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Roleplay Boards => Archived Roleplays => Supercard Archives => Topic started by: SCW Staff on April 19, 2026, 07:50:41 PM
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Please post all roleplays here! Have fun and good luck!
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Cassie ultimately came up short in her latest match against Alexandra Callaway, costing her a shot at the Bombshell Internet Championship in the process as that was now going to the returning Kat Jones! However the silver lining was that Cassie could now focus completely on the Queen for a Day Ladder Match against Bella Madison and Frankie Holiday, the prize? The opportunity to book their own Climax Control! And after she came up short in last year’s match? Cassie was all to eager to claim the prize, can Cassie win?
Cassie’s Hotel Room, Tivoli Park, Copenhagen, Denmark
Sunday the 19th of April 2026, 23:00pm
UGH!
Tonight’s setup was going to be perfect! Harper was going to miss Into the Void because id a les injury much like I missed Violent Conduct because of an injury, I was going to beat Alexandra Callaway and set the stage for me finally winning a title at Into the Void alongside winning Queen for a Day and it was going to be glorious!
Instead? Josh and Jessie interfered in my business again, Riley got the crap beaten out of her and for the cherry on the shit sundae? I was thrown off my game and lost the match to Alexandra, opening the door for Kat Jones to return to SCW and challenge Alexandra for the Bombshell Internet Title in her first match back.
I swear the wrestling gods have it out for me sometimes.
”WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!” I demanded as I threw my towel to the ground in frustration, still sweaty after the match with Alexandra. ”Seriously, I thought we had accounted for Jessie and Josh before we launched our plan?!”
“Can you not talk so loud?” Riley groaned as she held her aching head and I just rolled my eyes. “My headache is getting a headache!”
”You took two moves and were laid out, I wrestled a whole damn match with Alexandra and she’s been wrestling longer than any of us have been alive!” I countered as I looked over he latest Go Gym Graduate. ”The Go Gym’s training must have really gone downhill since Logan and Brooke graduated two years ago if this is what you’re complaining about Riley!”
”Okay, first off? Need I remind you that I’m a Go Gym Graduate as well!” Krystal said as she walked right up to me and got in my face. ”Abd if it weren’t for that? You never would’ve been motivated to convince your parents to move to America so you could train at the PTA Gym, later Hero Academy, hell you would’ve enrolled in the Go Gym instead if I had known about you sooner or in other words Cass? Watch what you say about the place that made me the woman I am today!”
”You graduated nearly a decade ago and only joined SCW in late 2020, that’s hardly comparable.” I reminded Krystal as I folded my arms and my older half sister met my gaze. ”And let’s not forget that not every graduate has been a success, Adrienne Beaufort flopped because the Frenchie couldn’t handle the pressure, what exactly has Beauty done aside from flop in the Blast from the Past Tournament? And don’t get me started on how you never recovered your momentum after your record setting Roulette Title Reign ended!”
”Not every wrestling school is going to bat a thousand every time Cass, sure, Hero Academy’s produced you, Harper and Ayden Lionvale but need I remind you of the large gap between your graduations and hrs?”[ Krystal countered as she folded her arms. ”As for those examples? Adrienne’s situation was unfortunate because she was an eighteen year old kid who got thrown into the spotlight and tried to do too much, too fast, I’m noy even sure if Beauty is a Go Gym Graduate and me? Need I remind you that even with how my SCW Run ended I still set a record that lasted for just over five years?”
“God, if you two weren’t related by marriage I’d be tempted to tell you to fuck and get it over with!” Riley interrupted us and we turned top her. “Besides, if you keep this up? We’re going to be met with noise complaints when we check out tomorrow morning!”
”Good point, but I still said what needed to be said Riley.” Krystal responded as she shook her head and I nodded. ”Look Cass, you lost the Internet Title Match, hat was our first mi step……………..”
“Not counting the financial situation I take it?” Riley asked dryly and Krystal shook her head. “Though that was more on Cassie than anything else.”
”Also didn’t count because I was talking about in ring mis steps.” Krystal countered before she picked up where she left off. ”Point is? You’re still in the Queen for a Day Match, and we both know the prize for winning that thing! Beat Frankie and Bella at Into the Void and we’ll be back in business!”
”Trust me, I plan on it!” I nodded in response before turning to Rilru. ”You good to travel tomorrow Riley?”
“I passed the concussion test that they had me take after Jessie hit the Circle Pit on me, aside from being sore as fuck? I’m good!” Riley responded as she stood up. “And thanks for leaving me high and dry by the way!”
”II was a tactical retreat because that was literally right before my match with Alexandra.” I pointed out as I walked up to Riley. ”Besides, you’re a CrossFit athlete turned Go Gym Graduate, are you seriously telling me that you haven’t survived worse than that?”
“Well, no but my point still stands!” Riley insisted and Krystal just shook her head. “Anyway, we’d better call it a night, we’ve got a long flight to Osaka tomorrow, good night!”
”Good night.” I responded before they left the room.
Soon? The princess will ascend to a queen.
Getting something to eat, Universal Studios, Osaka, Japan
Wednesday the 22nd of April 2026, 15:00pm
I sure as hell picked an interesting tour to put my plan into motion didn’t I?
Truth is? My frustration at being Harper’s sidekick has been brewing as early as last year’s High Stakes which, as I’m sure you’ll remember, I got left off for no damn reason while Harper got a shot at the Bombshell Internet Title just because! But even with that in mind? I’ve been thinking about it like this: I knew April/May was typically when SCW did their first of two international tours, last year it was the Viking Era Tour followed by the Party Hard Tour in the second half and, well, both of those tours ended up playing a part in my decision at the beginning of this tour,
The Viking Era Tour was when I had that infamous blow up with Seleana, the Party Hard Tour was when I reinjured my leg and ended up missing Violent Conduct while Harper got to play champion! But yeah, back to why I’m bringing this up.
The fact that I planned this for what turned out to be a tour of theme parks makes this kinda hilarious, because at least at last year’s Into the Void? I was visiting one of the most iconic capital cities in the world in Paris, France meaning there was more history for me to play around for that year’s Queen for a Day Match that I could shake a stick at! but Universal Studios Japan? At least if it were at Disneyland I’d be able to tie in my old Rebel Princess persona.
Granted in my current form I’m about as far from a Disney Princess as you can get but my point still stands! And hey, Harper’s concussion reportedly kept her from enjoying the rides so now she knows what it’s like to have an injury derail your whole cycle! Not to the extent that I was planning but still.
“I’m telling you Cass, we should at least go on one ride before the tour is over.” Riley insisted before she took a sip of her drink. “It’s a theme park tour and you’ve barely touched them!”
”And maybe I will before we head back to Vegas.” I responded with a shrug before shifting my weight. ”But for now the Queen for a Day Match is my main concern and I don’t need to tell you why.”
“No, you don’t.” Riley nodded in agreement before surveying the crowd. “At least Krystal’s still working on the whole Contract thing with Josh in the meantime.”
”Not sure what she’s expecting to accomplish given that it was my fuckup of never opting out of the contract with Josh that led to this situation I’m in where my money is being split between two managers but it’s something I guess.” I nodded in agreement before frowning as I realized something. ”Unless she’s trying to anticipate me winning a title.”
“Hmm?” Riley asked with a raised eyebrow and I continued.
”Titles mean more than carrying around big gaudy belts and having your name entered into the history books.” I said as I leaned back and Riley nodded along. ”It also comes with a major pay check boost! How much depends on the title you win but if I win a title under this situation? Even more money will go between Josh and Krystal.”
“And by extension, Harper.” Riley nodded as she got the idea before our food arrived. “Are you thinking about taking advantage of your Queen for a Day powers to help achieve that?”
”Need to win the match first, but I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t part of my Queen for a Day Plans.” I responded and Riley nodded before we started eating.
Soon, very soon.
Outside one of the Rollercoasters, Universal Studios, Japan
Wednesday the 22nd of April 2026, 18:00pm
*promo time*
One year on and all that.
”Stop me if you’ve heard this before: I, Cassie Wolfe, will be competing in this year’s Queen for a Day Match at Into the Void which is taking place in a foreign country!” I said as I paced around in front of the roller-coaster. ”And the fact that I beat Seleana to qualify for this match while last year it was that feud with her that got us both added to the match isn’t lost on me either!
Not to mention the fact that my last match was a loss to last year’s winer Alexandra Callaway but I’m getting ahead of myself!!” I added as I flipped some hair over my shoulder. ”But after I came this close to winning last year’s Ladder Match? I’m not setting for second place this time! I’m going all the fucking way and I’ll be damned if Frankie Holiday or Bella Madison get in my way!”
Let’s get started with Frankie.
”Oh Frankie, it’s tragic really because for all your bitching about the state you left the World Bombshell Title scene in after Crystal beat you for the title at High Stakes? I do actually agree with your points.” I stated as I folded my arms. ”I mean, under her embarrassingly short reign we had the Zdunichs challenging for the World Bombshell Title on PPV in a Tag Team Match that ended with the most obvious betrayal in SCW History and people wonder why some of us are glad Crystal retired?
Thanks for putting her out of the Bombshell Division’s misery by the way!” I added before smirking. ”But former World Bombshell Champion or not? You won’t get in between me and hat prize so don’t even bother.”
Next up? Bella!
”And then we have Bella continuing to overachieve where her mom Laura Phoenix failed! I guess talent skipped a generation, eh Bella?!” I asked with a shit eating grin on my face. ”Anyway, I’m sure you have your opinions on what I’ve been up too over the past several weeks but let me let you in on a little secret: I don’t give a shit what people think of me these days!
Why? Because worrying about what the fans thought of me held me back for too long!” I added as I brushed some hair over my shoulder. ”And maybe one day you’ll come to the same realization Bella but for now? You are just another obstacle between me and the Queen for a Day Crown!”
It’s that simple.
”Sure, I may be the youngest and smallest in this match but that just means that I have more to prove against the likes of Frankie and Bella! They are the SCW Brass’s golden children because as former champions? They always get top priority!” I added before grinning broadly. ”But in two weeks? I will ascend that ladder and while I will become the queen for the day?
