It was a relaxing evening in the home of Victoria Lyons, she and Darian had just finished putting up the last of their Halloween decorations out in front of their new home, which and an addition to the common jack-o'-lanterns included a dummy hanging from a tree, a scarecrow and a witch plastered on the rooftop.

They sat cuddling together on the sofa blindly scrolling through the Netflix selection looking for something to settle into for the evening. This was the two of them behind all the theatrics they created when the cameras were rolling, a normal couple like anyone else with perhaps….. a few odd kinks thrown in.

“It all went so beautifully on Climax Control.” Victoria smiled at Darian running her fingers through his beard, “Now I get my shot at the Bombshell Internet Championship, and Harper Mason is sure having a hissy fit about it.”

“Let her cry about it, I say.” Darian replied.

“Oh I intend to Dare Bear.” Victoria continued to smile “It just shows Harper really is. “Champions don't whine when the situation changes, they adapt. I doubt Mercedes likes this new setup either, but she's kept her mouth shut which means she's likely trying to figure out how to adapt herself instead of crying about it.”

She leaned back on the sofa resting her head against the cushion.

“Harper just lacks discipline.” Victoria said “The situation changes and she can't keep up. I knew what I wanted, and I took what I wanted.

“And you didn't even break a sweat doing it.” Darian chuckled

“Exactly.” Victoria said her smirk deepening “They all say I got added to the match, I say I made myself impossible to ignore. That's why I'm on such a different level than most of the Bombshells. I don't wait to be given chances, I take them.”

She stretched her arms slightly keeping the smirk on her face.

“Should anyone really be surprised?” said Victoria “Before I was placed into the High Stakes tournament, I called out Mercedes in the ring, and I told the entire locker room to keep their head on a swivel. So after my….elimination from the High Stakes tournament, I needed to restate my claim because that's who I am and it's who I've always been.”

“That's what I love about you.” Darian smiled at her, "You're ruthless, it's just in your blood.”

“Exactly, I never had to learn it because I am it.” she said “I don't pretend to be the good guy, or pretend to play fair. I do what gets results.  People like Harper Mason need to realize that fairness doesn't exist in this business.  I learned that before I even left my first pair of boots.”

She exhaled softly.

“Harper wants to cry about how I took her moment.” said Victoria “The same woman who couldn't even hold on to the Roulette championship long enough for me to even miss it. It's almost insulting to me that she was my successor after everything I did for that championship.”

“I doubt they even had time to change the name plate.” Darian grinned.

Victoria laughed.

“Right?” she grinned “All that talk about earning opportunities, but when she had one she couldn't handle the pressure that's why she will always be all shine and no staying power.”

“A flash in the pan.” Darian remarked.

“That's what separates people like me from people like her, Dare Bear.” Victoria said "I don't crumble and I don't panic. I adapt if one door shuts I kick open another one, losing to Bella in the tournament wasn't it a failure it was just a redirection.”

She paused shortly.

“I'm the reason this match has people talking now.” Victoria said “Mercedes has the championship, but I'm the threat.  Harper's just noise in the background at this point.”

Victoria leaned back into the sofa as Darian listened.

“Of course there's Mercedes herself.” Victoria said, “She seems to think seems some sort of dominant champion, but all I've seen her do is lose the championship as fast as she wins it.”

She shrugs.

“She loses it to Bella, and she wins it back. She loses it to Lilith Locke and she wins it back again.” Victoria said “It's like she's caught in this endless game of hot potato. It might add more reigns to her resume but it shows a lack of consistency, it shows that she doesn't know how to stay on top anymore.”

“Well if you ask me.” Darian said “The games are going to stop with you.”

Victoria smiled, kissing Darian and softly on his cheek. 

“Of course they will.” Victoria said “Because I know how to remain on top, champion or not. The thing about Mercedes is she needs that championship to be relevant. The championship makes Mercedes Vargas, but me? I make the championship.”

She turned her head towards Darian with a smile.

“The landscape of the Bombshell Internet Division will be changing soon.” said Victoria “There will be no more revolving door of champions who can't keep the thing for more than a few weeks. I will be the constant that the championship has needed for a long time.“

“So no mercy?” Darian grinned

“Mercy?” Victoria chuckled to herself with a smile “Mercedes deserves no mercy. She's had her spotlight. I'm not coming to add another chapter to her book, I'm coming to close it.”

“That's my queen.” Darian smiled.

“I'm not just coming to win the Internet Championship, Dare Bear.” Victoria said "I'm coming to redefine it. I'm going to remind people what dominance feels like. The Bombshell locker room won't have to think about who happens to have the Internet Championship this week,  they'll know it belongs to me.”

