Post by matt on Jan 18, 2020 12:56:52 GMT -6
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January 4th, 2020
Raleigh, North Carolina
Off Camera
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Even before her debut as a professional wrestler in 2008, Glory Braddock knew what she wanted to do; make a positive impact for the sport of wrestling. Her family, beginning with Glenn Braddock himself, the patriarch of the family, has always worked hard to improve the sport and Glory knew that she would one day be responsible for continuing his legacy and mission. Now that her father has passed on, the entire mission of the Braddock family has fallen upon her shoulders. The Braddock family knows what is best for the sport of wrestling and she will do whatever it takes to make a positive difference in the sport. The only difference now is that The British Bombshell realizes that it will take more than just a successful in ring career to make the positive impact that she believes is necessary.
It is this motivation that drives her to now operate a wrestling promotion of her own, a promotion that not only hosts events but also trains the future generations of professional wrestlers. All of this is under the umbrella of her company; a company she will use to help shape the wrestling world in a positive way.
Corporate dealings never used to be her strong suit and perhaps this is why her corporate successes used to be little to none. Braddock looks to change that and she began at the end of the year 2019 when she merged her family wrestling school with her wrestling promotion, this way to allow her to more easily manage her corporate dealings. Instead of being an active wrestler and running two separate companies, she only has one company to deal with. Still, it is only a beginning and she knows that there is much yet to do if she is to accomplish her goals.
The British Bombshell finds herself in her corporate offices at Raleigh, North Carolina. Honestly, Glory Braddock would rather not be here right now. She would prefer to take care of business at her Miami residence, or even her birthplace of London, England where she still maintains a presence. Quite frankly, Braddock does not particularly care for the state of North Carolina but her company originated here. It was founded here. Eventually she could very well get the headquarters moved to either Miami or London but that is impossible right now. Glory already is unpopular with the Board of Directors and any attempt to move the headquarters of her company would make her even more unpopular. Thus she needs to maintain a presence here in North Carolina whether she wants to or not.
The office was painted grey, and it had only one floor-to-ceiling window, which faced the main road. On the grey desk sat a desktop computer, a notebook lying open, and a stack of papers sitting under a turtle-shaped paperweight. In a corner, the air conditioner was blasting at medium, and there was a swivel chair in the middle of the office. A bookshelf, bursting with books was in a corner, with yet another stack of papers under a paperweight that was shaped to look like a tuft of grass. A few pens were lying on the papers, but some had fallen onto the top of the bookshelf.
She is sitting in her office, behind her desk, that is right by a large window that overlooks the Raleigh skyline. The beautiful blonde is wearing a black pencil skirt that flatters her curves, a matching black suit coat over a white silky blouse. Her feet are encased in black peep-toe high heeled pumps. Her long gorgeous golden blonde locks of hair hang to just below the shoulders. The look of disdain on her lovely face illustrates just how much she hates having to take time to be here right now. Still, it must be done for there are several meetings she has scheduled for today. It is a sacrifice that she is making for the best of wrestling.
BUZZ! The buzzing from her desk phone indicates that her secretary is calling her. Glory presses a button on the phone to turn it on speaker…
“Yes?”
“Attorney Robert Odom is here to see you, Ms. Braddock.”
A smile crosses her face for the first time since she arrived in her Raleigh offices. While she has met with wrestlers and managers, agents and fellow business men and women, none of them are who she really wanted to speak with. This is the meeting she has been waiting for, a meeting with the head of her army of attorneys, Robert Odom. He is the one who helped orchestrate the deal that allowed for the merger of the Braddock Wrestling School and Global Championship Wrestling.
“Send him in.”
Braddock presses a button on the phone, hanging up on her secretary and turning off the speaker. Glory stares at the door and awaits for the inevitable arrival of her attorney. A few moments later the door does open and Robert Odom steps across the threshold and into the office. He is wearing a white silk button up shirt, navy blue tie, and navy blue dress pants. His white hair is slightly shaggy but not overly so, for he has it combed nicely today.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Braddock.” Odom approaches Glory’s desk. The British Bombshell stands up and extends a hand. Odom accepts the handshake and afterwards they both sit down in unison.
“I’m not entirely sure how ‘good’ this afternoon is, Robert, but if you say it is then so be it.”
“Having a bad day?” Odom asks curiously. In the past Glory would have gladly complained to Odom but she realizes it would do no good so she just shakes her head.
