07-19-2025, 11:32 AM
1 of at least 2
A 3rd is possible, but it depends on how things go next week.
Good luck!
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May 2nd, 2022
Roslin, Scotland
Off Camera
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January of 2022 Melinda Braddock had reached rock bottom. She was at a bar when she collapsed from a drug overdose. Some hoodlum at the bar found her and things could have gotten far, far worse for young Braddock had it not been for her ex-boyfriend, the imposing and intimidating Clyde Sutter, stumbling upon them. The Assassin took Melinda back to a motel. He took care of her. He did his best to nurse her back to health. Most importantly for Braddock, he promised to keep her secret. Drugs and alcohol were not new to young Melinda. They had been introduced to her far earlier than they should have been by Clyde himself when they first dated. She had gotten clean once before and she was convinced she was on the right path. She had even completed training at her grandfather Glenn Braddock’s wrestling school in London, England, she had made a successful career for herself wrestling on the European independent circuits. But over time the stress and pressure of living up to the Braddock name, of being the granddaughter of a man as popular in Europe as Glenn Braddock, being the daughter of someone as popular all over the world as Glory Braddock, all of that pressure finally broke young Melinda. Drugs and alcohol were an escape. They helped ease the pressure and the stress. Unfortunately they also nearly ruined her. And one night in January she hit rock bottom.
She blamed Clyde for her situation. He did introduce her to the very drugs that she would get addicted to; but over time she realized that she couldn’t throw him under the bus. She had to take responsibility for her own actions. More importantly she had to get well, she had to clean again if she wanted to have a chance at once again having a wrestling career. Thanks to some of her own connections, as well as Clyde’s, she managed to find the help she needed. What’s most important to her, all of it was safe and confidential from the prying eyes of the public at large who knew the famous Braddock family. No one would ever know of her problems.
The front doors creaked open on rusted hinges, and for the first time in ninety long days, Melinda Braddock stepped out into the light without a staff member beside her. The chill of the Scottish air hit her first; sharp, brisk, and unapologetically clean. The stone steps beneath her feet were still damp from last night’s rain, and the skies above were smeared with drifting clouds, their grey edges tinged faintly pink from a sun just beginning to break through. Somewhere in the distance, birds chirped over the low hum of a nearby road, and the faint scent of pine and wet earth clung to everything.
Melinda stood there for several tense moments, letting the moment wash over her. The building behind her was a converted manor house, draped in ivy and shadowed by tall, weary trees. It is called The Julia Foundation and yes, it is named after her aunt, Julia Braddock. She was ashamed of what happened to her, she was ashamed of how she allowed herself to get caught up in drugs and how it nearly ruined her life and career. The young woman wanted to keep everything hush hush and quiet, even from her own mother Glory Braddock. Glory never had to deal with these kinds of problems. Glory held Melinda to a very high bar. She expected too much from her and would never have understood the pressure Melinda was under and why she ultimately gave in. She wanted to keep this a secret even from her mother and she knew her aunt Julia would help. Julia had to endure the struggles of drug abuse in the past and overcame it. She understood. The Julia Foundation building had loomed over high in the sky for months, its old walls steeped in silence. She didn’t hate the place. Not anymore. But she wouldn’t miss it either.
She looked different than she had when she arrived. Even her aunt Julia had told her so, but even without the affirmations, she could feel the change. Her once dull blonde hair now shone in the daylight, falling around her shoulders in clean, loose waves. Her cheeks were less hollow. Her pale blue eyes had regained their light, though that light now carried the weight of things seen and endured. She wore a denim jacket frayed at the cuffs over a simple cream sweater and black jeans. Her boots crunched softly on the gravel path as she hesitated at the bottom step, suddenly unsure of what to do next.
And that’s when she saw him. Clyde Sutter stood leaning against an old beat up car parked just past the wrought iron gate. His long black hair was pulled back in a messy tie at the nape of his neck, a few strands fluttering free in the breeze. He wore a worn black hoodie under a dark flannel jacket, jeans faded at the knees, and boots. She blinked at him, confused for a second.
“Clyde?”
He looked up, and when he saw her, something in his face softened. He pushed off the car with one hand and walked toward her, his steps slow and deliberate, like he didn’t want to scare her off. Melinda felt something tighten in her chest. It wasn’t sadness, not quite. Not joy either. Something more tangled; like relief laced with guilt, affection cut with memory. She crossed her arms out of habit, biting the inside of her cheek. Melinda stared at him for a long moment. A few cars passed by on the road behind him, their tires whispering on the wet asphalt. The clouds began to part just slightly, and a patch of sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead, casting shifting shadows on the gravel.
“You seem surprised to see me.” He remarks as he stops just in front of her. He keeps a warm, friendly smile on his face. This is a look that she has not seen from The Assassin before. What attracted her to him initially was his bad boy, rough and tough style and appearance. But this smile is warm and caring. This is a side of Sutter that she has not seen before. She isn’t quite sure what to think. Braddock sighs and shakes her head.
