A Gift

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Off Camera

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“Why do we have to do contract negotiations at your stupid high rise condominium?”

Julia Braddock has been agitated the entire time.  After Survival of the Fittest she wanted to make a triple back to London to see her father, Glenn Braddock, but she received a message from her agent, Mason Van Stanton, demanding that she come to Raleigh, NC.  Raleigh is his headquarters.  It makes it easier for him to operate, since Global Championship Wrestling is headquartered in Raleigh and that’s where he does most of his business.

“Because I want to.”

Mason’s voice has been stern throughout.  Julia has no idea why he insists on coming here.  He never has before.  But there’s little she can do about it.  She is the exclusive property of Mason Van Stanton and he has control over her wrestling career.  She has attempted to be a team player in recent weeks but she still knows that dealing with Mason is going to always be like walking on egg shells.   He still hates the Braddock family, despite his attempts to win her over.

“I just fail to see why we couldn’t do these contract negotiations somewhere else.  Hell, why even have them at all?  I thought the contract I signed after For Glory & Gold was iron clad.  I can’t get out of it even if I wanted to.”

“And I’m sure you want to.” Mason remarks under his breath.

“I heard that.”

“Anyway, we’re here.”

Mason Van Stanton pulls open the door and allows his client Julia to step inside to the high rise condominium.  He and Julia step inside and Julia’s eyes grow wide.  The room is uncomfortably large; like a perfect magazine cover.  It reminded her of a hotel foyer, not just in the space but in the artwork too.  Julia is almost afraid to sit in case she were to wrinkle the fabric.  The couch is cream but inlaid with a fine green silk; leaves embroidered so delicately that they might have landed there in spring and just sunk in, but she knew they took hundreds of hours to sew. The white curtains are linen, the kind of white that is untouched by hands and devoid of dust. A cursory look to the right shows her the almost hidden cords that are used to open and close them. There is no television, no bookshelf, no dining table, only the chairs arranged around the bespoke fireplace which leaps with a gas flame.  The floor is a high polished wood, dark and free of either dust or clutter; the walls white and the furniture, Julia is certain, from a high-end Scandinavian designer, but the name escapes her for the moment.  It is a perfect place, but cold in its tranquility.

“Nice place, Mason.” Julia says, looking rather impressed despite her feelings towards Mason.  “Very nice.  How much was it?”

“Nearly a million dollars.” Mason states matter of factly.

“A million for this?  Well, it is impressive, I’ll say that much.”

“Only the best for my clients.”

That last line catches Julia’s attention and she immediately arches her brow. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah, I kinda lied.” Mason says with a smirk on his face. “We’re not here to discuss contract negotiations.  I only said that so that I could get you to Raleigh without spoiling the surprise.”

“You mean?” Julia’s voice is full of anxious anticipation as she can see where this is going.

“That’s right, this is yours.  I bought it for you.”

“You can’t be serious.” Julia shakes her head. “Hannah and Kendra, they are much easier to work with than I am.”

“Right, and they’re getting a yacht.”

“Destiny?”

Mason chuckles. “Destiny is the love of my life, Julia.  We didn’t hook up just to take you down.  We hooked up because we love one another.  I give Destiny my life.  But you…”

He runs a hand through Julia’s long blonde hair “…you have always been my favorite client.  I meant it when I told you that your betrayal, you turning on me hurt me.  All I ever wanted for you was to give you the world on a silver platter because you deserved it.  You ran to the Braddock family and became yet another sidekick, another Glory Braddock yes person, and it hurt me and pissed me off because I saw the potential for you.”

He pokes her in the chest. “YOU made Glory Braddock tap out for only the second time in her career at Resurrection VI.  That proves you are the best wrestler to come out of the Braddock Wrestling School.  And just look at you, you are clearly the better looking one between you and your sister.  Everything I have done up until now has never been about trying to ruin your reputation or twist you or corrupt you.  It’s been about me trying to give you the accolades and rewards that you so richly deserved and yet were so wrongly denied.  Julia, you deserve to be treated like a princess. You deserve to be treated like royalty.”

“So this place…”Julia’s voice trails off as she fights off the emotions welling up inside her “…it’s a gift?”

“That’s right.  It’s a gift because you deserve it just for being who you are.  Besides, it serves a very practical purpose.  GCW is headquartered here.  My offices are headquartered here.  If you lived here instead of living across the pond in Jolly Ole, then you would be closer to the action.”

