Kirsten Scott vs. Glory Braddock

[Kemal Yilmaz]

2 RP Limit for singles

3500 word limit

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET FRIDAY, July 31, 2026

[Kirsten Scott]

APOSTASY CHAPTER 5: SIXTY SECONDS OF TRUTH

[Braddock]

1 of 2
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July 25th, 2026
London, England
Off Camera
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Rise To Greatness is fast approaching and on the go home show, The British Bombshell is set to take on Kirsten Scott in singles action; one last opportunity to gain momentum ahead of an important match against La Pequina Luz at the biggest show of the year. Braddock wants another opportunity at the SCW World Championship but she will have to earn it the hard way by proving herself in the squared circle. She came up short against Asher Hayes, which means that these next two matches; against Scott and then against Luz; are of the utmost importance. The British Bombshell feels as if she is cornered and in a must win situation if she hopes to prove that she deserves one more title opportunity. When Braddock feels as if she is backed into a corner she always returns to her roots; London, England. Braddock has been spending more time in her hometown lately as opposed to her adopted home of Miami, Florida. This return to her roots has allowed her to be mentally focused and ready for the challenges of the wrestling world. And she wouldn’t be able to do this, to stay in London, had it not been for hiring her best friend Catalina De Luca to work for her as Chief of Staff, to help run her company in her stead, allowing Braddock the freedom to focus on professional wrestling.

Yet not all is well within the Braddock-De Luca relationship. Glory Braddock has heard some troubling, disturbing talk about how her company has been run under the influence of Catalina De Luca. These rumors must be addressed, which is why The British Bombshell has had Cat flown into London; so they can have a face to face conversation and clear everything up.

The modest London home stood on a quiet residential street where the afternoon had settled into the familiar rhythm of everyday life. A light breeze stirred the leaves of the small trees lining the pavement, and the sky overhead was a patchwork of pale gray clouds with occasional breaks of sunlight that brightened the rows of brick houses for a few fleeting moments before fading again. It was the sort of neighborhood where people knew one another by sight, where flower boxes rested beneath front windows and bicycles leaned casually against garden walls. Compared to the larger home Glory Braddock owned in Miami, Florida, this one was remarkably unassuming. The brickwork showed its age in places, softened by decades of English weather, while the narrow front garden was bordered by neatly trimmed hedges and a short stone path that led to the front door. A few potted plants sat beside the entrance, adding quiet touches of color without trying to impress anyone. The house had character instead of grandeur, and that suited Glory perfectly whenever she found herself back in London.

A taxi pulled away from the curb, leaving Catalina De Luca standing alone on the pavement. She paused for a moment, taking in the house before walking toward it. She looked as elegant as ever, even after traveling. A soft cream blouse was tucked neatly into a flowing navy skirt that reached just below her knees. The fabric moved gently with each step, catching the breeze without losing its shape. A lightweight tan jacket rested comfortably over her shoulders, tailored enough to complement her figure while remaining practical for the cool London weather. Her dark hair fell in smooth, glossy waves, framing her face with effortless grace. A few strands shifted in the breeze before settling neatly back into place. She wore understated gold earrings and a delicate bracelet that caught the afternoon light each time she adjusted the strap of the leather handbag resting against her shoulder. Everything about Catalina reflected quiet refinement. Nothing she wore demanded attention, yet every detail had clearly been chosen with care. She reached the front door and for a brief moment she simply looked at the familiar entrance, allowing herself a small smile before lifting one hand toward the polished brass doorbell. The chime echoed softly from somewhere inside the house. For several seconds there was only silence. Then came the muffled sound of footsteps moving across the wooden floor inside.

