Post by matt on May 29, 2020 4:58:28 GMT -6
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Raleigh, NC
Off Camera
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The British Bombshell finds herself in her corporate offices at Raleigh, North Carolina. She is sitting in her office, behind her desk, that is right by a large window that overlooks the Raleigh skyline. 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. 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. Her lovely face is beaming, glowing even, with a radiant smile that tells the story of a woman who is overjoyed with how current events have gone lately.
Normally she would not be caught dead in Raleigh unless absolutely necessary. She detests North Carolina with every fiber of her being. Glory Braddock has been seeking an excuse to move her corporate offices from North Carolina almost since the outset of when she bought the company in 2012. It became a more intensive goal in the past several months after she merged her wrestling promotion with the wrestling school headquartered in London, England. In Glory’s ideal world, she would rather move her corporate headquarters to Miami, Florida or London, England. Either destination would be better than Raleigh, North Carolina.
The only thing stopping her was the Global Wrestling Enterprise Board of Directors. In a nine member board, four of them fiercely loyal to the former owner, a con man known as Matthew Alan, and were also fiercely opposed to moving the headquarters. Glory only had four board members whose support she could count on. The ninth was a swing vote who typically went with the Matthew Alan loyalists. Glory Braddock’s war with the Board of Directors, and the Matthew Alan loyalists in particular, had been a battle she had been fighting since she purchased the company in 2012. Just a couple years into her tenure as owner they voted to take her power away from her because they questioned her mental stability.
Braddock balls up her fists as a tinge of anger rises up in her. Even now she is offended by the mere thought of her mental stability being questioned. Why? What had she done that would bring about such ludicrous accusations? One name: Aphrodite Noel. It is the name of a woman who will forever be etched into Glory Braddock’s history, for both positive and negative reasons. Aphrodite blackmailed Glory and her sister, Julia Braddock. The blackmail turned into heavy mental and psychological manipulation. The evidence of the psychological toll taken upon Glory Braddock is the fact that she suffers from PTSD. Any mention of her time with Aphrodite brings her to anger. The PTSD wasn’t the only toll taken upon The British Bombshell. Whether it was the psychological manipulation or the blackmail that caused this to occur is unknown, but Glory and Julia both began to acknowledge Aphrodite as their one true mother. When Glory acknowledge Aphrodite as her mother, the Board of Directors seized upon the opportunity to take power away from Glory, claiming mental instability.
Not all of her time with Aphrodite was bad. Glory learned a great deal from under Aphrodite’s wing. Glory Braddock credits Aphrodite with her knowledge of the corporate world. Those closest to Glory also credit Aphrodite with Glory becoming more ruthless than she has ever been in her entire life. That ruthlessness gave The British Bombshell the ability to challenge the Board of Directors and not only retake her company but to go a step further; using shady and underhanded tactics that the mafia would approve of, Glory manipulated one member of the Matthew Alan loyalists on the board of directors to start voting with her. The coup de gras was the most ruthless action yet.
Glory Braddock worked with her hated rival Mason Van Stanton to lock her sister up in a mental institution. This action, combined with Glory completely rejecting all former association with Aphrodite Noel, has now taken all power away from her rivals on the Board of Directors. Glory Braddock has now become, for all intents and purposes, a dictator within her own company.
And she is damn proud of it.
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.”
The smile upon her lovely face grows even large, if that is possible. She was already happy because of the recent string of success, both in her wrestling career and her corporate world, but now that her attorney is here she can get this meeting over with, what will probably be the final meeting she ever has in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The less time spent in North Carolina, the better.
“Wonderful! 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.
“Isn’t this a beautiful day, Bob?” Glory quips, motioning to the bright blue setting outside. “How can anyone stand being inside all day long when the day is just so lovely?”
“You seem rather pleasant, Ms. Braddock.”
“Am I not always pleasant, Bob?”
“Honestly?” Odom asks with a smile which is unusual for him. Braddock nods her head in response.
“Yes, honest. I want honesty between us, Bob.”
“Honestly, Ms. Braddock, you have been rather difficult to deal with lately. I cannot blame you, you have had a great deal of pressure on your shoulders.”
“I know and if I have been short with you or anyone else under my employ then I apologize. Like you said, I have had a great deal of pressure dealing with an active wrestling career, running this company, and running a wrestling school. I thought by delegating some of my corporate duties would help but unfortunately it did not help get to the root of my problem.”
“The Board of Directors.” Odom states. Braddock nods her head in confirmation.
“They have been a bloody pain in the ass.” Glory says with a hint of frustration in her voice. She pauses to regain her composure, reminding herself that she has dealt with this problem already. “All is well now; I doubt we will have any further problems from them.”
“May I be so bold as to ask what you mean by that?” Odom asks. Instead of an answer he gets another question.
“How did the Board take my two most recent requests?” There is a sly smirk upon her lovely face, indicating that she knows something. Odom notices this but doesn’t point it out. He just sighs and begins his answer…
“The Board discussed moving corporate headquarters. Your preference was noted to be London, England but the Board was deadlocked. Carl Conroy was not thrilled with the idea of traveling to Europe and back for board meetings, nor was he happy about moving a company that had its historical roots in America to England.”
“Bloody hell…” Glory rolls her eyes.
“But when they discussed the option of moving to Miami they were much favorable. The Board of Directors voted eight to one in favor of moving Global Wrestling Enterprise Corporate Headquarters to Miami, Florida.”
“Who was the one? Carl?” Braddock asks. Odom shakes his head.
“No, it was David.”
“That makes sense; David always was the biggest Matthew Alan loyalist. There isn’t much he can do about my plans now, though.” Glory leans back in her chair and smirks, looking as smug like a conquering hero. “What about my other request?”
