Dark Fantasy (Syren & Ravyn) vs. Twisted & Sadistic (Brittany Lohan & Glory)

[Braddock]

2 of 2
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December 29th, 2023
Charlotte, NC
Off Camera
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It is a very busy time for Glorious Golden Enterprises. The Charlotte headquarters is full of excitement as their potential new investor, Melody Murphy, is about to make her pitch to the full corporate Board of Directors. Despite the best attempts to keep all of the talk under wraps, most everyone who works here in the Charlotte headquarters, and every single one of the Board members, have already gotten wind of the tensions that had been running high between Ms. Murphy and the GGE owner herself Glory Braddock. Yes, Braddock has granted her time to speak her peace. Yes, Braddock has granted Murphy time to speak to the full Board of Directors. But everyone knows that Glory Braddock still has an ironclad control over the Board of Directors. Over the past two years, the Board has pretty much been a rubber stamp for whatever Glory Braddock wants to see happen. Melody getting the chance to grace this stage and meet the Board is a great first step, but even the Board members themselves are not sure how their boss will want this meeting to go. Even they are unsure of how Braddock will react. It must have been quite the surprise for them to see The British Bombshell remain completely silent during the entire presentation. Melody Murphy, the wealthy businesswoman and investor from across the pond, a former friend turned rival turned friend again of Glory Braddock, has been speaking to the Board of Directors for quite some time now. The Board has been shooting a cautious glance at Braddock, who sits off at the far end of the room. Braddock is dressed for business in a pink pencil skirt, a matching pink blazer, a white silk blouse underneath, and pink patent leather high heel pumps. The British Bombshell has her legs crossed and her arms folded over her chest. It is clear that she is listening intently to Melody’s proposal. But what the Board finds odd is the fact that Braddock does not seem interested in involving herself. Not this time. Not today.

What the Board of Directors do not know is what has gone on behind the scenes between the three powerful movers and shakers involved in this proposed partnership. Francis Taylor, the corporate president, has been instrumental in making the deal happen and playing peacekeeper between Braddock and Murphy. Glory and Melody, the former enemies, have buried the hatchet and have been willing to work together for the sake of their financial gain. Glory has even given Melody her own personal blessing to marry Matthew Taylor, Francis’s brother and Glory’s longtime best friend. And even though she does control the Board of Directors, Glory Braddock has no intention on using that control to pull the rug out from under Melody. The British Bombshell intends to let this deal go through. She will not use her power to sabotage this deal in any way. Still, while the friendship between Braddock and Murphy has seemingly been repaired, the trust is not fully there. Glory Braddock still has unanswered questions; questions that only Melody Murphy can answer. She has tried to get those answers for quite some time and yet Melody has still not answered them. Why would she betray her those many years ago? How did they go from friends to enemies so suddenly and without any warning?

Yet, as important as that is to address, Glory still has more pressing matters to take up with Melody. The three women were recently involved in what police believe to be an attempted murder when their car exploded. Luckily no one was inside and no one was hurt but the fact that someone tried to kill them rocks them to their very core. This topic is widely known by the Board of Directors but is left unaddressed. This is how Glory wants it. She wants to handle this her way. She already spent time visiting an old acquaintance and potential suspect, Meagan Collins. She was quickly ruled out. Now Braddock needs to speak to Melody, at the very least to warn her, maybe even get some information about who might want to target them for assassination.

“And in conclusion…” Melody’s voice is bright and chipper this afternoon. She has been putting her best foot forward, trying to convince these Board members to go along with her ideas. Braddock knows from her experience with Melody just how convincing she can be. “...I really believe that with my funds and my knowledge and experience, we can take the GGE Modeling wing to great new heights.” She smiles and turns to face Francis Taylor. “Thank you.”

Melody sits back down. Francis stands up from her seat at the large oval shaped conference room table and approaches the podium. She senses that things are going quite well and the smile on her face tells that story. This was her idea, after all. Bringing Glory and Melody back together was her idea. The three of them were once as thick as thieves. For a moment she wasn’t sure that Braddock would go along with it. Now she can see the finish line.

“Thank you, Ms. Murphy, for your presentation. I would like to also point out to our Board that I endorse her proposal.”