I will start my path towards being an icon for a lifetime!” I added as I made a fist. ”And once I am queen? Those who have criticised me had better beware!”
And with that io decided to wrap things up.
”Because while the old Cassie would’ve show you mercy? I’ve got none to spare this year!” I added as flashed a middle finger to the camera. ”And with some of the ideas I’ve got brewing in my head? Bella and Frankie will wish that they had remained on my good side after they are bitten by the Judas Wolf!”
I turned off the camera as the scene fades.
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~*~Where She Stands~*~
O’Connell Home
Just Outside New York
Late Afternoon
The yard wasn’t quiet. It wasn’t supposed to be especially on a day like today where the weather was absolutely perfect.
Laughter carried across the open space in uneven bursts, the kind that didn’t follow rhythm or structure, just pure, unfiltered joy. The kind that only came from a two-and-a-half-year-old who had decided the entire world existed for her entertainment.
“Run! RUN!” Máire shrieked, her tiny legs pumping as fast as they could manage across the grass.
Behind her, Malachi O’Connell gave chase with absolutely no intention of catching her quickly. “Oh, I’m gonna get you!” he called out, voice dramatic, stretched for effect.
“No you not!” she yelled back, looking over her shoulder and immediately veering off course like that was a solid strategy.
It wasn’t, but it didn’t matter.
Bella stood near the edge of the yard, arms folded loosely, leaning back against the fence just enough to take the weight off. She wasn’t in gear. She wasn’t taped up like a war zone waiting to happen.
Leggings, her favorite oversized hoodie that she stole from Mal a while ago, and her long blonde hair pulled back loosely.
It was normal or as close to it as her life ever got. She watched as Mal deliberately tripped over nothing, stumbling forward like he’d been taken out by an invisible force.
Máire gasped like she’d just witnessed something catastrophic. “DADDY DOWN!”
“I’ve been struck!” Mal groaned, collapsing fully onto the grass. “Tell your mother I was brave!”
Bella snorted under her breath, shaking her head. “You are so dramatic,” she called out.
“That’s why you married me!” he shot back immediately, still sprawled out like a fallen warrior.
Máire wasted zero time climbing onto him, clearly the true winner of whatever game this had been.
“I win!” she declared proudly.
“You always do,” Bella muttered, pushing off the fence and walking toward them.
She crouched down, brushing a strand of hair out of Máire’s face, pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head.
“You terrorized your father again?” Bella asked.
Máire nodded very seriously. “Yep.”
“Sounds right.”
Mal propped himself up on his elbows, looking between them. “I would like it noted that I put up a heroic fight.”
“You fell over air,” Bella said.
“Strategically.”
She rolled her bright blue eyes, but there was no bite to it. That was the difference now. No tension sitting under her skin. No constant pull toward the barn. No urgency chewing at the edges of everything.
Just...this.
Bella shifted, sitting down in the grass beside them, stretching her legs out in front of her. Máire immediately climbed into her lap like that was always the plan, settling in with zero hesitation.
Bella wrapped an arm around her automatically. It was pure Instinct. It was always that but softer now.
Mal watched her for a second, quieter than before. “You haven’t looked at your phone in like....an hour,” he said.
Bella glanced at him. “Is that a problem?”
“I didn’t say that,” he replied. “Just...noticing.”
She leaned back slightly, adjusting Máire so she was more comfortable. “I already know what it says,” Bella said simply.
Mal raised a brow. “Yeah?”
“Queen For A Day Finals, Triple threat against Frankie and Cassie,” she listed off like it was already settled in her head.
It was.
He studied her a second longer. “And?”
Bella shrugged one shoulder, the motion easy. “And it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be, I was the last one to be qualified after all.”
That answer wasn’t what he expected. “You don’t sound like you’re spiraling about it,” he said.
“I’m not.”
Bella’s fingers absentmindedly traced along Máire’s arm as she spoke, grounding herself without even thinking about it.
“Frankie’s unpredictable as one should be as a former Women’s Champion,” she continued. “She always has been. She’ll take something simple and turn it into chaos if you let her.” A small pause. “And Cassie... well, she’s a lot like me at times where she doesn’t stop. Doesn’t matter what you hit her with, she just keeps coming.”
Mal nodded slowly. “So two problems.”
Bella shook her head slightly. “No,” she said. “Two constants.”
He blinked. “Explain that.”
Bella shifted her weight, leaning back on one hand, eyes drifting out across the yard for a moment before coming back. “Frankie’s always going to be chaos. Cassie’s always going to be relentless,” she said. “That doesn’t change. Neither one of them will change or adapt”
Her gaze sharpened slightly, but it wasn’t intense or aggressive. “The only thing that matters is whether I let that dictate what I do.”
Mal tilted his head, watching her now like he was trying to track something new. “And you’re not going to.”
It wasn’t a question.
Bella’s lips curved just slightly. “No.”
Simple enough especially for Bella.
Máire shifted in her lap, tugging at the sleeve of Bella’s hoodie. “Mama?”
Bella looked down immediately, all focus shifting without hesitation. “Yeah, baby?”
“Up,” Máire said, even though she was already sitting on her.
Bella huffed a quiet laugh. “You are already up.”
“More up.”
Mal snorted. “That’s fair logic.”
Bella stood carefully, lifting Máire fully and settling her against her hip.
“There we go,” she said.
Satisfied, Máire immediately rested her head against Bella’s shoulder like the world was exactly how it should be.
Bella stilled for a second, just a second but it mattered.
Mal saw it. “You’re seemingly different lately,” he said quietly.
Bella glanced at him. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said. “You’re not chasing it anymore.”
Bella looked out over the yard again, then back at him. “I don’t have to,” she said, “I know where I’m standing now.”
Mal pushed himself up from the grass, brushing his hands off as he stepped closer. “And where’s that?” he asked.
Bella adjusted her hold on Máire, steady, grounded. “Right where I’m supposed to be.”
Máire lifted her head slightly, looking between them. “Snack?” she asked.
Bella blinked, then laughed softly. “Yeah, snack.”
Mal nodded immediately. “That’s the most important match of the day.”
Bella started toward the house, Máire already pointing inside like she had a full plan mapped out.
Mal fell into step beside them, bumping her shoulder lightly.
“You good?” he asked, quieter now.
Bella didn’t hesitate. “Yeah,” she said.
And for once, she meant it without question.
~*~What Still Lives Here~*~
O’Connell Home
Early Evening
The house was quiet in that rare, fragile way that only happened when everything lined up just right.
No cartoons playing, no tiny footsteps running down the hall followed by loud barking and chaos from Luka.
It was weird that there was no immediate chaos demanding attention, just stillness.
Bella moved through it slowly.
Barefoot, with her oversized hoodie and her hair now loose, falling around her shoulders without effort.
The library sat just off the main living space, Mal’s idea originally despite him saying otherwise, built piece by piece until it stopped being a project and became something permanent. Shelves lined the walls, filled with books that had been collected over years, different cities, different versions of them.
Bella trailed her fingers along the spines as she walked. She wasn’t really looking, just...moving. There was something about the quiet that made her restless in a different way. Not the itch to train. Not the pull toward the barn. Just a need to settle her mind.
She paused halfway down the shelf, eyes scanning titles she hadn’t touched in months.
“Alright…” she muttered under her breath. “Something light. Something that doesn’t involve getting hit.”
Her fingers hovered over one book, then another. Before she stopped. Her focus shifted as she turned slightly and looked at the corner shelf.
The one Mal had built a little differently than the others.
It wasn’t for books but for them.
Bella didn’t move at first, she just looked.
Within the shelf there was photos, small framed moments. A couple of old wristbands. Things that didn’t belong anywhere else but mattered too much to be put away.
And then, her eyes dropped lower.
There, sitting back just enough to not be the first thing you noticed. Her crown.
As shiny as ever with it’s dark steel, thorns and the worn edges that caught the light in uneven ways.
The “Queen of Hardcore.”
Bella exhaled slowly. “…yeah,” she murmured.
She stepped closer but didn’t reach for it right away. She just stood there, looking at it like it was something separate from her....and not at the same time, because it wasn’t a gimmick.
It never had been.
That version of her? That was real. The woman who walked into chaos and didn’t flinch. The one who chose violence when it was necessary. The one who didn’t hesitate when things got ugly.
Bella reached out finally, fingers brushing lightly against the metal.
It was cold and grounding. Her grip closed around it, lifting it just slightly off the shelf.
Not fully, and not claiming it. Just holding it.
“You’re still here,” she said quietly.
There was no anger in it and no conflict to be found, just acknowledgment of what she is.
For a moment, her jaw tightened, just enough that the memory of it flickered through. All of the matches and the scars. The nights where she pushed too far because she didn’t know where the line was.
That version of her had been close to slipping. Close to becoming something that didn’t stop.
Bella tilted the crown slightly, watching the way the light hit the edges. “I just don’t need you....the same way anymore.”
That was the difference, not rejection but control.
She set it back down carefully making sure that it wasn’t hidden or discarded. Exactly where it had been, because it still mattered. She rested her hand against the shelf for a second longer, then let it fall.
Behind her, the house stayed quiet. Somewhere upstairs, a faint shift, probably Máire turning in her sleep.
Bella glanced toward the hallway, then back at the shelf one more time.
A small, almost-smile touched her lips. “Frankie brings chaos,” she said, almost to herself.
“Cassie brings pressure.”
A small exhale.
“I don’t have to match either one.” She stepped back from the shelf. “Because I know how to end both.”
That landed heavier than anything louder would have.
Bella turned, finally grabbing a book, any book, from the shelf beside her, like the original plan still mattered just enough. As she walked out of the room, the crown stayed exactly where it was.
And for the first time, It wasn’t leading her.