She smiles confidently.

“So Harper can keep throwing tantrums online.” Victoria said “Mercedes can keep trying to play her game of lose one win one. So when the smoke settles, and I rise as the new Bombshell Internet Champion, they will both realize they were just keeping my seat warm.”

“You never stop do you?” Darian smirked.

“Why would I?” she replied grabbing the remote, “Winning is all about keeping your rhythm.”

She scrolled through the Netflix queue some more before finally stopping on Halloween Kills.

“This is the one.” she said.

“Works for me." Darian smiled.

As the universal logo faded in, the glow of the TV danced across their faces as the two snuggled up close together. Tonight was a romantic evening and horror movies with her Dare Bear, a true calm before the storm that she intended to bring at High Stakes.

__________

The family home hadn't changed in years her mother still had the same curtains up, and the mantlepiece was decorated with the same candles and family portraits that it had gathered over the years.

There were pictures of her parents' wedding, several of her and Vincent as children, and even a couple of Eddie.

She grabbed one of the family on a fishing trip and looked at it with a smile, Vincent was holding a large fish he had caught and of course he had his arm around their mother. She was on the opposite end, hanging off her father's arm.

“How come you never redecorated?” she said setting the picture back down, turning to her mother who had emerged from the kitchen with two cups of coffee.

“I like keeping things how they were.” her mother said “Somehow makes the house feel less empty.”

Victoria sat across from her mother and took a sip of the warm coffee. She watched her mother's gaze shift to the pictures on the mantelpiece.

“Feels like yesterday this house used to be nothing but noise.” her mother said “You and your brother fighting one minute, and then laughing the next. I miss it. It's just so quiet around here now.”

“Well, we couldn't live here forever mom.” Victoria said.

“I know…” her mother replied “You and your brother live your own lives now. It's just we don't have your father anymore either, so I just.. I get lonely.”

“You know you can come visit at anytime.” Victoria “I'm just not sure you'd like the noise of my life.”

“I can handle the noise.” her mother said “It's the distance, both of you have started to drift so far away…. especially from each other.”

“Oh is that what this is..?” Victoria's sighed.

“I'm just saying maybe you could pick up the phone.” she said “Vincent's going through a lot he could use his sister right now.”

“He's the one that pushed me away first!” said Victoria.

“Like I told you he's going through a lot.” her mother said “Maybe he said some things he didn't mean. You allowed him to push you away.”

“That's not fair!” Victoria replied. "You always do this! You always protect him!”

“That's not true.” her mother replied

“Yes it is!” Victoria insisted. "While dad was teaching me how to take on the world, you were busy pampering your baby boy.”

“Your father also let you get away with everything because you were his baby girl.” her mother said, eyes narrowing. "If your brother broke a rule, he got grounded for a week. You break the same rule and all you’d have to do is smile and he'd bend.”

“That's called charm.” Victoria said, lowering her voice looking her mother directly in the eyes. “Just one of my many talents”

Her mother sighed softly, shaking her head “But charm won't always get you through life Victoria.”

“It's got me this far.” Victoria replied “And I'm not planning on slowing down now. Not for Vincent, not for anyone.”

“Or maybe that's the problem.” her mother replied “You want to keep climbing higher, but you forget the people who helped you start to climb in the first place.”

Victoria looked at her mother with a look of defiance.

“People didn't help me get anywhere mom.” she said “No one handed me a damn thing I made my own way.“

“He's still your brother.” her mother said

“Who made the decision that he didn't want me around.” Victoria interrupted “I tried to reach out but he keeps making me feel like the villain, so I'm not going to go out there and chase him down to apologize for something I didn't do.”

“You both lost your father.” her mother replied “And that kind of pain can change people, you shut down in your own way after it too. Over the years, it's changed you both.”

“Maybe..” said Victoria “But I used it to strengthen myself, Vincent's the one that uses it as an excuse.”

“You're a lot like him, you know..” her mother said “Your father, you have the same need to prove yourself but your father also knew when to stop fighting. Need to be proud of you and all you've accomplished but he would also tell you to slow down and enjoy the view every once in a while.”

“He also taught me to never back down.” Victoria replied.

“Promise me you'll call your brother.” her mother said “And don't move too fast with that Darian just take it one step at a time.”

Victoria frowned.

“Vincent has a phone. He can call me.” Victoria said “And you don't worry about Darian he gets me. Him and I will be just fine. In fact I should probably go anyway, she's waiting for me."

Victoria drink the last sip of her coffee and set the cup down on the table.

“Thanks for the coffee mom.” she said as she stood up and walked to the door.

