Braddock/Lohan/Xander vs. Holly/Aries/"Turner"

[Braddock]

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November 6th, 2023
Charlotte, NC
Off Camera
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Things did not go as planned for Twisted & Sadistic on Breakdown. Braddock and Lohan fell to defeat to the unlikely duo of Asher Hayes and Konrad Raab thanks in part to a timely distraction from the Holly Adams Brand. This wasn’t the only development that impacted The British Bombshell. She and Lohan formed an alliance with someone else who wants Holly Adams and her brand burned to the ground; Xander Valentine. Now the trio of Braddock, Lohan, and Valentine will face The Holly Adams Brand in trios competition at Under Attack. Lohan and Xander have personal grudges against Holly and they both want her head on a platter. While Braddock has been annoyed with Holly and her games as of late, her interest isn’t personal. She does want to shut Holly’s mouth once and for all, but she also wants to put Twisted & Sadistic back on track to earning a tag team title match. This feud with the Holly Adams Brand has distracted her and Lohan from their ultimate prize. Glory knows that she must put Holly Adams and her brand in the rearview mirror before she can return her focus to becoming Supreme Champion. Another interesting development from Breakdown was the return of Glory’s former student, Amelia Stone. Amelia came very close to picking up a submission victory on Breakdown but just short in what would have been an impressive win. Glory had a brief meeting with Amelia just to greet her, see how she was doing, but nothing else came of it. Braddock cannot help but wonder if Amelia will want to renew her relationship with Braddock and if so how will it impact the dynamic within Twisted & Sadistic?

Currently Braddock has to put her professional career in the back of her mind, at least temporarily. The British Bombshell has matters of personal concern that she must take care of before making the trek to Atlanta for Under Attack. This is what brings her to First Ward Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Braddock is seated on a park bench near the center of the park. She is wearing a deep v-shaped neckline pastel pink sundress with a hemline that stops just below her knees. She is wearing matching pink pumps with a low heel. Her long blonde hair hangs straight and unrestrained to past the shoulders. She has a copy of the Wall Street Journal in her hands, reading it. The British Bombshell does not typically stay in Charlotte very long. In fact, she only travels to North Carolina if it is a business trip. Her company, Glorious Golden Enterprises, is headquartered in Charlotte. She recently had a meeting back in Miami with her company president and on again off again friend Francis Taylor. That meeting was a one sided affair in which Braddock let it be known that she was not happy with Francis’s manipulative business tactics and that she was working on thin ice. If Glory learned of more deception from Taylor, she would be fired. Furthermore, the business arrangement Francis had tried to set up between GGE and a mutual friend, Melody Murphy, was no longer under her control. It was now under Glory’s sole control. Braddock knows how she wants to handle Melody Murphy and this business arrangement. That will come later. For right now Braddock has one other piece of the puzzle to put into place, she has one loose end left to tie up.

“Glory?”

The familiar voice is immediately recognizable to Glory Braddock. She sets her newspaper aside and turns her attention towards the direction of the voice. She spots her longtime childhood best friend Matthew Taylor approaching. He is wearing loose fitting denim jeans, sneakers, and a plain white t-shirt. Glory and Matthew have a long history together. Matthew had always had a crush on Glory but Glory only saw them as friends, nothing more. They did have a brief affair a few years ago, which put Glory’s marriage to Kurt Logan in jeopardy. Glory did managed to salvage her marriage and her friendship to Matthew. But then that friendship has recently been put to the test with the recent return of Melody Murphy. Melody went to school with Glory, Francis, and Matthew. Melody, Glory, and Francis were the schoolyard bullies who terrorized and tormented everyone. But when Glory Braddock got pregnant as a teenager, Melody and Francis betrayed Glory and started bullying her. That’s when Matthew and Glory grew to become close friends, as he was the only one willing to accept her with open arms.

Melody has returned and for awhile Glory did not know what her motivation was. She did not know she wanted to invest her money in Glorious Golden Enterprises. Another wrinkle was the fact that Melody began dating Matthew Taylor, someone Melody once detested and despised due to his choice to live a low class lifestyle despite being born into a wealthy family. Braddock then later learned how Matthew was the majority owner of a gym that both he and Glory had been using to train and workout while in England. Melody dated him just to get an inside track into buying the gym. Furthermore, Matthew told Melody tons of secrets about Glory Braddock, secrets that Melody used to taunt and tease The British Bombshell. Betraying her trust was the ultimate test of their friendship. Now is the time to see if that friendship can survive.

“You’re late.” Braddock says flatly. She moves over a little to allow Matthew room to sit down next to her on the park bench. He nods his head and sits down next to her. He chuckles softly.

“Heh, well, nothing new, am I right?”

“This is true.”

“You look great, by the way.”

“Thank you.”

“The Wall Street Journal?” Matthew says curiously, pointing at the paper resting on her lap. “I didn’t take you as the type to read that.”

“There are many things you don’t know about me, Matty. Is this another one you will run off and tell Melody?”

