Darko vs. Braddock/Raab vs. Matthews

[Braddock]

2 of 2
=====

==========
July 25th, 2022
Charlotte, NC
Off Camera
==========

When it rains it pours. This is a common phrase that implies when one bad thing happens, expect several more bad things to happen very soon and all at once, almost like a deluge. This phrase is almost the gospel truth lately when it comes to the personal and professional problems currently going on in the life of Glory Braddock.

Professionally, The British Bombshell feels disrespected by SCW management after twice being saddled as part of a tag team with Danny Darko. At least now at Rise To Greatness she can get out some of that frustration by facing Darko and potentially going on to become number one contender to the United States Title in a Double Jeopardy Match. If that were her only problem then perhaps Glory’s mind wouldn’t be feeling so overwhelmed right now. Unfortunately her issues are worst on the personal level. A month ago Braddock was told by Jamie Ryan, the niece of one of her company’s board of directors, that factions within her company are yet again plotting a hostile takeover, an overthrow of Glory Braddock. Her mind tells her that these are just wild rumors and nothing more. But betrayal happened once before. The Board of Directors did plot against her once. Why wouldn’t they do it again? That doubt is enough to drive Glory Braddock insane. As if that wasn’t enough to make her feel crazy, it was a few weeks ago when Braddock learned that her oldest daughter, Melinda Braddock, had renewed a romantic relationship with Clyde Sutter, a man Glory personally despises. Braddock has recently met with both Melinda and Sutter in order to try and ease her mind. Despite assurances from Melinda and Sutter that he is a changed man, The British Bombshell still feels uncertain around him. She still is unwilling to fully trust him. Unfortunately, there is nothing she can do about this; he is dating her daughter and she cannot stop it.

And yet there is something that she did take away from her recent meeting with Clyde Sutter. He issued a cryptic warning not to trust anyone. Clyde did not indicate that he knew anything about her corporate problems but the words did remind her about the warning she had received from Jamie Ryan. Glory is trusting Aurora Alan, a woman whose brother was once indicted on federal charges for white collar crimes, a woman whose brother had multiple times tried to subvert Glory and take over her company from within. Aurora Alan, the sister of Matthew Alan, had always been the nicer, more honest and trustworthy of the Alan siblings. Braddock put her in place as the CEO because the factions within the board of directors who wanted Glory out were loyal to the Alan family. It was Braddock’s logic that Aurora would keep the Board of Directors happy while Glory could remain owner of the company. Trust no one. Should she really trust Aurora Alan, a woman who was raised in a family of corporate crooks?

Glory is going to face Danny Darko at Rise To Greatness, she cannot stop that. Her daughter is dating Clyde Sutter and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Glory cannot do anything about that. But the one problem she does have some semblance of control over is her own company. Aurora is only a minority owner and agreed to step down as CEO if Glory ever requested. Perhaps it is time that the two ladies had a talk? And if Glory isn’t satisfied, then maybe it will be time to send Aurora Alan away? It may be paranoia taking over but Glory must know the truth. This is one problem she can settle right here and now and she plans to do just that.

The British Bombshell is making a beeline down the halls of her company’s corporate headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is dressed in a royal purple maxi skirt, sandals, and a white lace blouse with quarter length sleeves that shows off just a little midriff. Her long blonde hair hangs straight and unrestrained to past the shoulders. A look of determination that would scare even the toughest of men is etched across her lovely face. Most of the employees present today are indeed rather frightened, or at the very least nervous, as they see Braddock storming through corporate headquarters. It isn’t often that they see the head bitch in charge, the owner of the company gracing them with her presence. And usually when she shows up it is nothing good.

Glory makes her way into a waiting room. A receptionist is there at a desk that sits adjacent to a door that is marked “Alan”. Braddock marches up to the receptionist. The receptionist, a young lady in her twenties with brown hair, doesn’t seem to notice much. She notices that someone is there but she doesn’t bother to look up and see who it is. “Yes, may I help you?”

“Ahem…” Glory clears her throat loudly to get the attention of the receptionist. She looks up and immediately her eyes grow wide and her face goes pale. Her jaw nearly hits the floor.