~*~Chosen Violence: Crown Logic~*~
O’Connell Home – Library
Night
The house had settled into that full quiet. The kind that came after a full day, after laughter, after dinner, after a toddler finally gave in to sleep. Soft light spilled from a single lamp in the library, casting long shadows across the shelves.
Bella stood in front of the same corner, the same shelf, the same crown. This time, she didn’t hesitate.
Her fingers curled around the metal, lifting it fully from its place. The weight of it sat different now, familiar, but not consuming. She turned it slowly in her hands, eyes tracing every edge, every imperfection.
“At Into the Void we will have a Triple threat,” she said quietly. “It’s the finals....Finals to crown the Queen for a Day. But lately, since Victoria took the reigns, it’s turned into something just a tad bit different.”
A faint breath left her as she set the crown down on the table in front of her instead of putting it back.
“Now on the other side of things we have former SCW Women’s World Champion, Frankie Holliday and a young woman that seems very hungry to prove herself, Cassie Wolfe.”
She leaned forward slightly, palms resting on the table on either side of the crown.
“For a long time, this is the kind of match that would’ve gotten away from me,” she admitted. “For me there were too many moving parts, too many variables and too many moments where control just....disappears.”
Her eyes flicked up, focused on nothing and everything at once.
“And I used to think that meant I had to keep up with it.”
A small shake of her head.
“That I had to be faster. Louder. More chaotic than the chaos.”
Her fingers tapped lightly against the table.
“I don’t think that anymore.”
Bella straightened slightly, one hand reaching out to rest against the crown, not gripping it, just touching it.
“Frankie…” she said, the name sitting with a different weight. A faint, knowing exhale. “You thrive when things break down. When structure goes out the window and nobody knows what comes next.”
She tilted her head slightly.
“That’s where you get dangerous. That’s where people lose you, but that only works when the other person is reacting to you.”
Her fingers pressed lightly into the metal.
“I’m not.”
There is a clock tick of silence before she takes a deep breath.
“Cassie.”
Bella’s tone shifted just slightly, not softer and certainly bot harder. Just measured because she wants to be careful with how she puts it all.
“You don’t stop. That’s your thing. You take it, you absorb it, you keep moving forward like it doesn’t matter what hits you.”
A small nod, like she was giving that truth its due.
“Most people break trying to outlast you.”
Her jaw tightened just a fraction.
“I’m not trying to outlast you.”
Bella finally picked the crown up again, turning it in her hands before setting it down just a little closer to her.
“I don’t need to be the most chaotic person in the match,” she continued. “I don’t need to be the one who takes the most punishment.”
Her eyes lifted, sharper now.
“I need to be the one who knows exactly when it ends. For both of you.”
She leaned back slightly, crossing her arms now, the crown sitting between her and the empty space across the table like a line drawn.
“Frankie, you’re going to try to turn this into a storm.”
A faint, almost-smirk.
“Cassie, you’re going to try to walk through it.”
Bella shook her head slowly.
“I’m not doing either.”
A step back from the table.
“I’m letting you both do exactly what you do best.”
Her voice lowered.
“And then I’m finishing it. You don’t win triple threats by being the best wrestler in the ring. You win them by being the last one who makes a decision that matters.”
Her gaze dropped briefly to the crown again.
“You don’t need to wear this to understand what it represents.”
Her fingers brushed it one last time.
“But you do need to understand what it costs.”
Bella straightened fully, stepping away from the table now.
“Frankie,” she said, voice calm but edged. “You don’t get to lose yourself in chaos this time.”
A step toward the door.
“Cassie...you don’t get to survive your way through this one either.”
She stopped just short of leaving the room.
“And me? I’m not chasing anything.”
She turned her head just enough for her voice to carry back into the room.
“I’m ending it.”
Bella stepped out, leaving the crown behind on the table, not hidden, not worn, fully present in the moment and waiting.
Because now...
She didn’t need it to lead her.
-
I saved you.
I saved this company.
Crystal Whoever is now gone and you have me to thank for it.
I saved the main event and I am ushering in a new era. Next is to win Queen for a Day, show these incompetent owners and general managers and agents and office stooges how to actually make this work.
I will expect a thank you from each and every one of you in the coming weeks.
Change is finally coming.
You're. Fucking. Welcome.
I hadn’t decided on what to do for work.
Levi had his work at the docks for the Port Authority.
I was sitting in the hotel room most days doing nothing. It was boring. I found myself on most days taking walks just to get out of there and get some fresh air. I would job hunt but, nothing was ever appealing to me. We had money, from the money I snuck into my backpack when Eddie left me. And about 15 thousands dollars from what Levi and I had taken from people, and the drugs we sold.
On the weekends, when Levi didn’t work, we would just drive around, trying to do stuff normal people did.
I have to admit, being normal sucked.
I felt like I was wearing a mask or pretending to be something I wasn’t. But then again, that was Los Angeles. That was Hollywood. Just play the part.
Though from the hotel we did see some fun stuff.
Just outside I literally saw a homeless man start pooping on the sidewalk in Santa Monica only to stop half way through and jump into a guys car to steal it because he jumped out of his car to stop another homeless man from stealing another guy's back. The pooping homeless man put the car into reverse, whipped it into a building about 4 feet from a guy in a wheelchair and then drove off into the sunset.
I also saw two people getting in a tiny fender bender then just leaving their cars and viciously going at each other with their fists on Walgrove Blvd.
I also narrowly escaped a robbery as I left one of those little corner stores and then some dude barged past me as I left and pulled out a gun and started robbing the place.
I am no hero.
Maybe the best one was seeing a dude obviously on all the drugs, on the hood of a cop car, punching the window with his bare fists. The cop got out and the dude just jumped into the seat. The dude messed with the sirens all while the cop was screaming at him to get out of the car and threatening to shoot him.
The city was wild.
That was the best part about living here. There was always some crazy shit happening at the best possible times. I needed to get in on this action, that’s what I thought to myself most days. I didn’t want the boring 9-5. I wasn’t the type of be working in an office, or a restaurant or anything like that. I wanted to be in on the action, not stuck looking at it.
“Why don’t you drive for Uber or something?” Levi finally asked one day as I was looking at my laptop with the same frustration I’d had for weeks.
“Uh, because we only have one car.” I said, shaking my head at him as if it was stupid he suggested it.
“You could just get one.” He said, shrugging. “People sell them all the time.”
I mean, he had a point. I could just buy some car from somebody and just drive it. It wasn’t a big deal.
“Well, let me look.”
I went on facebook marketplace and all that jazz to try and find some person who I could buy a car from.
A 2013 Nissan Sentra was perfect. Guy only wanted like 3 grand for it. It was a fifth of the money, but I didn’t care. I had to bank on the future.
And so, soon enough, through some filling out of silly paper work. I was an Uber driver.
I quickly realized it was really awful. People reeking of booze climbing in the back of my car and trying to make small talk with me. Or sketchy ass people who stared the whole time I was trying to drive. Or getting hit on by a combination of them both.
But it was lucrative. I made quite a bit of money picking up as many fares as I could and driving people around to all over the place. Helped me get a layout of where people lived, hearing them give up information just by listening to them complain about their lives, their significant others and anything I could use.
You have to keep your ears open.
Then I decided I’d have fun with people. Just fuck with them, just because. Like, speaking with a phony accent so they assumed I was foreign and some would rant and rave about how I must have been “illegal” and stuff.
You have to learn to amuse yourself somehow.
I picked up this one fare with a guy named Dennis. He was kind of drunk and telling me that he was hooking up with a tinder date.
“Got her number and everything. She invited me to come smoke at her house. Gonna be fucking amazing.”
“Yeah, right on, dude.”
I looked down at the address and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but in the back of my head I wondered about the street. I felt like I had driven there before maybe, but I couldn’t quite place it.
It looked like a normal neighborhood and stuff but when I pulled up to the house, the lights were all off.
“Damn bro, looks like she went to bed.”
“I gotta figure this out. Thanks for the ride.”
He paid, got out and was walking towards the house. I could see his phone light up every few seconds as I prepared to drive away.
Then I remembered.
I remembered the address and the street from checking the news for all the fun wild shit and reading that some guy was lured there and kidnapped and murdered. It was probably going to happen to that guy.
But… I have fares.
I am no hero.
I kept driving for a few weeks and Levi was making money at the docks. Things were going pretty smoothly, but still, I missed the danger and everything. I missed being a criminal.
“Is this what you imagined?” Levi asked one night.
“No. Not really. I don’t know what I expected.” I answered with a shrug. I had no expectations. I was living life by the seat of my pants, to be honest. “I just think this is where we are now.”
“Beats living on Skid Row.”
“I dunno, Skid Row I didn’t have to keep re-renting a room.”
“It’s a living, maybe we can get an apartment or something soon.” Levi smirked.
“That’s a big step.”
“We’ve killed people and buried them together. I think moving in is kinda minor at this point.”
“Fair.”
I looked out the window of the hotel room and for a few days before this, I had noticed the same green Camaro in the hotel lot. It was always running and always had someone in it. There weren’t a hotel guest, not even close. A couple of times before hand, I had come outside and the Camaro would start to leave.
“Our friend is back.”
“The Camaro?”
“Yup.”
“Maybe we should go out there.” Levi suggested.
“Could be a trap or something.”
“Well, let’s get trapped together.” Levi said with a shrug, flashing the pistol tucked behind his back.
“Fine. Fine.” I said, putting my own pistol in my jacket.
We marched outside and confronted the Camaro before they could leave. The driver rolled down the window.
“I’ve been looking for you.” He said, his voice gruff.
“Oh yeah? Well, you found us.” Levi said confidently.
“Raphael has a job for you.” The man answered.
“Oh? Tell him we’re interested.”
“Good. We’ll be in touch.”
The driver rolled up the window and just drove off.
The wait was finally over.
Now it was back to getting into more trouble.
Just the way I liked it.
I have so many questions.
Mostly, to Cassie Wolfe.
I just… I’m failing to see what the point of this whole thing was. I feel like I missed something or if this is just what kids are doing these days. I say this as a 25 year old woman. What the fuck was that?