The door opened. Glory Braddock stood in the doorway, looking entirely at home in the modest surroundings. She wore faded blue jeans and a dark green long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled comfortably to her forearms. The shirt fit loosely enough to be comfortable without appearing oversized, and its simple design reflected the practical style she had always preferred. Her feet were covered by a pair of worn canvas shoes that had clearly seen plenty of use. Her long blonde hair hung loose over her shoulders, brushed back but otherwise left alone. It framed her face naturally, and the soft light filtering through the doorway caught the lighter strands, giving them a gentle golden tint. There was something immediately welcoming about the sight of her standing there. She looked relaxed, comfortable in her own space, untouched by the need for appearances or formality. For the briefest moment, both women simply smiled at one another.

“Ah, Cat, I’m glad you came!”

“Of course, Glory!” Cat and Glory engage in a tight hug. “I was planning a trip to London anyway to oversee our corporate dealings anyway, so why not stop by and visit with my best friend?”

“Do you need a place to stay while you’re here?”

“No, I wouldn’t want to impose.” Cat shakes her head. “I have a hotel nearby.”

“Fair enough.” Glory nods her head. “Anyway, come on in.”

Glory stepped back, holding the heavy wooden door open wide to welcome her inside. As Catalina crossed the threshold, the quiet rustle of her navy skirt filled the small entry hall, accompanied by the subtle, familiar scent of her perfume mixing with the cozy, unmistakable atmosphere of the English home. The foyer was compact but warm, featuring polished hardwood floors that gleamed faintly under the light of a small glass pendant fixture overhead. A rustic coat rack stood in the corner, draped with a couple of Glory’s well-worn jackets, and a woven basket beside it held a solitary umbrella.

“Let me take your jacket, Cat,” Glory offered, turning to help Catalina ease the tailored tan jacket off her shoulders. She hung it neatly on a brass hook beside the door, her movements easy and unhurried. “Just drop your bag wherever you like. Make yourself completely at home.”

“Thank you, Glory,” Catalina replied, setting her leather handbag on a narrow side table before lightly smoothing the front of her cream blouse.

“Living room’s right this way,” Glory said with a warm smile, beckoning with a hand as she turned to lead the way down the short, sunlit hallway.

The interior of the house carried the same understated charm as its exterior. Framed black-and-white prints of London landmarks and quiet coastal landscapes lined the hallway walls, leading directly into a bright, airy living room at the back of the house. Large sash windows looked out onto a lush, secluded back garden where ivy climbed the surrounding brick walls and colorful hydrangeas bloomed in soft purples and blues. Afternoon sunlight poured through the glass, casting long, warm rectangles of light across a faded Persian rug that anchored the space. The living room was designed for genuine comfort rather than show. A deep, plush sofa upholstered in a warm oatmeal fabric faced a classic fireplace, its mantle decorated with a few travel mementos and stacked books. Opposite the sofa sat a pair of comfortable armchair slipcovers in muted sage green. Glory gestured toward the furniture as she padded across the rug in her worn canvas shoes.

Catalina glided over to the sofa, sinkingly gracefully into the soft cushions. She sat with her usual natural poise, smoothing her flowing skirt over her knees as she leaned back, letting out a soft, contented sigh. Glory pulled herself onto the matching armchair opposite her, leaning forward slightly with her elbows resting on her knees, her long blonde hair falling loosely around her shoulders. The gentle ticking of a mantle clock and the distant, soothing murmur of London traffic outside were the only sounds filling the room, settling the two long-time friends into a comfortable, easy silence as they prepared to catch up.

“So, I think we should talk about our…business arrangement.” Glory says.

“I agree.” Cat nods her head. “I think it’s been an absolute delight! A great success!”

“Really?”

“Oh absolutely! I mean, look at you! You are able to spend more time here in your hometown of London. Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah…”

“And that puts you right within driving distance of the Braddock Wrestling School. You can oversee your father’s legacy, you can train there for your upcoming matches. That MUST be an advantage, isn’t it?”