“Oh, uh, Ms. Braddock, I had no idea you were going to be here today. I mean, um, you aren’t scheduled to be here today. Errr, I mean…”

“There isn’t a problem with me being here at the office of the company I own, is it?” Glory asks in a tremendously sarcastic tone. “I DO still have an office here, don’t I?”

“Uh, yea…yes, of course. Should I…uh…” clearly the poor girl is nervous “...should I let everyone know you are in the office today?”

“No!” She snaps back at the young girl. “I won’t be here long. I just need to speak to Aurora.”

“Ms. Alan?”

“Is there anyone else working here named Aurora?”

“Uh, n…no, I guess not. But she’s taking her lunch break and doesn’t want to see anyone.”

“So she is in her office?” Glory asks as she points to Aurora’s office door.

“Yes, Ms. Braddock, but…”

“Well she can make time for me!”

Glory storms on past the desk before the receptionist can protest. She pushes the door open and steps inside in the opulent corporate office of Aurora Alan. An intensely furious rage is in the eyes of Glory Braddock. She spots Aurora Alan sitting at her desk. She is wearing navy blue dress pants, matching flats, a white silk blouse, and matching navy blue jacket. Aurora immediately sits up straight upon seeing Glory enter. She looks surprised to see the majority owner there in the middle of her office. This was definitely unexpected and Glory definitely caught her off guard.

“Glory? What are you doing here? You weren’t supposed to be here today.”

“Yeah, yeah, I already went through that song and dance with your receptionist.” Braddock says as she marches over and finds a seat near Aurora at the desk. “Who the hell is she anyway? I don’t recognize her.”

“You don’t recognize anyone here at the offices, Glory.” Aurora says with a sly grin. “You hated keeping office hours. You barely spend any time here, remember?”

“So she’s been here awhile then?”

“No,” Aurora shakes her admit “I admit, she is a new hire. I had to let my other receptionist go when I noticed she was stealing from the company.”

“Stealing from the company?!” Glory’s eyes light up. Aurora immediately sets to calming her down.

“It was just small, petty amounts, nothing much. But still, I had to fire her. This one I think will work out great. Her name is Amber.”

“She’d better!” Glory exclaims angrily. “I can’t believe we had someone stealing from the company!”

“Calm down, Glory. Seriously, it wasn’t that big of a deal. But what is a big deal is you. What are you doing here?” Aurora asks. “You have a date in Vegas in the next few days. I doubt you made this side trip just to judge my new hire.”

“Yes, I do have a good reason for stopping by. I suppose I could have called and settled this over the phone but I preferred to do it in person and unannounced. I wanted to take you by surprise.”

“You certainly did that.” Aurora rolls her eyes.

“Good. Now tell me, is anyone listening?”

“No…unless Amber has really good hearing…”

“So the room isn’t bugged?”

“Are you seriously asking me that?” Aurora seems genuinely confused by this question. Glory just nods her head. Aurora sighs and shakes her head. “No, the room isn’t bugged. No one is listening in to us right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m certain of it!” Aurora sighs out of frustration. “Seriously, Glory, you sound very paranoid. What the hell is wrong?”

“It’s just that…” Glory pauses and thinks of the warning from Jamie Ryan, the advice from Clyde Sutter, trust no one “...it’s just that I’m not sure who I can trust.”

“You can trust me, Glory.”

“Can I?”

“Damn it, Glory, pull yourself together!” Aurora exclaims with a mix of anger and frustration. “You’re beginning to sound crazy! You trust me, Glory. You sold me a fifteen percent share of your company. You put me in charge as CEO of your company. A year ago you wouldn’t have done that for anyone.”

Aurora stares deep into Glory’s eyes. She can tell that The British Bombshell is upset about something, she just wishes she would come clean about it. A few moments later and Glory begins to cry a little. Aurora produces a few tissues and hands them over to Glory who nods her head in appreciation as she uses them to dry her eyes.

“Sorry, Aurora. I guess I am being a little paranoid. It’s just so much is going wrong lately. Between the crap going on in SCW and then finding about my daughter dating Sutter again and now this crap about the board of directors.”

