07-03-2021, 09:58 PM
07-07-2021, 07:54 AM
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June 13th, 2021
St. Louis, MO
Off Camera
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The day is Sunday, June the thirteenth, and the time has arrived for the annual Taking Hold of the Flame event in Supreme Championship Wrestling. For many, this is the opportunity to punch their ticket to the main event of Rise To Greatness, their opportunity to earn a guaranteed World Championship Match. But for “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock, this is a night to further test herself and to test herself in the most extreme of ways. She will not know when she enters the rumble match, she will not know how long she will have to last, she will not know who will be in the ring when she does enter the match. So much of this battle royal is based on luck of the draw; but with a little luck and enough endurance she can earn a chance to wrestle the world champion in the main event of Rise To Greatness. Braddock has already been fighting the likes of Katie Steward and Gavin Taylor, all in an effort to seek out new challenges. Taking Hold of the Flame, truly, is the biggest challenge of them all. Depending on her entrant number she may have to overcome thirty nine other competitors to walk out victorious. Yet this is just the kind of challenge she is looking for, this is precisely the kind of match she wants to use to test herself.
Taking Hold of the Flame is also going to serve as a way to get Glory’s mind off of her daughter, if only for this one night. Melinda Braddock, Glory’s oldest daughter, has been dating Archie Van Stanton, the son of Henry Van Stanton, a man with whom Glory has had a deeply personal and professional rivalry with for years. And their history doesn’t begin just with those two. Henry’s father, Thomas Van Stanton, was the man who injured Glenn Braddock’s back, forcing him into an early retirement. Glory followed in her father’s footsteps, vowing to continue his legacy, while Henry primarily stuck to business. Henry would later on use his legal and corporate knowledge to briefly take Glory Braddock’s company away from her. She would eventually get her company back but Braddock and Van Stanton have since had no further contact. Then she learned her daughter has been dating Henry’s son and now the potential nightmare scenario of dealing with the Van Stanton family has reared its ugly head. So for tonight, if only for tonight, Glory Braddock can get her mind off of that and put her entire focus on the one thing she knows she does best, the one thing she enjoys doing more than anything else…
...wrestling.
Glory Braddock and her husband Kurt Logan are walking into the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, the building that will play host for Taking Hold of the Flame. The British Bombshell is dressed in a pink sun dress with a hemline that stops just above the knee and strappy sandals. Her long blonde hair hangs straight to just past the shoulders. Her husband Kurt, dressed in denim jeans and a button up shirt, seems to be doing most of the work at this point as he is carrying his wife’s bags for her, bags that contain her ring gear for the evening.
“You know, I love you babe, but days like this remind me that I married a verifiable Wonder Woman.”
“Really?” Glory says with a sly smirk on her face. “Well I may have an accent but I don’t have a lasso, shield, sword, or…”
“You know what I mean.” Kurt says with a chuckle, interrupting her. Glory laughs and nods her head.
“Yeah, yeah, but you love it.”
“Of course I do. Speaking of Wonder Woman, though, you could have cosplayed as Wonder Woman out there tonight instead of the same old boring outfit you always choose.”
“Boring? Kurt, I love my purple outfit!”
“You love anything purple. That and pink, and this whole pink thing is new.”
“I know but I can’t help it. I was visiting my sister and she had this absolutely stunning pink outfit she wanted me to try on. Turns out the color actually does suit me! It looked so good that I wanted some ring gear with that color.”
“Why not that new one tonight instead of the purple?”
“Purple is my favorite color. Lucky color. When I’m in a big match scenario, I have to go with purple.”
“Whatever you say, babe.”
Glory chuckles lightly. “You don’t mind playing into my crazy quirks, do you?”
“Your crazy quirks are fine, Glory. I wouldn’t trade them or any of this for the world, babe.” He walks over and kisses her on the cheek right as they enter the Enterprise Center. As they continue their walk Glory holds out her arms offering to take some of the bags.
“I’ll take one of those to help you out, love.”
“No, babe. I got this.”
“Suit yourself. Don’t say Wonder Woman didn’t offer.” Braddock continues to lead the way through the halls of the Enterprise Center. But then a few moments later she spots a familiar figure off in the distance. She stops dead in her tracks, as does Kurt. He is notably concerned by the sudden stoppage.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you say that guy?” She points at the person up ahead. Kurt looks and sighs. He nods his head.
“Yeah....”
“Is that who I think it is?”
“Henry Van Stanton?”
“Yes, I was afraid so. I suppose I should go talk to him. I doubt he came here to see Taking Hold of the Flame. He’s probably here to see me and he probably has an agenda.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Kurt offers. Braddock shakes her head.
“No thanks, love. I can do this myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I know I can handle this wanker.”
“That’s not what I mean.” Kurt says sternly. “You have a temper, Glory. And you don’t trust him, you don’t like him; you have admitted as much yourself. But his son is dating Melinda. Aren’t you afraid you will lose your cool?”
Even The British Bombshell has to admit that Kurt speaks the truth. The blonde sighs and shakes her head, firmly resolved not to let that happen. “I promise I will keep control of myself.”
“Alright, I’ll go find the dressing room. You speak with Henry and find out what he wants.” Kurt kisses his wife and then goes his separate way. Braddock then slowly and cautiously approaches a man she has had several bad memories of, a man who she has had a brutal feud with, a man whose son is dating her daughter. Braddock gets closer to Van Stanton and then he turns and faces her with a wry grin of his own on his face. Once The British Bombshell gets face to face with Henry she stops and folds her arms over her chest.
“What do you want?”
“Nice to see you too, Gloria.”
“You know, nights like tonight require me to be focused. I cannot be distracted by anything. And you? You are just a distraction.”
“This is the beginning of the Rise To Greatness season. The biggest and best season on the SCW calendar year. I could be here to watch this great event in person.”
“And I could sprout wings and fly off. Cut the crap, Henry, and let’s take care of whatever business you have with me tonight, because I cannot imagine you being here for any other reason.”
Henry chuckles. “You claim you learned humility from Aphrodite Noel and yet that right there is one of the more arrogant statements you have made in recent months. You alone are the single solitary reason I am here tonight? I once was a wrestling manager, perhaps I am getting back into that? I am a trained wrestler, so maybe I am a secret entrant into this battle royal?”
“Ok, fine, you’re right. There are other reasons that you could be here. So tell me, what brings you here to St. Louis, specifically the Enterprise Center where I am about to take place in Taking Hold of the Flame?”
Braddock stares coldly at Henry who stares right back with a stoic gaze. Finally he shrugs his shoulders. “I’m here to see you.”
“I knew it!”
“Calm down for a moment, will you? Geez, you won’t let a guy get a word in edgewise when you lose your temper like that.”
“I am not angry!”
“Oh yes you are.” Henry points to her face. “Your face is all beet red.”
“Fine! I am angry! But it is because you are here annoying me! Taunting me! You’re…”
“I am not here to annoy or taunt you, I assure you. Will you calm down long enough so that I can explain why I am here?”
Braddock takes in a deep breath so as to calm herself down. She lets it out and nods her head. “Right, talk…”
“Thank you. Honestly, I do want to talk to you and that is why I am here but you being here for Taking Hold of the Flame gives me an excuse to see a wrestling event. I miss the wrestling business, you know? I haven’t been involved in wrestling in any shape, form, or fashion since May of 2019 when you beat my ass and kicked me out of your company.”
Braddock smirks as she remembers that date rather fondly. “You had managed to convince the Board of Directors to remove me from power and install you. I had to beat you in a match to win the power back and not only did I beat you but I choked you out. It was the last time I ever saw you.”
“Until now.”
Braddock sighs and nods her head. “Right; until now. So if you missed wrestling so damn much what have you been doing the past two years?” Braddock already knows, from her daughter Melinda, that Henry has been overseas in England. She is curious, maybe even a bit nosy, about what he is up to and hopes he will go into some details.