“I just thought…well…my mom surely would find out by now…”
“Your mother still is in the dark.” Clyde states plainly. “Your aunt and I have seen to that.”
“How?” Melinda sounds shocked. “How can you keep something like this from her?”
“She was unaware of your aunt’s drug problems for over a year before she figured that one out.” He smirks. “Is it that unusual for you to believe that she would be unaware of your condition?”
“Ok, fair point…”
“Besides, your mother is busy traveling the globe, wrestling for Millennium Wrestling Enterprise, wrestling for Supreme Championship Wrestling, and helping to run and operate Global Championship Wrestling. Meanwhile you have been over here, across the pond, and as far as she knows you are still competing all over Europe in the European wrestling independent scene. Why would she question that? She’s too busy to question it.”
“And the few times she has questioned it, I suppose aunt Julia is telling her I’m ok and I’m still wrestling.” Melinda states. Clyde nods his head.
“Correct. See? It isn’t that hard to keep a secret. However, you DO realize that at some point very soon you must tell your mother about this?”
“I don’t think you’ve earned the right to tell me what I should and should not do.” Melinda says angrily. “I mean, I haven’t forgotten why I had to spend the past ninety days here. I haven’t forgotten who introduced me to the drugs that damn near ruined my life and career!”
The words are stinging. They are hurled directly into Sutter’s heart and they strike him hard. There is still an anger in Melinda’s own heart and soul, anger directed at this man. Yet as she stares at him with the rage that she feels, she cannot help but notice the guilt; no, not guilt, shame all over his face. This imposing man, this monster, Clyde Sutter, feels incredible shame and guilt over the part he played in getting Melinda addicted. It becomes clear to Melinda that Clyde still blames himself for everything that has happened to her. He blames himself for what she lost.
Yet it is not true. It may be justified that he should bear some of the blame but it is not right that he should bear all of the blame and guilt for what happened to Melinda. She realizes, despite her anger and rage, that most of the blame lies upon her own shoulders. She had gotten clean once before, she should’ve known better. She DID know better than to turn to drugs and alcohol as the solution to her problems. Yet she turned to the drugs anyway. Sutter didn’t make her do all of this; he just introduced her to it. She sighs and shakes her head.
“I’m sorry, Clyde.”
“Do not apologize.” Sutter responds quickly without missing a beat. “Your anger is justified. What I did to you was unconscionable. I led you down a dark path and I live with that regret every single waking moment of my life.”
“But you don’t need to hold onto that guilt by yourself.” Melinda shakes her head. “We were both at fault. I didn’t have to say yes. I could have said no.” She chuckles. “That’s what the eighties and nineties catchphrase is, right? Just say no?”
“Indeed.” Clyde smirks. “Good trivia, Melinda. You knew that and you aren’t even an eighties or nineties kid.”
“That one is embedded into pop culture memory now.” Melinda states. “Who wouldn’t know that one?” Suddenly Melinda sighs out of frustration. “God damn it…”
“What?”
“Pop culture…it just reminded me! My followers!”
“Followers?” Clyde seems confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Bullshit.” Melinda snaps. “You know what I mean! Facebook! Twitter! Tic Toc! All of it! I have been disconnected from it all, from all my followers, for over ninety days! I’m sure they’re already wondering what happened to me! Maybe even spreading rumors about what happened to me!”
“Melinda…” Clyde begins slowly, trying to reassure her, but she isn’t having any of it.
“You don’t get it! I may not have been as big a social media influencer as others, but I had quite a following nonetheless, and they are going to ask questions. Add to that the fact that my last name is Braddock and the rumors are going to swirl!” She starts shaking her head furiously. “This is a disaster!”
“Listen to me, Melinda.”
Sutter’s voice is much sterner and more demanding. This sounds more like the Clyde she knows, the one she dated. She used to be afraid of this voice commanding, almost demanding voice. But this time it is ever so slightly different. Yes, it sounds commanding but there is some softness to it. It is demanding but not angry. Braddock allows herself to relax and remain silent as she listens intensely to Clyde Sutter.
“You were wrestling all over Europe. You were a champion in the European circuits until you were stripped of the title due to a failed drug test. You disappeared off the map. Did your followers or any of the European fans express any concern over your whereabouts?”
“No…”
“Did you receive any fan letters while you were here in rehab at The Julia Foundation?”
“Clyde, they didn’t know I was there.” She states. “We kept it quiet, confidential!”
“Yes but they still could have sent you fan mail to the promotions you were wrestling for, or even to your aunt. Julia, knowing full well where you were, easily could have relayed those letters to you. Correct?”
“I suppose…” Melinda’s voice trails off. She is quiet and subdued as she senses where he is going with this.
“So I ask again; how many of your followers or supposed fans reached out and asked about your whereabouts during your time away from wrestling?”
“None.” Melinda sighs, shaking her head sporting a sad and distressed look on her face.