“What is going on with the board?” Aurora asks curiously. “The last time I checked you were getting along with them famously. They even threw you a big party, in your honor.”

“Yeah and that’s where all this crap started. You know Jamie Ryan?”

“No, should I…” Aurora pauses to think for a moment “...wait, Ryan…as in Floyd Ryan?”

“Yes. Floyd Ryan, member of our board of directors, has a niece named Jamie. I met her at the party. She seemed nice enough and wanted to meet with me again. I didn’t see any problem with it so I met her again. Then she told me that factions within the board of directors are plotting against me.”

“That’s insane.” Aurora insists. “Like I said, the board loves you. At meetings they always have nothing but positive things to say about you. Believe me, if they were to say anything negative about you, they would feel comfortable enough saying it in my presence. Look at who my brother is.” Aurora says chuckling softly. Glory nods her head.

“True enough.”

“They genuinely believe that you have turned over a new leaf. I cannot believe that they would ever try to betray you.”

“It just bothers me, you know? They did it once before. They took control of the company and handed it over to Henry Van Stanton, based on Henry’s claims that I was mentally unstable.” She wipes a tear from her eye with the tissues. “His only basis was the fact that I acknowledged my mentor, Aphrodite Noel, as my mother. I had spent over ten years without a mother figure in my life, Aurora. My biological mother had abandoned me. Aphrodite was very close to me. She taught me how to endure backstage politics, something my father did not teach me. She also taught me how to manage corporate life after I bought this company. So is it any stretch that I might start to view her as a mother figure when she was really more of a mother than my actual mother ever was?”

“When you put it that way, no. Did you ever get the chance to explain this to the board or Henry?”

“Henry knew damn well my explanation, he just didn’t care. He needed an excuse so that take control of the company from me and mental instability was his excuse. And the Board of Directors at the time was fiercely loyal to your brother. But your brother was under investigation for federal crimes, so they couldn’t put him in charge. They settled for Henry.”

“I had no idea…” Aurora’s voice trails off.

“When I regained control of the company I vowed to never let that kind of a hostile takeover happen again. As a result I did some terrible things to innocent people. I am ashamed of who I became in my quest for revenge. Now these rumors about the board trying to take me out…” she shakes her head “...it’s bringing her back.”

“Bringing who back?”

“The person I had become. The person who did those horrible things. I’m tempted to go back to that dark place, Aurora and I really do not want to.”

“Glory…” Aurora says in a low tone “...you realize how that sounds?”

“I know!” She exclaims. “It sounds insane! And honestly, right now, I feel as if I am going insane! Everything is falling apart around me, Aurora! I’m losing my daughter to a monster…who the hell knows when my students, Amelia and Fiona, will be back in action…SCW management doesn’t respect me…it seems as if I am losing everything. Except this company. I still have this company and I had that one thing to hold onto. If all else failed, I still had the company. But then I learned that there is a chance I could lose that too?” Braddock shakes her head. “It would be so easy, y’know?”

“What would be easy?”

“Just to give in. Just to be ruthless and cutthroat like Aphrodite taught me. Be that person Aphrodite created. That person would have made sure Sutter went missing and was never found again. That person would use her considerable influence to get rid of those who are not giving me the opportunities I deserve in SCW. That person would get rid of those board members conspiring against me. But…”

“...but you’re not that person anymore?” Aurora asks. Glory nods her head in confirmation.

“That’s right. I am not that person anymore. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I want to be the person my dad raised me to be, a good person who does things the right way. In fact, just last week in Phoenix I met with Clyde Sutter…the monster my daughter is dating…”

“And what happened?”

“...we buried the hatchet.” Glory smiles warmly as she thinks back to just last week when she was speaking with Sutter after Breakdown. “It felt good. I don’t trust him, he’ll have to earn my trust, but it felt good to do it the right way. That’s who I want to be.”

“Good. Just be that person, ok? Do not let all of these problems overwhelm you. You can overcome it without being cutthroat, without taking shortcuts.”

“But taking the shortcut is so tempting right now.” Glory admits with a sigh. “I have tried for so long that it is tiresome. Like I said, I want to give up. I am tempted to give up.”

