t worry.” Kurt says as he kisses her on the head. “I think mom will find it in her heart to let you go.” He looks up at Glory and winks. Dawn looks at her hopefully. Braddock finally nods her head, giving in to her daughter and husband’s pressure.
“Yeah, right, run along then, Dawn.”
“Are you sure, mom?”
“I’m sure.” Glory smiles warmly at her daughter. “Go and have fun.”
“Yaaaaay!” Dawn happily hops off the chair she was just sitting in and bolts out of the room. Once she is gone Kurt chuckles softly to himself.
“I wish I still had her energy.”
“If we could bottle and sell it we’d be millionaires.”
“I think you’re already making plenty of cash, Miss Money Bags.” Kurt says as he takes Dawn’s plate off the table and brings it to the kitchen sink. “Between Glorious Golden Enterprise, wrestling for SCW, and wrestling for MWE, you are making a boatload of money. You, me, Dawn, we’re living quite comfortably. Dare I say, we live in the lap of luxury.”
“Yes but what good is it, love?” Glory says as she watches her husband begin the process of washing Dawn’s plate along with the other plates and dishes in the kitchen sink. “You’re still doing everything around the house.”
“And the problem with that is what, exactly?” Kurt says with a sly grin. “I am a retired wrestler. You don’t need me working at the wrestling school, you have plenty of trainers there. So the only thing I am good for is to be a stay at home husband. A Stepford Husband, if you will. Isn’t that every woman’s dream? A man who will serve his wife hand and foot?”
“It IS tempting.” Glory says with a soft bit of laughter. “But that is not what I want and you know it.” The British Bombshell rises up out of her chair. She walks over to the kitchen sink and lovingly embraces her husband in a soft hug. “I love you, Kurt, and I want to be with you. I want to spend time with you and with our daughter, with Dawn. I do worry that I’m missing out on so much because of exactly what you said…I run a successful business, I wrestle for SCW, I wrestle for MWE…there is so much on my plate that I miss time with you and my daughters.” She sighs and wipes a tear from her eye. “You saw what happened with Melinda.”
“Melinda is fine.”
“The hell she is!” Glory exclaims. “She’s dating Clyde Sutter again. He is a dangerous man.”
“Melinda says that he has changed. Don’t you trust our daughter’s judgment?”
“I do trust her judgment but…” she sighs and shakes her head “...just look at her! She’s not following in my footsteps. She’s not following the Braddock code.”
“She’s doing her own thing. Children will eventually go on to take different paths from their parents. It is bound to happen.”
“But I know what’s best for them. If I had been there for Melinda things would be different. But I wasn’t there to guide her. Sutter was there to guide her and now look at her. Things will be different for Dawn.” She motions to the dishes. “That’s why this needs to change.”
“Doing dishes?” Kurt grins sheepishly. “I didn’t realize having clean dishes was a problem.”
“Not the dishes, love. It’s the fact that you are doing them. It’s the fact that sometimes I have to do them. Why should either of us have to do anything around here when we have enough cash to pay for a housekeeper, or a regular staff even?”
“We discussed this already…” Kurt says, his voice trailing off. Glory nods her head.
“Yes, and I think it’s time we went with it. I already had the interviews and found some promising prospects.”
“One of which is Jacob Samson.” Kurt says pointedly.
“Yes, Julia fired him and he needs work to keep himself out of trouble. I’m doing a good deed.”
“Right, and none of that has to do with payback, revenge against him for what he did to your sister in getting her hooked on drugs and nearly ruining her life?”
“That’s just icing on the cake, love.” Glory kisses Kurt on the cheek. “We would have a permanent staff who could look after the house and you and Dawn could travel with me on the road. We would never again have to be separated. Isn’t that just lovely?”
“Yes, it definitely sounds great.”
“Then why don’t we pull the trigger and do it?” Glory says smiling like a Cheshire Cat. “We have the money. Why don’t we use it to make our lives even more comfortable?”
“Your logic is perfectly sound.” Kurt taps Glory’s forehead. “The only problem is that I know something is wrong in there.”
“What do you mean?” Glory asks.
“You have been a wrestler since 2008. You have had that company of yours since 2012. When your father passed away a few years ago, you inherited most of his estate. You have had the wealth and resources to make this a reality for a long time now and yet only now you decide to make it a reality.”
“Kurt…” before she can finish her thought, Kurt interrupts her by pointing to a chair.
“Just sit and listen. Because you have been acting differently. Most haven’t picked up on it, not even Dawn has picked up on it, but I have picked up on it.” Braddock rolls her eyes.
“Different? How am I acting any differently?”
“Sit and I’ll explain.”
“Fine.” Glory sits down in one of the chairs and folds her arms over her chest. Kurt sits down next to her.
“Gloria, when your mother died you took it really hard. In fact, when you were receiving friends you ran out of the building crying hysterically. You broke down.”