She got to her car started it and then headed off down the road, her irritation with her mother had only fed her fire and that fire was going to spread right across Mercedes Vargas and Harper Mason.

__________

Darkness surrounds Victoria Lyons as the cameras open, the faint outline of smoke filters behind as her voice cuts through the quiet with the precision of a blade.

“You ever notice how those who scream the loudest about fairness tend to be the ones least equipped to deal with reality?” she said with a cold tone “They always paint themselves as victims of circumstance, like they were some martyr to some grand injustice. When the truth is, they were never strong enough to take what they wanted in the first place.”

She smirks.

“That's Harper Mason in a nutshell.” she said “A little birdie chirping about how unfair it is that I found my way into this match. Because she was supposed to have her big one-on-one and she earned this moment.”

Victoria laughs and shrugs nonchalantly.

“Newsflash Harper.” Victoria said “You didn't get cheated, you got out played. The universe doesn't reward those who play fair. You have to take matters into your own hands, and take what you want if you want to be successful.”

She takes a few steps closer to the camera, keeping a steady gaze on the lens.

“See when my high stakes journey didn't go as planned.” Victoria said “I didn't make excuses or complain about it, I just found another path because that's what predators do. If one trail goes cold we find another that leads us to a feast.”

She licks her lips and in a seductive yet cruel way.

“You would have sat around and waited.” said Victoria “Hoping that someone would come along and offer you a second chance. But I'm not someone who waits. I sought out my second chance, and I took it.”

A faint smirk creeps across her face.

“You should have seen the look on your face when I dropped you with the Lions paw.” Victoria grinned “I could practically taste the fear, the moment you realized that all your pretty little dreams about being next in line just went up in smoke.”

She pauses shortly.

“You couldn't even capitalize on the biggest win of your career.” said Victoria “You ended the greatest Bombshell Roulette Championship reign of all time,  my reign. But then you couldn't handle the pressure. You lost that championship before you could even make your victory matter. That makes you a placeholder, not a champion.”

That ever familiar arrogant smirk creeps across her face again.

“You had every opportunity to make something of yourself.” said Victoria “A huge win, a championship, and you failed. Should lightning strike twice, and you somehow walk away as Bombshell Internet Champion, who's to say that won't happen again?”

She looks into the camera as if waiting for a response.

“Of course there's the matter of the champion herself, Mercedes Vargas.” Victoria continued “Mercedes, you and I don't have to like each other to understand one another.  You at least know how to act like a proper champion. That's why I don't hear you whining and complaining like Harper. You may not like this new development but like a champion you're ready to embrace whatever's thrown your way. The thing you lack is consistency.”

She pauses, keeping her attention on the camera.

“You are the champion, you're not the champion, you're the champion again, then you're not, then you are once more. That's been your cycle lately hasn't it Mercedes?” Victoria continued “You just can't seem to keep a hold on that championship for more than a couple of months before you need to win it back. When I was roulette champion I was the constant in that division for an entire year. I made the championship mean something and then Harper pissed it all away.”

She shakes her head, disappointed.

“But that's between Harper and myself.” said Victoria “As far as you're concerned Mercedes, I know you've built your legend on blood and persistence and that is something I can respect. Your iron will has led you to multiple championships over your career.”

She grins into the camera.

“But even iron rusts when it's out in the rain too long.” she said “And it's been raining on you for a while Mercedes. You spent so long cleaning into your past glory days, you don't even see how close to thunder is. You don't realize that I'm the storm that finally washes you away.”

She tilts her head at the camera.

"Over the years Mercedes, your hunger turned to habit." said Victoria "And now you wear the Championship like an heirloom instead of a weapon. I'm not looking to hold the Bombshell Internet Championship like some sort of prize, I'm coming to consume it and make it part of me. Just like I did with the Bombshell Roulette Championship I'm going to etch my name into the Bombshell Internet Championship so deep it will never forget the taste of my hands.”

She takes a couple precise steps closer to the camera.

“This isn't about any sort of validation for myself.” [/color]she said “It's about control of the conversation, and control of the entire division. Whether they admit it or not, every Bombshell in this company looks at me and knows what I represent, the cold-hearted truth that the world doesn't reward the kind-hearted or deserving.”

She pauses for a beat.

“The world rewards the relentless.” Victoria said “That's why I always come out ahead in the end. I'm not chasing a fairy tale ending I'm going to craft an Empire of inevitability.”

She smirks arrogantly.

“My father used to tell me that a lion doesn't need permission to hunt.” she said “And that's something that's stuck with me. I hear his voice in the back of my mind when I see Harper Mason crying about what's fair, or Mercedes Vargas leaning on her legacy.  A lion doesn't wait for the jungle to approve of its actions, a lion just takes, and that's what I've done my entire life.”