“Oh it’s nothing, Bob; nothing you can do anything about, that is.”
“Ms. Braddock...or may I call you Gloria?” A warm friendly smile forms upon his face. “We have been associated with one another since February of last year. I hope you feel comfortable enough to tell about any problems you may be having. I can be a good friend and a good listener just as good as I am an attorney.”
“It’s nothing, Bob. It’s just…” The British Bombshell sighs as a sense of frustration overwhelms her “...it’s nothing. Let’s just get on with the business at hand, shall we?”
“Very well.” Odom remarks with a nod of his head. “I am happy to report that as of the new year 2020 The Glenn Braddock Wrestling School has become a part of Global Championship Wrestling. That should make all of your business dealings easier for you to manage.”
“It definitely will and I thank you again for working hard to get this part of the job accomplished. Our work is not over, though and that is why I wanted to meet with you today.”
“You have something else for me to do?” The attorney asks curiously. Glory nods her head in confirmation of what he just asked.
“Yes, the first should be fairly simple. Now that my father’s wrestling school is under the Global Championship Wrestling umbrella, we probably should rename the company. GCW is not the only entity any longer so it makes no sense for the company to continue under that name.”
“A legal name change shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“I didn’t think so. I even brainstormed a few ideas; Global Wrestling Incorporated, Global Wrestling Enterprise, or I could be a little egotistical and call it Braddock Enterprise. Which do you prefer, Robert?”
The attorney shrugs his shoulders. “Any of the three would be fine and as I said a legal name change should not be too difficult but before we proceed with that or any other potential changes to the makeup of the company, there is something you should be made aware of.”
Up until this point Glory Braddock had been rather happy, pleased with the proceedings of this meeting. Her and attorney Bob Odom had been talking about what she had thought was a successful business move. The way Odom is speaking now has her concerned and it shows with the worried look upon her face. What problem could possibly have arisen now?
“What is it Bob? What is wrong? You assured me that all of our bases had been covered. I even got my sister in on this because she was the only one who had a legal basis to challenge the merger. What has gone wrong?”
“Calm down, Glory, nothing has gone wrong. And the merger is still legal, there is no changing that without all parties involved agreeing to change it. You got what you wanted, but you do have a potentially interested third party who is about to return to the playing field.”
“Who?” The British Bombshell demands, angrily. A lot of her anger is out of frustration; who could she have possibly overlooked?
“Something is about to happen, Gloria, something that could...while highly unlikely...have a ripple effect upon you and your company; federal authorities are going to arrest Matthew Alan.”
Braddock stifles back laughter. Matthew Alan is the original founder of Global Championship Wrestling, the company that she now owns. He lost this company due to corruption, bad business dealings, and greed. To be honest, she is surprised that Alan hasn’t been arrested already. Everyone in the company knew how corrupt he was, he was just good at hiding it. While it is true that he has tried on many occasions to stage a hostile takeover of the company, Glory also recognizes that any plans he may have to do so again stand little to no chance of succeeding. In order for such a hostile takeover to succeed in the corporate world one must have at least some support and, from what Glory understands, Matthew Alan no longer has any support. He is quite unpopular and perhaps this is why finally the federal government is cracking down on him and arresting him? Whatever the reason, Glory is certain that he no longer poses a threat to her power.
“Well that sounds like a good thing to me, Bob.”
“You do remember that he founded this company…” Odom’s voice trails off. Glory sighs and nods her head.
“Yes, I know this, but he no longer poses a threat. He has to have some sort of popular support if he were to try anything and he wasted all of his popular support prior to my debut in 2008. Even if he did have anyone crazy enough to back him up, why would they? Why would they support someone with federal charges pending? What is he being charged with, by the way?”
“Embezzlement and tax fraud primarily, along with several other white collar crimes.”
Glory can no longer stifle her laughter. A few chuckles escape her lips. “I cannot say that I am surprised. This company was the primary source of his wealth and yet despite losing all of his stake in the company he still lived in the lap of luxury. It made no sense unless he was getting the money illegally. Like I said, good riddance.”
Her attorney stares at The British Bombshell dumbfounded at how Glory is taking this news. He sighs as he decides to try another tactic. “Gloria, while you may be correct in assuming that Matthew Alan specifically is no longer a threat to your power, that does not mean that his family does not pose a threat.”
“What do you mean?” Braddock asks now that her curiosity is peaked.
“Matthew still has family. His daughter is a former GCW World Tag Team Champion; remember her?”