“Look, just calm down.” Aurora stands up and approaches Glory. Glory stands up and the two embrace in a tight hug. “You brought me in to help and I will help. Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then let me help. If it will ease your mind I will look into this. I will see if there is any truth to these rumors. I’m pretty sure I can convince one of the board members to talk.”

“Thanks, Aurora.” She smiles.

“Don’t mention it.”

“Just one thing…”

“What’s that?” Aurora asks as they break the embrace.

“Do not trust anyone.”

“You don’t have to tell me, Glory. Remember who I grew up with…my brother, Matthew, who was indicted on federal charges and my sister Jennifer who SHOULD HAVE BEEN indicted on federal charges but covered her tracks better…” Aurora smirks “...I know better than anyone else that you cannot trust anyone. But these board members you are worried about, they trust me immensely. If there is any sort of plot, they’ll tell me. But honestly I think you’re just worrying yourself over nothing.” Aurora places a hand on Glory’s shoulder. “In fact, maybe you should start seeing that therapist again.”

“The psychiatrist you mean?” Glory shakes her head. “No, I’d rather not.”

“He helped you once before.”

“He did help me, I admit that. But I was forced to go by the same board of directors who took control of the company from me, in order to satisfy themselves that I wasn’t insane. If I go back, who is to say that someone won’t pick up on that? Who is to say that word of me going to see a therapist won’t get out into the public? I don’t want the entire world thinking I’m insane.” Braddock’s eyes grow wide. “I am NOT insane!”

“I know, you’re not insane.” Aurora gently rubs her shoulders to calm her down. The wild look on Glory’s face slowly goes away. “It was just a suggestion. Ok?”

“Uh, yeah, right. I’ll take it under advisement.” She turns and walks towards the office door, preparing to exit. “Sorry about all of this. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

“No apology is necessary, Glory. Just help yourself, ok? Let me worry about the company.”

“Thanks.”

Glory Braddock steps outside the office. Immediately she turns to look at the receptionist, who once again cowers in fear upon seeing The British Bombshell. Glory smiles sheepishly.

“Sorry, Amber.”

“Uh…ok…”

Braddock sighs as she walks off. She hopes that she has found a friend in Aurora who can help ease her mind. Still, a nagging part of her thinks that she just made things worse. Can she really trust Aurora Alan?

==========
July 30th, 2022
Las Vegas, Nevada
On Camera
==========

We open in an empty casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Typically this place is busy and active but today it is inactive, dull, and quiet. The flashing lights and sounds of the slot machines are down. We do see those slot machines scattered around the area as well as tables where poker and blackjack is played on a daily basis. A few moments later and the beautiful form of Glory Braddock steps into view from the right. The British Bombshell is dressed in a black lace a-line a-line princess silhouette long sleeve dress with a hemline that stops just above the knee. She is perched atop black high heeled sandals. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a bun in the back. A confident grin is plastered across her lovely face.

“Vegas is known as Sin City. It’s also famous for all of its gambling and the casinos, such as this one right here. People flock to casinos such as this for the slots, the blackjack, Texas Hold ‘Em, the Roulette wheel, and more games, and these people come to play these games all with the hope and dream of winning big. It is a false pretense, a fraudulent story planted into the minds of society that anyone on any given night could hit it big in one of these games and become an instant millionaire.” Braddock sighs and shakes her head. “The sad truth is that instant winners in these games of chance almost never happen. It is highly unlikely that you are to become an instant millionaire by winning any of these casino games. True success and true wealth is earned through hard work and dedication. You earn success by busting your ass and plying your craft, not by a random roll of the dice.”

“The people who come to these casinos do not really belong here. More often than not they are wasting their time and their hard earned savings on a dream that will never ever come to fruition. And why can’t they win? Simple; the house always wins.” The British Bombshell smirks knowingly. “And speaking of people who don’t belong, who are wasting their time, we have to start with Danny Darko.” The beautiful blonde shakes her head.

