The Glimmer Sisters vs. The Light in the Darkness

[Wisteria Waltz]

OOC: And here's my first for Amelia.
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Somehow, despite all her recent success and the effort she'd been putting in, Amelia Nevado found herself more frustrated than ever before.

A lot of that had to do with SCW, partly because she still didn't feel like she was getting the recognition she deserved. The hard work she had been putting in to prove she truly did belong at the very top almost felt irrelevant because everyone seemed to care more about how she'd 'sold her soul' and completely ignored how her focus was solely on proving herself, just as she had without any help at Hubris. She had nothing to do with what Mr. Delatosso and the rest of the New Order, as they were apparently called now, had done to CHBK... part of her even resented it, despite the issues she'd had with how often it felt like he overlooked her in favor of Luz.

Even those who didn't have an issue with her over that still claimed they deserved the World Title more than her purely because of all their past wins over her... and yet, they were the ones who claimed she was obsessed with defeating them, to her own detriment, and refused to give her the chance to get those wins they wanted her to prove she was capable of because they'd all 'moved on' from her.

The hypocrisy around her made her sick... even her own hypocrisy that she was fully aware of and trying to ignore. But none felt more defined by this word and made Amelia furious quite like the Glimmer Sisters.

Her skin crawled at the fact that all her hard work to get to the top, regardless of how people felt about some of her choices, wasn't going to matter at Taking Hold of the Flame. Gina's Trios contract had essentially turned both the World Title and the World Tag Titles that, even now, still meant so much to her into a sickening display that had no place in today's wrestling industry. If Gina and Gia wanted to flaunt their tits and asses and earn hollow attention, that was their choice. But Amelia and Luz? They weren't getting a choice in the matter. Like it or not, they were going to be forced to present themselves in a similar manner all so the Glimmers could laugh and try to humiliate them before using every trick in the book to try and leave Las Vegas with a victory they did not deserve. All that talk of respecting consent as ambassadors of KABLAMia, and here they were not even allowing for consent from two women who clearly wanted no part in this and respected themselves and this business far too much to willingly put up with displays like this. Amelia was better than this... Luz was better than this!

Luz... her wife... the woman she had literally walked into the lion's den for, hoping to resolve their greatest problem before she found out.

Amelia felt guilty about the way she snapped at Luz before storming off after she'd clocked one of the twins. Yeah, none of it was like her, but she knew Luz was barely restraining herself as well for the sake of the image she'd crafted as a luchadora to do like Amelia had done... an image that the Glimmers were also spitting in the face of despite letting Luz keep her mask for the Lingerie Showdown out of 'respect' for her culture. She also felt guilty because she knew Luz had been trying throughout that entire show to get her alone to talk, and she didn't have to be a genius to know what the topic was. That had been part of the reason she stormed out of the Capital One Arena immediately after the two of them had defeated Hollywood... despite it not being their most cohesive outing as a team, which weighed just as heavily on her mind.

While Amelia's blood boiled in response to everything the Glimmer Sisters had been trying to drag them into, there was one person who still angered her even more than they could... and it was the man who was supposed to be her 'lord' now.

Ever since she had been tipped off that Luz now knew that she was part of The Empire, Amelia had been hellbent on getting answers out of Caleb White. Yeah, maybe it wasn't the wisest decision as she knew she was putting herself at great risk showing such defiance while surrounded by the cult that had made her and Luz's lives hell for the past few years, but technically, Caleb had broken their deal and Amelia felt she was owed an explanation. She had dreaded how Luz would react to the discovery, and the fact that Luz had not only remained professional on Breakdown but was even giving her the space to have her moment had her feeling both touched and confused, but it was how she'd found out that infuriated Amelia above all else.

She'd struck a deal with an actual devil, one far beyond any monster Frank Delatosso could portray himself as, and her terms were clear: if Caleb pulled his spy that had infiltrated their found family and took advantage of Luz's kind heart, then she would finally give in.

So why was said spy now back among her loved ones and selling her out, knowing full well how it would likely affect Luz?

Unfortunately, the only person who could give her the answers she deserved had conveniently been missing for the past several days. The only answer she could get out of the elites was that Caleb had 'business he needed to tend to' but refused to elaborate further, despite her supposedly being an elite just like them and therefore privy to the same information they got. None of the other Empire members who were hanging around as security knew anything either, only that Caleb had left the hotel while she'd been out saying her piece for the match with Hollywood, the only new detail being that Caleb had insisted he do whatever he was up to alone.

She didn't care if Caleb actually was up to something else now... the timing was too perfect, and he was absolutely avoiding having to divulge anything to her.

'Did you expect anything less from the man selling the lie that he's going to cleanse humanity of all its sins?'

Amelia hissed to herself as she heard that mocking tone from a voice that sounded so much like hers it made her want to throw up. She'd been pacing around her hotel room in Washington, D.C. the day after Breakdown, racking her brain over everything that had been plaguing her and trying to figure out how to proceed before she blew a gasket, and the irritatingly perfect timing of Other Amelia deciding to chime in absolutely did not help her mental state.