“Geneva Alan, yes. But…”
“Also there is Matthew’s sister,” Odom speaks up, interrupting Glory’s thought process “Aurora Alan. Aurora is the one now legally in charge of Matthew’s affairs and she does pose a potential threat.”
“How?” Glory asks incredulously. “She is inexperienced. She has never been involved in wrestling, the competitive aspect or the corporate aspect, so how would she challenge me even if she wanted to?”
“Perhaps, but she is still an Alan. Her family started this company, not you, and the Board of Directors know this. Do you see where I am going?”
It takes a few moments but it does finally sink in. The Board of Directors do not like Glory Braddock; most of them don’t anyway. If enough of them see Aurora Alan as the natural heir to this company, then she could have the popular support that her brother does not currently have to stage a hostile takeover. The nervousness returns to Glory’s features as she nods her head, indicating that she now fully understands the situation that she is facing.
“I understand, Bob. Is there anything that can be done about this?”
“Honestly I believe that your only hope is to pray that Aurora Alan is not the same kind of person that her brother is, because if she decides to stage any kind of hostile takeover then she could force you to spend a lot of money in legal battle or, in a worst case scenario…”
“Do not say it!” Glory exclaims loudly. Robert Odom is immediately silent. Braddock sighs. “Apologies, Bob, just...just go...I need time to think. I will contact you when I come up with something.”
“Of course.”
Odom stands up and extends his hand. “I apologize for ruining your day, Ms. Braddock.”
Glory does not accept the handshake. She just waves him off. Odom sighs as he turns and makes his exit, shutting the office door behind him. The British Bombshell has worked long and hard to regain control of this company last year from arch rival Henry Van Stanton and now, to lose it this year to a member of the Alan family would be absolutely terrible and potentially the end of her attempt to shape professional wrestling in a positive manner. The legal aspect of this she typically leaves up to Robert Odom, but what little legal knowledge she does have tells her that the Alan family does not have a case to be made. Glory is the owner of the company. They have no stake in this whatsoever. Still, she knows that with enough popular support anything is possible. And right now the Board is divided on Glory Braddock but what about Aurora Alan? That is something she will need to find out.
Still, there is another option that The British Bombshell could utilize. If she only knew someone who had the dirt on the Alan family then she could erase any threat that the remaining Alan family members pose to her power. The question is who would know anything about them and also does the ends truly justify the means? As she continues to think on this a smirk forms upon her lovely face. Glory calls her secretary by pressing a button on her desk phone.
“Yes, Ms. Braddock?” The secretary’s voice comes ringing through.
“Please call Meagan Collins. I want to arrange for a meeting with her in Miami.”
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January 11th, 2020
Palm Beach County, Florida
Off Camera
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The house is one of those ones rich people buy when they get paranoid about having too much money. Then again , this is Meagan Collins we’re talking about; she probably does have too much money. It's like a fortress, tall gates with more security gadgets than a military compound. Perhaps behind those yellow bricks they feel safe from harm, but Glory can't help think that Meagan has only built herself beautiful prison.
Glory Braddock has had very little personal interaction with Meagan Collins. Meagan is a former wrestler who battled Glory once or twice before in the old Global Division of Wrestling. Meagan would become a manager and help run the careers of several wrestlers in Glory’s company, GCW. Outside of that, there have really been no interaction between the two. But still, Meagan’s reputation precedes her. The British Bombshell has heard many rumors of some dirty business dealings and backstabbings perpetrated by Meagan.
If anyone is a worse person than Matthew Alan, perhaps it is Meagan Collins. And interesting enough, Meagan has done business with Matthew Alan’s family. Recently Meagan was the business manager and agent for Matthew’s daughter, Geneva Alan. Perhaps Glory can convince Meagan to roll over on the Alan family?
It is worth a try. And this is what brings her to Meagan’s front door on this day in Palm Beach County, Florida. There is a simple intercom system attached to the black iron gate. Braddock reaches down and pushes the call button. “Glory Braddock. I’m here to see Meagan Collins.”
“Yay! You’re finally here! Come on around back! I’m waiting!”
Glory arches her brow. She was surprised to get an answer so quickly, but more surprised that she heard directly from Meagan herself and not one of her servants. The British Bombshell puts her game face on for what will be her first real meeting with a dangerous woman like Meagan Collins.