Let me see if I can piece this together. Bear with me here.
You come into SCW with Harper Mason and you two are young justice, a cheap imitation of Team Hero. You accomplish next to nothing. Harper actually wins something but loses it almost immediately. You continue to flounder and then, you decide, the hell with it and… attack Harper.
Have I got that right so far? Okay. Good.
Now, this next part? This next part is where you just lost me. You lost the plot, Cassie. You turn on Harper. Which, good for you.
But also, in the grand scheme of things… who gives a shit?
When one failure turns on another failure, why should I or anyone else care?
But, you do that, you turn on her. Then you… let her come right back and get revenge? What’s the point of turning on someone if you’re not going to take them out. You finish the job! You can’t hit somebody once and wipe your hands like you did something. Are you new to this? Have you never stabbed anyone in the back before? If you’re going to stab someone in the back, you ensure they don’t come back literally the next time out. You take them out. You ensure that they do not disrupt your plans.
You did nothing of the sort. Like, how bad are you at literally everything?
And then you’re going to settle whatever the petty squabble is with some legal nonsense. Jesus Christ. You have to fully commit to the damn thing, Cassie! You can’t half-ass it! All this has been is a minor… I don’t know, the display of bad Kabuki theatre. You’re gesturing and posturing, but doing absolutely nothing.
You have done nothing.
You are a failure, and if Team Hero wasn’t outwardly disappointed before, they have all the reason to tell you now. At first, it was clearly complete shame that they allowed you to call yourself a wrestler that they approve of. And then you can’t do anything to improve yourself and they have to keep holding your hand and telling you you’re doing great when you’re not.
Now at least they can be outwardly disappointed that you did what you did.
But they’ve been ashamed of you for a long time.
You’re a pretender. You’ve always been a pretender. Even this latest skit doesn’t make me nervous or even the slightest bit worried. You have told me everything I need to know with your actions. You do a half-assed job and expect people to take you seriously. Hell, even if you smashed Harper’s head and caved in her skull, It wouldn’t be blowing my skirt up. It would be the start of something.
But no, you ended it before it even began because you didn’t go far enough.
I will show you just how far you have to go. I lit bitches on fire. I smashed people’s faces. I have run hall of farmers, legends and champions out of this fucking company by obliterating them in the ring. You hit your little friend and started hanging out with another friend or mentor or whatever the fuck Krystal Wolfe is supposed to be to you and you act like you’ve done something.
And you think what amounts to a temper tantrum means I, or anyone else is supposed to take you seriously?
You think this makes you fit to be Queen?
You know what it says to me? As a professional backstabber and gaslighter?
You don’t have the stomach to be queen or even a champion.
You can’t make the hard decisions and stand by it. You couldn’t pull the trigger and put Harper down for more than a couple of days. You cannot finish the job. And you think you’re going to walk into Into the Void and just… win? Are you fucking crazy? You really think you have a shot? The only possible way that you could actually win this match is if both Bella and I drop dead before it.
This is going to go like everything else you’ve done in your pathetic career.
It will end with you losing. You should be used to this by now. You are as complacent as Seleana or Bea.
If you actually have a fuck about success, you would have destroyed Harper completely, and you would be reveling in it. You would have the chair with her blood stained on it as a trophy. You would have done it, and done it with a smile on your face. You wouldn’t need to sit here and try and convince anyone that you “didn’t need the fans” or whatever the fuck excuse you threw out there. Because at the end of the day, it will not matter.
You will lose. That’s how it ends. You, and Bella will be looking up at me, as a snatch the fucking crown and put it on my head. You will be laying amongst the blood, viscera, and wreckage I create. Because whenever I want to Cassie, I can crush you under my boot like a fucking bug.
You may be thinking back to our previous match, but I was merciful the last time I faced you Cassie. You were supposed to be the last of that random breed. And I gave you the match of your career and you have wasted it. Now, I don’t need to be merciful. I can hurt you in so many ways as I have already done. Just accept your fate. Accept the beating and loss.
Then you can probably make up with Harper so that you can suck what little star power she has out of her again. It’ll be better for you.
Trust me.
–
I also have questions for Bella Madison.
How did you get here, Bella?
I know how I got here. I fell from the summit of the mountain and had to claw my way back up.
You haven’t gotten that far, so I’ll tell you the view is nice.
I don’t really blame you for being in this spot Bella. I blame your mother for trying to steal your spotlight, I blame the incompetent management for not seeing you for the contender you are and sticking you in middling bullshit to distract you. You shouldn’t be in this spot, Bella.
But then again, every chance they have given you, you’ve failed.
You should be a perennial contender for the Bombshell’s championship, Bella. You should be one of the most feared competitors on this roster. It would actually go with the mask you put on yourself. You want to portray violence.
Unpredictability.
Destruction.
Chaos.
But you still have the heart that bleeds for your opponents.
Except one.
I heard you speak about Crystal. You hated Crystal. That’s what made me think it was for real. So much vile built up. And that was impressive. That was real. You wanted so bad to just end Crystal forever. I believed that shit. Got me feeling all tingly inside.
But then you didn’t.
So I went ahead and did it for you.
I’ll take my thank you any time you’re ready.
Anyway, then… the anger and the rage… it just disappeared. What happened? You speak to so many others with this gentleness and civility? You don’t want to hurt anyone, do you Bella? Not really. You want to act like you do, but you don’t really want to.
And that’s how I knew it was fake. All pretend.
This whole nonsense about you coming back for you and just because you love this? I don’t buy that either. I surmise the real reason is that you want to be seen in the same light as your mother. A legend, a hall of famer, rather than an underachiever who has gotten so many chances and never closed the deal. You wanted to separate yourself from that, which is why you went through the whole violence thing. But now, you can be violent, but you don’t want to be violent, unless you have to.
Do you want violence or not, Bella? Do you want chaos or not? You can’t have it both ways! You want to stand on violence, then everyone should get the same violence. Everyone should get the same brutality. You cannot discriminate! Pick a side! Don’t half-ass this like you do everything else. Be violent, or don’t be violent. You can’t be half pregnant on this.
Is all of that gone, Bella? Well, I hope not. At least for your sake, Bella. I hope you left some of that inside you.
Because I need that, Bella, more importantly, you need it.
I need you to bring the violence you were so fond of. Because if you do not bring that violence, if you persist with holding it back, you will assuredly fail.
Again.
I didn’t bother much with you before because I actually had hope for you. You screamed about no rules, nothing but violence and chaos. And you won. I was hopeful that then, you’d take the next step. I was hopeful when you beat Crystal, I was hopeful when you got to the finals when I was champion. A little flicker helped. You even beat me before.
Now granted, Bea was also in the match, but let’s just understand that it’s basically the same thing with Cassie replacing Bea.
Basically a lateral move.
But it was there. And just like that, it has faded away.
And now, you just want to come into this ho-hum? You want to just go out there and give it your best because you love this? Maybe, maybe this is just the idea that you guys want me to win so that I actually do what I’ve been trying to do for nearly a year. That’s the only logical thing that makes sense.
Unless you’re gaslighting me into thinking this way.
In which case… good for you.
I want the violence Bella. I’m asking you directly for it. Because with it, you actually have a little better than a fighting chance.
But if you come into this match just wanting to win because you feel like you deserve it, or because you want it very badly, or some such bullshit? I will guarantee you it will not be even close to enough.
You and Cassie are both just pretending at this point.
I am the genuine article.
I do not need to try and be something I’m not like you. I’m hateful, I’m spiteful, I gaslight, I lie, I deceive, I’m not a good person. Nor do I try to be. I’m well aware of my shortcomings, and I don’t want sympathy or remorse. I don’t have to pretend to be violent or dangerous.
You know I am.
You’ve seen me do things that aren’t for the faint of heart. Things that you would have second thoughts about. Things you would think twice about doing.
This is why you and Casse cannot be Queen.
You are too soft for this responsibility. They say “heavy is the head that wears the crown” and I understand its responsibilities because I’ve been at the top. Before you ever sniffed it, I might add. I understand the weight that comes with the crown, the title, and being at the top. You do not, and if you come into Japan for the love of the game… instead of trying to hurt me and stop at nothing to get to the top… you will never reach the top.
I will be there at the top, waiting and I will Mufasa you and leave you and Cassie without one second of hesitation. You know I will stop at nothing to get where I need to go, step on whomever, disrespect whomever. I will hurt you to get what I want.
Because the thing I want?
Is for the greater good.
Trust me.
-
Into the Void was this weekend and for the second year in a row Cassie was in the Queen for a Day Ladder Match after she had betrayed Harper and Josh to align with her half-sister/former Bombshell Roulette Champion Krystal! And she faced stiff competition from former World Bombshell Champion Frankie Holiday and former Bombshell Internet Champion Bella Madison, can Cassie win?
Meeting up in the park, Universal Studios, Osaka, Japan
Monday the 27th of April 2026, 09:00am
Nothing says: “planning for evil deeds” like “meeting up in a theme park early in the morning”.
Though to be fair? We do have our reasons! Namely, it’s relatively quiet in the park at 09:00am (a thing you tend to notice when you spend the better part of the month touring different theme parks all over the world) which meant that we could do this meeting without worrying about people listening in and, well, we’re sharing the hotel with other members of the SCW Roster so yeah, that was kinda an inevitability.
And besides, I wanted to get out of the hotel and think about my opponents in the Ladder Match! Frankie’s going to enter this match like a storm, anyone who’s watched her wrestle or hell, wrestled her in general knows that for a fact while Bella is going to want to try to control the pace.
Yeah, I know, ironic for someone dubbed the Queen of Hardcore.
Me though? I’ve always been a wrestler who thrives on chaos in general, comes with being a high flyer, so a ladder match like this should be up my alley, right? Of course it is but Bella and Frankie won’t make this easy for me.
How do I know all this? Being observant mostly and remembering the times I’ve wrestled Frankie and Bella! The last time I faced Frankie was when she was the World Bombshell Champion last year and before that we faced in a #1 Contenders Match for the title which Frankie won, and Bella? Kinda the same story, only I’ve exclusively wrestled Bella in multi-woman matches up to this point.