“My mother died.” Glory says softly. It is clear that she is trying to block out that painful memory. “I was grieving. But I am fine now.”
“Are you really fine?” Kurt takes his wife’s hand and squeezes it tightly. “What you did that night was normal for a daughter grieving the loss of her mother. No one would have thought that what you did that night was unusual.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong is how quickly you turned around after that incident.” He snaps his fingers. “Its as if you flipped a switch and BAM! Instantly you are over her death, you have moved on, and everything is fine.” He shakes his head. “That is not normal behavior for a daughter who had just lost her mother.”
“Fine…” she sighs and nods her head “...you’re right, I did take the loss of my mum very hard. Extremely hard. And I will even go as far as to admit that I was on the brink of losing my mind. But I managed to find a way to handle the grief and the pain. Now I’m all better.”
“How did you handle the pain?” Kurt asks, pressing for more information. “What did you do exactly?”
“Does it matter? I’m better now. Mentally and emotionally I am in a good place. That’s all that matters.” Glory gets up and starts to walk away from her husband. Kurt stands up and decides it’s time to confront her with his suspicions.
“It DOES matter if what helped you to get to this point was Aphrodite.” Kurt states. Braddock stops dead in her tracks upon hearing this. She is silent but her silence speaks volumes. “It was Aphrodite, wasn’t it?” Kurt approaches his wife who still remains motionless. He steps in front of her. She is staring at him emotionlessly. “You have been taking an awful lot of so-called ‘business trips’ lately. That is what raised the red flags for me because you quit running the company. You let Aurora Alan and Francis Taylor run the company. You quit micromanaging things after the first time the board tried to take control of the company away from you. So I know that not all of those trips you took were business trips. You have been seeing Aphrodite Noel again, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I admit it.” She nods her head. “I have been visiting with her more often now.”
“You’re seeing her again in the middle of possible takeover rumors?” Kurt shakes his head. “That’s dangerous, Glory. The board took control of the company from you that one time years ago because you…”
“Because why? Because I disowned my family and declared myself a child of Aphrodite? They thought I was insane. All I needed was advice, Mother gave me that advice I needed; advice that helped propel my company to a powerhouse, advice that made me more money. For a time I pretended that I was no longer involved with her, just to appease the board of directors. But good advice is exactly what I need right now especially now that I am dealing with a potential hostile takeover yet again.”
“You need to be careful. I was there the last time you were close to Aphrodite. You said it turned you into a monster. Are you seriously going to risk becoming that monster again just to deal with a corporate takeover that may not even exist?”
“I have no choice!” Glory exclaims. “It isn’t just my company that I need help with…I’m also in danger of losing my oldest daughter to Clyde Sutter…I need help, I need guidance.”
“Trust your own judgment.” Kurt says as he lovingly places his hands on Glory’s shoulders. She shakes her head.
“I don’t trust my judgment. Not anymore.”
“But why her?” Kurt asks out of frustration. “Why Aphrodite?”
“It was my therapist’s suggestion. I went to see her shortly after my mom’s death. I was on the brink of madness and I went to see the therapist as a last resort. The therapist told me to find someone I was close to, someone I trusted, someone who was like a role model. Aphrodite is that person.”
“If your therapist knew who you had in mind I doubt sincerely he would have suggested that.” Kurt shakes his head. “You and her are too close.”
“Why? All she has ever done was help me. She helped me once before, giving me the corporate knowledge and political acumen to make my company a powerhouse. She has once again helped me, helped me to move on past the grief and pain of my mother’s death. All she wants in return is for me to be her daughter. And whether you like it or not, I am going to be her daughter.” Kurt looks into his wife’s eyes, past the steely eyed determination, and he can see pain.
“You’re serious about this aren’t you?”
“Losing my mother nearly sent me over the edge. The grief caused me to break. In the darkest point of my depression I realized that the only way out was to have a mother. Aphrodite is my mother now.”
“But it’s not real.”
“No, it’s not.” She nods her head in agreement. “But if living out a fantasy helps numb the pain then just leave me alone to live out my fantasy.”
And with that, The British Bombshell turns and walks off. Kurt can only watch as his wife storms away. He senses something else is wrong, that maybe there is something else she isn’t telling him. He just can’t put his finger on it. He worries about his wife but he feels powerless. He feels as if he can’t do anything to help her.