“At least we can agree on that,” Amelia huffed as she glared at her reflection, her perception once again warped enough by her growing frustrations that she could see Other Amelia smirking at her in the nearby mirror, taunting her without needing to say anything to see if she'd rack up a bill of damages for her new 'friends' to have to pay off.

'Surely you knew he wasn't going to keep his word,' Other Amelia teased. 'You were already planning on trying to back stab a backstabber... mother would be so proud of you.'

“And mom also fell for all his lies and generous offers despite being such a manipulative bitch herself,” Amelia fired back, which seemed to catch her inner critic off guard a little bit. She didn't even comment on the rare instance of Amelia actually swearing, but Amelia knew the peace and quiet in her head wasn't going to last.

'Why are you even so angry about this?' Other Amelia tried to change the topic a bit. 'Even if you actually believed Caleb would keep his word, Luz was going to find out sooner or later anyway. You've already hurt her by hiding things from her and this wasn't going to fix that. Why do you ever care so much about her-'

“Because she deserves better!” Amelia snapped, silencing her inner critic once again.

Amelia knew that shouting as loud as she did was bound to attract attention, though whether or not anybody in The Empire was going to ignore Caleb's orders and check on her was up for debate, especially since the last person who made that decision turned out to be a lingering fragment of the splinter cell and was probably dead in a ditch somewhere, as horrified as she was at that mental image.

“Luz has given me everything,” Amelia tried to justify to herself. “She helped me find my way out from under my parents and their stupid obsession with an unrivaled family legacy, she showed me that I could live my own life... she even tried to help me see that I could stand on my own two feet and reach the heights I'm at now, even when I hated her for finding a way to succeed when I kept falling short. Luz is the kindest person I've ever met... she deserves a chance to live a happy life without any of this Empire garbage haunting her... even if that means she never forgives me for betraying her like this, I can at least give her a brighter future.”

Amelia found herself taking deep breaths, her body trembling as she ripped out her own heart and laid her soul bare in that hotel room, with only her biggest critic to bear witness to it. She wasn't going to deny how much it hurt to think of a future for herself without Luz in it, but ever since she learned that Luz now knew, she could only fear the worst and do her best to give Luz what she deserved, even if that meant completely losing herself in the process.

The tense silence after that raw admission was broken by a cruel laugh, in her own voice no less. Amelia had to fight to pull her gaze back to the mirror, where Other Amelia had almost completely lost any sense of 'proper young lady' she'd tried to portray as the belief of what she should've been all along, laughing her head off like she'd completely lost her mind. Which... given the circumstances, that assessment probably wasn't too far off in regards to Amelia as a whole, to be honest.

'You're willing to sacrifice everything for her?' her inner critic cackled. 'You talk about how she deserves better when she's knocking on the door to get that by TAKING it from YOU! As much as I hate this Lingerie Showdown garbage you're stuck having to do, I paid attention to the fine print, princess. Those whores listed, clear as day, that whoever scores the fall wins the World Title... meaning Luz could put an end to everything you worked so hard for all just by trying to help you. And even if you're smart enough to make sure that you score that fall... surely you've noticed that her name's in the battle royal, right? What happens if she wins and goes on to meet you at Rise to Greatness? Do you think she'll care about you then, when the top prize everyone says she deserves is right there for the taking?'

Amelia bit her bottom lip, not even realizing that she'd bitten down so hard she ended up drawing blood. She clenched her shaking fists, trying with all of her might to keep from smashing the mirror and giving her inner critic the satisfaction of a win... but she probably already knew it. She wasn't wrong about anything she'd told her, because Amelia had caught that little detail when all the rules had been laid out. Maybe she'd tried to ignore it by trusting in Luz not to want to do that to her or become World Champion that way, but the fact that Luz had also thrown her name into the battle royal and a Rise to Greatness main event between them was a very real possibility...

Before she knew it, Amelia was opening her door and rushing out into the hallway, desperate for some fresh air and to be away from her smug inner voice. She knew that was physically impossible, unfortunately, but she needed to do anything to try and kick these thoughts from her brain, refusing to see Luz as someone who would care more for success and gold than the woman she loved... even though she had tried to convince herself that was the case not too long ago, and even though she was arguably guilty of actually making that mistake.

“When did I let myself become as jaded and lost as Selena?” she couldn't help but say to herself as she quickly moved down the hallway, feeling guilty now as the memory of just how broken Selena looked after she had choked her out to get here flashed through her mind. She had absolutely deserved the reality check for some of the things she had said and done, but... Amelia didn't even know if she had the right to ask Deanna or try to track down Selena herself, or even see if Luz knew anything.

Before she knew it, Amelia found herself stopping, and before she could question why her feet weren't responding to her brain anymore, she realized that she was standing in front of the room that Caleb was supposed to be staying in. If nothing else, it was just the distraction her brain desperately needed as she reminded herself of everything Caleb owed her an explanation for, and she raised her hand to knock and demand to know-

“Our lord still hasn't returned yet.”