“The Board voted five to four in favor of adding your associate Meagan Collins to the Board of Directors, making it now a ten member board.”
“Yes!” Glory exclaims rather loudly, slamming her fists onto the table excitedly, happily. It is enough to cause Robert Odom to almost jump out of his chair. He chuckles lightly.
“I take it you like the news.”
“Are you kidding, Bob? This is bloody great! I have all the power now! I can do whatever the bloody hell I want and there is nothing any of them can do about it!”
The British Bombshell extends her hand out to her attorney. Robert Odom is reluctant at first but eventually accepts the handshake. Glory Braddock is smiling proudly at Odom as she nods approvingly at him. “You did well, Bob. Together you and I finally reeled in that troublesome Board of Directors.”
“It was you more so than I, Ms. Braddock. All I did was arrange for the move to Miami and for Ms. Collins to be put on the Board. I simply drew up the legal documentation for them to vote on. I never expected a favorable vote in either case.” There is a pause from Odom as he stares inquisitively at Braddock. He arches his brow. “How did you pull this off?”
“Oh Bob, you are an attorney. So ask yourself, do you really want to know?” Glory asks with a knowing smirk. Odom pauses to think it over before nodding his head.
“Yes but…” he sighs “...give me some plausible deniability.”
“Plausible deniability is what you will get. I spoke with Joshua Hernandez and convinced him to jump from the Matthew Alan loyalist faction to my side. That gave me five votes I knew I could count on. There were still three solid Matthew Alan loyalists and the swing vote known as Carl Conroy. All four of those individuals had just one issue with me. You know what that issue is, do you not?”
“I do.” Odom knows better than to mention Aphrodite Noel. He knows it will set off her PTSD.
“Well I eliminated that issue once and for all.”
Odom’s eyes grow wide with surprise after hearing this. “You did?! How?!”
“You asked for plausible deniability, Mr. Odom, and I am trying to give it to you. All you need to know is that the Board of Directors are fully satisfied that I am in my right mind. As a side note, I want to say that I am truly pleased that Chastity Noel...my sister formerly known as Julia Braddock...is in a psychiatric ward where she can get the proper care she needs.”
Attorney Robert Odom is in a stunned silence as he stares into the lovely face of Glory Braddock. He never could have imagined that behind such a beautiful face lurked someone ruthless enough to get her own sister, her own flesh and blood, locked up in order to maintain power within her wrestling company. That, combined with how she blackmailed both Joshua Hernandez and Meagan Collins into helping her, shows just how ruthless and cutthroat Glory Braddock has become. His trancelike state, brought about by the intimidation or outright fear brought about by Glory Braddock’s ruthlessness, ends when the buzzing intercom startles him back to reality.
BUZZ! Glory rolls her eyes. “Excuse me, Robert…” she presses a button on the phone to turn it on speaker…
“Yes?”
“Ms. Braddock, Aurora Alan is here to see you.” Braddock’s eyes narrow in an angry glare. Odom is thankful that the heat of this glare is not directed at him. She looks like she could kill someone right now and, based upon her recent actions, he won’t rule out that possibility.
“What?!”
“Yes, I know,” the secretary continues “I told her that she was not welcome here but she insists on seeing you. Shall I have security called in?”
Braddock stares off into the distance for several seconds. She sighs and nods her head. “Fine...send her in…”
Braddock turns and looks over at Robert. “You may leave, Bob. I will call you when I need you.”
Robert Odom is eternally grateful to hear his client say this; immediately he gets up out of his desk, bows out of respect in Glory’s general direction, and then proceeds to walk towards the door in a hasty retreat. As soon as he is gone, Braddock sighs deeply and braces herself for the next visitor, one that will no doubt be quite unfriendly. This meeting will not be as pleasant as the one she just had with her attorney. Braddock isn’t kept long as a few moments after Odom exits, the door opens back up and a youngish woman in her thirties enters the room wearing a navy blue skirt suit with a white blouse.
Braddock has only met two members of the Alan family; Matthew Alan during her first year after buying his company in 2012 and his daughter Geneva Alan last year when Geneva tried to make a go at it as a professional wrestler in Glory’s company. She has done her best to maintain her distance from the Alan family as she has always viewed them as a threat to her power. Now that she has the full and unbridled support of the Board of Directors, Glory Braddock no longer fears the Alan Influence. She may not want to see Aurora Alan but she will face her down today.
“Aurora Alan, I presume?” Glory asks with an arched brow. “I have to admit that this is a surprise.”
“Cut the crap, Braddock.” Aurora snaps angrily as she sits down at the desk across from Glory Braddock, in the same chair Robert Odom had just been sitting in. “No need to pretend that this is a typical business deal because I know you hate me and my family.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t let the secretary call security on you, Aurora.”
“You knew damn well it would have backfired on you.” Aurora says with venom dripping from her voice. “I have every right to be here and you know it.”
“Your corrupt brother may have founded this company but he also damn near ran it into the ground, love. I saved it, I resurrected it, and just because some people in this office have some bloody nostalgic feeling when the likes of your family walks in doesn’t mean you have a right to be here. This is MY company now. This company belongs to the Braddock family now. You and your family no longer have any connection to it except for the connection of bad memories and they, too, will be forgotten.”
“You honestly believe I’m here living off of my family name?” Aurora’s angry sneer turns into a chuckle. She shakes her head. “You’re right about a few things, Braddock. My brother was corrupt, so was my sister. My brother is going to pay for his crimes and I suspect my sister will too. I’m not dumb enough to try and live off of the memories of two crooks. I am trying to redeem my family. That’s what my business is with your company and promotion. I am now the official agent and business manager of Aubrianna Powers.”