As she makes her way around this long compound Glory laughs about the irony of this situation and what it says about herself. Meeting people like Meagan normally isn’t something Glory would do. They have two completely different set of values and principles. Glory believes in doing what is best for wrestling while Meagan only does what is best for herself.
Glory reaches the patio. The patio has born so many summers, echoed our laughter and supported the children's running feet. Her appearance is of an old rock, so much lichen has grown, dappling her regardless of any shade. Soil gathers between the stones, bringing slim wands of green each spring.
“Glory, Glory, hallelujah!” A black haired woman in a yellow sundress emerges. Meagan immediately recognizes her as Meagan Collins. It’s hard to picture this woman as being the dangerous psychopath that many of the rumors claim she is. Glory approaches Meagan and embraces her in a hug as if they are old friends. Is it disingenuous for The British Bombshell to hug someone she doesn’t trust or even like? Perhaps. But it is yet another lesson in business Glory learned from Aphrodite Noel; sometimes you have to just play nice with the enemy.
Meagan motions towards a table and encourages Glory to have a seat. Braddock sits down, followed by Meagan who sits across from her. A man in a black and white suit emerges. “Schultz, go fetch Glory and I some drinks! Thanks bunches!”
The butler, Schultz, bows briefly before walking off to fill the order. Meagan then turns to face Glory. “Lovely seeing you, Glory! Do you like what I’ve done to the place?”
“Hard to say, Meagan. I’ve never been here.”
“Oh of course you haven’t! Silly me! You and I aren’t allowed to be buddies!”
Braddock tilts her head to one side and furrows her brow in confusion. “Forgive me, but what are you talking about?”
“Image, babe!” Meagan exclaims. “Image is everything and you, you’ve always been the hero. That’s who you want to be. But if you’re ever seen rubbing elbows with a monster like little old me people will question your morality.”
“You’re crazy.” Glory shakes her head.
“No I’m not...ok, maybe I am...but just because I’m crazy doesn’t mean I’m wrong and I’m definitely not wrong about this. Just look at what happened with you and the leeches of fans in the lead up to that SCW event...Upper Attack?”
“Under Attack.”
“Whatever. Point is everyone thought Sienna Swann was the devil...which is ridiculous, everyone knows I am the devil... and just because she approached you and you had a friendly chat people no longer trusted you. Just because you were forced to team with Sienna and Lee Brancaster…
“Bree.”
“Her too! Yeah, not like you booked the match. Sasha booked it. But you caught the heat because of your association with them.”
Glory Braddock cannot help but think that Meagan raises some good points. Most importantly among those points is that image is everything. Glory Braddock had to learn that lesson the hard way. So for Glory to come here and risk her image to visit someone like Meagan means that she is desperate.
“I just wanted to discuss one of your former business associates.”
“Oh is that all?” Meagan chuckles. “You must really need my help.”
The butler known as Schultz returns with drinks. He hands one to Glory and the other to Meagan. The black haired Collins chuckles lightly before taking a sip. “Cheers, babe!”
“Do you still have any business dealings with Geneva Alan or her family?”
“Geneva? No, not since Suffrage and I parted ways in GCW. I was told that they wanted to take care of matters themselves so I let them.”
“Have you heard about her father?” Glory asks curiously.
“Matt? Why would I…” just then Collins smirks, as if a light bulb went off in her head “...oh I see where this is going.”
“Don’t play games, Meagan. What do you know?”
“I know as much as anyone else does!” Meagan says with a knowing grin as she sips her drink.
“You’re lying. You have so many corporate contacts and law enforcement connections that surely you know more…” Glory is growing more frustrated by Meagan’s games. Unfortunately they are not going to end anytime soon.
“How the mighty hero has fallen! The goodie two shoe Glory wants me to dig up dirt on Matthew Alan! I love it!”
“Quit playing games and give me what I want!” Glory exclaims angrily. Meagan shakes her head.
“No.”
The British Bombshell has had enough. This was clearly a mistake, a mistake thinking a lunatic like Collins could be of any assistance. Glory stands up. “You’re going to regret this.”
“Oh is that a threat?”
“No, but just understand that I gave you a chance to be on the winning team. You chose wrong.”
Glory Braddock turns around and storms away in anger. Meagan smirks as she waves playfully at Glory. “Bye, sweetie! Come visit again sometime!”
That almost caused Glory to turn around and tear Meagan apart piece by piece. But then again, Glory can afford to wait. Just as Glory learned from the corporate world; it always pays to have a backup plan. And Glory has a rather nice backup plan in mind.