“And JaMarcus…”

“Don’t ask me for permission.” Mason says with a chuckle. “It’s YOUR place now.  You own it.  Anyone can live here or stay here that you allow.”

“Wow, I just…I don’t know how to…”

“A thank you would be nice.” Mason suggests with a smirk.

“Thank you!” Julia embraces him in a tight hug and kisses him on the cheek. “Thank you, so much, Mason!”

“This is just a small token of what my favorite client deserves.”

After breaking the embrace Julia can’t help but continue to laugh and even cry a little bit, not truly comprehending what just happened.

“I was so wrong about you, Mason.  I’m glad we’re back together, working as a team.”

“You’re right, we are better when we work as a team.  And you are better when you do not hold back.  You held yourself back in the past because you were afraid to step on the Braddock Family’s toes.  Not only should you step on their toes but you should step on anyone else who is beneath you.  Because you are wrestling royalty.  Understand?”

“I get you, Mason.  Still, there is one thing that puzzles me and it just hit me right now while I was taking all of this in.”

“What is it?”

“I got this expensive place, Hannah and Kendra got a yacht, who knows what you’re getting Destiny.  How the bloody hell are you affording all of this?”

“That’s my little secret, Julia.” Mason says with a knowing grin.

“I don’t like secrets.”Julia states firmly. “What are you not telling me?”

“You said you’re a team player now, right? You said that you like it when we work as a team?”

“Yes.”

“Well in order for this team to work, I have to keep some secrets from you.  All of you.  Including Hannah and Kendra.”

“So Destiny is in on the secret to your newfound fortune?”

Mason says nothing but just stands there, staring at Julia, smirking.  Finally he nods his head.

“Tell me, Mason.  What’s this secret?”

“Do you like this place, Julia?”

“What?” Julia is taken aback by this question.

“Answer the question, my dear.  Do you like this place?”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t love this gorgeous place.”

“Then don’t ask any questions and just accept it.  Hannah and Kendra didn’t seem to give a damn how I got the money to afford to buy them a yacht.  They just accepted it.  Why can’t you?  That old Glory Braddock corruption isn’t seeping back in, is it?”

There is a long pause as Julia ponders what Mason just said.

“So?  Do you really want me to tell you the secret?”

“What secret?” Julia asks with a smirk.

“That’s my girl.”

Team Player

FLASH!

Lights are flashing repeatedly; these are the bright flashing of camera lights as they snap pictures of their current model.  The current young lady modeling a classy, elegant little number is none other than Julia Braddock.  She is wearing a bright, chipper smile, but it is forced.  Anyone who knows her knows it is forced.  She feels fake.  She feels like this whole thing is just a charade, as if she’s just being used by her manager Mason Van Stanton.  And it’s no surprise that she feels this way.  She never wanted to be back with Mason in the first place.  She’s agreed to the terms of a new contract with Mason simply to ensure he would never get his hands on the Braddock Wrestling School.

Julia never should have agreed to put the school on the line in her match against Mason’s wife Destiny Van Stanton.  But her emotions, specifically her anger, got the best of her and she agreed just to get Destiny in the ring.  Just to get revenge.  She should’ve known to expect anything. She should’ve been better prepared.  But she wasn’t.  She fell right into their trap.  Now she’s stuck.  But she resolves never to let herself become the person Mason Van Stanton claims she truly is.  She resolves to be better than that.

“Ok, stop!  Stop right there!”

Julia knows she should keep her pose but she can’t help but roll her eyes as she hears the voice of her agent, Mason Van Stanton, shouting out at the photographers to cease and desist.  He rushes up into the camera shot and waves his arms like a madman.

“The photo shoot is over!”

“But Mr. Van Stanton, we need to get a few more shots and…”

“No, you don’t!” He continues flailing his arms. “You’re done.”

“You’re embarrassing yourself, Mason.” Julia complains, placing her hands on her hips. “Hell, you’re embarrassing me!”

“Don’t care.” He shakes his head before spinning around to face Julia.  He points back to the dressing room. “Leave, we’re done here.”

“Why?”

“Just go!”

Julia doesn’t like this arrangement one bit, and this is why.  It’s almost like he owns her.  But he doesn’t own her.  He is just a manager, an agent, and it’s time he remembers that.  Julia marches up to him and slaps him across the face.

“You’re my agent, Mason. You do not own me.  Remember that.”

With that said, and satisfied that she has thoroughly made her point, she spins and marches away from Mason who continues to berate the photographers.  Julia heads towards the dressing room.  She opens it up and steps inside.  Immediately she sighs with frustration as she finds Destiny Van Stanton sitting there, almost as if she is waiting on her.