Braddock is taken by surprise by this news. She had heard rumors about this but she didn’t believe it. She knew of Aubrianna’s family as well as Aurora’s family. The two families have a bad history with one another. Glory did not honestly expect a deal to be worked out but apparently she was proven wrong. The British Bombshell goes to speak but Aurora immediately cuts her off…
“Now before you say anything, before you say anything else, I want you to know that I am not my brother. I am trying not to be like him. One thing my brother and I both are...intelligent. I am smart, Braddock, and I can see right through you. You’re not as slick as you think, because your underhanded tactics with Meagan Collins, Joshua Hernandez, and others have not gone unnoticed. You wanted to take advantage of the federal government prosecuting my brother so that you could try and run me and my family into the ground. You were afraid of me possibly taking up my brother’s mantle and challenging your power. Not only did you fail to destroy my family but you encouraged me to get even further involved in wrestling than I had planned. You created your own threat, Braddock.” A sly grin forms upon Aurora’s face. Glory cannot help but realize that what Aurora speaks is the truth and she becomes nervous. Braddock steels herself. She does not want to show any weakness.
“Your family has no further influence over my company, Aurora.” Braddock points out in a matter-of-fact tone. Aurora nods her head in agreement.
“You are correct, you have full power within this company, a company my brother started. A company he was ousted from because of corporate corruption and greed on his part. Yet now here you are, you have become just as corrupt and greedy as him.”
“What the bloody hell are you talking about?!” Braddock demands angrily. Aurora smirks knowingly.
“Since you couldn’t find any dirt on me or my family, since you were unable to destroy my family, you decided to do the next best thing...or worst thing, depending on your perspective...you destroyed your own family. You had your sister committed to a mental institution. It’s no secret that the Board of Directors did not approve of your sister. Did you get her locked up to appease them and get them on your side?” Aurora snickers nastily. “It’s a move so devious that even my brother would be proud.”
Braddock has now lost her temper and she shows it by shooting up out of her chair and shoving it away. She points angrily at Aurora Alan. “You think you know what this is all about? You have no bloody idea. None!” The British Bombshell points towards the door. “Now get out!”
Aurora nods her head and stands up. “Fine, I will leave, but before I do let me warn you about this path you are taking. It is a path that has led the downfall of many, my brother included. It is the path taken by tyrants, the same tyrants you claim to oppose. Don’t you see it, Glory? You are becoming the very thing you claim to despise about this sport, all in the name of saving it? If you want to save wrestling by stopping a tyrant then look in the damn mirror. Stop that tyrant before she destroys you.”
“GET OUT!” Glory shouts even angrier and louder this time. Aurora doesn’t blink or balk at Glory’s rage. She does, however, nod her head and finally turns around and makes her exit. Aurora slams the door shut behind her. Once Aurora Alan is gone Glory Braddock pulls her chair back up to her desk and sits down. Glory spins around in the chair so that she is looking out the window. Tears form in her eyes and begin to roll down her cheek. Braddock sighs and shakes her head.
“What have I done...what have I become…?”
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Ontario, Canada
Off Camera
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For the past several months Glory Braddock has been engaging in some dirty, underhanded tactics, which included bribery and blackmail, all to gain an upper hand over the Board of Directors within her company. To cement her power and to ensure that the board would have no further reason to challenge her claim to power, she got her sister, the woman born Julia Braddock, committed to a mental institution. It happened Sunday evening and by Monday morning the business was dealt with. Glory had accomplished her goal.
It wasn’t until her meeting with Aurora Alan that Glory would fully appreciate...or realize...the gravity of what she had truly done. She had sacrificed her own family member for the sake of power. Why had she done this? Is this truly what is best for professional wrestling? At the time she put her warped and twisted plans into motion, the answer was yes; because there were forces within the company trying to bully her out of power. And Glory knew that they would ruin her creation and her sport if they got their hands on the reins of power. Glory had to keep them away and she had to do so by any means necessary.
By any means necessary meant sacrificing a family member for the greater good. Still, for a brief moment Aurora Alan had The British Bombshell second guessing herself. A sliver of doubt had crept into her mind. And for the past two days Glory has been unable to sleep as she has tried to deal with this doubt. Thus she will now confront the doubt head on…
Soft music can be heard playing in the background in a small cafe just within the city limits of Ontario, Canada. The upbeat tunes come from a radio that sits upon the counter. It is a tiny, low key cafe near a small, local church. The tiny café itself huddled despondent among the huge city buildings. Washed out under the overcast sky, it hunched in itself. Hundreds of people rushed by it, outside on the crowded street. Unlike the outside, the interior of the café was warm and cheery, with bright lights and colourful walls. The customers returned to their conversations as the door swung closed behind the new entrant and the cold breeze was forgotten.
Glory Braddock does not let her gaze leave, as she spots the newcomer and immediately recognizes her to be Aphrodite Noel. This woman whom Glory was once very close to has requested to meet with The British Bombshell. It was Glory’s choice of location and she chose this small, out of the way cafe in Ontario, where an SCW House Show is to be held later today.
“Aphrodite…” Glory waves a hand to get her attention “...over here, love.”
Aphrodite walks over to where Glory is sitting. She pulls out a chair. Once she takes her seat, the woman who Glory once upon a time referred to as “Mother” crosses her arms.
“I would have preferred a little more privacy but this cafe looks nice. Hope the service is up to standard.” Aphrodite said.
“Trust me, none of these people care about our business. Besides, I prefer a public setting. Especially here recently.”
Aphrodite raises an eyebrow. “I am not going to try to hurt you if that’s what you're thinking.”
“I would hope not. Though I know Julia was special to you.”