January 4th, 2020
Raleigh, North Carolina
Off Camera
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Even before her debut as a professional wrestler in 2008, Glory Braddock knew what she wanted to do; make a positive impact for the sport of wrestling. Her family, beginning with Glenn Braddock himself, the patriarch of the family, has always worked hard to improve the sport and Glory knew that she would one day be responsible for continuing his legacy and mission. Now that her father has passed on, the entire mission of the Braddock family has fallen upon her shoulders. The Braddock family knows what is best for the sport of wrestling and she will do whatever it takes to make a positive difference in the sport. The only difference now is that The British Bombshell realizes that it will take more than just a successful in ring career to make the positive impact that she believes is necessary.
It is this motivation that drives her to now operate a wrestling promotion of her own, a promotion that not only hosts events but also trains the future generations of professional wrestlers. All of this is under the umbrella of her company; a company she will use to help shape the wrestling world in a positive way.
Corporate dealings never used to be her strong suit and perhaps this is why her corporate successes used to be little to none. Braddock looks to change that and she began at the end of the year 2019 when she merged her family wrestling school with her wrestling promotion, this way to allow her to more easily manage her corporate dealings. Instead of being an active wrestler and running two separate companies, she only has one company to deal with. Still, it is only a beginning and she knows that there is much yet to do if she is to accomplish her goals.
The British Bombshell finds herself in her corporate offices at Raleigh, North Carolina. Honestly, Glory Braddock would rather not be here right now. She would prefer to take care of business at her Miami residence, or even her birthplace of London, England where she still maintains a presence. Quite frankly, Braddock does not particularly care for the state of North Carolina but her company originated here. It was founded here. Eventually she could very well get the headquarters moved to either Miami or London but that is impossible right now. Glory already is unpopular with the Board of Directors and any attempt to move the headquarters of her company would make her even more unpopular. Thus she needs to maintain a presence here in North Carolina whether she wants to or not.
The office was painted grey, and it had only one floor-to-ceiling window, which faced the main road. On the grey desk sat a desktop computer, a notebook lying open, and a stack of papers sitting under a turtle-shaped paperweight. In a corner, the air conditioner was blasting at medium, and there was a swivel chair in the middle of the office. A bookshelf, bursting with books was in a corner, with yet another stack of papers under a paperweight that was shaped to look like a tuft of grass. A few pens were lying on the papers, but some had fallen onto the top of the bookshelf.
She is sitting in her office, behind her desk, that is right by a large window that overlooks the Raleigh skyline. The beautiful blonde is wearing a black pencil skirt that flatters her curves, a matching black suit coat over a white silky blouse. Her feet are encased in black peep-toe high heeled pumps. Her long gorgeous golden blonde locks of hair hang to just below the shoulders. The look of disdain on her lovely face illustrates just how much she hates having to take time to be here right now. Still, it must be done for there are several meetings she has scheduled for today. It is a sacrifice that she is making for the best of wrestling.
BUZZ! The buzzing from her desk phone indicates that her secretary is calling her. Glory presses a button on the phone to turn it on speaker…
“Yes?”
“Attorney Robert Odom is here to see you, Ms. Braddock.”
A smile crosses her face for the first time since she arrived in her Raleigh offices. While she has met with wrestlers and managers, agents and fellow business men and women, none of them are who she really wanted to speak with. This is the meeting she has been waiting for, a meeting with the head of her army of attorneys, Robert Odom. He is the one who helped orchestrate the deal that allowed for the merger of the Braddock Wrestling School and Global Championship Wrestling.
“Send him in.”
Braddock presses a button on the phone, hanging up on her secretary and turning off the speaker. Glory stares at the door and awaits for the inevitable arrival of her attorney. A few moments later the door does open and Robert Odom steps across the threshold and into the office. He is wearing a white silk button up shirt, navy blue tie, and navy blue dress pants. His white hair is slightly shaggy but not overly so, for he has it combed nicely today.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Braddock.” Odom approaches Glory’s desk. The British Bombshell stands up and extends a hand. Odom accepts the handshake and afterwards they both sit down in unison.
“I’m not entirely sure how ‘good’ this afternoon is, Robert, but if you say it is then so be it.”
“Having a bad day?” Odom asks curiously. In the past Glory would have gladly complained to Odom but she realizes it would do no good so she just shakes her head.
“Oh it’s nothing, Bob; nothing you can do anything about, that is.”