Destiny is the last person she wants to see right now.  Between Mason and Destiny, it was Destiny who has been taking advantage of this one-sided arrangement the most.  Julia didn’t realize it until just a few months ago, but Destiny had always felt unappreciated by The Braddock family.  Thus she was easily convinced by Mason’s charm.  Mason and Destiny hatched their plan to trick Julia and now Destiny has the opportunity to turn the tables on Julia.

“Great, you’re here…” Julia’s voice trails off as she walks over and has a seat on a nearby bench.

“Nice seeing you too, Braddock.” Destiny quips.

“What are you doing here anyway?  You don’t like me.  Is your husband making you keep an eye on me?”

“That’s funny, Julia.” Destiny chuckles. “To think any man, even Mason, could tell me what to do.  You want to know why mine and Mason’s relationship works so well?  He treats me as an equal.  Men in the past wanted to either put me on a pedestal or treat me as a sex object.  All I ever wanted is equality.  Isn’t that the goal of feminism?”

“Supposedly.” Julia answers, rolling her eyes.

“Mason listens to me and gives me the respect I deserve.  In turn I listen to him and give him the respect he deserves.  We have a great relationship as a result.” Destiny smirks as she reaches out and touches Julia on the nose. “You know, you’d do well to do the same.  This whole experience wouldn’t be so miserable for you.”

“What are you suggesting, Destiny?  Are you suggesting I respect him?  He’s trying to ruin me and my reputation.  You’re trying to do the same thing and don’t deny it.”

“Fine,” she nods her head “I admit, at first this was all about ruining you, destroying you, and ruining your entire family.  That’s why I was pissed off with Mason when he suggested the whole notion of giving you an out of your little agreement.  After I beat your ass I wanted to close up that damn school and legally make the Braddock name penniless.  I was furious when Mason gave you an out but then it hit me….”

“You realized you could treat me like crap and get away with it?”

“No.  I realized that Mason was right.  I have no need to hate you because you’re a victim of the same poison that twisted my mind.  That same poison that made me weak and corrupted had also made you weak and corrupted.  This was a chance for the two of us to, you know…” Destiny shakes her head “…oh just forget it.”

“No, what is it?  What were you going to say?”

“I just thought that maybe we could be friends again.”

“Friends?” Julia opens her eyes with wide-eyed shock.

“I knew you wouldn’t get it.”

“Excuse me for not buying into your little sob story about wanting to be friends, not when you and Mason tried to destroy my family only to settle on just ruining me in particular.”

“Listen to me, Braddock!” Destiny exclaims, standing up suddenly. “You think your family is so great?  You still drink that Braddock kool-aid?  Well let me ask you this; where was Glory when you were fighting for the entire family?  She was busy chasing Chantelle Chambers and the world title, leaving you all on your own.  Where was Glory when you lost that match?  No where to be found.  Yet you made the sacrifice and why?  To save her?”

Julia bows her head in shame.  She doesn’t want to admit it but Destiny raises some very valid points.

“Mason can be a jerk at times.  I can be a bitch at times.  But Mason busted his ass to get you this Heritage Championship Match at Survival of the Fittest.  He busted his ass to get you these promotional deals with all of these major companies.  Do you want to know why?”

“Why?”

“Because whether you realize it or not he believes in you.  He sees you as the GODDESS and ROYALTY that you truly are.  That is the REAL Julia Braddock; not the humble WELCOME MAT who lets her sister Glory walk all over her.  A member of wrestling’s royal family.  He’s not asking you to do anything outside of your morals or ethics.  If you want to be little miss goodie goodie in the ring and play by the rules, fine.  That’s your business.  He just wants you to carry yourself like the STAR that you are and not like Glory’s sidekick.  I was Glory’s sidekick for a long damn time before I saw the truth.” Destiny shrugs her shoulders. “But what do I know, right?  I’m just trying to destroy you and ruin you.”

Destiny starts to walk way but then Julia stands up and places a hand on her shoulder. “Destiny, wait…”

Destiny turns around and is met by a hug from Julia Braddock. “Now Destiny, this doesn’t mean we’re friends.  You and Mason were very deceptive and manipulative with me.  You brutalized my father just to provoke me.”

“Sooooo…” Destiny looks on with a confused look on her face “….what’s this about then?”

“It means that maybe it’s time I tried to be a team player.” Julia smirks.  Destiny in turns smiles devilishly.

“Excellent.”