“Most of the last two years was spent just me, my wife, and my son spending quality time together. I needed their help to restore faith in myself. What you did to me two years ago made me question myself.”
“Good. You deserved it.” Braddock snarls. “And your brother, he is going to have a hard time finding work anywhere in wrestling again because I am going to do my best to keep him blackballed from any company with whom I have ties.”
“Mason probably deserves that. Quite honestly, what he did to you was out malice and spite. What he did to you was simply a power grab, plain and nothing more. He didn’t care about what was good for the business.”
“Oh and you did? You stole my company from me! It was a hostile takeover!”
“Maybe it was but try and understand that I was only thinking about the best interests of the business. You were acting increasingly out of character from the Glory Braddock I once knew. I didn’t think you could be trusted. I did what I felt was right.”
“Bullshit! I don’t buy that line of crap for one second and you want to know why? Your father ended my father’s wrestling career with a back injury. Then you and your brother stole my company from me. After I got my company back your brother continued to torment my sister and continued to ruin her life. I don’t believe what you said because you are a Van Stanton! It is in your blood that you want to destroy my family! Do yourself a favor, Van Stanton, and stay the hell out of my life!”
Henry shakes his head. “You and I both know that I cannot do that. I believe it is time that we addressed the elephant in the room.”
Braddock remains quiet for a moment but doesn’t break her intense glare at Henry. She knows what he is referring to; he is referring to the fact that his son Archie is dating her daughter Melinda. The children of these two feuding families dating is right out of the Romeo and Juliet playbook. But Glory finds no entertainment value in this situation at all.
“Melinda is my daughter…”
“And Archie is my son. You clearly don’t trust me, does that distrust and disdain extend to him as well simply because his last name is Van Stanton?”
“Do I trust a kid who was raised by the man who stole my company? Do I trust a kid who is a part of the family that has made my life a living hell for most of my professional career? No, I do not trust him.”
“Look, Glory, my son loves your daughter and from the looks of things your daughter feels the same way about my son. There is little we can do about that. So I am here to attempt to bury the hatchet with you before this situation gets too out of hand. You do recall how Romeo and Juliet ended, don’t you?”
Braddock rolls her eyes. “You’re always so bloody dramatic.”
“I’m just suggesting we make amends. I’m suggesting we try to make this work. Do you have any better suggestions?”
“You already heard my suggestion and it remains the same; stay the hell out of my life. I can handle this myself. I can handle Melinda, you handle your son, and we don’t have to deal with each other. Quite frankly I think that’s the best option considering I can never and will never trust a Van Stanton.”
Henry Van Stanton had been maintaining his composure and keeping his cool, which is better than Glory Braddock can say. But when this statement is made Henry immediately starts growing more frustrated and it begins to show.
“I cannot believe how a woman as bright and intelligent as you would hold a grudge for so long!”
“Yes, you’re right, all you did was convince the Board of Directors of my company that I was too crazy to be left in charge and to give you run of the company. I should just forget you did that.” The sarcasm is dripping from Glory’s voice.
“Hey, maybe I was wrong, maybe I misread the situation, but I had the best of intentions! And besides, I’m not talking about that one event! You hold this grudge back to our own fathers! You’re still pissed that my dad ended your dad’s wrestling career! Well guess what, Glory...IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! ACCIDENTS HAPPEN IN THIS SPORT! GET OVER IT!”
Glory rears back and slaps the taste out of Henry’s mouth. “How dare you!”
“I’m just still amazed that you hold this grudge yet your own daughter is willing to forget it and move on and your own sister is willing to forget it and move on!” He points a finger at Glory. “You are the only member of your family still holding onto this hate!”
Braddock furrows her brow out of curiosity. “Wait...my sister?!”
“Yes, your sister. Surely you know that Chastity and I are working closely together on a project that she calls…”
“The Chastity Foundation.” Glory says, nodding her head. “Yeah, she told me all about it. But she never mentioned your involvement.”
“I am just handling the legal and corporate side of things that she isn’t as knowledgeable about.”
“But Aphrodite taught me everything I know about business. I could have helped Chastity…”
“She knows but she wants this to be her thing. She knows that you wouldn’t intentionally try to steal the spotlight but your involvement would have put the spotlight on you. She wants this foundation to be her brainchild, her gift to society. We started working together a few months ago and that’s when and why I moved the family to England; so that I could be closer to Chastity, that way I can more easily help her.”
“That’s how Melinda got involved with Archie again.”
Henry sighs and nods his head. “Yes. Melinda was staying with your sister most of the time. Then one evening when I had my wife and son over to have dinner with Chastity, well, Melinda was there. And the two kids rekindled their relationship.”
Glory is stunned into silence after hearing the news of how Melinda and Archie got back together. She had no idea that her own sister Chastity was inadvertently behind it. She had no idea Chastity was also working with Henry Van Stanton. Apparently Henry is right, Glory really is the only one who still refuses to let go of this deep rooted family feud. The British Bombshell isn’t quite sure what to say but luckily she doesn’t have to come up with any words, as she is “rescued” by the arrival of her husband, Kurt Logan.
“I found the dressing room, Glory.” Kurt says looking at his wife. He then looks up at Henry, much more cautiously. “Henry.”
“Good evening, Kurt. Are you doing well?”
“Yes, yes I am.” Kurt answers. He looks down at Glory. “But Glory and I should probably leave. You know she has Taking Hold of the Flame tonight.”
“Yes, I do. And I hope I haven’t been too much of a problem tonight. I only want what is best for both of our children. I hope you understand that.”
“I do.” Kurt says as he takes Glory by her arm and starts walking away. Henry then calls back to them.
“Glory…”
They stop and turn to face Henry.
“...think about what I said, ok?”
“Yeah.” Glory says simply with a nod of her head. Then she takes Kurt by the arm and lets him lead her back down the hall away from Henry.
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June 29th, 2021
London, England
Off Camera
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Taking Hold of the Flame has now come and gone and despite coming up short in the famous battle royal, The British Bombshell is still just as excited as everyone else about the road to Rise To Greatness. Glory Braddock may not know where her own personal road to Rise To Greatness will take her but she is certainly anxious to find out. Yet even with all of the excitement of Rise To Greatness on her mind, Glory still finds herself distracted by private issues; specifically those involving her daughter, Melinda Braddock.
Melinda has been spending much of her time in Glory’s native home of London, England training at the Glenn Braddock Wrestling School, honing her skills in preparation for her own wrestling career. The British Bombshell was as proud as you can expect any mother could be, and she was grinning from ear to ear as she got to personally graduate her daughter from the school. But her pride quickly dissipated when Glory learned that Melinda had used her time in London to reignite her romantic relationship with Archie Van Stanton. Archie is the son of Henry Van Stanton and a member of the same Van Stanton family with whom the Glory and the Braddock family have been feuding with for a very long time. Glory and Henry mark the second generation of this bitter feud, a feud that began when Henry’s father Thomas Van Stanton ended the career of Glory’s father Glenn Braddock in a wrestling match.
Braddock has her own trust issues regarding the Van Stantons. Henry has been known to be deceitful if it serves his purposes, Henry’s brother Mason is a known con artist and scum of the earth rotten to the core individual, and she has no reason to doubt Archie would be any different. But Glory’s husband, Kurt Logan, seems insistent that she give Archie a chance. The night of Taking Hold of the Flame Glory was surprisingly approached by Henry himself who seemed willing to try and bury the hatchet for their children’s sake. But can she just ignore history? Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it and Glory does not want to repeat the mistakes of the past, especially when it concerns the Van Stanton family.
Melinda has since returned to London in order to continue her wrestling career which is still in its infancy. Glory Braddock travels to London when she can so that she can watch her daughter and encourage her career, but also keep up with what she is doing with Archie. This evening Glory Braddock finds herself in the company of Melinda, Archie, and Glory’s sister Chastity. They are in the living room of the Braddock family home where Glory and Chastity both spent their childhood.