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Northern Ireland
Off Camera
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A few days has passed since Glory Braddock finally admitted to her husband that she has been seeing Aphrodite Noel again. This was a conversation she has long dreaded. She wasn’t cheating on Kurt; Glory’s relationship with Aphrodite isn’t like that. Braddock acknowledges Aphrodite as her mother and is obedient to her as a daughter is obedient to her mother. This is a renewal of a relationship they had once before, a few years ago and Kurt was there to witness firsthand what it did to his wife back then. She became ruthless, cutthroat, and a downright “monster” in Glory’s own words. Her own behavior during this time led to the board of directors taking control of her company away from her due to her questionable mental stability. Kurt himself did not trust Aphrodite and did not like the influence she held over his wife. He tolerated it due to the fact that Glory loved Aphrodite so much. That’s all it was; toleration. Glory knew that her husband only tolerated the mother-daughter relationship they had forged. She knew that Kurt was thrilled to learn that Glory that she was going to distance herself from Aphrodite. And she knew that Kurt would not be pleased to learn that she has recently renewed her relationship with this woman.
The British Bombshell gave her husband a clear ultimatum; deal with it or leave. She made it abundantly clear that her relationship with Aphrodite would not end anytime soon and that he should just learn to deal with it. He dealt with it and tolerated it once before, Glory is hopeful that by the time she gets finished with Breakdown in a few days he will be accepting of this new normal and new reality for Glory Braddock. She is hopeful that he will once again be ready to tolerate it.
Unfortunately, there is still at least one big secret that Glory Braddock has yet to reveal to her husband. It is a secret so big, so scandalous, that she is not certain her husband is quite ready to hear it just yet. Sure, he may be able to tolerate his wife having this unique and unusual mother-daughter relationship with Aphrodite Noel, but would he be able to tolerate the fact that his wife is now sleeping with and having an active affair with her longtime childhood best friend Sophie O’Brian?
The truth is that a romantic relationship between Glory and Sophie is something Sophie has long sought after, not so much Glory. But it was Sophie who has been loyal to Glory and her family their entire lives. Every single time Glory found herself in trouble, Sophie was there to bail her out. Sophie’s loyalty to the Braddock family has known no bounds. She would do anything for the Braddock family. Sophie has always longed for, lusted after, Glory but never once said a word, never asked for it, knowing that her friend would reject it. So what has changed? Glory became Aphrodite’s daughter in exchange for Aphrodite’s advice, guidance, and love. It made sense in Glory’s now twisted, unbalanced mind that if Sophie has been so loyal and giving to her for so long that Glory should in return give Sophie the one thing Sophie has longed for.
Breakdown is in Houson, Texas in a few days. Kurt Logan thinks that his wife is on her way there this moment. Braddock will be on her way to Houston for the beginning of the SCW Trios Tournament but only after spending a day with Sophie in her home of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Glory finds herself in a luxurious dining room, one of many in Sophie’s newly inherited mansion. She is dressed for the occasion in a black long sleeve sequin cocktail dress with heels. Sophie sits across the table from her in a sleeveless teal cocktail dress and high heeled sandals.
“Do you like the steak?” Sophie asks, her voice echoing in the large dining room. Glory nods her head as she takes a sip of her red wine.
“Delicious.”
“Excellent. I was going to fire my chef if it were anything less.” A butler enters the dining room carrying a bottle of wine. He approaches Sophie.
“More wine, Ms. O’Brian?”
“Yes.” He pours her some wine. He turns and approaches Glory.
“More wine, Ms. Braddock?”
“What was that?” She asks with an arched brow.
“Do you want more wine?”
“No, my name.” Glory states, shaking her head. “In this house I am Lindsey Noel, daughter of Aphrodite Noel, and you will refer to me as such. Are we clear?”
“Yes, my apologies, Ms. Noel.”
“And the answer is no, I don’t want any more wine at this moment.” The butler nods his head and walks off. Braddock sighs and shakes her head in frustration.
“I apologize for the behavior of my staff. I will fire him post haste, my love.”
“Thank you.” Glory answers. “Still, even having incompetent staff is better than having no staff at all.”
“It does have its perks.” Sophie admits as she drinks some of her wine. “Have you discussed hiring staff with your husband?”
“Yes. I think I finally have talked him into it. It’s just a matter of how many people we hire. It is just what I needed, Sophie. It will allow me more time to spend with Kurt and our daughter Dawn.”
“Family is very important indeed.” Sophie says before making a motion with her index finger for Glory to approach. Braddock immediately rises up out of her chair and approaches Sophie. “Sit.” Sophie motions to her lap. Glory nods and sits on Sophie’s lap. “So tell me something, how does it feel to live a fantasy? How does it feel to be Lindsey Noel?”
“It feels wonderful!” Glory exclaims, shutting her eyes and smiling wide. It looks as if the blonde is in ecstasy.
“Even though you are under threat of a corporate takeover? Even though your daughter is dating a man you believe to be an abuser? Even though your biological mother has died? All of that and you still feel wonderful?” Sophie asks. Glory nods her head.
“I know all of what you just mentioned is true. But this fantasy I am living out…it is like a very strong opioid. All of that emotional and mental pain is numbed. I don’t feel it anymore. I don’t care. As long as I have Mother, as long as I have Aphrodite, I know I will be fine.” Glory kisses Sophie on the lips. “And I have you to thank, Sophie. You convinced me to take the risk. I had been tempted to reach out to her for so long but I had resisted the temptation due to the risks. But you convinced me to give in to the temptation, to become who I was truly meant to be.”