“It should be painfully obvious to anyone and everyone watching that you no longer belong in a wrestling ring. Sure, you may be undefeated in your SCW run thus far, but let’s face it, the only reason you are undefeated is because of me. I carried you through the match against Jenni and Tsunami. I carried you against GiGi and Datura. But now you are alone. You are in this Double Jeopardy Match, against me in phase one, all on your own. How long has it been since you wrestled on your own? How long has it been since you had to navigate these rough waters of professional wrestling without anyone’s help? It’s definitely fair to say that you are rusty, but I would go further and say that you do not belong. You do NOT belong in this match at Rise To Greatness. Hell, you do not even belong on the card.” She holds up three fingers. “This match at Rise To Greatness will be your THIRD match back! Three matches in and you’re at Rise To Greatness. Do you really belong against a trio of former champions?” She shakes her head. “No, you don’t. You do not belong in the match, you do not belong on the card at Rise To Greatness, you damn sure do not belong in this company, and I will do everything I can to…at the very least…make sure that you do not make it to the second phase of Double Jeopardy. Although if I have my way, you won’t wrestle another match after I’m finished with you.”

“Then there’s Konrad…” she chuckles softly “...do you remember our history, Konnie? Because I sure as hell do. I remember during the old days when you following GiGi Aries around like a lost little puppy and then I choked you unconscious. I fought you again when you were following Minerva and the Jackals around like a lost little puppy. In fact, your entire history up until now has been a history of following others. And I will admit that I am impressed, even proud, that you grew a spine and decided to strike out on your own. Look at what you did for yourself when you quit following others? You became SCW Underground Champion. You were in the main event of Breakdown with Kimberly Williams in one of the more violent cage matches of recent memory. Does that mean you belong in this Double Jeopardy Match competing for an opportunity at the United States title?” Braddock nods her head.

“I think you deserve it. You have more than earned your place. You’ve definitely done a hell of a lot more than Darko. But let’s be honest, Konrad, this is a huge step up from facing Kim in a steel cage match. You have to face one of the most decorated athletes in this company, Christy Matthews. And IF you can manage to get through her, you will have to face me…and I don’t need to remind you of my resume, all I need to remind you of is the fact that I choke you before, and if I have to choke you out then I will do just that. You might make it, Raab. You might get to face me. But that’s as far as you’re getting. You will NOT defeat me.”

“Lastly there’s Christy Matthews, the person I fully expect to meet in the finals after I wipe the floor with Darko. We’ve done this dance before. We have been in this similar situation before at last year’s Rise To Greatness, only then we were competing for the United States Title. As a competitor I respect the hell out of you. But as a person, Christy…” she shakes her head “...I lost a lot of respect for you. You have no reason to judge me, especially when you refuse to pay a damn bit of attention to what I am saying. And you definitely have no right putting words into my mouth.”

“Did I ever say that I felt that the United States Title is beneath me? Did I say that I felt I deserved better than competing for this number one contendership?” Glory shakes her head. “I never said that. Quite the opposite, lame brain. I respect the honor, the traditions, and the prestige of the United States Title. I have been aiming for that championship for over a year now. I have come close on more than one occasion to getting it. Most recently was when I made it to the finals of the tournament against Josh Hudson. I’m still bitter about that and I would love nothing more than an opportunity to get that win back and get that championship.”

“Having to fight Danny Darko one on one in the first phase of Double Jeopardy is beneath me. I am several leagues above that talentless hack. That is the one gripe I have. Can you honestly tell me that you disagree, that you think that idiot Darko belongs anywhere near this match? If you think he belongs then maybe you are stupid as him.” The British Bombshell smirks. “You’re also the one who stood in my way last year. I can promise you that you will not stand in my way this year. You, Konrada, Darko, none of you will stand in my way this year.”

“I’m not arrogant…I’m just speaking facts. If the truth hurts then too damn bad. No one can give me any one good reason why Danny Darko is in this match. No one can give me any one good reason why I can’t choke out or tap out Konrad Raab yet again. And no one can tell me that Christy Matthews will stand in my way at Rise To Greatness. Because this year is my year and the three of you need to just learn to accept that luck is not on your side, this game is rigged so that the house always wins.” She motions to herself. “You’re looking at the house. This is my game and I am going to run the tables.”