“Right…” Matthew sighs and shakes his head “...look, I am glad you finally returned my calls. I have been trying to contact you for weeks and, I mean, I get it, you have reason to hate me. But I am glad you decided to meet me.”

“You’re right. I was angry.” She snaps back angrily. “I was bloody well pissed off. You revealed some of my deepest, darkest secrets to Melody. You know how she treated me when we were teens. You know what kind of a bully she was and the kind of nastiness she was capable of, yet you still told her.”

“If it helps, I was drunk and I really wasn’t in my right mind.” Matthew says, smiling sheepishly. Braddock, however, doesn’t look too happy. She shakes her head.

“I wouldn’t joke around if I were you, mate.” She states firmly. “You are lucky to be getting this chance at all.”

“Fair enough.” He sighs. “But, uh, does that mean you are going to forgive me?” Matthew seems hopeful, staring into Glory’s eyes hoping to a hint of her thought process and mood. Glory keeps a good poker face, not revealing anything to Matthew.

“You know, for a while I wasn’t even considering it. Some of the things you told her, it was embarrassing. And I was ready to let our friendship just come to an end.” Glory shakes her head. “But I realized that I, too, have needed forgiveness from time to time. Who am I to judge when I have made so many mistakes in my own past, when I have betrayed people’s trust, and have had to ask for forgiveness? And I got my forgiveness. I betrayed my husband, I cheated on him, but he forgave me and gave me a second chance. It would be hypocritical of me not to forgive you, not to give you a second chance.”

“Wow, thanks Glory.” He embraces her with a tight hug. “You have no idea the weight that takes off my shoulders. And once again, I am sorry for everything. I am sorry for betraying your trust and telling Melody so many of your secrets. I had no idea she would bring all that up to you.” She shakes her head. “I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

“Well she did. And it was humiliating.” She sighs. “So after all of that, knowing the kind of person Melody is, are you still insistent on dating that woman?”

“I am.” He nods his head.

“Why?” Glory asks curiously. “Because for the life of me, I do not understand. You two could not be any more different. You’re both wealthy, sure, but she revels in being a rich snob while you have always run away from the luxurious lifestyle.”

“What can I say? Opposite attract!” Matthew laughs. “Besides, people do change. Melody has changed. Maybe she did look down upon me for being the way that I am, but not anymore. And maybe she was a bully, but not anymore. She has changed. She has matured. And yes, she does care about me.”

“I just find it hard to believe that anyone can change so drastically.” Glory shrugs her shoulders.

“Oh and you are one to talk.” He smirks. “Once upon a time, you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a dress. Shit, I think you wore a suit to your wedding with Kurt. Yet here you are looking like little miss priss.”

“Ok, you got me there.” Braddock chuckles softly. “Still, I will find it very difficult to trust Melody. Hell, I may never again trust Melody. She did some awful things to me when we were kids, Matty. That experience is hard to just get over.”

“I’m not asking you to get over it.” He says. “I’m just asking you to accept that she is part of my life now.”

“Fair enough.” Glory nods her head. “But Melody is not the reason I wanted to talk to you today.” She takes the Wall Street Journal and opens it up. She takes out an envelope that was stuck inside. “The real trust that needs rebuilding is between you and I.”

“But I thought…” Matthew’s voice trails off “...I thought you had forgiven me?”

“I do forgive you. That doesn’t mean you have earned my trust back. Trust, when it is betrayed and lost, takes a while to build back up. But there is something you can do to earn my trust back.” Braddock holds out the envelope to Matthew. He takes it and opens it up.

“What is this?” He pulls out a document and starts reading it.

“Sign it.”

“But what is this exactly?”

“Sign it. I will explain later.”

“My sister taught me never to sign anything without knowing what I’m signing.” Matthew states.

“Your sister is also a manipulative twat.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that.” He chuckles.

“Matty, look into my eyes.” Glory says. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then sign that document.”

“But what is it?”

“Nothing sinister. But you’ll have to wait to find out. What I can tell you is that signing that document, now of your own free will, is one big step forward to earning back my trust.”

“It goes against everything I was taught.” He smiles. “But I do trust you, Glory. And I do want to earn your trust back. Where’s a pen?” Glory produces a pen and offers it to Matthew. He takes the pen and signs the document. He places it and the pen back in the envelope and passes it back to Glory. “So…what did I just sign?”

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November 9th, 2023
Charlotte, NC
Off Camera
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Its been a few days since Glory Braddock her heart to heart with her childhood friend Matthew Taylor. Their friendship has seemingly been salvaged with Glory letting him know she was willing to forgive him and even offering to let things be a clean slate, forget about the betrayal, and trust him once more. Still, it wasn’t without a catch. The British Bombshell had him sign a document and as part of a test of trust, she had him sign without letting him know in advance what exactly he was signing. Ultimately Matthew didn’t care. All he cares about is his friendship with Glory and earning her trust back. If this gets the job done, then so be it. For The British Bombshell, however, this document is very important. It is the most important piece of the puzzle. This is the final loose end necessary to putting an end to this squabble between her, Melody, and Francis, and finalizing this deal between GGE and Melody Murphy. Everything is in place and Glory Braddock is now ready to spring her trap, to put her plan into motion. All that she needs now are the players to return to the board.