“Is special...” Aphrodite corrected Glory. “She always will be! Enlighten me Glory, how long did you have this masterplan in the works? Your actions in Supreme Championship Wrestling and MWE I don’t question. I thought I taught you better than to stab your own family in the back.” Aphrodite scoffs.
“And trust me when I say that it was my last resort.” Glory insists. “You know damn well how difficult it is dealing with the board of directors. They took power from me once and recently had been doing everything they could to stop me from running my company. I needed full support from them and full power to act. That was the only way to ensure their loyalty. That among other things.”
“You mean by telling Julia with a camera present that embracing my last name is a sign of how mentally unfit she became?” Aphrodite says with obvious pain/mixed with annoyance in her voice. She mockingly claps. “How fitting, using the same excuse the same board used to get you outta power; to lock my daughter away in a psych ward. The suits I expect to be sleazy cowards. But you? I expected more, a lot more. Know what, I shouldn’t be surprised. The minute you signed a SCW contract you discarded my last name all together. I choose you and Julia to become a member of my family. I always admired you. I was happier than you could ever know when you embraced the Noel name. For you to discard it, and use my name as a weapon to send Julia away--” Aphrodite pounds the table. “That. Hurts. Power means more than you than family. Message sent.”
“No, it does not…” Glory’s voice trails off. The message does sting but she maintains her composure as best as she can. “...look, family is very important to me, much more than power, but I need the power in order to do my work; my work for the good of wrestling. As the owner of a wrestling promotion I have the power to influence so much change in positive ways for this sport but what good would being the owner do if I had no power to act? I had to do something to ensure that the board would not get in my way. I had to do something to ensure that they would not try to reverse course on anything I did.” Glory shakes her head. “You act like I’m some kind of monster now but it pained me to do what I did to Julia...she is special to me too, you know? She is my sister. My blood. An...associate of mine…”
Glory does not mention Meagan by name. She does not wish to get her newest pawn in this game in any more trouble. “...suggested this course of action long ago but I did everything I could to avoid using this strategy. And to a degree my strategy worked. The board of directors slowly came to my side. But even after exhausting all of my strategies it wasn’t enough. I had more support on the Board but it was still deadlocked. The only thing left was to remove the one thing that they questioned about me. Hell, they still questioned my sanity even after I abandoned your name. They questioned me because of my sister. I had no choice.” Glory shakes her head.
Aphrodite doesn’t immediately react, tempted as she was. Taking a deep breath, she spent a moment to process everything Glory had to tell her. Her hardened demeanor softens just a little. Not too much. Just enough. “Fine... I believe you. But you should have come to me. We could have found another way.”
“Perhaps…” Glory sighs deeply as she considers her next words carefully “...and maybe I should have at least given you a warning; unfortunately I do not believe that there was another way. I deal with these people every day. A small but powerful faction of the board has been in opposition to me since I became owner and it only heightened since my family became closely associated with you. I now have...plants within that faction...and my plants informed that they would continue to oppose me so long as the close, outward, public association between you and my family existed.” Glory is finding it difficult to fight back her emotions at this point.
“I did not want to hurt you...but it was the only way...you taught me so much. Your lessons allowed me to get as far as I have in the corporate world. And I am forever grateful for everything you have done.”
Aphrodite looks away from Glory. Anyone who knows Aphrodite will tell you there are two emotions she is known for. Anger, or passion depending on perspective. And she is normally calm despite the chaos hovering around her. Neither anger or calm is what she is experiencing, she doesn’t bother to fight back the sadness. As much as Glory’s words sting, the rational side of her knows Glory’s right. Befriending Julia, initially forcing Glory to become part of the family she wanted was the chain that began all this. Her failed attempt to take over GCW gave the board Glory has to contend with cause for pause. She didn’t know back then everything would come to ahead. Today is that day. Aphrodite knows part of the reason Julia is away is because of her.
Aphrodite sighs. She finds it in her to look at Glory again. She resignedly says’ “I know...”
Aphrodite stands up. “Please... stand.”
The British Bombshell isn’t quite certain what will happen next. But she does as Aphrodite asks.. “Yes?”
Aphrodite walks over to Glory. Without hesitation she gives The British Bombshell a loving hug. She whispers in her ear. “I’m proud of you, Gloria.”
Braddock wasn’t expecting this at all. It kicks her emotions into another gear and it kicks her PTSD into gear as well. “Th...thank you...mother…”
Aphrodite releases her embrace. Placing her hands on Glory’s shoulders, she says. “I do wish we could have found another way, Gloria... you made a tough decision, that’s what a leader does no matter the cost, just like me. Know what I find ironic? For years, you fought for what you thought was right. You took a stand against the tyrants of professional wrestling. Last year you used your Trios contract to ensure Syren had a diminished chance of walking out World Champion. Fast forward a year later. Your alliance with Sienna and Bree in SCW. Your formation of Glorious Golden Era in MWE. Doing what you can to solidify your power in GCW. Absolute power corrupts... least that’s what I’ve been told. How is this any better than our Camelot?” Aphrodite pauses to gauge Glory’s reaction. Camelot meaning the stable Aphrodite formed to takeover GCW “Whose the tyrant now? How does it feel to be just like your Mother.”
“I...I’m not...I’m…” Braddock shakes her head, her words are very unconvincing, Glory doesn’t believe them herself.
“I’ll do what has to be done. If it helps we are rarely seen in public, I’ll honor that.” Aphrodite kisses Glory on the cheek. “You make me proud. Never forget that. I should probably go. Never know if there is a spy lurking in the shadows. Love you, Gloria. Until we meet again.”
Aphrodite smirks. Without giving Glory a chance to respond she calmly walks out the cafe.