“You are a Braddock. That makes you a celebrity, especially here in Europe. The faster that your star rises, the more popular you will become worldwide. I can see it now, Melinda, just looking at you, the moment you get your opportunity at a worldwide promotion such as Supreme Championship Wrestling, you will quickly become a worldwide phenomena. You will quickly become a bigger star than either your grandfather or your mother.”
“You…you really think so?” Melinda asks quietly. Sutter nods his head.
“I know it. It is the natural progression of things. Your grandfather was great but your mother surpassed him. You will ultimately surpass her. You are a star, Melinda Braddock.”
“Thanks…” Melinda’s voice cracks as tears start to form in her eyes.
“You are a star, you are a celebrity, and these people…your followers and fans…people like them are entertained by two things; watching people like you succeed and thus living vicariously through you…you have done that through your vlogs, your twitter posts, your social media presence outlining your success story…but the other thing that entertains these people is when they watch a big star like you fail. Watching people like you fail makes them feel better about themselves and their own pathetic, miserable lives.”
The words are almost hurtful for Melinda, yet they were not directed at her. They are directed at her followers, her social media fans. It almost sounds like she is being lectured, scolded for trying to please them. She wipes some of the tears from her eyes.
“Clyde, I…” she shakes her head “...I just don’t know…”
“I know it is difficult to hear but what I speak is the truth. Do you think any of your followers or fans could possibly understand or comprehend the difficult situation you have just endured? Do you think they can grasp what it is like to have to follow in the footsteps of not just one but two legends in this sport? Look at other celebrities who have had problems and scandal; the Kardashians, the Osbournes, the list goes on and on. They are all judged and ridiculed by people who have no idea, who have no way of knowing their situation. If they were to find out about your situation they would judge you too. They would judge you without a second thought to the real life hell you have had to endure.” He motions to the looming Julia Foundation behind young Melinda. “You courageously checked yourself in and fought to get yourself clean. That is something to be proud of, not something worth judging you over. It is also something these people you call followers and fans would never understand. Now as you take your first steps outside of that building, looking to rebuild and reclaim your wrestling career, do not look to the support of your social media followers and fans, look to the support of those who look out for your best interests. Focus on yourself, Melinda.”
There is a tense and awkward silence as Melinda bows her head, mostly out of shame. She feels ashamed because she heard what Clyde Sutter just said about her social media followers and fans and, much to her surprise, she feels a hint of truth in his words. Long before these events she was a social media butterfly and quickly on the road to being a social media influencer on top of being a professional wrestler. She loved her followers and her fans. Yet these words from The Assassin ring true. She follows pop culture and she hears the news stories of celebrities getting into scandal after scandal and, instead of offering words of support, the public at large generally judge them and vilify them.
Melinda Braddock was once a champion in Europe but she lost it all thanks to her own bad decisions. But she was the one who fought back and got clean. She is the one who now has the opportunity to reclaim everything she lost. Perhaps Clyde is right? Maybe she should focus on herself? She looks up into his eyes. Sutter stares back, studying her closely. Her gaze is unreadable. He isn’t sure what is going through her mind right now.
“Clyde…” her voice trails off.
“Yes?”
“You asked me if I received any letters, letters from my fans or supporters or followers.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I did receive some letters, but they weren’t from any of my fans. They weren’t even from family, not because they didn’t care but because my aunt was the only family who knew and she kept it secret. I only got letters from one person.” She reaches out and lovingly takes his right hand into hers. “I got all of your letters, Clyde.”
“You did?” He seems surprised. “You never responded. I just assumed your aunt kept them from you because she didn’t trust me, just like your mother doesn’t trust me.”
“I know and I’m sorry. It was rude for me to not say anything. It was wrong of me to let you think I didn’t get them. I was just conflicted. Ever since we broke up I hated you. I hated you for how you treated me. Then back in January you rescued me from a situation that was bad but could have gotten worse had you not been there. It had been my fault because I got myself in that situation but I still hated you and wanted to blame you. Yet despite the constant anger and hate I threw in your face, you still helped me. You nursed me back to health until I was capable to check into the rehab. You kept my secret. All of that and you did it without asking for anything in return. I still wanted to hate you but it was becoming harder for me to hate you.” Melinda’s voice cracks. “Then those letters arrived…”
“I meant every word.”
“It wasn’t even what you said.” She chuckles. “But the letters were lovely. As much of a monster you are, you are capable of such beautiful poetry. But it wasn’t just the words, it was the fact that you took time to reach out to me so frequently. It was clear that you cared about me. Clyde, I didn’t respond because I was conflicted. I thought I was supposed to hate you but I…” she pauses, not sure if she wants to complete the sentence.
“Yes?”
“...but I, I think I love you.”
“You know I love you too.” Sutter remarks quietly. “I told you as much back in January. I still love you and I never stopped loving you. But I lost the right to love you, Melinda. What I did to you was horrible, it was a crime, and my punishment is that I never get to be with you again.”
“Come off it, Clyde.” Melinda states sternly. “I told you, we were both equally at fault. Besides,” she smirks knowingly “if I was the victim, don’t I get a say in what your punishment is?”