Glory Braddock is sitting at her desk in her office (albeit a rarely used office) in Charlotte, North Carolina. The British Bombshell is wearing a royal purple skirt suit and blazer with a silk cream colored blouse and matching royal purple high heeled pumps. The document that Matthew signed the other day is resting on the desk in front of her. It isn’t long before a knocking is heard at the door. Braddock smirks knowingly.

“Come in…” she waits as she door opens. She watches on as Melody Murphy enters the office. The blonde looks rather annoyed as she marches into the Charlotte office of Glory Braddock. She is wearing a yellow sundress and sandals.

“Gloria.” Melody sighs out of frustration. “What are you doing here?”

“Well this is my office.”

“Don’t be a smartass.” She remarks. “Francis runs the company in your stead. Everyone knows it. I was told that I had a meeting with Francis.”

“No, you were told that you had a meeting regarding your investment deal with Glorious Golden Enterprises.”

“Yes, and Francis is in charge of it.”

“Not anymore.” Braddock shakes her head. “I relieved Francis of her duties.”

“You fired her?!” Melody is shocked. Glory shakes her head.

“No, I didn’t fire her. She is still corporate president. I just told her she was no longer to have any involvement in this investment deal.”

“Then who is taking charge?”

“I am.” Glory says defiantly. Melody rolls her eyes.

“Great.” She sighs with a sense of disappointment. “So I take it the deal is off?”

“Incorrect.” Glory shakes her head. “Look, I know your type. You are ruthless and cutthroat when it comes to business. I did my homework, a lot of it, while thinking about how I wanted to approach this. I learned that you are the type willing to do anything to get ahead in business, even if it means ruining other people’s financial well being.” Glory smirks. “I used to be that kind of businesswoman myself. Hell, I was trained to do business that way. But I am not that person any longer. I can do business with you, Melody, and I am willing to do business with you, but it will be on my terms.”

Melody sits down in a chair. She shrugs her shoulders. “Ok, then what are the terms?”

“I looked over Francis’s notes. Apparently you were interested in our modeling wing. That’s fine, you can invest all you want and as an investor you can even make some suggestions and certain decisions, but that modeling wing was founded by my cousin, Kayla Jones. Kayla still has the final say on any and all modeling matters to this day and that will remain the same even if you become an investor. Kayla can overrule anything you say.”

“Ok, fine.” Melody rolls her eyes.

“Now as for that gym. I spoke with Blake O’Malley. He admitted that he could use some help keeping the place afloat, financial assistance is more like it. So he had no problem letting the gym come under the GGE corporate umbrella alongside my father’s wrestling school. So I convinced Matty to sell his majority share to me.” She passes the document that Matthew signed a few days ago to Melody. She scans it over and her eyes grow wide.

“You stole it! This isn’t fair!”

“Its my terms, remember? Just like with the modeling wing, as far as the gym goes Blake has final say. He can overrule anything that pops into that ditzy head of yours.”

“Your terms are unfair, Braddock.” Melody snaps.

“A lot of what you did in school was unfair. The bullying was unfair. But I will be fair. You will get your fair share of the income brought in from the modeling and the gym. But you will NOT have final say on how those operations are run. Those are my terms and that is what’s fair. You said you wanted to invest in my company, that you were sincere about that. Soyou can agree to those terms or walk away.” Glory stares a hole through Melody. Melody finally, begrudgingly, nods her head.

“Fine. I agree. I do want to invest in your company and you’re right, this is your company and you can make the terms. You can control that. But one thing you cannot control is my relationship with Matthew.”

“I know.” Glory nods her head. “I admit, I would love to see you split up because I find it difficult to trust you. But I know I can’t stop you. So I won’t interfere.”

“Thank you.” Melody says. “And Glory, one other thing…”

“Yes?”

“I meant it when I said that I wanted to be your friend again. I was sincere about that too. I want my friend back. You may not trust me for awhile, I get that, but can I have my friend back.”

“You really mean that?” Glory sounds skeptical. “Or are you putting me on?”

“I mean it.” Melody nods her head. “I get it, I was a bitch in school. I put you through hell. But Matthew made me realize the error of my ways. Believe it or not, I have changed. And yes, I do want my friend back.”

“Yeah?” Glory sighs. “Your friend, Maria, she is long gone. I am not that person anymore. I am Glory Braddock.”

“Well…” she smiles “...I wouldn’t mind getting to know Glory Braddock.”

“Ok, if Matty can trust you then I suppose I can give you one more chance.” Glory finally smiles. Melody does as well.

“Oh and one more thing before I go.”

“What’s that?”

“Matthew and I…” she grins from ear to ear “...we’re getting married.”

“Seriously?” Glory’s jaw nearly hits the floor.

“Yes, seriously.” Melody beams.

“And that bloody tart didn’t tell me…”

“He only asked me yesterday, Glory.” Melody says laughing. “We haven’t set a date yet but yes, we are getting married.”

“Well I…” Glory chuckles softly “...I am happy for you both.”