The British Bombshell does her best to hide how uncomfortable it makes her feel to see Archie seated so close to Melinda on the sofa with an arm around her shoulder. Glory sits perpendicular to them on a comfy chair. Chastity has managed to get the third remaining seat on the sofa, perhaps keeping Melinda and Archie away from the bothersome Glory Braddock.
Glory and Chastity each have glasses of wine in their hands, as does Archie. Melinda, though, just as a glass of water. Chastity, seated on the side of the sofa closest to her sister Glory, reaches for the wine bottle and offers Glory a refill, Braddock nods her head and Chastity fills it to the top. Glory is grateful for the wine. She is doing her best to keep her nerves settled and this wine helps. She does want to give Archie a chance, if only for Melinda’s sake, but this is very difficult.
“Are you sure you don’t any wine, Mel?” Chastity asks. Melinda shakes her head.
“No thanks, Aunt Chastity. Technically I’m of legal age here in London but I don’t think mom would approve.” Melinda winks knowingly at Glory. “Besides, I have a match tomorrow and I don’t want any alcohol to be clouding my judgment.”
“Funny, that’s the kind of thing your grandfather would have said and done before matches.” Chastity says as she turns the bottle towards Archie. “More wine?”
“Yes, thank you, Ms. Braddock.”
Glory watches as Chastity pours Archie some more wine. Glory must admit that Archie has been quite the gentleman throughout this entire ordeal. Every single time she has been in Archie’s presence she expects him to do something wrong, to screw up, or at the very least disrespect her or her daughter. Yet Archie is the perfect, loving, and caring boyfriend every single time towards Melinda. The British Bombshell should be thrilled that Archie is proving her wrong. Yet somewhere deep down inside she is disappointed.
“Where is your match going to be?” Glory asks.
“London. It’s a small venue but hey, I’m still a rookie, I can’t expect packed stadiums like Wembley right here in London or Madison Square Garden in New York City right away. I have to work up to that. I have to pay my dues.”
“That’s the best mindset to have, love.” Glory says. That sense of pride returns to her face as she smiles at her daughter. “You can’t expect instant success. You can never ever expect instant gratification in this business because it almost never happens.”
“If I recall, you did have instant gratification.” Chastity chimes in with a look of mischief on her face. “You were never an amateur like dad, you never worked any independent circuits like dad; dad used his pull to get you a debut in a major wrestling promotion. And you won a championship your first night.”
Glory rolls her eyes. “Yeah, but that’s only part of the story. I had no idea how cutthroat this business could be and as a result of my inexperience I lost that championship that very same night. In fact, I get betrayed many times early on in my career because I didn’t have the kind of experience dad had from the independent circuits.” She turns her attention back towards Melinda. “Your aunt is right, I may have had a shortcut in the infancy of my career but it did more harm than good. You are definitely going about this the right way, Mel. Do not make the same mistakes I made.”
“Oh c’mon, mom, you are a fifteen time former world champion. You couldn’t have made that many mistakes!” Melinda says with a hearty laugh. Glory is insistent and shakes her head.
“I mean it, Mel. There are many things I wish I could take back, many things I wish I could do over, but I can’t. What I did do was learn from my mistakes. Never forget the past, Mel, because if you ever do then you are doomed to relive and make those same mistakes again.”
“Now you’re stealing Sophie’s thunder.”
“Huh?”
“Sophie O’Brian, your friend and one of my trainers at the school. That was one of her lessons.”
Braddock nods her head. “Ah, well it was a good lesson then wasn’t it?”
“It was; everything I learned at grandpa’s wrestling school was so valuable to me. What I learned from Sophie and from Randall [Williams] has helped me immensely, but most importantly I learned to have a deep respect for the sport and its history. I will not forget what happened in the past, mom.”
“Good.”
“Now, with that being said,” Melinda finishes the last of her water and then sets her glass to the side “I think I would like to go to bed.”
“Already? It’s still young yet.” Chastity argues. Melinda nods her head.
“I know but I need the rest. I have a match tomorrow, remember?”
“Good point.” Glory says as she stands up. “I’ll go bring the car aro…”
“Uh, actually, I was planning to stay the night with Archie and his dad.”
Glory Braddock is in total silence. She isn’t quite sure what to say. The silence is awkward and unpleasant but Chastity breaks the silence quickly and immediately. “Uh, yeah, that’s fine. Right, Glory?”
“Uh…” there is another pause from The British Bombshell, but she looks at her sister’s fierce gaze and decides an open and public argument with Chastity isn’t worth it “...yeah, of course.”
“Awesome. Thanks, mom!” Melinda embrace Glory in a tight hug. Archie finishes the rest of his wine and then holds his hand towards Glory.
“Thank you, Ms. Braddock.” Archie says, holding out his hand for a handshake. Glory, not wanting to be totally rude, reluctantly accepts the handshake. Archie then turns and walks with Melinda out of the living room. As soon as Glory can hear the door open and then shut again, signifying that the two love birds have left for the evening, she sighs and sits back down, this time on the sofa where Melinda and Archie just were.
“So you really don’t like Archie do you?” Chastity asks, sitting down next to her sister. Glory sighs deeply.
“Was I that obvious?”
“You didn’t do a good job of hiding it.”
“Well I did my best, damn it!” Glory exclaims angrily. “I even allowed him inside our family home!”
“Technically its MY home now and I could have overruled you.”
“Yes but you’re missing my point. This is the place where we grew up, where our father grew up, and that boy’s grandfather is the same man who ended our father’s wrestling career. Yet I allowed him inside this home without any word of protest.”
Chastity nods her head. “Yes, I admit that you are making progress. But it is definitely clear to me and I’m sure Melinda that you are very reluctantly allowing their relationship to continue. As a matter of fact, you probably wouldn’t allow it to happen if you had your way. The only reason you have been acting so polite is because you know that you cannot stop them. Melinda will be twenty one this year, Archie is twenty three, and you cannot stop them from doing whatever they want to do.”
“I just worry about my daughter, that’s all. Is that so wrong of me?”
“Not at all. But you don’t have to be so controlling and overprotective of her. You know?”
“Bullocks. I don’t want to control Melinda.”
“Yes you do, mate.” Chastity says, nodding her head. “I can see it in your eyes, I hear it in your words, I see it in your actions. You want to control her, much like how ‘Mother’ tried to control us.”
“Aphrodite?” Glory scoffs and shakes her head. “No, no way! You are delusional!”
Chastity pauses to think for a moment. A smirk forms upon her face before she sips her wine. “Actually, you’re right. You are controlling but not like ‘Mother’. You are far more subtle about it. You are like our dad.”
“Bullshit!”
“No, I’m being serious! Think about it, love, before mum left we wanted to follow in his footsteps eventually but not right away. But after he suffered that career ending back injury and mum left him shortly thereafter, what happened?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Glory answers, shaking her head.
“We were pressured into continuing his legacy. He didn’t outright force us to begin training right away but the pressure was there. And we had plans of starting slow, maybe having an amateur career and then doing the independent circuits before trying a major promotion. But dad pushed both of us to debut in major promotions. Like I said, very subtle but still controlling.”
“He just wanted what was best for us.”
“I agree, he was doing what he thought was best, but he was still very controlling. Even dad admitted at the end of his life that he was wrong in trying to control us.” Chastity reaches out and clasps her sister’s hand tightly. “You’re doing things mostly right by allowing Melinda to control her own wrestling future. But you need to let go and trust her judgment when it comes to Archie.”
Glory pulls her hand away and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, mate, but I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I gave Melinda free reign for quite awhile to do what she wanted because I did trust her judgment. But then she proved to me that I couldn’t trust her judgment when Clyde Sutter happened. He got into her life, influenced her...beat her...and...and…” Glory can’t finish her statement as tears begin to form in her eyes. Chastity pats her on the back gently but firmly.