Raleigh, NC
Off Camera
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The British Bombshell finds herself in her corporate offices at Raleigh, North Carolina. She is sitting in her office, behind her desk, that is right by a large window that overlooks the Raleigh skyline. 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. 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. Her lovely face is beaming, glowing even, with a radiant smile that tells the story of a woman who is overjoyed with how current events have gone lately.
Normally she would not be caught dead in Raleigh unless absolutely necessary. She detests North Carolina with every fiber of her being. Glory Braddock has been seeking an excuse to move her corporate offices from North Carolina almost since the outset of when she bought the company in 2012. It became a more intensive goal in the past several months after she merged her wrestling promotion with the wrestling school headquartered in London, England. In Glory’s ideal world, she would rather move her corporate headquarters to Miami, Florida or London, England. Either destination would be better than Raleigh, North Carolina.
The only thing stopping her was the Global Wrestling Enterprise Board of Directors. In a nine member board, four of them fiercely loyal to the former owner, a con man known as Matthew Alan, and were also fiercely opposed to moving the headquarters. Glory only had four board members whose support she could count on. The ninth was a swing vote who typically went with the Matthew Alan loyalists. Glory Braddock’s war with the Board of Directors, and the Matthew Alan loyalists in particular, had been a battle she had been fighting since she purchased the company in 2012. Just a couple years into her tenure as owner they voted to take her power away from her because they questioned her mental stability.
Braddock balls up her fists as a tinge of anger rises up in her. Even now she is offended by the mere thought of her mental stability being questioned. Why? What had she done that would bring about such ludicrous accusations? One name: Aphrodite Noel. It is the name of a woman who will forever be etched into Glory Braddock’s history, for both positive and negative reasons. Aphrodite blackmailed Glory and her sister, Julia Braddock. The blackmail turned into heavy mental and psychological manipulation. The evidence of the psychological toll taken upon Glory Braddock is the fact that she suffers from PTSD. Any mention of her time with Aphrodite brings her to anger. The PTSD wasn’t the only toll taken upon The British Bombshell. Whether it was the psychological manipulation or the blackmail that caused this to occur is unknown, but Glory and Julia both began to acknowledge Aphrodite as their one true mother. When Glory acknowledge Aphrodite as her mother, the Board of Directors seized upon the opportunity to take power away from Glory, claiming mental instability.
Not all of her time with Aphrodite was bad. Glory learned a great deal from under Aphrodite’s wing. Glory Braddock credits Aphrodite with her knowledge of the corporate world. Those closest to Glory also credit Aphrodite with Glory becoming more ruthless than she has ever been in her entire life. That ruthlessness gave The British Bombshell the ability to challenge the Board of Directors and not only retake her company but to go a step further; using shady and underhanded tactics that the mafia would approve of, Glory manipulated one member of the Matthew Alan loyalists on the board of directors to start voting with her. The coup de gras was the most ruthless action yet.
Glory Braddock worked with her hated rival Mason Van Stanton to lock her sister up in a mental institution. This action, combined with Glory completely rejecting all former association with Aphrodite Noel, has now taken all power away from her rivals on the Board of Directors. Glory Braddock has now become, for all intents and purposes, a dictator within her own company.
And she is damn proud of it.
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.”
The smile upon her lovely face grows even large, if that is possible. She was already happy because of the recent string of success, both in her wrestling career and her corporate world, but now that her attorney is here she can get this meeting over with, what will probably be the final meeting she ever has in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The less time spent in North Carolina, the better.
“Wonderful! 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.
“Isn’t this a beautiful day, Bob?” Glory quips, motioning to the bright blue setting outside. “How can anyone stand being inside all day long when the day is just so lovely?”
“You seem rather pleasant, Ms. Braddock.”
“Am I not always pleasant, Bob?”
“Honestly?” Odom asks with a smile which is unusual for him. Braddock nods her head in response.
“Yes, honest. I want honesty between us, Bob.”
“Honestly, Ms. Braddock, you have been rather difficult to deal with lately. I cannot blame you, you have had a great deal of pressure on your shoulders.”
“I know and if I have been short with you or anyone else under my employ then I apologize. Like you said, I have had a great deal of pressure dealing with an active wrestling career, running this company, and running a wrestling school. I thought by delegating some of my corporate duties would help but unfortunately it did not help get to the root of my problem.”
“The Board of Directors.” Odom states. Braddock nods her head in confirmation.
“They have been a bloody pain in the ass.” Glory says with a hint of frustration in her voice. She pauses to regain her composure, reminding herself that she has dealt with this problem already. “All is well now; I doubt we will have any further problems from them.”
“May I be so bold as to ask what you mean by that?” Odom asks. Instead of an answer he gets another question.
“How did the Board take my two most recent requests?” There is a sly smirk upon her lovely face, indicating that she knows something. Odom notices this but doesn’t point it out. He just sighs and begins his answer…
“The Board discussed moving corporate headquarters. Your preference was noted to be London, England but the Board was deadlocked. Carl Conroy was not thrilled with the idea of traveling to Europe and back for board meetings, nor was he happy about moving a company that had its historical roots in America to England.”
“Bloody hell…” Glory rolls her eyes.
“But when they discussed the option of moving to Miami they were much favorable. The Board of Directors voted eight to one in favor of moving Global Wrestling Enterprise Corporate Headquarters to Miami, Florida.”
“Who was the one? Carl?” Braddock asks. Odom shakes his head.
“No, it was David.”
“That makes sense; David always was the biggest Matthew Alan loyalist. There isn’t much he can do about my plans now, though.” Glory leans back in her chair and smirks, looking as smug like a conquering hero. “What about my other request?”