On paper? The two former champions seem like shoe-ins to win Queen for a Day, right? Well, I’m gonna have to beat everyone’s expectations by beating their brains in, aren’t I?
”Okay, just gotta wait for Charlotte.” I muttered to Riley as I sat down on a bench in the park, just in case you forgot? Charlotte is Krystal’s birth name and because she had a rough as fuck childhood (something her wife Makayla saved her from) and changed her name legally to, well, the name she wrestled under back when she was still an active wrestler, there’s only a handful of people she trusts to know her real first name and I’m one of them, apparently? So is Riley. ”Any ideas for the Ladder Match Riley?”
“Outside of “use your speed to your advantage? Not much.” Riley shrugged her shoulders in response as she leaned against a nearby pole. “You and Charlotte are the wrestlers, well, former wrestler n her case, I’m just the recent graduate helping Krystal as a favour to the Go Gym.”
”You were still trained by a wrestling school that has a history of producing champions.” I reminded Riley as I leaned back in the bench and she nodded. ”Charlotte included, hell, she’s often said that if I had come to her instead of Matthew Kennedy all those years back I would’ve trained at the Go Gym instead of his failed wrestling school which turned into Hero Academy.”
“I know the story there Cass and based on what Charlotte told me? I’m surprised it stayed open as long as it did,” Riley admitted before we heard footsteps approaching and looked up. “Speaking of whom?”
”Sorry to keep you guys waiting but I nearly slept in.” Charlotte admitted as she walked up to us and we nodded. ”So plan is, have our planning session and then head back to the hotel for breakfast, right?”
”Right, at least we scheduled it early enough to avoid the early morning rush.” I nodded in response to Krystal’s question before shifting my weight. ”And I think we’d better start with the big one, namely that Bella is the only person in the match who we’ve both wrestled.”
”Yeah, Bella was one of my most persistent challengers when I was the Bombshell Roulette Champion and Frankie debuted after I stepped away, doesn’t mean I can’t offer advice about her based on what I’ve seen of Frankie’s work.” Charlotte nodded in response to my statement before glancing at Riley. ”You two talk much while you were waiting for me?”
“Not much, just what we both know about the match.” Riley nodded in response as she stepped forward. “Was waiting for your input really.”
”Right, well ladder matches are bound to be chaotic messes in general even if it’s just three wrestlers this time instead of six like it was last year.” Krystal nodded as she turned towards me. ”But even with the field cut in half? This is a high flyer’s playground and last I checked Cass? That’s the style you specialize in.”
”It is but we can’t overlook the other women in this match either: Bella’s a high flyer as well even if she mixes in technical/catch as catch can wrestling into it and Frankie’s a Hardcore Brawler.” I pointed out as I stood up and walked over to the taller woman. ”In other words? Frankie’s just as likely to throw a ladder at me and Bella while we’re busy wowing the crowd as she is to start climbing it.”
“She’s got a point Charlotte.” Riley nodded in agreement and we turned to her. “And you know they’ll both be motivated to get back in the title scene.”
”Then the solution is simple: get Cass motivated enough so that she enters the match hungrier than both Bella and Frankie combined.” Krystal nodded in response to the statement as she considered the options. ”And that starts with planning for Cassie’s Queen for a Day episode.”
”How about we start brainstorming over breakfast?” I asked as I motioned with my head in the direction of the hotel. ”Because I don’t know about you guys but I’m getting hungry.”
“I was about to say, if we stay out here any longer we’ll miss breakfast.” Riley agreed after checking the time on her phone. “And I don’t trust theme park food as a substitute for breakfast, even if it is in Japan.”
”That’s probably a smart idea, plus it was the plan to grab breakfast after the meeting.” Charlotte nodded in response before we started walking back to the hotel. ”That said? Keep match discussion quiet during breakfast because we can’t risk someone listening in.” Krystal added before we walked off.
Three women, two former champions, one prize, and if I have anything to say about it? The former princess will become a queen.
Cassie’s Hotel Room, Universal Studios, Osaka, Japan
Tuesday the 28th of April 2026, 16:00pm
I’m sure someone is making a joke about me experiencing the consequences of my own actions right now.
Not talking about my match record since I turned my back on Harper, oh no, the whole reason I’m in the Queen for a Day Ladder Match in the first place is because I beat Seleana in the first qualifying match and after that? I went on to beat Crystal in one of her last matches, really my only loss to date was to Alexandra and Harper calling me out for the accusations I made towards her threw me off my game.
No, I mean how it’s affected my social life.
Pretty much everyone in SCW is treating me like a pariah for deciding to strike out on my own after being relegated to being Harper’s sidekick and I can’t really go around in public without ire from fans.
Give it a few months and they’ll realize that I was right of course.
“Everything okay Cass?” Riley asked as she looked over at me, because of the contract situation with Josh? I’m having to share a hotel room with Riley which isn’t ideal but I get to hang out with a hot chick at least. “You seem pretty down today.”
”Just thinking about the Queen for a Day Match Riley.” I shrugged my shoulders in response and Riley nodded. ”Both the match itself and what I’d book for my Queen for a Day Climax Control.”
“Good to know you’re thinking ahead.” Riley nodded supportively before sitting in front of her own laptop. “Any ideas right now?”
”Still brainstorming but I do have some solid ideas.” I nodded in response before yawning a bit. ”Some related to messing with Harper, some related to getting me a title match, some matches I’d book just to watch the world burn, you get the idea.”
“I do and I am curious about that last category.” Riley admitted and I just shrugged in response to her statement. “Or are those ideas dependant on how Into the Void shakes out?”
”Pretty much yeah, and I don’t just mean me winning Queen for a Day of course.” I responded as I shook my head. ”The various title matches that are happening this weekend and not just Harper’s match for the vacant Bombshell Roulette Title either.”
“In other words? You have a lot to think about.” Riley summarized and I nodded in response. “You thought about how you’re going to explain all this when we return to Vegas?”
”That is something I’m going to take as it comes because we’re still a world away from Las Vegas last I checked.” I responded as I shook my head and Riley nodded in response. ”For example, the inevitable shitstorm when I try to return to Hero Academy.”
“Yeah, there’s no way that’s going to be friendly.” Riley nodded in agreement before I stretched my arms a bit. “At least if you win on Sunday you’ll have something that none of the students have.”
”The Queen for a Day Crown?” I asked and Riley nodded. ”Having that as bragging rights does sound pretty badass, doesn’t it Riley?”
“Exactly what I was thinking.” Riley nodded in response before the conversation drifted off, but even though the conversation drifted away from that? I still had one thing in mind.
Winning the ladder match.
Standing outside one of the rollercoasters, Universal Studios, Osaka, Japan
Thursday the 30th of April 2026, 11:00am
*promo time*
I’ve got a fair bit on my mind heading into this one so strap in.
”Let’s get one thing straight, okay? I’m not cutting this promo from this location because the rollercoaster looks cool, I’m doing it here because my early SCW career was exactly like that.” I stated as I folded my arms. ”I debuted at Summer XXXTreme 2024, one year and some change after Harper debuted and not right at the same time as some people believe, and after waiting a few weeks? I was thrown into an Internet Title Tournament for my first match, no prizes for guessing how that turned out.
From there it seemed like everyone was expecting me to be some force in the Bombshell Division, first PPV Match with the company? Contenders match for the Bombshell Roulette Title, my first High Stakes saw me as one of the first Bombshells officially confirmed for the High Stakes Battle Royal, but then? It seemed the bosses got bored of me and shifted their focus to Harper while I was stuck playing second fiddle! So to those who are wondering what the point behind my recent actions was? That’s it right there, I’m sick of being someone’s sidekick! And this Sunday in the Queen for a Day Ladder Match with Bella and Frankie? I will finally emerge.”
Yep.
”And as someone who’s been employing that high risk, high reward offence since day one? You’d better believe that this is my playground.” I added as I flipped some hair over my shoulder. ”But between Bella’s inevitable desire to control the pace and Frankie hitting this match like a tornado? I know this isn’t going to be easy and I know all this because I’ve been paying attention, don’t like it?
I don’t give a shit.” I smirked right at the camera. ”I’m not in this match to make friends, I’m in this match to make a statement and when that statement is beating two former champions to win control over a Climax Control? That’s a statement of intent!”
Let’s start with Frankie.
”Once again Frankie I thank you for your service in ridding SCW of Chrystal many names for good! That said? I softened her up for you.” I stated as I folded my arms. ”And while we both have wins over the most overrated SCW Hall of Famer which gives us plenty of momentum? In your case it was a former World Bombshell Champion beating another former World Bombshell Champion, me?
They were calling my win over her an upset before she made her retirement official.” I added as I folded my arms. ”In other words Frankie? Don’t go touting that win as the momentum boost you needed when someone who needed that boost a lot more than you beat you to the punch! Especially after I win Queen for a Day!”
Next up, Bella.
”Ahh Bella, mommy’s little girl who keeps trying to live up the standards that momma Laura set, granted if you go by her SCW run those standards are in the toilet but what do I know?” I asked before grinning. ”Well for one thing I have a good idea of how you’ll approach the match, you’ll want to control the pace which might be easier with two opponents rather than six but here’s the thing.
I’m done being controlled, both in and out of the ring.” I added as I rolled my eyes. ”Try to contain me on Sunday and you’ll fail, well, you’re gonna fail anyway because I am walking out of this park with that throne but I get to at least have some fun with ladders along the way!”
It’s that simple.
”Frankie, Bella, everyone expects it to come down to either of you to determine this year’s queen but as far as I see it? This is my moment and neither of you are taking this away from me!” I stated as I made a fist. ”And after this Sunday people won’t look at me like I’m some betrayer who got tired of being sidelined, they’ll see me as a queen and to that I say: Long Live The Queen”
And with that I decided to wrap things up.