“What are you saying?” He asks.
“I’m saying that I want to give us a second chance.” She smiles lovingly at him. “We had great times, Clyde. You were my first real love. I think we can make it work.”
“Loving you is the one thing I have wanted my entire life.” He says quietly. “But what about your family? Specifically your mother? She hates me. She doesn’t trust me. She would never approve.” Before he can say another word, Melinda hops up and plants a kiss on his lips. Sutter even seems shocked by this. Melinda smirks.
“What do you think, Clyde? Do you think I care what my mother thinks?”
“Apparently not.” He grins warmly. “Yes, maybe there is a chance that we can work this out?”
“I hope so.”
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Vlog #60
Present Day
On Camera
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Hello my lovelies! Melinda Braddock, the social media queen, back again after three and a half years away from the social media spotlight! This is coming to you live on Facebook, the muskified twitter, Tic Toc, Blue Skye, Instagram, all of it. You name the platform and my face is on it because I am back. And I can see it now. I can guess the hashtags from my former followers: #WelcomeBack! #Mellamania! #RiseToMelinda!
Now while that last one might actually have a nice ring to it, and you know, I might even put it on a t-shirt to sell at the SCW merchandise stands at Rise To Greatness, the real fact is that you can all take your hashtags and stuff it. This vlog, my sixtieth vlog and return vlog, just might turn out to be my last. We’ll have to wait and see how Rise to Greatness shapes up, won’t we? But more importantly than that, we will have to see what Fate has in store for this vlog.
This is what all of you have been waiting for, isn’t it? All of you, my lovely followers, my former fans, you have been curious as to what happened to me? My vlogs disappeared off the face of your beautiful social media platforms. You had no idea what had become of my blossoming wrestling career in Europe. Quite frankly, I’m not sure any of you really cared in the first place. Face facts, people like me…successful, talented, beautiful people like me…you live vicariously through my successes because you cannot have that same kind of success. Equally you enjoy watching people like me fail because you know I am better than you and watching me fail makes you feel better about your miserable little lives.
I’m sure you were feeling those withdrawal symptoms from being without my vlogs for so long. But then late last year I made a grand return! My sexy gorgeous face showed back up on your screens! You were ecstatic, if only for a moment, until you saw that I stood side by side with the one and only man worthy to put his hands on this body…Fate’s Chosen Assassin Clyde Sutter. The harbinger of fate, Clyde Sutter. Maybe that would make a good hashtag? Go ahead, my little puppets on a string. Hashtag it! Get it trending! #FatesChosenAssassin! #HarbingerOfFate! Get it trending so that you idiots line my pockets with money! Make me and my man famous!
So what have I been doing while I dropped off the face of the earth? Well, that’s really none of your business, now is it? For a time, I enjoyed sharing my life with you. I thought we were all one great big happy family. But then my man pointed out that I really only needed to look out for one person and one person only…MYSELF! So I do not intend to tell you what I have been doing in my three and a half year absence away from this stupid vlog and your stupid computer screens. What I will tell you is what I have accomplished in my time as a professional wrestler.
Midwest Championship Wrestling Plains Champion.
Two time and longest reigning Midwest Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champion.
That little bit of information was a treat for you idiots. But for Chance Owens and Kelsai Adamson, that should serve as a word of warning. It should serve notice as to just who and what you are dealing with.
Kelsai at least should have some idea of who and what she is dealing with. She has fought my aunt, Julia Braddock, over in GCW. Little miss priss isn’t the saint she makes her out to be. Ask her how she cheated, conned, and manipulated her way to stealing the title from my aunt and holding it hostage. My man and I never claimed to be good people. We own up to who we are. If you idiots cheer Kelsai, at least know who you are cheering for.
Chance, Kelsai, you should both be well aware of who I am. I am Melinda Braddock. My grandfather, “Britain’s Best” Glenn Braddock, was a European wrestling legend. My mother, Glory Braddock, surpassed him and became a seventeen time world champion in multiple promotions all over the globe and a Supreme Champion in SCW. But me? I will surpass them both. In time my legend and legacy will be greater than both of theirs combined. I am not just Clyde’s sidekick who provides moral support during his matches. I am not his eye candy. I am The Third Generation Goddess and my legacy has only just begun.
Now my legacy brings me here to my first, my first of many, Rise To Greatness events. Chance, Kelsai, you should feel honored and privileged to be a part of my first Rise To Greatness match. It will, of course, go down as a loss for the pair of you, but still, you should feel honored nonetheless. And those of you losers out there, my former followers who are completely out of touch, who really have no clue, make sure to tune in to Rise To Greatness. Better yet, buy a ticket and watch it in person. Watch history. Watch as Fate’s very plans for my future plays out.
Fate is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?
Watch my legacy and legend continue to get written before your very eyes. Live vicariously through the greatness that is The Third Generation Goddess.
Melinda…OUT!
A 3rd is possible, but it depends on how things go next week.
Good luck!