“The Board voted five to four in favor of adding your associate Meagan Collins to the Board of Directors, making it now a ten member board.”
“Yes!” Glory exclaims rather loudly, slamming her fists onto the table excitedly, happily. It is enough to cause Robert Odom to almost jump out of his chair. He chuckles lightly.
“I take it you like the news.”
“Are you kidding, Bob? This is bloody great! I have all the power now! I can do whatever the bloody hell I want and there is nothing any of them can do about it!”
The British Bombshell extends her hand out to her attorney. Robert Odom is reluctant at first but eventually accepts the handshake. Glory Braddock is smiling proudly at Odom as she nods approvingly at him. “You did well, Bob. Together you and I finally reeled in that troublesome Board of Directors.”
“It was you more so than I, Ms. Braddock. All I did was arrange for the move to Miami and for Ms. Collins to be put on the Board. I simply drew up the legal documentation for them to vote on. I never expected a favorable vote in either case.” There is a pause from Odom as he stares inquisitively at Braddock. He arches his brow. “How did you pull this off?”
“Oh Bob, you are an attorney. So ask yourself, do you really want to know?” Glory asks with a knowing smirk. Odom pauses to think it over before nodding his head.
“Yes but…” he sighs “...give me some plausible deniability.”
“Plausible deniability is what you will get. I spoke with Joshua Hernandez and convinced him to jump from the Matthew Alan loyalist faction to my side. That gave me five votes I knew I could count on. There were still three solid Matthew Alan loyalists and the swing vote known as Carl Conroy. All four of those individuals had just one issue with me. You know what that issue is, do you not?”
“I do.” Odom knows better than to mention Aphrodite Noel. He knows it will set off her PTSD.
“Well I eliminated that issue once and for all.”
Odom’s eyes grow wide with surprise after hearing this. “You did?! How?!”
“You asked for plausible deniability, Mr. Odom, and I am trying to give it to you. All you need to know is that the Board of Directors are fully satisfied that I am in my right mind. As a side note, I want to say that I am truly pleased that Chastity Noel...my sister formerly known as Julia Braddock...is in a psychiatric ward where she can get the proper care she needs.”
Attorney Robert Odom is in a stunned silence as he stares into the lovely face of Glory Braddock. He never could have imagined that behind such a beautiful face lurked someone ruthless enough to get her own sister, her own flesh and blood, locked up in order to maintain power within her wrestling company. That, combined with how she blackmailed both Joshua Hernandez and Meagan Collins into helping her, shows just how ruthless and cutthroat Glory Braddock has become. His trancelike state, brought about by the intimidation or outright fear brought about by Glory Braddock’s ruthlessness, ends when the buzzing intercom startles him back to reality.
BUZZ! Glory rolls her eyes. “Excuse me, Robert…” she presses a button on the phone to turn it on speaker…
“Yes?”
“Ms. Braddock, Aurora Alan is here to see you.” Braddock’s eyes narrow in an angry glare. Odom is thankful that the heat of this glare is not directed at him. She looks like she could kill someone right now and, based upon her recent actions, he won’t rule out that possibility.
“What?!”
“Yes, I know,” the secretary continues “I told her that she was not welcome here but she insists on seeing you. Shall I have security called in?”
Braddock stares off into the distance for several seconds. She sighs and nods her head. “Fine...send her in…”
Braddock turns and looks over at Robert. “You may leave, Bob. I will call you when I need you.”
Robert Odom is eternally grateful to hear his client say this; immediately he gets up out of his desk, bows out of respect in Glory’s general direction, and then proceeds to walk towards the door in a hasty retreat. As soon as he is gone, Braddock sighs deeply and braces herself for the next visitor, one that will no doubt be quite unfriendly. This meeting will not be as pleasant as the one she just had with her attorney. Braddock isn’t kept long as a few moments after Odom exits, the door opens back up and a youngish woman in her thirties enters the room wearing a navy blue skirt suit with a white blouse.
Braddock has only met two members of the Alan family; Matthew Alan during her first year after buying his company in 2012 and his daughter Geneva Alan last year when Geneva tried to make a go at it as a professional wrestler in Glory’s company. She has done her best to maintain her distance from the Alan family as she has always viewed them as a threat to her power. Now that she has the full and unbridled support of the Board of Directors, Glory Braddock no longer fears the Alan Influence. She may not want to see Aurora Alan but she will face her down today.
“Aurora Alan, I presume?” Glory asks with an arched brow. “I have to admit that this is a surprise.”
“Cut the crap, Braddock.” Aurora snaps angrily as she sits down at the desk across from Glory Braddock, in the same chair Robert Odom had just been sitting in. “No need to pretend that this is a typical business deal because I know you hate me and my family.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t let the secretary call security on you, Aurora.”
“You knew damn well it would have backfired on you.” Aurora says with venom dripping from her voice. “I have every right to be here and you know it.”
“Your corrupt brother may have founded this company but he also damn near ran it into the ground, love. I saved it, I resurrected it, and just because some people in this office have some bloody nostalgic feeling when the likes of your family walks in doesn’t mean you have a right to be here. This is MY company now. This company belongs to the Braddock family now. You and your family no longer have any connection to it except for the connection of bad memories and they, too, will be forgotten.”
“You honestly believe I’m here living off of my family name?” Aurora’s angry sneer turns into a chuckle. She shakes her head. “You’re right about a few things, Braddock. My brother was corrupt, so was my sister. My brother is going to pay for his crimes and I suspect my sister will too. I’m not dumb enough to try and live off of the memories of two crooks. I am trying to redeem my family. That’s what my business is with your company and promotion. I am now the official agent and business manager of Aubrianna Powers.”