”And anyone who’s crossed me in the two years that I’ve spent as a Bombshell will quickly learn the meaning of fuck around and find out!” I stated as I shook my head. ”But they can grovel later because I’ve got a ladder match to win and two former champions to beat! And to Bella and Frankie I say this: you will both soon feel the bite of the Judas Wolfe!”
Riley turned off the camera as the scene fades.
-
Tick Tock.
The waiting is the hardest part.
But in the end, it'll all be worth it.
Trust me.
Levi and I spent a couple more days waiting. The green Camaro didn’t come back. Was this a test? Was this a game to them?
“Do you think they’re going to come back?” I asked Levi, who sat rubbing his face.
“I don’t know. They said they’d be in touch. But, maybe they're just getting things in place.”
“Or it could be a trap, and they’re going to kill us.” I said, half sarcastic and half serious.
“If they were going to do that, they would have done it by now. They knew where we were.” Levi answered.
That at least made sense. Why leave us alive if your plan was to kill us? Why even offer the job? The waiting was difficult but it had to be worth it.
3 days after the offer, a large panel van arrived in place of the Camaro. Two large men in sunglasses got out. They marched right to our door and knocked. I opened it.
“Get your shit, let’s go.” One of them commanded.
“Be there in a minute.” I said closing the door.
Levi and I debated about bringing our guns, and we both tucked them in our pants. Obviously, if they were going to shoot us, we weren’t going to match firepower. They had sub machine guns and shotguns. Probably assault rifles if it came down to it. Raphael’s place was a virtual fortress against attacks. But we might take a few down with us if it came to it.
We got in the back of the van and drove to Raphel’s place. We were ushered out and brought inside. Raphael was smoking a cigar and thumbing through one of those little pocket notebooks. He was marking off things with a pencil. He looked up at us and then back down at his notebook.
“I’m glad you could make it.”
“Didn’t -” I started to say something, but Levi hit me in the stomach with the back of his hand.
“Yeah, we’re more than happy to help.” Levi answered.
“Good. Very good. I just need to find it… Ah, here it is.”
Raphael held out the notebook and it had a name. Matthew Cordell. And an address.
“This man is currently in hiding because he owes me money. But, we located him. This is where he is. Go there and get the money he owes me.”
“Why us?” I asked.
“ I figured that since Malachai sent you to me, he knows you are good people for a job like this. It’s simple.”
“How much does he owe you?” Levi asked.
“Two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” Raphael said matter-of-factly.
“That’s a lot. What do we do if he doesn’t pay?” I questioned.
“Make him.” Raphael said coldly. “If necessary, kill him.” He added. “He will have stashed the money close to him.”
Levi and I looked at one another for a moment, letting the instructions given simmer and soak in.
“You got it.” Levi said bluntly.
“Wait…” I said, stopping everything for a moment.
“What are we looking at? Any guards? Security?”
“It’s an old house in the middle of nowhere. He’s no aware we know where he is, so he should be alone. Can you not handle security?”
“Just needed to know. You should get a computer for this.” I replied.
“Computers leave traces. Data can be recovered. Sometimes the only ways are the best.”
“Fair point.”
“Now, you do this for me, You can keep the money. I just want this prick to know that you don’t take from me and then not pay me back. That’s stealing and it really goes against Mr. Cordell’s beliefs.”
There was silence and then Raphael pulled out a phone and placed it on the desk.
“Call me when you have the money, or any updates.”
I took the phone and we were escorted back out and back to the hotel. I googled the address and sure enough, it was an old house in the middle of nowhere. It was surrounded by forest and woods. You wouldn’t know it was there unless you were looking for it.
“You really want to do this?” Levi asked, checking the magazine on his gun.
“Do you want to keep working at the docks? I mean, as fun as driving for Uber has been, this sets us up for the future.”
“You know the guy isn’t going to pay.”
“Probably not. But hey, maybe he’s got the money and he’s just got cold feet.”
“I doubt it.”
“I was just playing devil’s advocate. Being in hiding is a dead giveaway he doesn’t have the money.”
Levi and I were back to our roots. This was just like before when we were robbing people. It felt like old times.
We parked almost a mile away. No doubt that if Matt saw our car he would run or do something crazy. We didn’t know if he was armed, but chances are, he was and a firefight was not the best approach. We staked out the house for 2 days. No one came in, no one left, no deliveries, no mail, nothing. No security cameras in sight.
We got eyes inside and he was there.
“Got your stuff?” Levi said.
“Got it.” I answered.
Once it was night, we approached, silently. Surprise was on our side. From outside, we heard running water. Matthew was taking a shower. This was the moment. I picked the lock and we were inside. We went to different rooms on either side of the bathroom. I managed to pick the bedroom. I hid behind the door as the water was shut off. Matthew exited and went into the bedroom. I hid behind the door as he came in and Matt came in and scanned the room for a second, and decided the coast was clear.
I put my pistol to the back of his head.
“Raphael says you owe him money.” I whispered, the hammer cocked back. He heard it. He dropped his towel and put his hands up.
“NO. PLEASE!” He shouted.
Levi stepped into the room as Matthew saw him out of the corner of his eye.
“Let’s not make this any more difficult. Give us the money, and you can leave with your life.” Levi said.
“I… I will get the money! I swear! Please!”
“Get dressed.” I said. “I don’t need to see your naked ass.”
Matthews was pissing himself trying to put on his clothes as we both watched. He grabbed a phone and held it up.
“Please! Let me get the money. I’ll have it wired. Sent. Anything!”
You either give us the money, or… you die. Simple choice.“ Levi replied.
“Please! Let me try!”
“Clock’s ticking.” Levi said, waving the gun at Matt.
“You try and dial 911 and we’re going to end this even faster.” I threatened.
Matt dialed a long sequence of numbers. He waited.
No response.
He tried again.
No response.
A third time.
Still nothing.
“Alright, that was three chances. I think your time is up.” Levi said. “Now, give us the money.”
Matt slowly and shakily moved and went under the bed and pulled out a briefcase and opened it. He was in tears.
“That's all I have.”
I looked in the briefcase and from even a glance, it wasn’t close to 250k.
“How much is there?” I asked.
“A hundred and twenty thousand.” Matt blubbered.
“Okay.”
I pulled out the phone Raphael gave us and dialed. After one ring it was answered.
“Do you have the money? The voice on the other line said.
“It’s not all of it. What do you want us to do?”
“It’s all or nothing.” The voice replied and hung up.
I put the phone back in my pocket and sighed.
“Well, bad news Matt. They said it’s either all of it, or nothing. So… looks like you’re shit outta luck.”
“NO! PLEASE! PLEASE” He begged.
“You already tried to dial. I don’t think you have any options left. Well, maybe one.”
“What?”
“The bible on the nightstand there. You a religious man?”
“Y… YEAH. YES. YES I AM.”
“Well, your last option is divine intervention. So, I’ll give you 30 minutes. If God doesn’t show up and save you in those 30 minutes… Then I’m sorry.”
“WAIT! LET ME TRY AND DAIL AGAIN! PLEASE!”
30. Minutes.
29:59
29:58
29:57
For the first few minutes, all Matt did was cry. He begged and pleaded and whimpered and sobbed. Like a baby. Levi stood and waited while I sat in a chair. I began scrolling on my phone to pass the time.
The waiting was the hardest part.
Matt pulled his phone out and dialed again and again, never being able to talk to anyone.
After about 10 minutes, he began to accept what was about to happen.
“Why do you do it?” He asked, tears drying and now a look of defiance on his face.
“Because we get paid.” Levi said.
There was silence for the majority of the time. Matt was pacing, but not trying to run. Where was he going to go? I kept looking at my phone and Levi started pacing and stretching to stop his legs from locking up.
20 minutes had passed. Matt got down on his knees and began praying.
“Do you want to get Chinese after this?” I asked Levi to break up the monotony. “I’m in the mood for Chinese.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
With only 5 minutes left. Matt again began to cry. Silently. He pulled out his phone and was scrolling through pictures. His family and friends. Tears rolled down his face as his last thoughts were certainly of them. He savored his memories waiting for the end.
Levi looked at his watch, checking the time.
It had been 30 minutes.
“Well, I guess that’s it.”
Matt got down on his knees and said one last prayer. We let him finish.
*BANG BANG*
I took the suitcase and called the number again.
“He never got the money, we only have 120.”
“And Mr. Cordell?”
“Prayers weren’t answered.”
“Very well.”
And just like that, the phone clicked and we walked out. Hiking the near mile away and back to the call before leaving.
“Chinese?” Levi asked.
“Chinese.” I said.
We drove off and the job was completed.
Just like old times.
There isn’t anything more to really say to you, Cassie.
You have not done anything impressive nor said anything of note. You clearly don’t give two fucks about this.
Actually, I take that back. There is one thing that is impressive about you.
Your delusional amount of confidence.
For someone who has zero accomplishments outside of somehow going through a wrestling school, you speak as if you have achieved greatness, that you’ve arrived in wrestling with zero to actually back up the claim.
You speak with such confidence about winning, like it’s a foregone conclusion and you have tons of experience and accolades to justify it.
It’s mind boggling how someone who has done so little can speak like they’ve done so much.
I wish there was more to say about you, but honestly, I don’t even know what a “Cassie Wolfe” even is.
Who are you? What are you?
You haven’t even established that. You haven’t told anyone who you are or what you stand for, and you apparently stand for nothing because you just turn on people for no good reason. Which, again, while humorous, wasn’t even done correctly. You seriously need to look in the mirror and find out what you’re about. Because right now, it sure as shit isn’t success, or victory, or even competence. You just exist. You’re just… here. At least with Bella, or Crystal, or literally anyone else, I know what their goals are, their dreams. What they are going for. With you? It could be fucking anything, and yet, it’s nothing. A big fucking pile of nothing.
You are a blank canvas and your brain just says “I’ll fill in the rest later” but never does.
You will never get anywhere being generic. And that’s what you are.
It’s what you will always be until you actually decide what you want to be.