“I admit, it is nice to be so close to my dad’s school.” Glory muses out loud. “Whenever my back is against the wall, whenever I am faced with difficult challenges, that would be where I would go to clear my head and get focused mentally and physically. And you know, this is Rise To Greatness season. I am facing Kirsten Scott on the go home Breakdown and then at Rise To Greatness itself I’m taking on La Pequina Luz. It’s the perfect opportunity for a rebound after losing to Asher Hayes.”

“Exactly and I know you’ll do great!” Cat beams. “Because you always do great!”

“But what about you?” Glory points a finger at Cat. “How are you handling my business?”

“The corporate life is brilliant, Glory!” Cat exclaims, sounding gleeful and happy. “And I just want to thank you for this opportunity to serve as your Chief of Staff, for allowing me to run the company for you. You have no idea what it means to me to give me a way to escape my family’s mafia ties, my family’s illegal practices.” She sighs. “Escaping the shadow of a crime family is a great weight off of my shoulders.”

“I’m just doing what I can to help.”

“And you did help.” Cat grins from ear to ear. “You gave me a legitimate job. Thank you.”

It is true, Glory Braddock did this to help Catalina, to help her escape her family’s criminal ties and have a legitimate job. In turn Catalina would help shield Glory from the political drama of running her company. No more infighting, no more micromanaging to ensure the company is being run the way The British Bombshell wants. Catalina can do all of that while Braddock focuses on her true passion; professional wrestling. At least, that was the plan. Now Braddock has heard rumors and talk of some dirty dealings from Catalina herself. She knows De Luca is so happy with her new job and her new life but The British Bombshell cannot let these rumors go unchecked. She must learn the truth.

“Of course I would do anything for you, Cat, and I am so happy for you.” She sighs. “But I do have a concern.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I have heard a few rumors lately, troubling rumors, about what you have done recently in my name as Chief of Staff.”

“What kind of rumors are you talking about?” Cat arches a brow out of curiosity.

“Well it started when I heard from Melody about several Matthew Alan loyalists resigned from the Board of Directors. Then I was stunned when Matthew’s sister, Aurora, sold her minority share of stock in the company back to me. She told me she and the others were forced out.”

“Right, that…” Catalina sighs and nods her head in confirmation “...yes, I might have had something to do with that.”

“Cat!” Glory exclaims.

“I mean, come on, do you really want to continue running a company where your chief business rival still exerts great influence?”

“No but I do value the history of my company. I value the fact that the Alan Family, for all its fault, did found the company. It was their vision that started it. I was hoping myself and the Alan Family influence could have a peaceful coexistence, and we did have a peaceful coexistence; at least, until now.”

“Peaceful coexistence?” Cat chuckles. “Oh Glory, it may have been peaceful but that peace was temporary. You know as well as I do that Matthew Alan was a dirty businessman. He had dealings with organized crime, so I knew exactly how he and his followers operated. At some point they would have betrayed you. I merely used my old family contacts, strategic pressure, legal intimidation, and quiet back channel influence to stop them before they could betray you and thus ensure that this company would continue to be run the way you want it to be run.”

“So you dipped into the De Luca Family bag of illegal tricks?” Glory asks. Cat shakes her head.

“No, absolutely not.” Cat insists. “Everything I did was on the up and up. Everything I did was perfectly legal. My hands are clean and, more importantly, so are yours.”

“My hands are clean, eh?” Glory laughs sarcastically. “It may be legal but what you did definitely falls within a moral gray area.”

“I’m simply honoring your father.” Catalina insists, pointing a finger at Glory. “Glenn Braddock refused to be corrupted, even when my family, the De Luca Crime Family, offered him the world. He didn’t need intimidation or criminal acts to command respect. He commanded respect through power.” She grins knowingly. “Glory, I am just giving you the world your father could have had.”

“Dad didn’t want it and neither do I.” Glory’s frustration is growing.

“And yet this is exactly what you hired me to do.” Catalina points out. “You wanted me to do the messy, dirty work that you were afraid to do. You were afraid of what it might do to you if you were to get involved so you paid me to do it instead.”