Braddock is taken by surprise by this news. She had heard rumors about this but she didn’t believe it. She knew of Aubrianna’s family as well as Aurora’s family. The two families have a bad history with one another. Glory did not honestly expect a deal to be worked out but apparently she was proven wrong. The British Bombshell goes to speak but Aurora immediately cuts her off…
“Now before you say anything, before you say anything else, I want you to know that I am not my brother. I am trying not to be like him. One thing my brother and I both are...intelligent. I am smart, Braddock, and I can see right through you. You’re not as slick as you think, because your underhanded tactics with Meagan Collins, Joshua Hernandez, and others have not gone unnoticed. You wanted to take advantage of the federal government prosecuting my brother so that you could try and run me and my family into the ground. You were afraid of me possibly taking up my brother’s mantle and challenging your power. Not only did you fail to destroy my family but you encouraged me to get even further involved in wrestling than I had planned. You created your own threat, Braddock.” A sly grin forms upon Aurora’s face. Glory cannot help but realize that what Aurora speaks is the truth and she becomes nervous. Braddock steels herself. She does not want to show any weakness.
“Your family has no further influence over my company, Aurora.” Braddock points out in a matter-of-fact tone. Aurora nods her head in agreement.
“You are correct, you have full power within this company, a company my brother started. A company he was ousted from because of corporate corruption and greed on his part. Yet now here you are, you have become just as corrupt and greedy as him.”
“What the bloody hell are you talking about?!” Braddock demands angrily. Aurora smirks knowingly.
“Since you couldn’t find any dirt on me or my family, since you were unable to destroy my family, you decided to do the next best thing...or worst thing, depending on your perspective...you destroyed your own family. You had your sister committed to a mental institution. It’s no secret that the Board of Directors did not approve of your sister. Did you get her locked up to appease them and get them on your side?” Aurora snickers nastily. “It’s a move so devious that even my brother would be proud.”
Braddock has now lost her temper and she shows it by shooting up out of her chair and shoving it away. She points angrily at Aurora Alan. “You think you know what this is all about? You have no bloody idea. None!” The British Bombshell points towards the door. “Now get out!”
Aurora nods her head and stands up. “Fine, I will leave, but before I do let me warn you about this path you are taking. It is a path that has led the downfall of many, my brother included. It is the path taken by tyrants, the same tyrants you claim to oppose. Don’t you see it, Glory? You are becoming the very thing you claim to despise about this sport, all in the name of saving it? If you want to save wrestling by stopping a tyrant then look in the damn mirror. Stop that tyrant before she destroys you.”
“GET OUT!” Glory shouts even angrier and louder this time. Aurora doesn’t blink or balk at Glory’s rage. She does, however, nod her head and finally turns around and makes her exit. Aurora slams the door shut behind her. Once Aurora Alan is gone Glory Braddock pulls her chair back up to her desk and sits down. Glory spins around in the chair so that she is looking out the window. Tears form in her eyes and begin to roll down her cheek. Braddock sighs and shakes her head.
“What have I done...what have I become…?”
==========
Ontario, Canada
Off Camera
==========
For the past several months Glory Braddock has been engaging in some dirty, underhanded tactics, which included bribery and blackmail, all to gain an upper hand over the Board of Directors within her company. To cement her power and to ensure that the board would have no further reason to challenge her claim to power, she got her sister, the woman born Julia Braddock, committed to a mental institution. It happened Sunday evening and by Monday morning the business was dealt with. Glory had accomplished her goal.
It wasn’t until her meeting with Aurora Alan that Glory would fully appreciate...or realize...the gravity of what she had truly done. She had sacrificed her own family member for the sake of power. Why had she done this? Is this truly what is best for professional wrestling? At the time she put her warped and twisted plans into motion, the answer was yes; because there were forces within the company trying to bully her out of power. And Glory knew that they would ruin her creation and her sport if they got their hands on the reins of power. Glory had to keep them away and she had to do so by any means necessary.
By any means necessary meant sacrificing a family member for the greater good. Still, for a brief moment Aurora Alan had The British Bombshell second guessing herself. A sliver of doubt had crept into her mind. And for the past two days Glory has been unable to sleep as she has tried to deal with this doubt. Thus she will now confront the doubt head on…
Soft music can be heard playing in the background in a small cafe just within the city limits of Ontario, Canada. The upbeat tunes come from a radio that sits upon the counter. It is a tiny, low key cafe near a small, local church. The tiny café itself huddled despondent among the huge city buildings. Washed out under the overcast sky, it hunched in itself. Hundreds of people rushed by it, outside on the crowded street. Unlike the outside, the interior of the café was warm and cheery, with bright lights and colourful walls. The customers returned to their conversations as the door swung closed behind the new entrant and the cold breeze was forgotten.
Glory Braddock does not let her gaze leave, as she spots the newcomer and immediately recognizes her to be Aphrodite Noel. This woman whom Glory was once very close to has requested to meet with The British Bombshell. It was Glory’s choice of location and she chose this small, out of the way cafe in Ontario, where an SCW House Show is to be held later today.
“Aphrodite…” Glory waves a hand to get her attention “...over here, love.”
Aphrodite walks over to where Glory is sitting. She pulls out a chair. Once she takes her seat, the woman who Glory once upon a time referred to as “Mother” crosses her arms.
“I would have preferred a little more privacy but this cafe looks nice. Hope the service is up to standard.” Aphrodite said.
“Trust me, none of these people care about our business. Besides, I prefer a public setting. Especially here recently.”
Aphrodite raises an eyebrow. “I am not going to try to hurt you if that’s what you're thinking.”
“I would hope not. Though I know Julia was special to you.”