“It’s ok, mate.”
“After that happened I swore I would never allow that to happen again. So excuse me for being a little apprehensive about Archie Van Stanton.”
“Forgive me, Glory, but Archie has been a perfect gentleman to Melinda. He has treated her like royalty. He is like the exact opposite of that jackass Sutter.”
“But he is still a Van Stanton.” Glory says in a snarling voice. “His father attempted a hostile takeover of my company, his uncle waged mental and physical war upon both of us. Together Henry and Mason Van Stanton both have tried to destroy this family.”
“So that’s it.” Chastity nods her head. “You are still holding onto that grudge.”
“Maybe I am! But what about you? When were you going to tell me that you suddenly got all buddy-buddy with Henry Van Stanton?”
“What are you talking about, mate?”
“Don’t play dumb, Chastity. I spoke with Henry. He told me all about his involvement with The Julia Foundation.”
Chastity, realizing that her secret is out, sighs with frustration and nods her head. “Yes, Henry is helping me out, but he is a small player at best. He is just helping with the legal and corporate matters.”
“Why did you even bother going to him anyway? Why didn’t you come to me for that? I could have helped and…”
“And what? The Julia Foundation would have just become another part of the great Glory Braddock business empire the same way dad’s school, your wrestling promotion, and cousin Kayla’s modeling agency has all been engulfed by your company. And even if you did keep it separate, your mere involvement with it would have changed the narrative into one all about you. I want this to be my project, Gloria. Not yours. And you want to know what I have learned from working with Henry on this?” Chastity points a finger at her older sister. “For starters he is an idealist, much like you. He has a vision of how things should be and typically that vision is actually quite a good and noble vision, much like yours. And he feels extreme guilt when he realizes that he has made a mistake and that his pursuit of his idealistic dreams have caused harm to others...much like you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that Henry regrets it, he regrets everything between you and him that led to the attempted hostile takeover of your company.”
“He should feel regret and guilt. He made the world think I was a lunatic.” Glory growls angrily.
“And he wishes he could undo it all but he knows all he can do is attempt to mend the fence. He also recognizes that his brother Mason is the scum of the earth and will never ever let go of this grudge against our family. That’s why Henry will never work with Mason again.” Chastity points a finger at Glory. “But you, Gloria, you are a lot like Mason in that you too refuse to let go of this grudge against the Van Stanton family. Let me ask you something, sister...did Henry apologize?”
“What?”
“Did he apologize for attempting to take over your company?”
“Yes.”
He told me he was going to apologize if he ever did get the chance to speak to you again. So my question is if he has moved on then why can’t you? Why can’t you let go of this bloody, ridiculous feud?”
Glory shakes her head. “He’s a Van Stanton and…”
“Your problem isn’t with the entire Van Stanton family. What Thomas did to our father in the ring was an accident. Thomas didn’t go there planning and plotting on how to end his career. Henry did try to take over your company but you must admit it was not out of contempt or hatred but only because he was concerned about you and your judgment. He recognizes he was wrong back then and has tried to apologize and make amends. The only piece of shit that family has ever produced is Mason. So why can’t we just agree that Mason is scum and try to get along with Henry?”
“I...I just…” Glory shakes her head “...I want to, Chastity. It’s just difficult. But I am trying, damn it!”
“I know you are, but you need to try harder. You know why? Because Melinda loves Archie and there is nothing you can do about it. You can learn to live with it and love them. But if you continue down this path you’re going then you are going to push Melinda away. Much like how our dad pushed me away. You remember why I legally changed my name to Chastity Noel, don’t you?”
“Because dad pushed you away.” Glory answers. Chastity nods her head.
“That’s right. Do you want to push Melinda away?”
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July 5th, 2021
Miami, Florida
On Camera
==========
The cameras begin to roll a home studio of sorts; complete with handheld cameras, laptops, and other electrical equipment scattered here and there. A few moments pass and then the lovely figure of “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock steps into the scene from stage left. She is wearing denim jeans, and a royal purple sleeveless top. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. She pulls up a chair, slides it into position right in front of the camera, and sits down.
“Is this rolling? Good.” Braddock waves at the camera. “Hello world and welcome to my daughter’s home studio. She uses this place to make her magic, being the social media guru that she claims to be, but since she is off in my home just across the Atlantic ocean of London where she is hopefully continuing to bust her ass and kick ass as an upcoming wrestling star on the European independent circuits, that leaves place is empty. So I’m hijacking her little office space here to send a message out to the world.” She points a finger at the camera. “Especially you, Ace Marshall.”
“Hi there, Ace! It looks we both have our road to Rise To Greatness all mapped out for us, don’t we? You’re on your way to the main event facing Selena Frost for the SCW World Championship thanks to your victory at Taking Hold of the Flame. Despite our differences, I gotta hand it to ya, mate. One of the few two time winners.” Braddock starts applauding, although it is hard to tell if it is sarcasm or sincerity. “And then there’s me. And my goal has been consistent; I want new challenges. Katie Steward gave me her best but it wasn’t good enough. Gavin Taylor tried his hand but even he failed. Now I get the chance to fight for the SCW United States Championship. And I have to overcome not one, not two, but three fierce competitors in order to get the job done.”
Braddock shakes her head. “But I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, and neither do you, because the road to Rise To Greatness has many bumps and potholes, and in our case there is a crossroads where you and me will come face to face on Breakdown. Bloody hell, it’ll be the first time in a long time we have shared the ring, right?” Braddock chuckles.
“Ok, maybe I’m slightly fibbing. We did share the ring at Taking Hold of the Flame, along with a bunch of other bodies. And facing the man who won Taking Hold of the Flame, the man who very well could be the next SCW World Champion, that is quite a tall task for anyone, including a woman like me. If I want a challenge, if I want a way to truly test myself then I need look no further than at Ace Marshall. Because let’s face it, you are a damn good wrestler. People look at you and see a clown, a jokester, and prankster. But underneath that front lies a warrior and I know that because I have first hand experience. I hope you didn’t forget the 2020 Trios Tournament because I know I didn’t.”
Braddock smirks. “Working with you was a pain in the ass at first. In fairness, you can probably say the same thing about me. I was quite an unbearable bitch back then. I’d like to think that I have lightened up a bit since then. I can be a bit of a jokester and prankster myself if you catch me in a good mood. But whether I am a prankster or an unbearable bitch, one thing that never changes is how I approach each and every situation in the wrestling ring. When that bell rings the joking is over and everything becomes deadly serious. That squared circle is my world, Ace, and I take it very seriously. I always pay attention to anyone I am in the ring with, whether they are my partner or my enemy. Hell, I pay extra close attention to my friends and allies because in this sport you never can tell when someone’s personality will turn on a dime. You never can tell when an enemy will become an ally and an ally will become an enemy. So I always make sure to take copious mental notes of everyone I share the ring with.”
The British Bombshell points a finger at the camera. “And I have done my homework on you, Ace. I am ready for any and every little game you decide to play, I am ready for you to bring your worst. Because this is Rise To Greatness season, this is when the best of the best bring their very best to the ring and show the world what they are made of and that’s what I intend to do on Breakdown. I intend to show the world that I can defeat the number one contender to the SCW World Championship.”
“What better way for me to build momentum heading into my United States title opportunity? And what better way for me to prepare for one of the biggest tests of my SCW career than by defeating the current number one contender to the World Title and two time Taking Hold of the Flame winner?” Braddock chuckles. “Your fun, games, and jokes, your eccentric antics, they get on some nerves, other people think its funny. But I see you for who you are, Ace, and I am not going to dismiss you on Breakdown. If anything, I will be the one to defeat you and derail your road to Rise To Greatness.”
“Good luck, Ace. You’re going to need it.”