“And just look at what you have accomplished since ridding yourself of that excess pressure you had put upon yourself; in the span of two months you won the SCW United States Championship and then the MWE World Championship. And in a few days you begin your quest in the Trios Tournament, what could be your third Trios Tournament victory.” Sophie states definitively. Glory shakes her head.
“No…it WILL be my third Trios victory.”
“Even though you have to team with Hudson?”
“You forget, I got my start in 2008 as a tag team specialist. Also I already have won two Trios Tournaments. I can team with anyone, friend or foe, and make the team work. This will be…” Braddock’s rant is interrupted when she hears her cell phone ringing. She rolls her eyes. “...bloody hell! Who the hell is calling me at this hour? I thought I told everyone to leave me alone?”
“Who is it?” Sophie ask curiously. Glory pops out her cell phone and takes a look. Her eyes grow wide.
“It’s Aurora.” She says, referring to Aurora Alan, a minority shareholder and current CEO of her company. “I’m sorry, Sophie, but I must take this.”
“Of course.”
Braddock straightens herself up as she goes into another room, a fancy living room that is even nicer than the dining room. Braddock sits down on a nearby sofa and looks at her phone again. It is a FaceTime request. Glory answers it. Immediately she sees Aurora Alan, presumably live from the corporate headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Is something wrong?”
“You seem in a pleasant mood, Glory. Is that how you normally answer your calls?”
“Sorry about that, mate. I was just a little busy.”
“It looks like it. Are you and Kurt out at some fancy party?”
“No, it’s just me. I’m handling some personal business and I really should get back to it.
“Fair enough, I will try to make it as quick as possible. Do you remember how you spoke to me about a potential corporate takeover attempt?” Braddock nods her head. She does recall asking Aurora Alan to look into this matter for her. She does not fully trust Aurora Alan though. Aurora’s older brother Matthew Alan founded the company that Glory now owns. There are many within the company that are still loyal to The Alan Family and would love to see them return to power. But Aurora does strike Glory as honest, even to a fault, so she does believe Aurora would potentially get her the information she needs.
“Did you find something?”
“I’m sure you remember the time about two years ago when the FBI investigated the company thanks to Meagan Collins.”
“Yeah. Her connections to organized crime nearly got us into serious trouble.”
“Apparently Floyd Ryan, the board member who approached you with this warning of a hostile takeover from within the company, he has strong connections to organized crime; the SAME connections Meagan Collins has.”
You’re kidding me?!” Glory is stunned at this news. Aurora shakes her head.
“No joke, Glory. I would be careful with Floyd Ryan and his niece Jamie. If there is any potential plan to takeover this company, it would come from them. They are the only remaining members of the board with criminal ties.”
“That was helpful, Aurora. Thank you for looking into this for me.”
“It was my pleasure, Glory.” With that the call is disconnected. Braddock puts her phone away. She turns her head ever so slightly to see Sophie standing a few feet away. “How much of that conversation did you hear?”
“All of it.” Sophie casually makes her way over and sits down next to Glory. “So, do you want my advice, love?”
“Of course.”
“Sun Tzu says, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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The incidents and events surrounding the life of Glory Braddock would have broken most ordinary individuals. These incidents would have rocked someone as tough and rugged as The British Bombshell to the core. Braddock has heard rumors and talk of a faction within her corporate board of directors plotting a hostile takeover to push her out of power, she has learned her that her oldest daughter Melinda Braddock is yet again dating arch nemesis Clyde Sutter, and to top it all off, Glory’s mother, Mary Kurinsky, has passed away, leaving Braddock without either one of her parents. Those close to her noticed the decline in her mental state. Notably Kurt Logan, her husband, noticed how his beloved wife Glory seemed to decline into madness after these three incidents occurred all at once, as if they were planned by some sadistic designer just to see how much she could take.
Yet suddenly the London native began to get better. She was calm, cool, and collected. It was as if she had no problems in the world. In fact, she began to have a run of success. She would go on to win the SCW United States Championship at Apocalypse. And despite losing it the next month at Under Attack, Braddock would not let that loss bring her down. In fact, she would go on one month later to win the MWE World Championship at their five year anniversary show, marking her seventeenth overall career world championship victory.
Most of her friends and family have simply shrugged it off as Glory doing what Glory does best. She is a fighter and a survivor. Glory can endure the most difficult and challenging of circumstances. This was no different. She refused to let the talk of a hostile takeover distract her, she refused to let her daughter’s drama distract her, and she refused to let the grief of the loss of her mother distract her. She continued to fight on and she earned two more championship victories. And now she stands on the precipice of yet another history making moment; with Chance Owens and Josh Hudson as her tag team partners, Glory Braddock could win her third Trios Tournament. A record setting achievement, to be sure. Even with the prospect of having to team with Hudson, a man whom she has been feuding with for the better part of 2022, Glory is still confident that her success will lead her to a Trios Tournament victory. And her friends and family do not find any of that unusual. That is just Glory Braddock being Glory Braddock.