“Ms. Braddock...or may I call you Gloria?” A warm friendly smile forms upon his face. “We have been associated with one another since February of last year. I hope you feel comfortable enough to tell about any problems you may be having. I can be a good friend and a good listener just as good as I am an attorney.”
“It’s nothing, Bob. It’s just…” The British Bombshell sighs as a sense of frustration overwhelms her “...it’s nothing. Let’s just get on with the business at hand, shall we?”
“Very well.” Odom remarks with a nod of his head. “I am happy to report that as of the new year 2020 The Glenn Braddock Wrestling School has become a part of Global Championship Wrestling. That should make all of your business dealings easier for you to manage.”
“It definitely will and I thank you again for working hard to get this part of the job accomplished. Our work is not over, though and that is why I wanted to meet with you today.”
“You have something else for me to do?” The attorney asks curiously. Glory nods her head in confirmation of what he just asked.
“Yes, the first should be fairly simple. Now that my father’s wrestling school is under the Global Championship Wrestling umbrella, we probably should rename the company. GCW is not the only entity any longer so it makes no sense for the company to continue under that name.”
“A legal name change shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“I didn’t think so. I even brainstormed a few ideas; Global Wrestling Incorporated, Global Wrestling Enterprise, or I could be a little egotistical and call it Braddock Enterprise. Which do you prefer, Robert?”
The attorney shrugs his shoulders. “Any of the three would be fine and as I said a legal name change should not be too difficult but before we proceed with that or any other potential changes to the makeup of the company, there is something you should be made aware of.”
Up until this point Glory Braddock had been rather happy, pleased with the proceedings of this meeting. Her and attorney Bob Odom had been talking about what she had thought was a successful business move. The way Odom is speaking now has her concerned and it shows with the worried look upon her face. What problem could possibly have arisen now?
“What is it Bob? What is wrong? You assured me that all of our bases had been covered. I even got my sister in on this because she was the only one who had a legal basis to challenge the merger. What has gone wrong?”
“Calm down, Glory, nothing has gone wrong. And the merger is still legal, there is no changing that without all parties involved agreeing to change it. You got what you wanted, but you do have a potentially interested third party who is about to return to the playing field.”
“Who?” The British Bombshell demands, angrily. A lot of her anger is out of frustration; who could she have possibly overlooked?
“Something is about to happen, Gloria, something that could...while highly unlikely...have a ripple effect upon you and your company; federal authorities are going to arrest Matthew Alan.”
Braddock stifles back laughter. Matthew Alan is the original founder of Global Championship Wrestling, the company that she now owns. He lost this company due to corruption, bad business dealings, and greed. To be honest, she is surprised that Alan hasn’t been arrested already. Everyone in the company knew how corrupt he was, he was just good at hiding it. While it is true that he has tried on many occasions to stage a hostile takeover of the company, Glory also recognizes that any plans he may have to do so again stand little to no chance of succeeding. In order for such a hostile takeover to succeed in the corporate world one must have at least some support and, from what Glory understands, Matthew Alan no longer has any support. He is quite unpopular and perhaps this is why finally the federal government is cracking down on him and arresting him? Whatever the reason, Glory is certain that he no longer poses a threat to her power.
“Well that sounds like a good thing to me, Bob.”
“You do remember that he founded this company…” Odom’s voice trails off. Glory sighs and nods her head.
“Yes, I know this, but he no longer poses a threat. He has to have some sort of popular support if he were to try anything and he wasted all of his popular support prior to my debut in 2008. Even if he did have anyone crazy enough to back him up, why would they? Why would they support someone with federal charges pending? What is he being charged with, by the way?”
“Embezzlement and tax fraud primarily, along with several other white collar crimes.”
Glory can no longer stifle her laughter. A few chuckles escape her lips. “I cannot say that I am surprised. This company was the primary source of his wealth and yet despite losing all of his stake in the company he still lived in the lap of luxury. It made no sense unless he was getting the money illegally. Like I said, good riddance.”
Her attorney stares at The British Bombshell dumbfounded at how Glory is taking this news. He sighs as he decides to try another tactic. “Gloria, while you may be correct in assuming that Matthew Alan specifically is no longer a threat to your power, that does not mean that his family does not pose a threat.”
“What do you mean?” Braddock asks now that her curiosity is peaked.
“Matthew still has family. His daughter is a former GCW World Tag Team Champion; remember her?”