June 13th, 2021
St. Louis, MO
Off Camera
==========
The day is Sunday, June the thirteenth, and the time has arrived for the annual Taking Hold of the Flame event in Supreme Championship Wrestling. For many, this is the opportunity to punch their ticket to the main event of Rise To Greatness, their opportunity to earn a guaranteed World Championship Match. But for “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock, this is a night to further test herself and to test herself in the most extreme of ways. She will not know when she enters the rumble match, she will not know how long she will have to last, she will not know who will be in the ring when she does enter the match. So much of this battle royal is based on luck of the draw; but with a little luck and enough endurance she can earn a chance to wrestle the world champion in the main event of Rise To Greatness. Braddock has already been fighting the likes of Katie Steward and Gavin Taylor, all in an effort to seek out new challenges. Taking Hold of the Flame, truly, is the biggest challenge of them all. Depending on her entrant number she may have to overcome thirty nine other competitors to walk out victorious. Yet this is just the kind of challenge she is looking for, this is precisely the kind of match she wants to use to test herself.
Taking Hold of the Flame is also going to serve as a way to get Glory’s mind off of her daughter, if only for this one night. Melinda Braddock, Glory’s oldest daughter, has been dating Archie Van Stanton, the son of Henry Van Stanton, a man with whom Glory has had a deeply personal and professional rivalry with for years. And their history doesn’t begin just with those two. Henry’s father, Thomas Van Stanton, was the man who injured Glenn Braddock’s back, forcing him into an early retirement. Glory followed in her father’s footsteps, vowing to continue his legacy, while Henry primarily stuck to business. Henry would later on use his legal and corporate knowledge to briefly take Glory Braddock’s company away from her. She would eventually get her company back but Braddock and Van Stanton have since had no further contact. Then she learned her daughter has been dating Henry’s son and now the potential nightmare scenario of dealing with the Van Stanton family has reared its ugly head. So for tonight, if only for tonight, Glory Braddock can get her mind off of that and put her entire focus on the one thing she knows she does best, the one thing she enjoys doing more than anything else…
...wrestling.
Glory Braddock and her husband Kurt Logan are walking into the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, the building that will play host for Taking Hold of the Flame. The British Bombshell is dressed in a pink sun dress with a hemline that stops just above the knee and strappy sandals. Her long blonde hair hangs straight to just past the shoulders. Her husband Kurt, dressed in denim jeans and a button up shirt, seems to be doing most of the work at this point as he is carrying his wife’s bags for her, bags that contain her ring gear for the evening.
“You know, I love you babe, but days like this remind me that I married a verifiable Wonder Woman.”
“Really?” Glory says with a sly smirk on her face. “Well I may have an accent but I don’t have a lasso, shield, sword, or…”
“You know what I mean.” Kurt says with a chuckle, interrupting her. Glory laughs and nods her head.
“Yeah, yeah, but you love it.”
“Of course I do. Speaking of Wonder Woman, though, you could have cosplayed as Wonder Woman out there tonight instead of the same old boring outfit you always choose.”
“Boring? Kurt, I love my purple outfit!”
“You love anything purple. That and pink, and this whole pink thing is new.”
“I know but I can’t help it. I was visiting my sister and she had this absolutely stunning pink outfit she wanted me to try on. Turns out the color actually does suit me! It looked so good that I wanted some ring gear with that color.”
“Why not that new one tonight instead of the purple?”
“Purple is my favorite color. Lucky color. When I’m in a big match scenario, I have to go with purple.”
“Whatever you say, babe.”
Glory chuckles lightly. “You don’t mind playing into my crazy quirks, do you?”
“Your crazy quirks are fine, Glory. I wouldn’t trade them or any of this for the world, babe.” He walks over and kisses her on the cheek right as they enter the Enterprise Center. As they continue their walk Glory holds out her arms offering to take some of the bags.
“I’ll take one of those to help you out, love.”
“No, babe. I got this.”
“Suit yourself. Don’t say Wonder Woman didn’t offer.” Braddock continues to lead the way through the halls of the Enterprise Center. But then a few moments later she spots a familiar figure off in the distance. She stops dead in her tracks, as does Kurt. He is notably concerned by the sudden stoppage.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you say that guy?” She points at the person up ahead. Kurt looks and sighs. He nods his head.
“Yeah....”
“Is that who I think it is?”
“Henry Van Stanton?”
“Yes, I was afraid so. I suppose I should go talk to him. I doubt he came here to see Taking Hold of the Flame. He’s probably here to see me and he probably has an agenda.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Kurt offers. Braddock shakes her head.
“No thanks, love. I can do this myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I know I can handle this wanker.”
“That’s not what I mean.” Kurt says sternly. “You have a temper, Glory. And you don’t trust him, you don’t like him; you have admitted as much yourself. But his son is dating Melinda. Aren’t you afraid you will lose your cool?”
Even The British Bombshell has to admit that Kurt speaks the truth. The blonde sighs and shakes her head, firmly resolved not to let that happen. “I promise I will keep control of myself.”
“Alright, I’ll go find the dressing room. You speak with Henry and find out what he wants.” Kurt kisses his wife and then goes his separate way. Braddock then slowly and cautiously approaches a man she has had several bad memories of, a man who she has had a brutal feud with, a man whose son is dating her daughter. Braddock gets closer to Van Stanton and then he turns and faces her with a wry grin of his own on his face. Once The British Bombshell gets face to face with Henry she stops and folds her arms over her chest.
“What do you want?”
“Nice to see you too, Gloria.”
“You know, nights like tonight require me to be focused. I cannot be distracted by anything. And you? You are just a distraction.”
“This is the beginning of the Rise To Greatness season. The biggest and best season on the SCW calendar year. I could be here to watch this great event in person.”
“And I could sprout wings and fly off. Cut the crap, Henry, and let’s take care of whatever business you have with me tonight, because I cannot imagine you being here for any other reason.”
Henry chuckles. “You claim you learned humility from Aphrodite Noel and yet that right there is one of the more arrogant statements you have made in recent months. You alone are the single solitary reason I am here tonight? I once was a wrestling manager, perhaps I am getting back into that? I am a trained wrestler, so maybe I am a secret entrant into this battle royal?”
“Ok, fine, you’re right. There are other reasons that you could be here. So tell me, what brings you here to St. Louis, specifically the Enterprise Center where I am about to take place in Taking Hold of the Flame?”
Braddock stares coldly at Henry who stares right back with a stoic gaze. Finally he shrugs his shoulders. “I’m here to see you.”
“I knew it!”
“Calm down for a moment, will you? Geez, you won’t let a guy get a word in edgewise when you lose your temper like that.”
“I am not angry!”
“Oh yes you are.” Henry points to her face. “Your face is all beet red.”
“Fine! I am angry! But it is because you are here annoying me! Taunting me! You’re…”
“I am not here to annoy or taunt you, I assure you. Will you calm down long enough so that I can explain why I am here?”
Braddock takes in a deep breath so as to calm herself down. She lets it out and nods her head. “Right, talk…”
“Thank you. Honestly, I do want to talk to you and that is why I am here but you being here for Taking Hold of the Flame gives me an excuse to see a wrestling event. I miss the wrestling business, you know? I haven’t been involved in wrestling in any shape, form, or fashion since May of 2019 when you beat my ass and kicked me out of your company.”
Braddock smirks as she remembers that date rather fondly. “You had managed to convince the Board of Directors to remove me from power and install you. I had to beat you in a match to win the power back and not only did I beat you but I choked you out. It was the last time I ever saw you.”
“Until now.”
Braddock sighs and nods her head. “Right; until now. So if you missed wrestling so damn much what have you been doing the past two years?” Braddock already knows, from her daughter Melinda, that Henry has been overseas in England. She is curious, maybe even a bit nosy, about what he is up to and hopes he will go into some details.