Kurt Logan knows better. He knows her better than anyone else because Glory is his wife. He knows that something does not add up, that there is something hidden underneath the surface that The British Bombshell is refusing to reveal to the rest of the world, including himself. His wife is good at putting on a good front for the public. But in private she rarely is able to have such a quick emotional turnaround as the one she has just recently had. None of it makes sense to Kurt but he does intend to talk to his wife, to try and wrap his head around this.
Glory and her family are finishing up dinner in their luxurious dining room in their home at Miami, Florida. Kurt is currently washing the dishes but is keeping a close eye on his wife, who sits at the head of the table dressed in a knee length royal purple skirt, a matching purple blouse, and high heel sandals. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. Sitting perpendicular, to Glory’s left, is her youngest daughter Dawn, who has eaten most but not all of her roast beef dinner this evening. She is poking her remaining food with a fork but clearly is uninterested in finishing it. Kurt uses this opportunity to get his wife alone.
“Dawnie…” Kurt says in a sweet tone as he stops doing dishes long enough to turn and face his daughter “...are you going to finish that?”
“Nah…” Dawn says with a sigh.
“Well if you’re done you can go on upstairs to your room and play.”
“But mom said I had to finish it.”
“Don’t worry.” Kurt says as he kisses her on the head. “I think mom will find it in her heart to let you go.” He looks up at Glory and winks. Dawn looks at her hopefully. Braddock finally nods her head, giving in to her daughter and husband’s pressure.
“Yeah, right, run along then, Dawn.”
“Are you sure, mom?”
“I’m sure.” Glory smiles warmly at her daughter. “Go and have fun.”
“Yaaaaay!” Dawn happily hops off the chair she was just sitting in and bolts out of the room. Once she is gone Kurt chuckles softly to himself.
“I wish I still had her energy.”
“If we could bottle and sell it we’d be millionaires.”
“I think you’re already making plenty of cash, Miss Money Bags.” Kurt says as he takes Dawn’s plate off the table and brings it to the kitchen sink. “Between Glorious Golden Enterprise, wrestling for SCW, and wrestling for MWE, you are making a boatload of money. You, me, Dawn, we’re living quite comfortably. Dare I say, we live in the lap of luxury.”
“Yes but what good is it, love?” Glory says as she watches her husband begin the process of washing Dawn’s plate along with the other plates and dishes in the kitchen sink. “You’re still doing everything around the house.”
“And the problem with that is what, exactly?” Kurt says with a sly grin. “I am a retired wrestler. You don’t need me working at the wrestling school, you have plenty of trainers there. So the only thing I am good for is to be a stay at home husband. A Stepford Husband, if you will. Isn’t that every woman’s dream? A man who will serve his wife hand and foot?”
“It IS tempting.” Glory says with a soft bit of laughter. “But that is not what I want and you know it.” The British Bombshell rises up out of her chair. She walks over to the kitchen sink and lovingly embraces her husband in a soft hug. “I love you, Kurt, and I want to be with you. I want to spend time with you and with our daughter, with Dawn. I do worry that I’m missing out on so much because of exactly what you said…I run a successful business, I wrestle for SCW, I wrestle for MWE…there is so much on my plate that I miss time with you and my daughters.” She sighs and wipes a tear from her eye. “You saw what happened with Melinda.”
“Melinda is fine.”
“The hell she is!” Glory exclaims. “She’s dating Clyde Sutter again. He is a dangerous man.”
“Melinda says that he has changed. Don’t you trust our daughter’s judgment?”
“I do trust her judgment but…” she sighs and shakes her head “...just look at her! She’s not following in my footsteps. She’s not following the Braddock code.”
“She’s doing her own thing. Children will eventually go on to take different paths from their parents. It is bound to happen.”
“But I know what’s best for them. If I had been there for Melinda things would be different. But I wasn’t there to guide her. Sutter was there to guide her and now look at her. Things will be different for Dawn.” She motions to the dishes. “That’s why this needs to change.”
“Doing dishes?” Kurt grins sheepishly. “I didn’t realize having clean dishes was a problem.”
“Not the dishes, love. It’s the fact that you are doing them. It’s the fact that sometimes I have to do them. Why should either of us have to do anything around here when we have enough cash to pay for a housekeeper, or a regular staff even?”
“We discussed this already…” Kurt says, his voice trailing off. Glory nods her head.
“Yes, and I think it’s time we went with it. I already had the interviews and found some promising prospects.”
“One of which is Jacob Samson.” Kurt says pointedly.