“I know.” Glory admits.

“If you are upset with how I’m doing my job, I will gladly step back. I could resign, even. But do you trust yourself to do the job? Do you trust yourself to manage the company without being corrupted by all of that power?”

Braddock hesitates. She knows that her friend Catalina speaks the truth. Glory Braddock was always at her worst when trying to micromanage her company, when she was trying to impose her will upon the company. The fact is that she does have a reputation of being corrupted by the trappings of power. It is one of the reasons why she hired Cat in the first place. It wasn’t merely to have someone “do her dirty work” for her. It was to protect her and insulate her. Getting rid of Catalina is out of the question. But she does need to at least attempt to keep Cat on a tighter leash.

“Fine.” Glory shakes her head. “You’re right, I hired you to do a job and I’ll let you continue to do that job.”

“Wonderful!”

“But…”

“But?”

“I did not like how you handled the Matthew Alan loyalists.” Glory states firmly. “Matthew Alan may have been a rival but this company was his vision and I do not want to destroy his loyalists out of spite.”

“Ok, fair enough.” She nods her head. “I will stop targeting the Alan Family loyalists within the company.”

“Brilliant.” Glory says. “Furthermore, promise you will try and be more ethical and more moral in how you do business.”

“Nothing I did was illegal, Glory.”

“I know, but it wasn’t ethical either.” Glory points out. “You were hired to ensure my company was run the way I wanted it to be run. And I prided myself on having ethical business practices. Are we clear?”

“Crystal clear, Glory.”

Catalina simply offered a subtle, reassuring nod, her hands resting calmly in her lap as if the moral tightrope they had just walked was nothing more than an routine board meeting. She had done what she deemed necessary to protect Glory from the wolves, blissfully untroubled by the fact that she had brought the scent of the pack into Glory's sanctuary. Yet, the agreement was struck. The boundaries, fragile as they might be, were drawn in the quiet air of the English countryside home.

Glory leaned back against the sage green cushion of her armchair, letting out a long, slow breath that carried the exhaustion of a world-class athlete fighting wars on two fronts. Her mind drifted away from the boardroom backstabbing and back toward the squared circle; toward the canvas, the ropes, and the unforgiving lights of Breakdown and Rise To Greatness. The corporate machinery would continue to grind under Catalina’s watchful eye, but Glory’s true battleground awaited her elsewhere. Standing in her father’s shadow, surrounded by the quiet streets of her youth, she knew that political maneuvering meant nothing if she couldn't deliver inside the ring. Kirsten Scott and La Pequena Luz were coming, and no amount of back room influence could win those matches for her.

Catalina uncrossed her legs with practiced elegance, bringing a delicate, gold-adorned hand up to check the time on her wrist. The business was done, the air cleared, or at least cleared enough to maintain their fragile status quo. Rising gracefully from the sofa, she smoothed the navy fabric of her skirt, restoring her immaculate silhouette without a single crease. Glory stood up as well, the tension slowly draining from her shoulders, replaced by the quiet resolve that had defined her entire career. They walked back down the short, sunlit hallway in a comfortable rhythm, the unspoken compromise hanging between them like a quiet truce.

At the front door, Catalina draped her tan jacket over her shoulders and retrieved her handbag from the side table. Turning back toward Glory, she offered a warm, genuine smile, one that belonged entirely to the friend who had saved her, rather than the ruthless Chief of Staff who fought in the shadows. The two women embraced once more, a brief, firm hug that sealed their unspoken contract.

As the heavy wooden door clicked shut, Glory stood alone in the quiet foyer. She took a deep, grounding breath of the cool English air circulating through the home, feeling the mental clutter finally begin to settle. The political fires were contained for now. Turning her gaze toward the hallway, her focus sharpened with absolute clarity. It was time to leave the corporate gray behind, return to her roots at the Braddock Wrestling School, and prepare to fight for the greatness that was rightfully hers.