“Geneva Alan, yes. But…”
“Also there is Matthew’s sister,” Odom speaks up, interrupting Glory’s thought process “Aurora Alan. Aurora is the one now legally in charge of Matthew’s affairs and she does pose a potential threat.”
“How?” Glory asks incredulously. “She is inexperienced. She has never been involved in wrestling, the competitive aspect or the corporate aspect, so how would she challenge me even if she wanted to?”
“Perhaps, but she is still an Alan. Her family started this company, not you, and the Board of Directors know this. Do you see where I am going?”
It takes a few moments but it does finally sink in. The Board of Directors do not like Glory Braddock; most of them don’t anyway. If enough of them see Aurora Alan as the natural heir to this company, then she could have the popular support that her brother does not currently have to stage a hostile takeover. The nervousness returns to Glory’s features as she nods her head, indicating that she now fully understands the situation that she is facing.
“I understand, Bob. Is there anything that can be done about this?”
“Honestly I believe that your only hope is to pray that Aurora Alan is not the same kind of person that her brother is, because if she decides to stage any kind of hostile takeover then she could force you to spend a lot of money in legal battle or, in a worst case scenario…”
“Do not say it!” Glory exclaims loudly. Robert Odom is immediately silent. Braddock sighs. “Apologies, Bob, just...just go...I need time to think. I will contact you when I come up with something.”
“Of course.”
Odom stands up and extends his hand. “I apologize for ruining your day, Ms. Braddock.”
Glory does not accept the handshake. She just waves him off. Odom sighs as he turns and makes his exit, shutting the office door behind him. The British Bombshell has worked long and hard to regain control of this company last year from arch rival Henry Van Stanton and now, to lose it this year to a member of the Alan family would be absolutely terrible and potentially the end of her attempt to shape professional wrestling in a positive manner. The legal aspect of this she typically leaves up to Robert Odom, but what little legal knowledge she does have tells her that the Alan family does not have a case to be made. Glory is the owner of the company. They have no stake in this whatsoever. Still, she knows that with enough popular support anything is possible. And right now the Board is divided on Glory Braddock but what about Aurora Alan? That is something she will need to find out.
Still, there is another option that The British Bombshell could utilize. If she only knew someone who had the dirt on the Alan family then she could erase any threat that the remaining Alan family members pose to her power. The question is who would know anything about them and also does the ends truly justify the means? As she continues to think on this a smirk forms upon her lovely face. Glory calls her secretary by pressing a button on her desk phone.
“Yes, Ms. Braddock?” The secretary’s voice comes ringing through.
“Please call Meagan Collins. I want to arrange for a meeting with her in Miami.”
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January 11th, 2020
Palm Beach County, Florida
Off Camera
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The house is one of those ones rich people buy when they get paranoid about having too much money. Then again , this is Meagan Collins we’re talking about; she probably does have too much money. It's like a fortress, tall gates with more security gadgets than a military compound. Perhaps behind those yellow bricks they feel safe from harm, but Glory can't help think that Meagan has only built herself beautiful prison.
Glory Braddock has had very little personal interaction with Meagan Collins. Meagan is a former wrestler who battled Glory once or twice before in the old Global Division of Wrestling. Meagan would become a manager and help run the careers of several wrestlers in Glory’s company, GCW. Outside of that, there have really been no interaction between the two. But still, Meagan’s reputation precedes her. The British Bombshell has heard many rumors of some dirty business dealings and backstabbings perpetrated by Meagan.
If anyone is a worse person than Matthew Alan, perhaps it is Meagan Collins. And interesting enough, Meagan has done business with Matthew Alan’s family. Recently Meagan was the business manager and agent for Matthew’s daughter, Geneva Alan. Perhaps Glory can convince Meagan to roll over on the Alan family?
It is worth a try. And this is what brings her to Meagan’s front door on this day in Palm Beach County, Florida. There is a simple intercom system attached to the black iron gate. Braddock reaches down and pushes the call button. “Glory Braddock. I’m here to see Meagan Collins.”
“Yay! You’re finally here! Come on around back! I’m waiting!”
Glory arches her brow. She was surprised to get an answer so quickly, but more surprised that she heard directly from Meagan herself and not one of her servants. The British Bombshell puts her game face on for what will be her first real meeting with a dangerous woman like Meagan Collins.