“Yes, Julia fired him and he needs work to keep himself out of trouble. I’m doing a good deed.”
“Right, and none of that has to do with payback, revenge against him for what he did to your sister in getting her hooked on drugs and nearly ruining her life?”
“That’s just icing on the cake, love.” Glory kisses Kurt on the cheek. “We would have a permanent staff who could look after the house and you and Dawn could travel with me on the road. We would never again have to be separated. Isn’t that just lovely?”
“Yes, it definitely sounds great.”
“Then why don’t we pull the trigger and do it?” Glory says smiling like a Cheshire Cat. “We have the money. Why don’t we use it to make our lives even more comfortable?”
“Your logic is perfectly sound.” Kurt taps Glory’s forehead. “The only problem is that I know something is wrong in there.”
“What do you mean?” Glory asks.
“You have been a wrestler since 2008. You have had that company of yours since 2012. When your father passed away a few years ago, you inherited most of his estate. You have had the wealth and resources to make this a reality for a long time now and yet only now you decide to make it a reality.”
“Kurt…” before she can finish her thought, Kurt interrupts her by pointing to a chair.
“Just sit and listen. Because you have been acting differently. Most haven’t picked up on it, not even Dawn has picked up on it, but I have picked up on it.” Braddock rolls her eyes.
“Different? How am I acting any differently?”
“Sit and I’ll explain.”
“Fine.” Glory sits down in one of the chairs and folds her arms over her chest. Kurt sits down next to her.
“Gloria, when your mother died you took it really hard. In fact, when you were receiving friends you ran out of the building crying hysterically. You broke down.”
“My mother died.” Glory says softly. It is clear that she is trying to block out that painful memory. “I was grieving. But I am fine now.”
“Are you really fine?” Kurt takes his wife’s hand and squeezes it tightly. “What you did that night was normal for a daughter grieving the loss of her mother. No one would have thought that what you did that night was unusual.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong is how quickly you turned around after that incident.” He snaps his fingers. “Its as if you flipped a switch and BAM! Instantly you are over her death, you have moved on, and everything is fine.” He shakes his head. “That is not normal behavior for a daughter who had just lost her mother.”
“Fine…” she sighs and nods her head “...you’re right, I did take the loss of my mum very hard. Extremely hard. And I will even go as far as to admit that I was on the brink of losing my mind. But I managed to find a way to handle the grief and the pain. Now I’m all better.”
“How did you handle the pain?” Kurt asks, pressing for more information. “What did you do exactly?”
“Does it matter? I’m better now. Mentally and emotionally I am in a good place. That’s all that matters.” Glory gets up and starts to walk away from her husband. Kurt stands up and decides it’s time to confront her with his suspicions.
“It DOES matter if what helped you to get to this point was Aphrodite.” Kurt states. Braddock stops dead in her tracks upon hearing this. She is silent but her silence speaks volumes. “It was Aphrodite, wasn’t it?” Kurt approaches his wife who still remains motionless. He steps in front of her. She is staring at him emotionlessly. “You have been taking an awful lot of so-called ‘business trips’ lately. That is what raised the red flags for me because you quit running the company. You let Aurora Alan and Francis Taylor run the company. You quit micromanaging things after the first time the board tried to take control of the company away from you. So I know that not all of those trips you took were business trips. You have been seeing Aphrodite Noel again, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I admit it.” She nods her head. “I have been visiting with her more often now.”
“You’re seeing her again in the middle of possible takeover rumors?” Kurt shakes his head. “That’s dangerous, Glory. The board took control of the company from you that one time years ago because you…”
“Because why? Because I disowned my family and declared myself a child of Aphrodite? They thought I was insane. All I needed was advice, Mother gave me that advice I needed; advice that helped propel my company to a powerhouse, advice that made me more money. For a time I pretended that I was no longer involved with her, just to appease the board of directors. But good advice is exactly what I need right now especially now that I am dealing with a potential hostile takeover yet again.”
“You need to be careful. I was there the last time you were close to Aphrodite. You said it turned you into a monster. Are you seriously going to risk becoming that monster again just to deal with a corporate takeover that may not even exist?”
“I have no choice!” Glory exclaims. “It isn’t just my company that I need help with…I’m also in danger of losing my oldest daughter to Clyde Sutter…I need help, I need guidance.”
“Trust your own judgment.” Kurt says as he lovingly places his hands on Glory’s shoulders. She shakes her head.
“I don’t trust my judgment. Not anymore.”
“But why her?” Kurt asks out of frustration. “Why Aphrodite?”
“It was my therapist’s suggestion. I went to see her shortly after my mom’s death. I was on the brink of madness and I went to see the therapist as a last resort. The therapist told me to find someone I was close to, someone I trusted, someone who was like a role model. Aphrodite is that person.”
“If your therapist knew who you had in mind I doubt sincerely he would have suggested that.” Kurt shakes his head. “You and her are too close.”