“Most of the last two years was spent just me, my wife, and my son spending quality time together. I needed their help to restore faith in myself. What you did to me two years ago made me question myself.”
“Good. You deserved it.” Braddock snarls. “And your brother, he is going to have a hard time finding work anywhere in wrestling again because I am going to do my best to keep him blackballed from any company with whom I have ties.”
“Mason probably deserves that. Quite honestly, what he did to you was out malice and spite. What he did to you was simply a power grab, plain and nothing more. He didn’t care about what was good for the business.”
“Oh and you did? You stole my company from me! It was a hostile takeover!”
“Maybe it was but try and understand that I was only thinking about the best interests of the business. You were acting increasingly out of character from the Glory Braddock I once knew. I didn’t think you could be trusted. I did what I felt was right.”
“Bullshit! I don’t buy that line of crap for one second and you want to know why? Your father ended my father’s wrestling career with a back injury. Then you and your brother stole my company from me. After I got my company back your brother continued to torment my sister and continued to ruin her life. I don’t believe what you said because you are a Van Stanton! It is in your blood that you want to destroy my family! Do yourself a favor, Van Stanton, and stay the hell out of my life!”
Henry shakes his head. “You and I both know that I cannot do that. I believe it is time that we addressed the elephant in the room.”
Braddock remains quiet for a moment but doesn’t break her intense glare at Henry. She knows what he is referring to; he is referring to the fact that his son Archie is dating her daughter Melinda. The children of these two feuding families dating is right out of the Romeo and Juliet playbook. But Glory finds no entertainment value in this situation at all.
“Melinda is my daughter…”
“And Archie is my son. You clearly don’t trust me, does that distrust and disdain extend to him as well simply because his last name is Van Stanton?”
“Do I trust a kid who was raised by the man who stole my company? Do I trust a kid who is a part of the family that has made my life a living hell for most of my professional career? No, I do not trust him.”
“Look, Glory, my son loves your daughter and from the looks of things your daughter feels the same way about my son. There is little we can do about that. So I am here to attempt to bury the hatchet with you before this situation gets too out of hand. You do recall how Romeo and Juliet ended, don’t you?”
Braddock rolls her eyes. “You’re always so bloody dramatic.”
“I’m just suggesting we make amends. I’m suggesting we try to make this work. Do you have any better suggestions?”
“You already heard my suggestion and it remains the same; stay the hell out of my life. I can handle this myself. I can handle Melinda, you handle your son, and we don’t have to deal with each other. Quite frankly I think that’s the best option considering I can never and will never trust a Van Stanton.”
Henry Van Stanton had been maintaining his composure and keeping his cool, which is better than Glory Braddock can say. But when this statement is made Henry immediately starts growing more frustrated and it begins to show.
“I cannot believe how a woman as bright and intelligent as you would hold a grudge for so long!”
“Yes, you’re right, all you did was convince the Board of Directors of my company that I was too crazy to be left in charge and to give you run of the company. I should just forget you did that.” The sarcasm is dripping from Glory’s voice.
“Hey, maybe I was wrong, maybe I misread the situation, but I had the best of intentions! And besides, I’m not talking about that one event! You hold this grudge back to our own fathers! You’re still pissed that my dad ended your dad’s wrestling career! Well guess what, Glory...IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! ACCIDENTS HAPPEN IN THIS SPORT! GET OVER IT!”
Glory rears back and slaps the taste out of Henry’s mouth. “How dare you!”
“I’m just still amazed that you hold this grudge yet your own daughter is willing to forget it and move on and your own sister is willing to forget it and move on!” He points a finger at Glory. “You are the only member of your family still holding onto this hate!”
Braddock furrows her brow out of curiosity. “Wait...my sister?!”
“Yes, your sister. Surely you know that Chastity and I are working closely together on a project that she calls…”
“The Chastity Foundation.” Glory says, nodding her head. “Yeah, she told me all about it. But she never mentioned your involvement.”
“I am just handling the legal and corporate side of things that she isn’t as knowledgeable about.”
“But Aphrodite taught me everything I know about business. I could have helped Chastity…”
“She knows but she wants this to be her thing. She knows that you wouldn’t intentionally try to steal the spotlight but your involvement would have put the spotlight on you. She wants this foundation to be her brainchild, her gift to society. We started working together a few months ago and that’s when and why I moved the family to England; so that I could be closer to Chastity, that way I can more easily help her.”
“That’s how Melinda got involved with Archie again.”
Henry sighs and nods his head. “Yes. Melinda was staying with your sister most of the time. Then one evening when I had my wife and son over to have dinner with Chastity, well, Melinda was there. And the two kids rekindled their relationship.”
Glory is stunned into silence after hearing the news of how Melinda and Archie got back together. She had no idea that her own sister Chastity was inadvertently behind it. She had no idea Chastity was also working with Henry Van Stanton. Apparently Henry is right, Glory really is the only one who still refuses to let go of this deep rooted family feud. The British Bombshell isn’t quite sure what to say but luckily she doesn’t have to come up with any words, as she is “rescued” by the arrival of her husband, Kurt Logan.
“I found the dressing room, Glory.” Kurt says looking at his wife. He then looks up at Henry, much more cautiously. “Henry.”
“Good evening, Kurt. Are you doing well?”
“Yes, yes I am.” Kurt answers. He looks down at Glory. “But Glory and I should probably leave. You know she has Taking Hold of the Flame tonight.”
“Yes, I do. And I hope I haven’t been too much of a problem tonight. I only want what is best for both of our children. I hope you understand that.”
“I do.” Kurt says as he takes Glory by her arm and starts walking away. Henry then calls back to them.
“Glory…”
They stop and turn to face Henry.
“...think about what I said, ok?”
“Yeah.” Glory says simply with a nod of her head. Then she takes Kurt by the arm and lets him lead her back down the hall away from Henry.
==========
June 29th, 2021
London, England
Off Camera
==========
Taking Hold of the Flame has now come and gone and despite coming up short in the famous battle royal, The British Bombshell is still just as excited as everyone else about the road to Rise To Greatness. Glory Braddock may not know where her own personal road to Rise To Greatness will take her but she is certainly anxious to find out. Yet even with all of the excitement of Rise To Greatness on her mind, Glory still finds herself distracted by private issues; specifically those involving her daughter, Melinda Braddock.
Melinda has been spending much of her time in Glory’s native home of London, England training at the Glenn Braddock Wrestling School, honing her skills in preparation for her own wrestling career. The British Bombshell was as proud as you can expect any mother could be, and she was grinning from ear to ear as she got to personally graduate her daughter from the school. But her pride quickly dissipated when Glory learned that Melinda had used her time in London to reignite her romantic relationship with Archie Van Stanton. Archie is the son of Henry Van Stanton and a member of the same Van Stanton family with whom the Glory and the Braddock family have been feuding with for a very long time. Glory and Henry mark the second generation of this bitter feud, a feud that began when Henry’s father Thomas Van Stanton ended the career of Glory’s father Glenn Braddock in a wrestling match.
Braddock has her own trust issues regarding the Van Stantons. Henry has been known to be deceitful if it serves his purposes, Henry’s brother Mason is a known con artist and scum of the earth rotten to the core individual, and she has no reason to doubt Archie would be any different. But Glory’s husband, Kurt Logan, seems insistent that she give Archie a chance. The night of Taking Hold of the Flame Glory was surprisingly approached by Henry himself who seemed willing to try and bury the hatchet for their children’s sake. But can she just ignore history? Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it and Glory does not want to repeat the mistakes of the past, especially when it concerns the Van Stanton family.
Melinda has since returned to London in order to continue her wrestling career which is still in its infancy. Glory Braddock travels to London when she can so that she can watch her daughter and encourage her career, but also keep up with what she is doing with Archie. This evening Glory Braddock finds herself in the company of Melinda, Archie, and Glory’s sister Chastity. They are in the living room of the Braddock family home where Glory and Chastity both spent their childhood.