“Is special...” Aphrodite corrected Glory. “She always will be! Enlighten me Glory, how long did you have this masterplan in the works? Your actions in Supreme Championship Wrestling and MWE I don’t question. I thought I taught you better than to stab your own family in the back.” Aphrodite scoffs.
“And trust me when I say that it was my last resort.” Glory insists. “You know damn well how difficult it is dealing with the board of directors. They took power from me once and recently had been doing everything they could to stop me from running my company. I needed full support from them and full power to act. That was the only way to ensure their loyalty. That among other things.”
“You mean by telling Julia with a camera present that embracing my last name is a sign of how mentally unfit she became?” Aphrodite says with obvious pain/mixed with annoyance in her voice. She mockingly claps. “How fitting, using the same excuse the same board used to get you outta power; to lock my daughter away in a psych ward. The suits I expect to be sleazy cowards. But you? I expected more, a lot more. Know what, I shouldn’t be surprised. The minute you signed a SCW contract you discarded my last name all together. I choose you and Julia to become a member of my family. I always admired you. I was happier than you could ever know when you embraced the Noel name. For you to discard it, and use my name as a weapon to send Julia away--” Aphrodite pounds the table. “That. Hurts. Power means more than you than family. Message sent.”
“No, it does not…” Glory’s voice trails off. The message does sting but she maintains her composure as best as she can. “...look, family is very important to me, much more than power, but I need the power in order to do my work; my work for the good of wrestling. As the owner of a wrestling promotion I have the power to influence so much change in positive ways for this sport but what good would being the owner do if I had no power to act? I had to do something to ensure that the board would not get in my way. I had to do something to ensure that they would not try to reverse course on anything I did.” Glory shakes her head. “You act like I’m some kind of monster now but it pained me to do what I did to Julia...she is special to me too, you know? She is my sister. My blood. An...associate of mine…”
Glory does not mention Meagan by name. She does not wish to get her newest pawn in this game in any more trouble. “...suggested this course of action long ago but I did everything I could to avoid using this strategy. And to a degree my strategy worked. The board of directors slowly came to my side. But even after exhausting all of my strategies it wasn’t enough. I had more support on the Board but it was still deadlocked. The only thing left was to remove the one thing that they questioned about me. Hell, they still questioned my sanity even after I abandoned your name. They questioned me because of my sister. I had no choice.” Glory shakes her head.
Aphrodite doesn’t immediately react, tempted as she was. Taking a deep breath, she spent a moment to process everything Glory had to tell her. Her hardened demeanor softens just a little. Not too much. Just enough. “Fine... I believe you. But you should have come to me. We could have found another way.”
“Perhaps…” Glory sighs deeply as she considers her next words carefully “...and maybe I should have at least given you a warning; unfortunately I do not believe that there was another way. I deal with these people every day. A small but powerful faction of the board has been in opposition to me since I became owner and it only heightened since my family became closely associated with you. I now have...plants within that faction...and my plants informed that they would continue to oppose me so long as the close, outward, public association between you and my family existed.” Glory is finding it difficult to fight back her emotions at this point.
“I did not want to hurt you...but it was the only way...you taught me so much. Your lessons allowed me to get as far as I have in the corporate world. And I am forever grateful for everything you have done.”
Aphrodite looks away from Glory. Anyone who knows Aphrodite will tell you there are two emotions she is known for. Anger, or passion depending on perspective. And she is normally calm despite the chaos hovering around her. Neither anger or calm is what she is experiencing, she doesn’t bother to fight back the sadness. As much as Glory’s words sting, the rational side of her knows Glory’s right. Befriending Julia, initially forcing Glory to become part of the family she wanted was the chain that began all this. Her failed attempt to take over GCW gave the board Glory has to contend with cause for pause. She didn’t know back then everything would come to ahead. Today is that day. Aphrodite knows part of the reason Julia is away is because of her.
Aphrodite sighs. She finds it in her to look at Glory again. She resignedly says’ “I know...”
Aphrodite stands up. “Please... stand.”
The British Bombshell isn’t quite certain what will happen next. But she does as Aphrodite asks.. “Yes?”
Aphrodite walks over to Glory. Without hesitation she gives The British Bombshell a loving hug. She whispers in her ear. “I’m proud of you, Gloria.”
Braddock wasn’t expecting this at all. It kicks her emotions into another gear and it kicks her PTSD into gear as well. “Th...thank you...mother…”
Aphrodite releases her embrace. Placing her hands on Glory’s shoulders, she says. “I do wish we could have found another way, Gloria... you made a tough decision, that’s what a leader does no matter the cost, just like me. Know what I find ironic? For years, you fought for what you thought was right. You took a stand against the tyrants of professional wrestling. Last year you used your Trios contract to ensure Syren had a diminished chance of walking out World Champion. Fast forward a year later. Your alliance with Sienna and Bree in SCW. Your formation of Glorious Golden Era in MWE. Doing what you can to solidify your power in GCW. Absolute power corrupts... least that’s what I’ve been told. How is this any better than our Camelot?” Aphrodite pauses to gauge Glory’s reaction. Camelot meaning the stable Aphrodite formed to takeover GCW “Whose the tyrant now? How does it feel to be just like your Mother.”
“I...I’m not...I’m…” Braddock shakes her head, her words are very unconvincing, Glory doesn’t believe them herself.
“I’ll do what has to be done. If it helps we are rarely seen in public, I’ll honor that.” Aphrodite kisses Glory on the cheek. “You make me proud. Never forget that. I should probably go. Never know if there is a spy lurking in the shadows. Love you, Gloria. Until we meet again.”
Aphrodite smirks. Without giving Glory a chance to respond she calmly walks out the cafe.