“Why? All she has ever done was help me. She helped me once before, giving me the corporate knowledge and political acumen to make my company a powerhouse. She has once again helped me, helped me to move on past the grief and pain of my mother’s death. All she wants in return is for me to be her daughter. And whether you like it or not, I am going to be her daughter.” Kurt looks into his wife’s eyes, past the steely eyed determination, and he can see pain.
“You’re serious about this aren’t you?”
“Losing my mother nearly sent me over the edge. The grief caused me to break. In the darkest point of my depression I realized that the only way out was to have a mother. Aphrodite is my mother now.”
“But it’s not real.”
“No, it’s not.” She nods her head in agreement. “But if living out a fantasy helps numb the pain then just leave me alone to live out my fantasy.”
And with that, The British Bombshell turns and walks off. Kurt can only watch as his wife storms away. He senses something else is wrong, that maybe there is something else she isn’t telling him. He just can’t put his finger on it. He worries about his wife but he feels powerless. He feels as if he can’t do anything to help her.
==========
Northern Ireland
Off Camera
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A few days has passed since Glory Braddock finally admitted to her husband that she has been seeing Aphrodite Noel again. This was a conversation she has long dreaded. She wasn’t cheating on Kurt; Glory’s relationship with Aphrodite isn’t like that. Braddock acknowledges Aphrodite as her mother and is obedient to her as a daughter is obedient to her mother. This is a renewal of a relationship they had once before, a few years ago and Kurt was there to witness firsthand what it did to his wife back then. She became ruthless, cutthroat, and a downright “monster” in Glory’s own words. Her own behavior during this time led to the board of directors taking control of her company away from her due to her questionable mental stability. Kurt himself did not trust Aphrodite and did not like the influence she held over his wife. He tolerated it due to the fact that Glory loved Aphrodite so much. That’s all it was; toleration. Glory knew that her husband only tolerated the mother-daughter relationship they had forged. She knew that Kurt was thrilled to learn that Glory that she was going to distance herself from Aphrodite. And she knew that Kurt would not be pleased to learn that she has recently renewed her relationship with this woman.
The British Bombshell gave her husband a clear ultimatum; deal with it or leave. She made it abundantly clear that her relationship with Aphrodite would not end anytime soon and that he should just learn to deal with it. He dealt with it and tolerated it once before, Glory is hopeful that by the time she gets finished with Breakdown in a few days he will be accepting of this new normal and new reality for Glory Braddock. She is hopeful that he will once again be ready to tolerate it.
Unfortunately, there is still at least one big secret that Glory Braddock has yet to reveal to her husband. It is a secret so big, so scandalous, that she is not certain her husband is quite ready to hear it just yet. Sure, he may be able to tolerate his wife having this unique and unusual mother-daughter relationship with Aphrodite Noel, but would he be able to tolerate the fact that his wife is now sleeping with and having an active affair with her longtime childhood best friend Sophie O’Brian?
The truth is that a romantic relationship between Glory and Sophie is something Sophie has long sought after, not so much Glory. But it was Sophie who has been loyal to Glory and her family their entire lives. Every single time Glory found herself in trouble, Sophie was there to bail her out. Sophie’s loyalty to the Braddock family has known no bounds. She would do anything for the Braddock family. Sophie has always longed for, lusted after, Glory but never once said a word, never asked for it, knowing that her friend would reject it. So what has changed? Glory became Aphrodite’s daughter in exchange for Aphrodite’s advice, guidance, and love. It made sense in Glory’s now twisted, unbalanced mind that if Sophie has been so loyal and giving to her for so long that Glory should in return give Sophie the one thing Sophie has longed for.
Breakdown is in Houson, Texas in a few days. Kurt Logan thinks that his wife is on her way there this moment. Braddock will be on her way to Houston for the beginning of the SCW Trios Tournament but only after spending a day with Sophie in her home of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Glory finds herself in a luxurious dining room, one of many in Sophie’s newly inherited mansion. She is dressed for the occasion in a black long sleeve sequin cocktail dress with heels. Sophie sits across the table from her in a sleeveless teal cocktail dress and high heeled sandals.
“Do you like the steak?” Sophie asks, her voice echoing in the large dining room. Glory nods her head as she takes a sip of her red wine.
“Delicious.”
“Excellent. I was going to fire my chef if it were anything less.” A butler enters the dining room carrying a bottle of wine. He approaches Sophie.
“More wine, Ms. O’Brian?”
“Yes.” He pours her some wine. He turns and approaches Glory.
“More wine, Ms. Braddock?”
“What was that?” She asks with an arched brow.
“Do you want more wine?”
“No, my name.” Glory states, shaking her head. “In this house I am Lindsey Noel, daughter of Aphrodite Noel, and you will refer to me as such. Are we clear?”
“Yes, my apologies, Ms. Noel.”