The British Bombshell does her best to hide how uncomfortable it makes her feel to see Archie seated so close to Melinda on the sofa with an arm around her shoulder. Glory sits perpendicular to them on a comfy chair. Chastity has managed to get the third remaining seat on the sofa, perhaps keeping Melinda and Archie away from the bothersome Glory Braddock.
Glory and Chastity each have glasses of wine in their hands, as does Archie. Melinda, though, just as a glass of water. Chastity, seated on the side of the sofa closest to her sister Glory, reaches for the wine bottle and offers Glory a refill, Braddock nods her head and Chastity fills it to the top. Glory is grateful for the wine. She is doing her best to keep her nerves settled and this wine helps. She does want to give Archie a chance, if only for Melinda’s sake, but this is very difficult.
“Are you sure you don’t any wine, Mel?” Chastity asks. Melinda shakes her head.
“No thanks, Aunt Chastity. Technically I’m of legal age here in London but I don’t think mom would approve.” Melinda winks knowingly at Glory. “Besides, I have a match tomorrow and I don’t want any alcohol to be clouding my judgment.”
“Funny, that’s the kind of thing your grandfather would have said and done before matches.” Chastity says as she turns the bottle towards Archie. “More wine?”
“Yes, thank you, Ms. Braddock.”
Glory watches as Chastity pours Archie some more wine. Glory must admit that Archie has been quite the gentleman throughout this entire ordeal. Every single time she has been in Archie’s presence she expects him to do something wrong, to screw up, or at the very least disrespect her or her daughter. Yet Archie is the perfect, loving, and caring boyfriend every single time towards Melinda. The British Bombshell should be thrilled that Archie is proving her wrong. Yet somewhere deep down inside she is disappointed.
“Where is your match going to be?” Glory asks.
“London. It’s a small venue but hey, I’m still a rookie, I can’t expect packed stadiums like Wembley right here in London or Madison Square Garden in New York City right away. I have to work up to that. I have to pay my dues.”
“That’s the best mindset to have, love.” Glory says. That sense of pride returns to her face as she smiles at her daughter. “You can’t expect instant success. You can never ever expect instant gratification in this business because it almost never happens.”
“If I recall, you did have instant gratification.” Chastity chimes in with a look of mischief on her face. “You were never an amateur like dad, you never worked any independent circuits like dad; dad used his pull to get you a debut in a major wrestling promotion. And you won a championship your first night.”
Glory rolls her eyes. “Yeah, but that’s only part of the story. I had no idea how cutthroat this business could be and as a result of my inexperience I lost that championship that very same night. In fact, I get betrayed many times early on in my career because I didn’t have the kind of experience dad had from the independent circuits.” She turns her attention back towards Melinda. “Your aunt is right, I may have had a shortcut in the infancy of my career but it did more harm than good. You are definitely going about this the right way, Mel. Do not make the same mistakes I made.”
“Oh c’mon, mom, you are a fifteen time former world champion. You couldn’t have made that many mistakes!” Melinda says with a hearty laugh. Glory is insistent and shakes her head.
“I mean it, Mel. There are many things I wish I could take back, many things I wish I could do over, but I can’t. What I did do was learn from my mistakes. Never forget the past, Mel, because if you ever do then you are doomed to relive and make those same mistakes again.”
“Now you’re stealing Sophie’s thunder.”
“Huh?”
“Sophie O’Brian, your friend and one of my trainers at the school. That was one of her lessons.”
Braddock nods her head. “Ah, well it was a good lesson then wasn’t it?”
“It was; everything I learned at grandpa’s wrestling school was so valuable to me. What I learned from Sophie and from Randall [Williams] has helped me immensely, but most importantly I learned to have a deep respect for the sport and its history. I will not forget what happened in the past, mom.”
“Good.”
“Now, with that being said,” Melinda finishes the last of her water and then sets her glass to the side “I think I would like to go to bed.”
“Already? It’s still young yet.” Chastity argues. Melinda nods her head.
“I know but I need the rest. I have a match tomorrow, remember?”
“Good point.” Glory says as she stands up. “I’ll go bring the car aro…”
“Uh, actually, I was planning to stay the night with Archie and his dad.”
Glory Braddock is in total silence. She isn’t quite sure what to say. The silence is awkward and unpleasant but Chastity breaks the silence quickly and immediately. “Uh, yeah, that’s fine. Right, Glory?”
“Uh…” there is another pause from The British Bombshell, but she looks at her sister’s fierce gaze and decides an open and public argument with Chastity isn’t worth it “...yeah, of course.”
“Awesome. Thanks, mom!” Melinda embrace Glory in a tight hug. Archie finishes the rest of his wine and then holds his hand towards Glory.
“Thank you, Ms. Braddock.” Archie says, holding out his hand for a handshake. Glory, not wanting to be totally rude, reluctantly accepts the handshake. Archie then turns and walks with Melinda out of the living room. As soon as Glory can hear the door open and then shut again, signifying that the two love birds have left for the evening, she sighs and sits back down, this time on the sofa where Melinda and Archie just were.
“So you really don’t like Archie do you?” Chastity asks, sitting down next to her sister. Glory sighs deeply.
“Was I that obvious?”
“You didn’t do a good job of hiding it.”
“Well I did my best, damn it!” Glory exclaims angrily. “I even allowed him inside our family home!”
“Technically its MY home now and I could have overruled you.”
“Yes but you’re missing my point. This is the place where we grew up, where our father grew up, and that boy’s grandfather is the same man who ended our father’s wrestling career. Yet I allowed him inside this home without any word of protest.”
Chastity nods her head. “Yes, I admit that you are making progress. But it is definitely clear to me and I’m sure Melinda that you are very reluctantly allowing their relationship to continue. As a matter of fact, you probably wouldn’t allow it to happen if you had your way. The only reason you have been acting so polite is because you know that you cannot stop them. Melinda will be twenty one this year, Archie is twenty three, and you cannot stop them from doing whatever they want to do.”
“I just worry about my daughter, that’s all. Is that so wrong of me?”
“Not at all. But you don’t have to be so controlling and overprotective of her. You know?”
“Bullocks. I don’t want to control Melinda.”
“Yes you do, mate.” Chastity says, nodding her head. “I can see it in your eyes, I hear it in your words, I see it in your actions. You want to control her, much like how ‘Mother’ tried to control us.”
“Aphrodite?” Glory scoffs and shakes her head. “No, no way! You are delusional!”
Chastity pauses to think for a moment. A smirk forms upon her face before she sips her wine. “Actually, you’re right. You are controlling but not like ‘Mother’. You are far more subtle about it. You are like our dad.”
“Bullshit!”
“No, I’m being serious! Think about it, love, before mum left we wanted to follow in his footsteps eventually but not right away. But after he suffered that career ending back injury and mum left him shortly thereafter, what happened?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Glory answers, shaking her head.
“We were pressured into continuing his legacy. He didn’t outright force us to begin training right away but the pressure was there. And we had plans of starting slow, maybe having an amateur career and then doing the independent circuits before trying a major promotion. But dad pushed both of us to debut in major promotions. Like I said, very subtle but still controlling.”
“He just wanted what was best for us.”
“I agree, he was doing what he thought was best, but he was still very controlling. Even dad admitted at the end of his life that he was wrong in trying to control us.” Chastity reaches out and clasps her sister’s hand tightly. “You’re doing things mostly right by allowing Melinda to control her own wrestling future. But you need to let go and trust her judgment when it comes to Archie.”
Glory pulls her hand away and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, mate, but I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I gave Melinda free reign for quite awhile to do what she wanted because I did trust her judgment. But then she proved to me that I couldn’t trust her judgment when Clyde Sutter happened. He got into her life, influenced her...beat her...and...and…” Glory can’t finish her statement as tears begin to form in her eyes. Chastity pats her on the back gently but firmly.