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May 2nd, 2022
Roslin, Scotland
Off Camera
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January of 2022 Melinda Braddock had reached rock bottom. She was at a bar when she collapsed from a drug overdose. Some hoodlum at the bar found her and things could have gotten far, far worse for young Braddock had it not been for her ex-boyfriend, the imposing and intimidating Clyde Sutter, stumbling upon them. The Assassin took Melinda back to a motel. He took care of her. He did his best to nurse her back to health. Most importantly for Braddock, he promised to keep her secret. Drugs and alcohol were not new to young Melinda. They had been introduced to her far earlier than they should have been by Clyde himself when they first dated. She had gotten clean once before and she was convinced she was on the right path. She had even completed training at her grandfather Glenn Braddock’s wrestling school in London, England, she had made a successful career for herself wrestling on the European independent circuits. But over time the stress and pressure of living up to the Braddock name, of being the granddaughter of a man as popular in Europe as Glenn Braddock, being the daughter of someone as popular all over the world as Glory Braddock, all of that pressure finally broke young Melinda. Drugs and alcohol were an escape. They helped ease the pressure and the stress. Unfortunately they also nearly ruined her. And one night in January she hit rock bottom.
She blamed Clyde for her situation. He did introduce her to the very drugs that she would get addicted to; but over time she realized that she couldn’t throw him under the bus. She had to take responsibility for her own actions. More importantly she had to get well, she had to clean again if she wanted to have a chance at once again having a wrestling career. Thanks to some of her own connections, as well as Clyde’s, she managed to find the help she needed. What’s most important to her, all of it was safe and confidential from the prying eyes of the public at large who knew the famous Braddock family. No one would ever know of her problems.
The front doors creaked open on rusted hinges, and for the first time in ninety long days, Melinda Braddock stepped out into the light without a staff member beside her. The chill of the Scottish air hit her first; sharp, brisk, and unapologetically clean. The stone steps beneath her feet were still damp from last night’s rain, and the skies above were smeared with drifting clouds, their grey edges tinged faintly pink from a sun just beginning to break through. Somewhere in the distance, birds chirped over the low hum of a nearby road, and the faint scent of pine and wet earth clung to everything.
Melinda stood there for several tense moments, letting the moment wash over her. The building behind her was a converted manor house, draped in ivy and shadowed by tall, weary trees. It is called The Julia Foundation and yes, it is named after her aunt, Julia Braddock. She was ashamed of what happened to her, she was ashamed of how she allowed herself to get caught up in drugs and how it nearly ruined her life and career. The young woman wanted to keep everything hush hush and quiet, even from her own mother Glory Braddock. Glory never had to deal with these kinds of problems. Glory held Melinda to a very high bar. She expected too much from her and would never have understood the pressure Melinda was under and why she ultimately gave in. She wanted to keep this a secret even from her mother and she knew her aunt Julia would help. Julia had to endure the struggles of drug abuse in the past and overcame it. She understood. The Julia Foundation building had loomed over high in the sky for months, its old walls steeped in silence. She didn’t hate the place. Not anymore. But she wouldn’t miss it either.
She looked different than she had when she arrived. Even her aunt Julia had told her so, but even without the affirmations, she could feel the change. Her once dull blonde hair now shone in the daylight, falling around her shoulders in clean, loose waves. Her cheeks were less hollow. Her pale blue eyes had regained their light, though that light now carried the weight of things seen and endured. She wore a denim jacket frayed at the cuffs over a simple cream sweater and black jeans. Her boots crunched softly on the gravel path as she hesitated at the bottom step, suddenly unsure of what to do next.
And that’s when she saw him. Clyde Sutter stood leaning against an old beat up car parked just past the wrought iron gate. His long black hair was pulled back in a messy tie at the nape of his neck, a few strands fluttering free in the breeze. He wore a worn black hoodie under a dark flannel jacket, jeans faded at the knees, and boots. She blinked at him, confused for a second.
“Clyde?”
He looked up, and when he saw her, something in his face softened. He pushed off the car with one hand and walked toward her, his steps slow and deliberate, like he didn’t want to scare her off. Melinda felt something tighten in her chest. It wasn’t sadness, not quite. Not joy either. Something more tangled; like relief laced with guilt, affection cut with memory. She crossed her arms out of habit, biting the inside of her cheek. Melinda stared at him for a long moment. A few cars passed by on the road behind him, their tires whispering on the wet asphalt. The clouds began to part just slightly, and a patch of sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead, casting shifting shadows on the gravel.
“You seem surprised to see me.” He remarks as he stops just in front of her. He keeps a warm, friendly smile on his face. This is a look that she has not seen from The Assassin before. What attracted her to him initially was his bad boy, rough and tough style and appearance. But this smile is warm and caring. This is a side of Sutter that she has not seen before. She isn’t quite sure what to think. Braddock sighs and shakes her head.
“I just thought…well…my mom surely would find out by now…”
“Your mother still is in the dark.” Clyde states plainly. “Your aunt and I have seen to that.”