“And the answer is no, I don’t want any more wine at this moment.” The butler nods his head and walks off. Braddock sighs and shakes her head in frustration.
“I apologize for the behavior of my staff. I will fire him post haste, my love.”
“Thank you.” Glory answers. “Still, even having incompetent staff is better than having no staff at all.”
“It does have its perks.” Sophie admits as she drinks some of her wine. “Have you discussed hiring staff with your husband?”
“Yes. I think I finally have talked him into it. It’s just a matter of how many people we hire. It is just what I needed, Sophie. It will allow me more time to spend with Kurt and our daughter Dawn.”
“Family is very important indeed.” Sophie says before making a motion with her index finger for Glory to approach. Braddock immediately rises up out of her chair and approaches Sophie. “Sit.” Sophie motions to her lap. Glory nods and sits on Sophie’s lap. “So tell me something, how does it feel to live a fantasy? How does it feel to be Lindsey Noel?”
“It feels wonderful!” Glory exclaims, shutting her eyes and smiling wide. It looks as if the blonde is in ecstasy.
“Even though you are under threat of a corporate takeover? Even though your daughter is dating a man you believe to be an abuser? Even though your biological mother has died? All of that and you still feel wonderful?” Sophie asks. Glory nods her head.
“I know all of what you just mentioned is true. But this fantasy I am living out…it is like a very strong opioid. All of that emotional and mental pain is numbed. I don’t feel it anymore. I don’t care. As long as I have Mother, as long as I have Aphrodite, I know I will be fine.” Glory kisses Sophie on the lips. “And I have you to thank, Sophie. You convinced me to take the risk. I had been tempted to reach out to her for so long but I had resisted the temptation due to the risks. But you convinced me to give in to the temptation, to become who I was truly meant to be.”
“And just look at what you have accomplished since ridding yourself of that excess pressure you had put upon yourself; in the span of two months you won the SCW United States Championship and then the MWE World Championship. And in a few days you begin your quest in the Trios Tournament, what could be your third Trios Tournament victory.” Sophie states definitively. Glory shakes her head.
“No…it WILL be my third Trios victory.”
“Even though you have to team with Hudson?”
“You forget, I got my start in 2008 as a tag team specialist. Also I already have won two Trios Tournaments. I can team with anyone, friend or foe, and make the team work. This will be…” Braddock’s rant is interrupted when she hears her cell phone ringing. She rolls her eyes. “...bloody hell! Who the hell is calling me at this hour? I thought I told everyone to leave me alone?”
“Who is it?” Sophie ask curiously. Glory pops out her cell phone and takes a look. Her eyes grow wide.
“It’s Aurora.” She says, referring to Aurora Alan, a minority shareholder and current CEO of her company. “I’m sorry, Sophie, but I must take this.”
“Of course.”
Braddock straightens herself up as she goes into another room, a fancy living room that is even nicer than the dining room. Braddock sits down on a nearby sofa and looks at her phone again. It is a FaceTime request. Glory answers it. Immediately she sees Aurora Alan, presumably live from the corporate headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Is something wrong?”
“You seem in a pleasant mood, Glory. Is that how you normally answer your calls?”
“Sorry about that, mate. I was just a little busy.”
“It looks like it. Are you and Kurt out at some fancy party?”
“No, it’s just me. I’m handling some personal business and I really should get back to it.
“Fair enough, I will try to make it as quick as possible. Do you remember how you spoke to me about a potential corporate takeover attempt?” Braddock nods her head. She does recall asking Aurora Alan to look into this matter for her. She does not fully trust Aurora Alan though. Aurora’s older brother Matthew Alan founded the company that Glory now owns. There are many within the company that are still loyal to The Alan Family and would love to see them return to power. But Aurora does strike Glory as honest, even to a fault, so she does believe Aurora would potentially get her the information she needs.
“Did you find something?”
“I’m sure you remember the time about two years ago when the FBI investigated the company thanks to Meagan Collins.”
“Yeah. Her connections to organized crime nearly got us into serious trouble.”
“Apparently Floyd Ryan, the board member who approached you with this warning of a hostile takeover from within the company, he has strong connections to organized crime; the SAME connections Meagan Collins has.”
You’re kidding me?!” Glory is stunned at this news. Aurora shakes her head.
“No joke, Glory. I would be careful with Floyd Ryan and his niece Jamie. If there is any potential plan to takeover this company, it would come from them. They are the only remaining members of the board with criminal ties.”
“That was helpful, Aurora. Thank you for looking into this for me.”
“It was my pleasure, Glory.” With that the call is disconnected. Braddock puts her phone away. She turns her head ever so slightly to see Sophie standing a few feet away. “How much of that conversation did you hear?”
“All of it.” Sophie casually makes her way over and sits down next to Glory. “So, do you want my advice, love?”
“Of course.”
“Sun Tzu says, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”