To you, Queen for a day, is another thing you can win and then shrug and go “I did that” and it will mean nothing the week after. Zero. You can’t even tell me what you would do with it. You’re going to win and do what? Give yourself some kind of championship match that you will lose? Another opportunity wasted? The entire world has seen that from you for your entire career. You fail over and over again.
It’s a trinket, a skin on the wall of blank. It will not help define who you are.
I don’t even think you know at this point.
Consider this a life lesson, Cassie Wolfe.
When you lose, and you will lose. Take a good long look in the mirror. Look at yourself and tell us what you actually see. Because as many times as the rest of us have tried to tell you there’s nothing there, I want you to understand it for yourself. And when you actually do that, and when you actually decide to become somebody instead of pretending… then maybe you can actually become something.
Until then, you will be nothing but a failure.
You’re not going to win, you won’t climb this ladder, you're not going to be queen.
Get those thoughts from your head and concentrate on becoming whatever the fuck Cassie Wolfe is supposed to be first. When you know who you are, then you actually have a starting point.
I learned who I was a long time ago. I made the choices, and I live with them. I understand life and what it’s about. I know exactly who and what I am, and I will do whatever it takes to climb to the top and I know you haven’t developed the backbone yet to stop me.
That’s the difference, Cassie.
You don’t have what it takes to beat me, you never have, and you never will.
This will be your final lesson before I change things. I will force it into your thick fucking skull and then, when I bring stability to this division, when I re-shape it, then maybe you’ll actually understand what I’m doing, and then maybe, you’ll take my advice and figure out who the hell you are.
Until then, shut the fuck up and get out of my way. Otherwise I will move you.
Trust me.
–
Bella.
I am pleading with you. Fucking begging you to give me something.
I had such high hopes for you and yet, you continue to disappoint.
It is the story of both your career, and our relationship.
We beat each other up, Bella. Did that mean nothing to you? You gave me what I wanted and it was glorious and now you’re sitting there ho-hum about this? I don’t need to be that dangerous? I don’t need to try and survive?
Listen, whatever failure that took you from the chaos and brought this back? Get fucking rid of it. Like, yesterday. You absolutely need that chaos because without it, you’re pathetic. I almost feel sorry for you at this point. Like, why the fuck would you make this change when it was actually something worth paying attention to?
This version of Bella is weak. Soft. Sad.
I don’t want this. No, take it back! What the fuck am I looking at, Bella? Come on, give me the chaos. Give me the wild and unpredictable. I need that shit. You had it once and you fucking throw it away? Why? It was getting you somewhere! They’re still talking about it!
They’re not talking about this Bella.
This Bella sucks.
This Bella is lame.
I don’t need that, you don’t need that. You have only a day or so to find that other Bella. Time is running out. I don’t want to have to do this to you, but, you know, I will, and I will do it with a smile on my face… but I don’t really want to do this.
You need to get off your ass and bring me the goddamn violence Bella. Otherwise, I’m going to step over your broken body and your crushed spirit and I will make you question whether or not you still “Love this.”
That’s what you said, right? You do this because you love it, and you came back because you missed it.
How much do you actually love this Bella? Love it enough to watch me pass you by, again and climb to the top, again and take a championship for a second time that you’ve worked so hard to even get a chance at? Do you love it enough to fail yet again and go into another mid-life crisis as like 25 or whatever? How much love do you have for this?
Because I can tell you, it doesn’t love you back.
You need to understand that it will take and take and take from you and give you nothing in return if you don’t take it for yourself. You had that chance to take it for yourself and you have had those chances and you didn’t take them. I tried to compliment you and said that you should be better than this.
But you know, maybe I was wrong.
I’ve been wrong before and I’ll be wrong again in the future, but this felt like something I could hang my hat on, but at the end of the day, time and time again, I have been wrong about you. You have let me down over and over. You’ve let your fans, your friends, and your family down.
So, at this point, I’m afraid I'll have to remove myself from the Bella Madison fan club. I just can’t go on, getting my heart broken over and over again by your failures and total apathy towards it.
I expected you to make this worth my while Bella. But, I see now that, I just can’t hold on to that feeling anymore. I have to let you go. It’s time we go our separate ways.
I thought we had something, but I don’t even know who you are anymore, and it’s dragging me down.
Because I have goals and plans that were in motion for a long time. I intend to change this company for the better, and maybe, after you see my vision come to reality and you understand your purpose, you can finally become what everyone else expected you to be long ago. I just can’t waste my time on you anymore.
I would say I’m letting down gently… but we both know it’s better this way. I can’t let you down gently.
I will kick you off the ladder and watch you tumble to the wreckage with Cassie.
I have a crown to win.
It’s for the best.
Trust me.
-
~*~The Weight Before the Words~*~
New York
The Barn
Late Night
The barn was already lit when Bella stepped inside. Not fully or brightly but just enough.
A single row of overhead lights hummed quietly above the ring, casting a pale, focused glow that left the corners of the space in shadow. It wasn’t an accident. It never was anymore. She closed the door behind her, slower than usual, like she was making sure the outside world stayed exactly where it belonged.
Not in here.
Her boots pressed against the cemented floor as she walked, the sound dull and familiar, grounding in a way nothing else had been lately.
Just space and time.
Bella didn’t climb into the ring right away.
Instead, she stopped just beside it, resting her forearms on the apron, her head dipping slightly as she stared at the canvas. There were marks on it, the scuffs and faint discolorations that never fully washed out no matter how much they cleaned it.
The proof of the work, proof of the damage and the proof of learning the hard way. Her fingers tapped lightly against the edge, once....twice....then stopped.
“You missed it.”
The words came out under her breath, not angry, not dramatic, just honest. Her jaw tightened.
“I didn’t get beat because I couldn’t hang....I got beat because I waited and I fucking hestitated.”
She pushed herself upright and walked the long way around the ring, slow and methodical, like she was retracing steps she had already gone over a hundred times in her head.
“The opening was there. The second was there.”
Her lips pressed together.
“And I let it pass.”
She stopped at the corner and finally climbed up onto the apron, gripping the top rope as she stepped through. The canvas dipped slightly under her weight, familiar, steady, real.
Bella moved toward the center of the ring and then stopped and she stilled letting her breathing even out.
“You don’t get those seconds back.”
The barn didn’t answer her. It never did.
That was the point.
Her hands dropped to her hips, and for a moment she just stood there, letting that truth settle instead of fighting it.
Then she turned and stepped out of the ring again, not to leave but to go to the far wall.
The shelf sat there, built solid and deliberate, lined with pieces of history that told stories she didn’t always feel like revisiting. The extra titles and photos that they had placed out there that didn’t really fit inside the house or for the eyes of their daughter. They were fragments of moments that were supposed to define things.
Her hand moved past most of it without slowing, until it didn’t.
She had placed it there last week when she didn’t feel like taking it back into the house. Maire had her eyes on it and the last thing she needed to do was explain how the 2 year old decided to take a crown made of metal thorns and turn it into part of her massive Bluely collection. The crown of thorns sat slightly off-center, not hidden, but not displayed like the others either. It wasn’t polished and it wasn’t ceremonial.
It was something else.
Bella reached for it slowly, her fingers brushing against the metal before she fully picked it up. The weight of it settled into her palm, familiar in a way that had nothing to do with comfort. She turned it slightly, letting the dim light catch on the edges.
“There you are.”
There was no smile when she said it, just recognition.
“You didn’t go anywhere.”
Her grip tightened just a fraction.
“I just didn’t know how to use you yet.”
She exhaled slowly, then shook her head once, like she was correcting herself in real time.
“No... that’s not it.”
Bella lifted her gaze, eyes hardening, not wild, not unhinged, just clear.
“I didn’t know how to control it.”
That sat heavier and much more accurate.
She stepped back toward the ring, the crown still in her hand, not putting it on, not presenting it, just carrying it.
“I thought being that version of me meant losing everything else. I thought it meant chaos for the sake of chaos.”
A quiet scoff slipped out.
“Turns out.... that wasn’t the problem.”
She reached the edge of the ring again and rested the crown on the apron, her fingers lingering on it for a second before letting go.
“The problem was hesitation.”
Bella climbed back into the ring, slower this time, more intentional, her movements measured like she was testing something she had finally started to understand.
“You don’t need to lose control to finish something.”
She stepped into the center again.
“You just need to decide.”
That word landed differently now, not theoretical and not something she was chasing. It was something she had already started to do.
Her shoulders rolled once, loosening tension that had nothing to do with injury anymore.
“I’m not chasing moments anymore.”
She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers once, feeling the tape, the scars, the reminders.
“I’m not waiting for them to line up perfectly.”
Her head lifted.
“I’m not asking if I’m ready. I’m deciding when it ends.”
The barn felt smaller now, tighter, like everything had narrowed down to that one thought.
Bella turned her head slightly, eyes drifting upward and that’s when the lights shifted.
Three overhead spotlights snapped on.
She didn’t flinch.
Didn’t question it.
Didn’t hesitate.
Instead, a faint, knowing expression crossed her face, like she had been expecting this part.
Her voice came out calm.
Steady.
Prepared.
“I’m ready to reign.”
~*~The Voice She Stopped Using~*~
New York
Several Weeks Ago
The house was quieter than it should have been. The kind of still that didn’t come from peace, but from something unresolved sitting in the air too long.
Bella stood in the kitchen, one hand braced against the counter, the other wrapped loosely around a mug that had long since gone cold. She hadn’t touched it in a while. She hadn’t moved much at all. Her ribs were still taped under the hoodie. The bruising had started to fade, but not enough to forget. Not enough to pretend.
Across the room, Laura Phoenix leaned against the doorway like she had been there longer than Bella realized. She didn’t say anything right away, she just watched.
“You gonna drink that,” Laura finally asked, “Or are you just holding it for emotional support?”
Bella didn’t look up, "I forgot it was there.”
“Mm,” Laura hummed, "That tracks.”
Silence stretched again, but this time it wasn’t empty. It was waiting. Bella exhaled slowly through her nose, her grip tightening slightly around the mug before she finally set it down.