“As do I.” Glory Braddock announces as she stands up from the chair she was sitting in. Francis Taylor and Melody both are surprised by Glory’s sudden decision to speak out. She had remained silent the entire meeting until now. “In fact, I enthusiastically endorse this proposal. However, I am sure our Board has a lot to think about before making any final decisions, especially one of this magnitude. And since we are getting close to lunch, how about we take a lunch break and meet back here in a few hours?”

The British Bombshell looks around the room. The Board members exchange looks and talk amongst themselves for a brief moment. No one raises any objections. Glory then nods her head. “Then it’s settled. I’ll see everyone back here in three hours.” It doesn’t take long after saying those words before the room slowly starts to empty. Glory Braddock stays behind, as does Francis and Melody. One by one the Board members take their exit, stopping occasionally to greet one of the three players involved in this proposal. Eventually the room is emptied in its entirety, leaving only Glory, Francis, and Melody.

“You did a good job, Melody.” Glory says as she approaches her former friend.

“You think so?”

“I know so.” She winks. “You obviously haven’t lost your touch.”

“Thank you. Do you think I did enough to convince the Board?”

“I’m sure you did. But I wouldn’t worry about it. I endorsed your proposal publicly. That was the only endorsement you needed, my friend.” She pats Melody on the back. “You got this in the bag.”

“It certainly seems that way.” Francis says somewhat skeptically.

“Oh don’t be so worried, Francis.” Glory states. “The Board will do what I ask. You know that.”

“Still, it seems that whenever good things start to happen that’s when things start to implode.” Francis sounds exasperated. It seems as if she had been putting on a strong front this entire time. Now that the Board members are all gone she can drop that front and show her true feelings of nervousness and worry. Braddock senses what is wrong and turns to face Francis.

“This business deal is going to be fine. It was your idea, yours and Melody’s. I do not know of anyone more knowledgeable than the two of you. I went through your proposal myself with a fine tooth comb. It is solid. We’ll be fine.”

“It isn’t our proposal I’m worried about.” Francis says. “I think we all know what I’m worried about, it’s just that no one wants to talk about it.”

“The bombing.” Glory states. Francis nods her head.

“Yes, that. Had we left earlier, we would have been in that car when the bomb went off and we would all be dead. Forget about the business deal, forget about the wedding, none of it would happen because we would all be dead.” Francis is flustered now and fights back tears. “And all I ever wanted was to bring you two back together. You know?”

“I know and I am grateful you did.” She notices Melody exiting the conference room. She takes a mental note of it before turning back to face Francis.

“You weren’t exactly happy with it at first. You hated Melody.”

“Can you blame me?” Glory asks. “She betrayed me. She betrayed our friendship and my trust. But I can’t continue to hold onto grudges. If Melody is serious about turning over a new leaf, if she is serious about being a changed person, then who am I to judge? God knows I have needed plenty of second chances in my life. God knows I have made mistakes. I’m willing to give her a chance.”

“So you still don’t trust her?”

“Not yet.” Glory shakes her head. “But she knows that I don’t trust her. She knows she has to earn my trust. I mean, a lot of bridges were burned, Francis.”

“Yeah, I know.” She says quietly.

“But its ok!” Braddock pats her on the back. “We’re working on it! The gang is back together just like you wanted! We are working together again, the three of us, just like you wanted! Now come on, let’s go find Melody and have some lunch, just like old times. How does that sound, mate?”

“I dunno…” Francis sighs and shakes her head “...I have other business to attend to…”

“Seriously?” Glory stares at her skeptically. Francis just nods her head.

“Yeah. Sorry, Glory.” With that, Francis Taylor pulls away and walks off. Glory finds Francis’s behavior odd. Perhaps the car bombing and attempted murder had more of an impact on Francis than Glory had thought. Then she thinks back to Melody just walking out of the conference room the way she did. If Francis is still upset and bothered by that horrible night, could Melody also still be feeling the effects? Braddock decides to find out. She exits the conference room and shuts the door behind her. She scans for Melody and, lucky for her, Murphy didn’t get too far. Melody is sitting in the waiting room on a sofa. Glory slowly walks over to the sofa. She clears her throat to get Melody’s attention. Murphy looks up and sees Glory smiling warmly down at her.

“Is this seat taken?”

“No, of course not.” With that, Glory sits down.

“So, are you handling things better than Francis?”