“It’s ok, mate.”
“After that happened I swore I would never allow that to happen again. So excuse me for being a little apprehensive about Archie Van Stanton.”
“Forgive me, Glory, but Archie has been a perfect gentleman to Melinda. He has treated her like royalty. He is like the exact opposite of that jackass Sutter.”
“But he is still a Van Stanton.” Glory says in a snarling voice. “His father attempted a hostile takeover of my company, his uncle waged mental and physical war upon both of us. Together Henry and Mason Van Stanton both have tried to destroy this family.”
“So that’s it.” Chastity nods her head. “You are still holding onto that grudge.”
“Maybe I am! But what about you? When were you going to tell me that you suddenly got all buddy-buddy with Henry Van Stanton?”
“What are you talking about, mate?”
“Don’t play dumb, Chastity. I spoke with Henry. He told me all about his involvement with The Julia Foundation.”
Chastity, realizing that her secret is out, sighs with frustration and nods her head. “Yes, Henry is helping me out, but he is a small player at best. He is just helping with the legal and corporate matters.”
“Why did you even bother going to him anyway? Why didn’t you come to me for that? I could have helped and…”
“And what? The Julia Foundation would have just become another part of the great Glory Braddock business empire the same way dad’s school, your wrestling promotion, and cousin Kayla’s modeling agency has all been engulfed by your company. And even if you did keep it separate, your mere involvement with it would have changed the narrative into one all about you. I want this to be my project, Gloria. Not yours. And you want to know what I have learned from working with Henry on this?” Chastity points a finger at her older sister. “For starters he is an idealist, much like you. He has a vision of how things should be and typically that vision is actually quite a good and noble vision, much like yours. And he feels extreme guilt when he realizes that he has made a mistake and that his pursuit of his idealistic dreams have caused harm to others...much like you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that Henry regrets it, he regrets everything between you and him that led to the attempted hostile takeover of your company.”
“He should feel regret and guilt. He made the world think I was a lunatic.” Glory growls angrily.
“And he wishes he could undo it all but he knows all he can do is attempt to mend the fence. He also recognizes that his brother Mason is the scum of the earth and will never ever let go of this grudge against our family. That’s why Henry will never work with Mason again.” Chastity points a finger at Glory. “But you, Gloria, you are a lot like Mason in that you too refuse to let go of this grudge against the Van Stanton family. Let me ask you something, sister...did Henry apologize?”
“What?”
“Did he apologize for attempting to take over your company?”
“Yes.”
He told me he was going to apologize if he ever did get the chance to speak to you again. So my question is if he has moved on then why can’t you? Why can’t you let go of this bloody, ridiculous feud?”
Glory shakes her head. “He’s a Van Stanton and…”
“Your problem isn’t with the entire Van Stanton family. What Thomas did to our father in the ring was an accident. Thomas didn’t go there planning and plotting on how to end his career. Henry did try to take over your company but you must admit it was not out of contempt or hatred but only because he was concerned about you and your judgment. He recognizes he was wrong back then and has tried to apologize and make amends. The only piece of shit that family has ever produced is Mason. So why can’t we just agree that Mason is scum and try to get along with Henry?”
“I...I just…” Glory shakes her head “...I want to, Chastity. It’s just difficult. But I am trying, damn it!”
“I know you are, but you need to try harder. You know why? Because Melinda loves Archie and there is nothing you can do about it. You can learn to live with it and love them. But if you continue down this path you’re going then you are going to push Melinda away. Much like how our dad pushed me away. You remember why I legally changed my name to Chastity Noel, don’t you?”
“Because dad pushed you away.” Glory answers. Chastity nods her head.
“That’s right. Do you want to push Melinda away?”
==========
July 5th, 2021
Miami, Florida
On Camera
==========
The cameras begin to roll a home studio of sorts; complete with handheld cameras, laptops, and other electrical equipment scattered here and there. A few moments pass and then the lovely figure of “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock steps into the scene from stage left. She is wearing denim jeans, and a royal purple sleeveless top. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. She pulls up a chair, slides it into position right in front of the camera, and sits down.
“Is this rolling? Good.” Braddock waves at the camera. “Hello world and welcome to my daughter’s home studio. She uses this place to make her magic, being the social media guru that she claims to be, but since she is off in my home just across the Atlantic ocean of London where she is hopefully continuing to bust her ass and kick ass as an upcoming wrestling star on the European independent circuits, that leaves place is empty. So I’m hijacking her little office space here to send a message out to the world.” She points a finger at the camera. “Especially you, Ace Marshall.”
“Hi there, Ace! It looks we both have our road to Rise To Greatness all mapped out for us, don’t we? You’re on your way to the main event facing Selena Frost for the SCW World Championship thanks to your victory at Taking Hold of the Flame. Despite our differences, I gotta hand it to ya, mate. One of the few two time winners.” Braddock starts applauding, although it is hard to tell if it is sarcasm or sincerity. “And then there’s me. And my goal has been consistent; I want new challenges. Katie Steward gave me her best but it wasn’t good enough. Gavin Taylor tried his hand but even he failed. Now I get the chance to fight for the SCW United States Championship. And I have to overcome not one, not two, but three fierce competitors in order to get the job done.”
Braddock shakes her head. “But I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, and neither do you, because the road to Rise To Greatness has many bumps and potholes, and in our case there is a crossroads where you and me will come face to face on Breakdown. Bloody hell, it’ll be the first time in a long time we have shared the ring, right?” Braddock chuckles.
“Ok, maybe I’m slightly fibbing. We did share the ring at Taking Hold of the Flame, along with a bunch of other bodies. And facing the man who won Taking Hold of the Flame, the man who very well could be the next SCW World Champion, that is quite a tall task for anyone, including a woman like me. If I want a challenge, if I want a way to truly test myself then I need look no further than at Ace Marshall. Because let’s face it, you are a damn good wrestler. People look at you and see a clown, a jokester, and prankster. But underneath that front lies a warrior and I know that because I have first hand experience. I hope you didn’t forget the 2020 Trios Tournament because I know I didn’t.”
Braddock smirks. “Working with you was a pain in the ass at first. In fairness, you can probably say the same thing about me. I was quite an unbearable bitch back then. I’d like to think that I have lightened up a bit since then. I can be a bit of a jokester and prankster myself if you catch me in a good mood. But whether I am a prankster or an unbearable bitch, one thing that never changes is how I approach each and every situation in the wrestling ring. When that bell rings the joking is over and everything becomes deadly serious. That squared circle is my world, Ace, and I take it very seriously. I always pay attention to anyone I am in the ring with, whether they are my partner or my enemy. Hell, I pay extra close attention to my friends and allies because in this sport you never can tell when someone’s personality will turn on a dime. You never can tell when an enemy will become an ally and an ally will become an enemy. So I always make sure to take copious mental notes of everyone I share the ring with.”
The British Bombshell points a finger at the camera. “And I have done my homework on you, Ace. I am ready for any and every little game you decide to play, I am ready for you to bring your worst. Because this is Rise To Greatness season, this is when the best of the best bring their very best to the ring and show the world what they are made of and that’s what I intend to do on Breakdown. I intend to show the world that I can defeat the number one contender to the SCW World Championship.”
“What better way for me to build momentum heading into my United States title opportunity? And what better way for me to prepare for one of the biggest tests of my SCW career than by defeating the current number one contender to the World Title and two time Taking Hold of the Flame winner?” Braddock chuckles. “Your fun, games, and jokes, your eccentric antics, they get on some nerves, other people think its funny. But I see you for who you are, Ace, and I am not going to dismiss you on Breakdown. If anything, I will be the one to defeat you and derail your road to Rise To Greatness.”
“Good luck, Ace. You’re going to need it.”
Ace
07-07-2021, 10:44 PM