“How?” Melinda sounds shocked. “How can you keep something like this from her?”
“She was unaware of your aunt’s drug problems for over a year before she figured that one out.” He smirks. “Is it that unusual for you to believe that she would be unaware of your condition?”
“Ok, fair point…”
“Besides, your mother is busy traveling the globe, wrestling for Millennium Wrestling Enterprise, wrestling for Supreme Championship Wrestling, and helping to run and operate Global Championship Wrestling. Meanwhile you have been over here, across the pond, and as far as she knows you are still competing all over Europe in the European wrestling independent scene. Why would she question that? She’s too busy to question it.”
“And the few times she has questioned it, I suppose aunt Julia is telling her I’m ok and I’m still wrestling.” Melinda states. Clyde nods his head.
“Correct. See? It isn’t that hard to keep a secret. However, you DO realize that at some point very soon you must tell your mother about this?”
“I don’t think you’ve earned the right to tell me what I should and should not do.” Melinda says angrily. “I mean, I haven’t forgotten why I had to spend the past ninety days here. I haven’t forgotten who introduced me to the drugs that damn near ruined my life and career!”
The words are stinging. They are hurled directly into Sutter’s heart and they strike him hard. There is still an anger in Melinda’s own heart and soul, anger directed at this man. Yet as she stares at him with the rage that she feels, she cannot help but notice the guilt; no, not guilt, shame all over his face. This imposing man, this monster, Clyde Sutter, feels incredible shame and guilt over the part he played in getting Melinda addicted. It becomes clear to Melinda that Clyde still blames himself for everything that has happened to her. He blames himself for what she lost.
Yet it is not true. It may be justified that he should bear some of the blame but it is not right that he should bear all of the blame and guilt for what happened to Melinda. She realizes, despite her anger and rage, that most of the blame lies upon her own shoulders. She had gotten clean once before, she should’ve known better. She DID know better than to turn to drugs and alcohol as the solution to her problems. Yet she turned to the drugs anyway. Sutter didn’t make her do all of this; he just introduced her to it. She sighs and shakes her head.
“I’m sorry, Clyde.”
“Do not apologize.” Sutter responds quickly without missing a beat. “Your anger is justified. What I did to you was unconscionable. I led you down a dark path and I live with that regret every single waking moment of my life.”
“But you don’t need to hold onto that guilt by yourself.” Melinda shakes her head. “We were both at fault. I didn’t have to say yes. I could have said no.” She chuckles. “That’s what the eighties and nineties catchphrase is, right? Just say no?”
“Indeed.” Clyde smirks. “Good trivia, Melinda. You knew that and you aren’t even an eighties or nineties kid.”
“That one is embedded into pop culture memory now.” Melinda states. “Who wouldn’t know that one?” Suddenly Melinda sighs out of frustration. “God damn it…”
“What?”
“Pop culture…it just reminded me! My followers!”
“Followers?” Clyde seems confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Bullshit.” Melinda snaps. “You know what I mean! Facebook! Twitter! Tic Toc! All of it! I have been disconnected from it all, from all my followers, for over ninety days! I’m sure they’re already wondering what happened to me! Maybe even spreading rumors about what happened to me!”
“Melinda…” Clyde begins slowly, trying to reassure her, but she isn’t having any of it.
“You don’t get it! I may not have been as big a social media influencer as others, but I had quite a following nonetheless, and they are going to ask questions. Add to that the fact that my last name is Braddock and the rumors are going to swirl!” She starts shaking her head furiously. “This is a disaster!”
“Listen to me, Melinda.”
Sutter’s voice is much sterner and more demanding. This sounds more like the Clyde she knows, the one she dated. She used to be afraid of this voice commanding, almost demanding voice. But this time it is ever so slightly different. Yes, it sounds commanding but there is some softness to it. It is demanding but not angry. Braddock allows herself to relax and remain silent as she listens intensely to Clyde Sutter.
“You were wrestling all over Europe. You were a champion in the European circuits until you were stripped of the title due to a failed drug test. You disappeared off the map. Did your followers or any of the European fans express any concern over your whereabouts?”
“No…”
“Did you receive any fan letters while you were here in rehab at The Julia Foundation?”
“Clyde, they didn’t know I was there.” She states. “We kept it quiet, confidential!”
“Yes but they still could have sent you fan mail to the promotions you were wrestling for, or even to your aunt. Julia, knowing full well where you were, easily could have relayed those letters to you. Correct?”
“I suppose…” Melinda’s voice trails off. She is quiet and subdued as she senses where he is going with this.
“So I ask again; how many of your followers or supposed fans reached out and asked about your whereabouts during your time away from wrestling?”
“None.” Melinda sighs, shaking her head sporting a sad and distressed look on her face.
“You are a Braddock. That makes you a celebrity, especially here in Europe. The faster that your star rises, the more popular you will become worldwide. I can see it now, Melinda, just looking at you, the moment you get your opportunity at a worldwide promotion such as Supreme Championship Wrestling, you will quickly become a worldwide phenomena. You will quickly become a bigger star than either your grandfather or your mother.”