As she makes her way around this long compound Glory laughs about the irony of this situation and what it says about herself. Meeting people like Meagan normally isn’t something Glory would do. They have two completely different set of values and principles. Glory believes in doing what is best for wrestling while Meagan only does what is best for herself.
Glory reaches the patio. The patio has born so many summers, echoed our laughter and supported the children's running feet. Her appearance is of an old rock, so much lichen has grown, dappling her regardless of any shade. Soil gathers between the stones, bringing slim wands of green each spring.
“Glory, Glory, hallelujah!” A black haired woman in a yellow sundress emerges. Meagan immediately recognizes her as Meagan Collins. It’s hard to picture this woman as being the dangerous psychopath that many of the rumors claim she is. Glory approaches Meagan and embraces her in a hug as if they are old friends. Is it disingenuous for The British Bombshell to hug someone she doesn’t trust or even like? Perhaps. But it is yet another lesson in business Glory learned from Aphrodite Noel; sometimes you have to just play nice with the enemy.
Meagan motions towards a table and encourages Glory to have a seat. Braddock sits down, followed by Meagan who sits across from her. A man in a black and white suit emerges. “Schultz, go fetch Glory and I some drinks! Thanks bunches!”
The butler, Schultz, bows briefly before walking off to fill the order. Meagan then turns to face Glory. “Lovely seeing you, Glory! Do you like what I’ve done to the place?”
“Hard to say, Meagan. I’ve never been here.”
“Oh of course you haven’t! Silly me! You and I aren’t allowed to be buddies!”
Braddock tilts her head to one side and furrows her brow in confusion. “Forgive me, but what are you talking about?”
“Image, babe!” Meagan exclaims. “Image is everything and you, you’ve always been the hero. That’s who you want to be. But if you’re ever seen rubbing elbows with a monster like little old me people will question your morality.”
“You’re crazy.” Glory shakes her head.
“No I’m not...ok, maybe I am...but just because I’m crazy doesn’t mean I’m wrong and I’m definitely not wrong about this. Just look at what happened with you and the leeches of fans in the lead up to that SCW event...Upper Attack?”
“Under Attack.”
“Whatever. Point is everyone thought Sienna Swann was the devil...which is ridiculous, everyone knows I am the devil... and just because she approached you and you had a friendly chat people no longer trusted you. Just because you were forced to team with Sienna and Lee Brancaster…
“Bree.”
“Her too! Yeah, not like you booked the match. Sasha booked it. But you caught the heat because of your association with them.”
Glory Braddock cannot help but think that Meagan raises some good points. Most importantly among those points is that image is everything. Glory Braddock had to learn that lesson the hard way. So for Glory to come here and risk her image to visit someone like Meagan means that she is desperate.
“I just wanted to discuss one of your former business associates.”
“Oh is that all?” Meagan chuckles. “You must really need my help.”
The butler known as Schultz returns with drinks. He hands one to Glory and the other to Meagan. The black haired Collins chuckles lightly before taking a sip. “Cheers, babe!”
“Do you still have any business dealings with Geneva Alan or her family?”
“Geneva? No, not since Suffrage and I parted ways in GCW. I was told that they wanted to take care of matters themselves so I let them.”
“Have you heard about her father?” Glory asks curiously.
“Matt? Why would I…” just then Collins smirks, as if a light bulb went off in her head “...oh I see where this is going.”
“Don’t play games, Meagan. What do you know?”
“I know as much as anyone else does!” Meagan says with a knowing grin as she sips her drink.
“You’re lying. You have so many corporate contacts and law enforcement connections that surely you know more…” Glory is growing more frustrated by Meagan’s games. Unfortunately they are not going to end anytime soon.
“How the mighty hero has fallen! The goodie two shoe Glory wants me to dig up dirt on Matthew Alan! I love it!”
“Quit playing games and give me what I want!” Glory exclaims angrily. Meagan shakes her head.
“No.”
The British Bombshell has had enough. This was clearly a mistake, a mistake thinking a lunatic like Collins could be of any assistance. Glory stands up. “You’re going to regret this.”
“Oh is that a threat?”
“No, but just understand that I gave you a chance to be on the winning team. You chose wrong.”
Glory Braddock turns around and storms away in anger. Meagan smirks as she waves playfully at Glory. “Bye, sweetie! Come visit again sometime!”
That almost caused Glory to turn around and tear Meagan apart piece by piece. But then again, Glory can afford to wait. Just as Glory learned from the corporate world; it always pays to have a backup plan. And Glory has a rather nice backup plan in mind.