“I don’t know if I’m going back.”
Laura didn’t react the way most people would. She didn’t rush in, didn’t ask why, didn’t tell her she was being ridiculous. She just straightened a little, "Okay,” she said simply.
Bella blinked, finally looking over, "Okay?” she repeated.
“Yeah,” Laura shrugged lightly, "That’s your call, kid.”
That... wasn’t what she expected. Bella pushed off the counter, pacing once like she needed to burn off the frustration building under her skin, "I’m serious,” she said, "I’m not, this isn’t me being dramatic, I just....”
“I know you’re serious,” Laura cut in, calm, not dismissive, "You don’t get like this unless you are.”
Bella stopped pacing and her jaw tightened, "I had it,” she said, quieter now, but more intense, "I was right there. I knew what I needed to do, I saw it, and I still....”
She cut herself off, shaking her head hard, "I still hesitated.”
Laura pushed off the doorway and stepped into the room, slow, measured, like she wasn’t about to let this turn into something easy, "You want me to tell you something you’re not gonna like?” she asked.
Bella let out a humorless breath, "When have I ever liked those?”
“Fair point,” Laura nodded, "Then I’ll keep it consistent.”
She stopped a few feet away, not crowding her, but not distant either.
“You didn’t lose because she was better than you.” Bella’s eyes flicked up, "You lost because you let her decide when the match ended.”
Bella scoffed immediately, defensive instinct kicking in, "That’s not...”
“Yes it is,” Laura cut in, sharper now, "You saw the opening and you waited. You felt the shift and you second-guessed it. You had the moment and instead of taking it, you checked to see if it was the right one.”
Bella’s mouth shut, because she couldn’t argue it. Laura tilted her head slightly, watching her.
“You know when things finally started turning around for me?”
Bella didn’t answer and she didn’t need to because Laura continued anyway.
“It wasn’t when I got better. It wasn’t when I got tougher. It wasn’t when people started respecting me. It was when I stopped letting anyone else decide how I moved.”
Bella’s brows pulled together slightly. Laura’s voice didn’t rise, but it sharpened in a way that made every word land heavier.
“I stopped asking if what I was doing made people comfortable. I stopped checking if it made sense to anyone else. I stopped hesitating my own voice because I thought I needed permission to use it.”
Bella swallowed, her arms crossing instinctively, but it wasn’t defensive anymore. It was.... grounding.
“I’m not you,” she said after a moment.
Laura didn’t miss a beat, "I know,” she said, "And you’re not supposed to be.”
She stepped closer now, just enough that Bella couldn’t avoid the eye contact.
“But you are doing the same thing I did.”
Bella’s gaze dropped for half a second.
“That hesitation?” Laura continued, "That little pause where you check yourself? That’s not instinct. That’s you trying to make sure what you’re about to do makes sense to someone else.”
Bella’s jaw tightened, "I don’t....”
“You do,” Laura said, softer this time, but somehow more direct, "And it’s costing you.”
Silence filled the space again, but this time, it wasn’t empty, it was working.
Bella leaned back against the counter, staring past Laura now, but not avoiding—processing, "I don’t want to turn into something I can’t control,” she admitted quietly.
There it was, the real fear. HER real fear.
Laura’s expression shifted, not softer, but more understanding, "Then don’t,” she said simply.
Bella looked back at her.
“That’s not what this is,” Laura went on, "This isn’t about losing control. It’s about trusting it.”
She crossed her arms loosely.
“You think the version of you that steps in without hesitation is the dangerous one?”
A faint shake of her head.
“No. The dangerous version is the one that knows exactly what she’s doing... and does it anyway.”
Bella held her gaze.
“You’re not afraid of losing,” Laura added, "You’re afraid of what happens when you stop asking if you’re allowed to win.”
Bella’s breathing slowed, her posture shifting almost imperceptibly as something clicked into place. Not fixed, but understood, "...and if I’m not ready?” she asked, quieter now.
Laura smirked faintly, "Then you’ll find out the same way the rest of us did.” A small shrug, "In the middle of it.”
Bella let out a breath that almost turned into a laugh, but didn’t quite get there, "Helpful.”
“I do try.”
Bella pushed off the counter again, not pacing this time. Just... moving and thinking “I don’t want to walk away,” she said finally.
Laura nodded once, "Then don’t.”
Bella looked at her again, something steadier in her eyes now, "I just... don’t want to be that person who’s always right there and never finishes it.”
Laura’s expression didn’t change, "Then stop being her.”
Bella let that sit for a second longer... then nodded. With that Laura turned toward the doorway again, like the conversation had already done what it needed to do.
“You’ve got it,” she said over her shoulder, "You just keep asking for permission to use it.”
She paused briefly.
“Stop.”
~*~Chosen Violence: The Space She Chose~*~
New York
The Barn
So back to where we were....we’ll fast forward through these parts...just in case you checked out.
The barn lights did not come on all at once, and they never had. First came the hum and then one strip flickered to life above the entrance, then another deeper inside, and then another, until the ring at the center of the space sat beneath a controlled wash of light that felt less like illumination and more like isolation.
Bella stepped inside and let the door close behind her, the sound echoing longer than it should have in a place she knew this well. She did not rush forward, and she did not immediately step into the ring. Instead, she stood still for a moment, letting the quiet settle around her, letting the familiar weight of the space strip everything down to what actually mattered.
When she finally moved, it was slow and deliberate. Every step forward had purpose behind it, her boots pressing into the canvas as she climbed through the ropes and into the center of the ring. The moment her weight settled there, the air shifted.
Three overhead spotlights snapped on.
They did not flood the barn with brightness. Instead, they carved the ring into three distinct spaces, each circle of light separated just enough to feel intentional, like positions waiting to be filled. Bella’s eyes moved between them, not with confusion, but with understanding. She did not need anyone to explain what she was looking at.
Her voice came out calm, steady, and completely controlled.
“I listened to both of you, which I know is something that a lot of people seem to think isn’t really possible but here I am, learning something new. You have to learn as you keep going or this whole business is going to pass you by.”
She took a slow step toward the first spotlight, stopping just short of stepping fully into it. Her posture did not change, but her attention narrowed, as if she could already see exactly who belonged there.
“Cassie....dammit girl, you are still trying to prove that you belong in this position.”
There was no mockery in her tone, but there was no softness either. It was simply the truth, stated without decoration.
“You talk about being underestimated, about finally getting your moment, about showing everyone that you are more than what they think you are. You are still fighting for validation in a match that BARELY rewards it. It’s a crown for ONE day where you can determine matches and the potential fate for a select few. I get that you think this may set you up for something bigger but yet...you constantly seeking validation instead of just taking it like Frankie and I do.”
Bella stepped into the edge of the light, just enough for it to catch her shoulder.
“That is not how this works. You do not get to prove anything in a match like this. You either take it... or you do not. And while you are trying to prove that you matter, someone else is already deciding how it ends.”
She stepped back out of the light without hesitation, leaving it behind as if she had already taken everything from it that she needed.
Her focus shifted to the second spotlight.
“Frankie... as I’ve already stated, you do not have that problem.”
There was a subtle difference now, not in intensity, but in recognition. Bella stepped closer, circling the edge of the light before stepping fully into it.
“You already think you know how this ends. You think that because somehow that you have “saved” the company and won the World Title that you have already played it out in your head. You have already decided that this match finishes with you standing on top of that ladder, with both of us laid out underneath you.”
She exhaled slowly, her expression tightening just slightly.
“You are so comfortable in that version of the ending that you are not even questioning it anymore. That is not control. That is an assumption.”
Her gaze sharpened, the words carrying more weight now.
“And the second something does not go exactly the way you expect it to... you hesitate. That’s what lost you the title to Crystal, that’s why you haven’t been back to it since.”
That word lingered for a moment, not just aimed outward, but acknowledged inward. Bella did not flinch from it. She stepped out of the second spotlight and into the space between them, her presence no longer divided.
“I know exactly what that feels like.”
There was no hesitation in admitting it.
“I know what it costs. I know what it takes from you in a moment that you cannot afford to lose. It’s why after I lost to Kayla, I took a step back and I took time off to reflect because apparently seeking the validation and knowing that you’re good enough...isn’t exactly good enough.”
Her eyes lifted toward the final spotlight, the last position, the last space and the one that truly mattered.
“After that time off, coming back and gaining my spot in this match, I have realized that I do not have either of your problems....not anymore.”
She stepped forward, stopping just before entering it, her voice lowering slightly as her focus sharpened.
“I am not trying to prove that I belong here. I am not assuming I already know how this ends. I am not waiting for the moment to happen to me.”
Another step forward brought her fully into the light, and this time she did not hover at the edge. She stood in it, centered and grounded, as if this was the only place she had been meant to be.
“I already know what I am walking into. I already understand what happens when you hesitate, and I already understand what it costs when you chase the moment instead of taking it.”
Her shoulders squared, not out of defiance, but out of certainty.
“I lived it, I have more than paid for it and ladies, I am not making that mistake again.”
The barn felt smaller now, the silence tighter, as if everything had narrowed down to this single point.
“I do not need chaos to win this match. I do not need to outlast either of you. I do not need everything to fall apart so I can pick up what is left.”
She took a slow step forward, still standing within the light, her voice never rising but cutting cleaner with each word.
“I need one moment and I need to decide when it happens.”
The other two spotlights flickered faintly behind her, subtle enough that they could have been missed, but not by her. She did not turn to look at them, and she did not acknowledge them, because she did not need to anymore.
“So go ahead,” she continued, her tone sharpening just enough to carry finality, "Keep trying to prove something. Keep assuming you already know how this ends.”
A brief pause settled between her words.
“I will be the one who finishes it.”
The first spotlight dimmed completely, fading into darkness without ceremony. The second lingered for a fraction longer before it too faded out, leaving the ring with only one remaining source of light.
Bella stood in it without moving.
Not because she was the last one there, but because she had chosen to be.
The light held steady, and so did she.
Cut to black.