“You…you really think so?” Melinda asks quietly. Sutter nods his head.
“I know it. It is the natural progression of things. Your grandfather was great but your mother surpassed him. You will ultimately surpass her. You are a star, Melinda Braddock.”
“Thanks…” Melinda’s voice cracks as tears start to form in her eyes.
“You are a star, you are a celebrity, and these people…your followers and fans…people like them are entertained by two things; watching people like you succeed and thus living vicariously through you…you have done that through your vlogs, your twitter posts, your social media presence outlining your success story…but the other thing that entertains these people is when they watch a big star like you fail. Watching people like you fail makes them feel better about themselves and their own pathetic, miserable lives.”
The words are almost hurtful for Melinda, yet they were not directed at her. They are directed at her followers, her social media fans. It almost sounds like she is being lectured, scolded for trying to please them. She wipes some of the tears from her eyes.
“Clyde, I…” she shakes her head “...I just don’t know…”
“I know it is difficult to hear but what I speak is the truth. Do you think any of your followers or fans could possibly understand or comprehend the difficult situation you have just endured? Do you think they can grasp what it is like to have to follow in the footsteps of not just one but two legends in this sport? Look at other celebrities who have had problems and scandal; the Kardashians, the Osbournes, the list goes on and on. They are all judged and ridiculed by people who have no idea, who have no way of knowing their situation. If they were to find out about your situation they would judge you too. They would judge you without a second thought to the real life hell you have had to endure.” He motions to the looming Julia Foundation behind young Melinda. “You courageously checked yourself in and fought to get yourself clean. That is something to be proud of, not something worth judging you over. It is also something these people you call followers and fans would never understand. Now as you take your first steps outside of that building, looking to rebuild and reclaim your wrestling career, do not look to the support of your social media followers and fans, look to the support of those who look out for your best interests. Focus on yourself, Melinda.”
There is a tense and awkward silence as Melinda bows her head, mostly out of shame. She feels ashamed because she heard what Clyde Sutter just said about her social media followers and fans and, much to her surprise, she feels a hint of truth in his words. Long before these events she was a social media butterfly and quickly on the road to being a social media influencer on top of being a professional wrestler. She loved her followers and her fans. Yet these words from The Assassin ring true. She follows pop culture and she hears the news stories of celebrities getting into scandal after scandal and, instead of offering words of support, the public at large generally judge them and vilify them.
Melinda Braddock was once a champion in Europe but she lost it all thanks to her own bad decisions. But she was the one who fought back and got clean. She is the one who now has the opportunity to reclaim everything she lost. Perhaps Clyde is right? Maybe she should focus on herself? She looks up into his eyes. Sutter stares back, studying her closely. Her gaze is unreadable. He isn’t sure what is going through her mind right now.
“Clyde…” her voice trails off.
“Yes?”
“You asked me if I received any letters, letters from my fans or supporters or followers.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I did receive some letters, but they weren’t from any of my fans. They weren’t even from family, not because they didn’t care but because my aunt was the only family who knew and she kept it secret. I only got letters from one person.” She reaches out and lovingly takes his right hand into hers. “I got all of your letters, Clyde.”
“You did?” He seems surprised. “You never responded. I just assumed your aunt kept them from you because she didn’t trust me, just like your mother doesn’t trust me.”
“I know and I’m sorry. It was rude for me to not say anything. It was wrong of me to let you think I didn’t get them. I was just conflicted. Ever since we broke up I hated you. I hated you for how you treated me. Then back in January you rescued me from a situation that was bad but could have gotten worse had you not been there. It had been my fault because I got myself in that situation but I still hated you and wanted to blame you. Yet despite the constant anger and hate I threw in your face, you still helped me. You nursed me back to health until I was capable to check into the rehab. You kept my secret. All of that and you did it without asking for anything in return. I still wanted to hate you but it was becoming harder for me to hate you.” Melinda’s voice cracks. “Then those letters arrived…”
“I meant every word.”
“It wasn’t even what you said.” She chuckles. “But the letters were lovely. As much of a monster you are, you are capable of such beautiful poetry. But it wasn’t just the words, it was the fact that you took time to reach out to me so frequently. It was clear that you cared about me. Clyde, I didn’t respond because I was conflicted. I thought I was supposed to hate you but I…” she pauses, not sure if she wants to complete the sentence.
“Yes?”
“...but I, I think I love you.”
“You know I love you too.” Sutter remarks quietly. “I told you as much back in January. I still love you and I never stopped loving you. But I lost the right to love you, Melinda. What I did to you was horrible, it was a crime, and my punishment is that I never get to be with you again.”
“Come off it, Clyde.” Melinda states sternly. “I told you, we were both equally at fault. Besides,” she smirks knowingly “if I was the victim, don’t I get a say in what your punishment is?”
“What are you saying?” He asks.
“I’m saying that I want to give us a second chance.” She smiles lovingly at him. “We had great times, Clyde. You were my first real love. I think we can make it work.”