Amelia's attention snapped away from the door towards the smug voice that had stopped her, the familiar grin of Adrian Verner making her skin crawl as he leaned against the wall nearby like he owned this hotel. She wouldn't be surprised if he thought he did, given that no longer having to be her parents' lawyer only seemed to make him feel even more entitled and arrogant.

“You know where he is,” Amelia said, more of a statement than a question.

“I might,” Adrian teased, “but I've been forbidden from telling you. Lord Caleb is in the middle of a very delicate operation and-”

He cut himself off and held up his hands defensively as Amelia started to approach him, almost as if acting on her frustrations and forgetting that she was supposed to be playing nice with these lunatics who had all bought into Caleb's holy hoax.

“Whoa now, hang on a second!” he begged. “Everything The Empire does is for good reason, and this is no different. I can promise you our lord will be back soon. In the meantime... I can help you. You want a way out of that disgusting match of yours at your next pay-per-view, right? I don't care how ironclad SCW claims those Trios contracts are, every contract has a loophole and no one's better at finding loopholes than yours truly!”

That stopped Amelia in her tracks, though she still looked about ready to lunge at Adrian and choke him out any second. As much as she always found the man to be a scumbag and felt sick at seeing some of the things he'd gotten her parents out of, the lawyer wasn't lying. His ability to find even the smallest loophole to exploit was matched only by his annoying flair for the dramatic, and if anybody could actually find a way to get this Lingerie Showdown canceled, it was Adrian Verner.

The only drawback would be that she wouldn't be able to team with Luz for maybe one more time... and for all she knew, Adrian could get her out of the match but leave Luz all alone to be humiliated by those harlots.

Before she could even give the conundrum any more thought, she heard the sound of someone stumbling up the stairs. That drew both hers and Adrian's attention, and after a moment, the very man Amelia had sold her soul to try and get rid of happened to emerge into the hallway, looking exhausted. She swore she heard some quip from Paul about being far too old, but she didn't give him a chance to get his bearings before she lunged at him, trying to ensnare him in something, anything, to both make him pay and make him talk.

“Gah! What are you- unhand me!” he shouted, his accent faltering a bit and giving way to a voice that sounded way too familiar, but it barely registered in Amelia's brain right now.

“Why did Caleb send you back in!?” she yelled at him. “Why are you doing all this? What is Caleb-”

Before Amelia could get any of the answers she was owed, she felt Adrian pull her off of Paul. While the lawyer was clearly not built to restrain a wrestler, especially one of her caliber, he had the element of surprise and the advantage of Amelia not thinking straight to give Paul some space to pull himself back to his feet.

It was only when she pulled herself from Adrian's grasp that she realized she was now holding a wig and a fake bushy beard in her hands... and the man towering over her now had a familiar head of sandy blonde hair and the kind of amused smile that made her blood run cold.

“Hello to you, too, Amelia,” Caleb said, brushing off the suit that had become synonymous with his spy and acting like she hadn't just tackled the man she was supposed to be serving now.

“Caleb!?” Amelia responded in disbelief, tossing the fake hair at his feet and watching him casually pick it up like it wasn't the key to the bombshell that just annihilated everything she thought she knew about this situation. “You... you were...?”

“Honestly, I'm surprised none of you picked up on it sooner,” Caleb grinned. “It was my brother's name, after all... a fitting tribute, if you ask me. But you did come oh so close to figuring it out, Amelia... you just couldn't quite find the final piece of the puzzle.”

“Why...?” Amelia asked as she stepped closer to Caleb. Adrian moved to try and restrain her again, but Caleb held up a hand that stopped him. “Why would you do this!?”

“I'll do anything to save humanity from the evils it brought upon itself,” was his response, in that same tone that would make almost anyone believe in how genuine he painted himself as. “That includes Luz... I can only truly achieve the forgiveness and salvation I deserve if I save the both of you.”

“We had a deal!” Amelia snapped at him. “You being Paul all along doesn't change that! You agreed to leave Luz alone because you'd have me!”

“And what exactly are you doing to do about it?” Caleb asked her before he quickly seized her left wrist and held it up to make sure she could see it. She could almost feel the phantom sting of the branding iron as she was forced to look at the Empire's symbol scarred into her flesh. “You are mine, Amelia... nothing can change that. Luz may now know that 'Paul' deceived her all along, but she also knows that you've done the same. You can try to run away from your destiny, go crawling back to her to beg for forgiveness... but you are marked in devotion to me, and this brand does not lie. You are one of us... whether you like it or not.”

Caleb finally let Amelia pull her arm away as she tried to hide her wrist, but the feel of the symbol permanently burned into her flesh proved Caleb's words true. She had risked everything on this gambit, and even if Caleb wasn't aware that she was hoping to take him down from within, he had guaranteed that she would lose everything in doing so, regardless of the outcome.

Amelia could only glare at Caleb as he gave her a smug, sincere nod of acknowledgment before he opened the door to his room and stepped inside, motioning for Adrian to follow him as they left her in the hallway. All she could do was pick herself back up and try to mentally recite her mantra that she had come this far and had to make this work, that she had to figure out how to put an end to this once and for all.

Even if she was having a hard time believing that she could anymore... or that she would have anything to go back to once this was all finally settled.