“Sure.” Melody smiles but Glory can tell that she is faking. “I mean, why wouldn’t I be? Our deal is gonna be a hit with the Board.”

“I’m not talking about our business proposal. I’m talking about that night, the night of the car bombing.”

“Oh…” Melody’s voice trails off, eventually she shakes her head “...uh, I’d rather not talk about that.”

“You can’t avoid it, mate.”

“Watch me.” Melody stands up. Glory sighs with frustration as she stands up and follows her.

“Melody!”

“Glory, I would really rather not talk about it.” She states. “It was too awful. I mean, we almost died.”

“But we didn’t. And it is very important that we keep that night fresh on our minds because it did happen, and who knows? It could happen again.”

“Don’t say that.” Melody shakes her head.

“But it could. Was Francis the target? Or me?” She points a finger at Melody. “It could have been you. Or bloody hell, it could have just been some psycho arsonist wanting to blow random shit up. But if it is one of us that was the target, we need to be prepared. If they were trying to kill us, and they realize we’re not dead, they’ll try again.”

“You’re right, of course…” Melody sighs and shakes her head “...it’s just, scary. You know?”

“Of course it is.” Braddock wraps an arm around her friend’s shoulder. “But you don’t have to go through it alone. You got me and Francis. We’re in this same boat together and we’re here for you.” That one last comment does finally bring a smile to Melody’s face. She looks up at Glory.

“Thanks. It is lonely being where we are.”

“Where we are?” Glory asks curiously.

“Wealthy. Powerful. We make enemies, sometimes we don’t realize we make them. This isn’t the first attempt on my life. You’d think I’d be used to it by now. I was into real trouble when dad’s business got involved in organized crime. I should be used to it but I’m still scared when it happens.”

Glory Braddock is taken aback by the startling revelation. Melody Murphy, or at least her family, isn’t as upstanding as she thought. They had been involved in organized crime. Braddock can only think back to that time when she was organized in shady, sometimes less than legal deals that put her on the radar of organized crime. She always wanted to think she was different, that she was better than Melody. Apparently her moral high ground doesn’t exist. They are not all that different after all.

“We all make mistakes, Melody. The important thing is recognizing the mistakes that we made and working hard to improve ourselves, working hard to make sure we don’t make those mistakes again.” She places a hand on Melody’s shoulder. “You and I aren’t that different.”

“I know.”

“And I was serious when I said that I am willing to work with you, not just on this business deal but on trying to get our friendship back. When it comes to friends, I never turn my back on my friends. And I do not want to see my friends get hurt. That’s why it is important we talk about the car bombing. That’s why it is important that we keep it fresh in our mind.”

“I know.” Melody shrugs her shoulders. “But what can we do? You know? Like I said, we make enemies rather easily, you and I.” She rolls her eyes. “And the bloody police aren’t worth shit.”

“They’re doing the best they can.”

“Like hell they are.” Melody snaps back.

“Chill, mate.” Glory says. “We can’t do much but we can be vigilant. Just watch and be extra careful.”

“If they are targeting me, then what do I do?” Melody asks again. Her frustration seems to grow by the second. Glory wishes she had more answers but she has none. Her best suspect was already ruled out. She wishes she could offer Melody some protection but what can she do? But then, a thought hits her. Like a ton of bricks. She grins.

“I know what you can do.”

“What?”

“It makes perfect sense!”

“What makes perfect sense?!”

“You’re going to stay with me in Miami.”

“Say what?” Melody is bowled over at the suggestion.

“It is the best idea. If someone is targeting you, they’d go after you in your home. They wouldn’t expect you to be with me.”

“And what if they are targeting you? They get both of us in one shot.”

“At least we have each other. We can watch each other’s backs.”

“And what about Francis?”

“She’ll be fine.” Glory scoffs. “She has better security than either of us. Trust me, you and I together is the best bet.”

“I…” Melody shakes her head “...I don’t deserve this, Glory. I don’t deserve you, not after what I did to you.”

“It’s what friends do for each other, Mel. And like I said, I am not going to turn my back on my friends.”

“But I did…” her voice trails off.

“That’s all in the past. We’ve moved on. Right?”

“Right…”

“So it’s settled then. You’re staying with me and Kurt in Miami. And I am not taking ‘NO’ for an answer.”