“Loving you is the one thing I have wanted my entire life.” He says quietly. “But what about your family? Specifically your mother? She hates me. She doesn’t trust me. She would never approve.” Before he can say another word, Melinda hops up and plants a kiss on his lips. Sutter even seems shocked by this. Melinda smirks.
“What do you think, Clyde? Do you think I care what my mother thinks?”
“Apparently not.” He grins warmly. “Yes, maybe there is a chance that we can work this out?”
“I hope so.”
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Vlog #60
Present Day
On Camera
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Hello my lovelies! Melinda Braddock, the social media queen, back again after three and a half years away from the social media spotlight! This is coming to you live on Facebook, the muskified twitter, Tic Toc, Blue Skye, Instagram, all of it. You name the platform and my face is on it because I am back. And I can see it now. I can guess the hashtags from my former followers: #WelcomeBack! #Mellamania! #RiseToMelinda!
Now while that last one might actually have a nice ring to it, and you know, I might even put it on a t-shirt to sell at the SCW merchandise stands at Rise To Greatness, the real fact is that you can all take your hashtags and stuff it. This vlog, my sixtieth vlog and return vlog, just might turn out to be my last. We’ll have to wait and see how Rise to Greatness shapes up, won’t we? But more importantly than that, we will have to see what Fate has in store for this vlog.
This is what all of you have been waiting for, isn’t it? All of you, my lovely followers, my former fans, you have been curious as to what happened to me? My vlogs disappeared off the face of your beautiful social media platforms. You had no idea what had become of my blossoming wrestling career in Europe. Quite frankly, I’m not sure any of you really cared in the first place. Face facts, people like me…successful, talented, beautiful people like me…you live vicariously through my successes because you cannot have that same kind of success. Equally you enjoy watching people like me fail because you know I am better than you and watching me fail makes you feel better about your miserable little lives.
I’m sure you were feeling those withdrawal symptoms from being without my vlogs for so long. But then late last year I made a grand return! My sexy gorgeous face showed back up on your screens! You were ecstatic, if only for a moment, until you saw that I stood side by side with the one and only man worthy to put his hands on this body…Fate’s Chosen Assassin Clyde Sutter. The harbinger of fate, Clyde Sutter. Maybe that would make a good hashtag? Go ahead, my little puppets on a string. Hashtag it! Get it trending! #FatesChosenAssassin! #HarbingerOfFate! Get it trending so that you idiots line my pockets with money! Make me and my man famous!
So what have I been doing while I dropped off the face of the earth? Well, that’s really none of your business, now is it? For a time, I enjoyed sharing my life with you. I thought we were all one great big happy family. But then my man pointed out that I really only needed to look out for one person and one person only…MYSELF! So I do not intend to tell you what I have been doing in my three and a half year absence away from this stupid vlog and your stupid computer screens. What I will tell you is what I have accomplished in my time as a professional wrestler.
Midwest Championship Wrestling Plains Champion.
Two time and longest reigning Midwest Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champion.
That little bit of information was a treat for you idiots. But for Chance Owens and Kelsai Adamson, that should serve as a word of warning. It should serve notice as to just who and what you are dealing with.
Kelsai at least should have some idea of who and what she is dealing with. She has fought my aunt, Julia Braddock, over in GCW. Little miss priss isn’t the saint she makes her out to be. Ask her how she cheated, conned, and manipulated her way to stealing the title from my aunt and holding it hostage. My man and I never claimed to be good people. We own up to who we are. If you idiots cheer Kelsai, at least know who you are cheering for.
Chance, Kelsai, you should both be well aware of who I am. I am Melinda Braddock. My grandfather, “Britain’s Best” Glenn Braddock, was a European wrestling legend. My mother, Glory Braddock, surpassed him and became a seventeen time world champion in multiple promotions all over the globe and a Supreme Champion in SCW. But me? I will surpass them both. In time my legend and legacy will be greater than both of theirs combined. I am not just Clyde’s sidekick who provides moral support during his matches. I am not his eye candy. I am The Third Generation Goddess and my legacy has only just begun.
Now my legacy brings me here to my first, my first of many, Rise To Greatness events. Chance, Kelsai, you should feel honored and privileged to be a part of my first Rise To Greatness match. It will, of course, go down as a loss for the pair of you, but still, you should feel honored nonetheless. And those of you losers out there, my former followers who are completely out of touch, who really have no clue, make sure to tune in to Rise To Greatness. Better yet, buy a ticket and watch it in person. Watch history. Watch as Fate’s very plans for my future plays out.
Fate is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?
Watch my legacy and legend continue to get written before your very eyes. Live vicariously through the greatness that is The Third Generation Goddess.
Melinda…OUT!
![[Image: XJiTNy0.png]](https://i.imgur.com/XJiTNy0.png)
Career Achievements
MWE Television Champion 2x
MWE Riot Champion 1x
GCW World Tag Team Champion 1x
SCW Television Champion 1x