She keeps her words firm and confident.

“I have no doubt that Harper Mason will come out swinging with all the heart in the world.” she said “But hearts are soft and hearts get crushed. When I crush hers maybe she'll finally understand what I've been saying all along about how this business doesn't reward those who play nice “

She pauses.

“Mercedes will come out  methodical and calculated.” she said “She'll think she read me because she feels like she's seen every kind of opponent by now, and maybe she has. But she's never been ready for me in the past and she's not going to be ready for me now. I'm not some little girl chasing relevance and I'm not a veteran clinging to legacy. I'm the next inevitable thing.”

She keeps a strong confident gaze on the camera.

“You both like to talk about legacy and opportunity.” she said “But what you both want is validation, that's what drives you isn't it? Harper you want to prove you belong here, and Mercedes you want to prove you still got it. I don't need to prove anything to anybody. I'm here to take what I know I deserve.”

She takes another short moment to pause.

"Harper Mason you can keep trying to convince everyone you're more than just a moment she said but you can't even convince yourself of that can you?" she said. "Even with your big win over me, you're nothing but a footnote in my story. You're not the woman who defeated me for the Bombshell Roulette Championship, you're the one who lost it the moment you stepped out of my shadow.”

She takes another slow step toward the camera.

“And you Mercedes, your survival turned into stagnation.” she said “You used to be dangerous but now you're just familiar. You built an entire empire on being the veteran standard, or some sort of measuring stick and you don't even realize you've been measured. That's why you have to win the same title over and over again because you've got nothing left to chase, you don't rule perra, you recycle.”

She laughs softly to herself behind an arrogant smile.

“When the bell rings Harper will be the first to crumble because she's all heart and no spine.” said Victoria “Mercedes will fight harder because she has pride and her own legacy to worry about.  But she will repeat the pattern and lose her Championship here to me only this time I break the cycle and she won't be getting it back.”

Her expression hardens completely.

“After High Stakes there won't be debates about who deserves what.” she said  "Or the same old lines about longevity. There will only be me standing with the Bombshell Internet Championship in my hand. I don't chase moments, I make them and this one belongs to me.”

That smirk grows on her face as sharp as ever.

“Ladies..” she said “Consider this your warning that you had better…..be prepared.”

She pulls her spiked glove, The lion's paw out of a pocket and puts it on.  She licks some of the barbs and winks to the camera has everything fades to black.

The home of Victoria Lyons was a mix of luxury and deliberate taste. It was late into the evening and the low flame of her fireplace lit up the living room where she sat in a large armchair that was centered in the room like a throne, with her favorite glass of Red balanced in her hand.

Resting just off to the side on one of the nearby sofas lay Darian Price. He was relaxed but attentive. He knew his place in the room, it was a place for him to listen first and speak second.

And that's what she loved about her sweet Dare Bear, he fully supported her in every way.  He wasn't embarrassed about her being the dominant one in the relationship, he was actually sort of into it.  That also meant she knew what jokes and insults were coming his way by those who felt they needed to kink shame.

They'd call him a cuck or a simp, they'd probably make whip noises and crack their invisible whips. They would probably refer to Victoria as some sort of siren or succubus, but none of that mattered to her. Darian was hers and that's all that mattered. If they had words to say about him then they would have to deal with her.

“So it's the High Stakes tournament.” Victoria said as she swirled the wine in her glass. “Such a fitting name isn't it? I've drawn Kayla Richards in the first round, not the most gentle first round match is it?”

“You're not worried are you?” Darian asked.

“Not worried, just aware.” Victoria replied “Kayla is not the type of opponent you overlook. I would be a fool to deny how dangerous she is. But she's not invincible, Andrea Hernandez proved that, Frankie Holliday proved that. Now it's my turn. This is where I get my win against Kayla Richards.”

“You have to be feeling some pressure.” said Darian, "Kayla is one of the few that you haven't beaten yet.”

“Careful there…” Victoria said, shooting Darian a warning glance. “But yes, there is some pressure but that's where I thrive. Kayla and I are connected in a way you know, she had a stranglehold on the Bombshell World Championship. I did the same with the Bombshell  Roulette Championship.  We had two of the most dominant stretches this company has seen in years and now we collide not as champions, but as contenders, sort of a poetic cruelty don't you think?”

She laughed through a sip of her wine.

“Kayla's had the better of me before, I'm not blind to our history.” said Victoria “But I'm going to teach her that history is not prophecy. Kayla's going to expect the same Victoria she's beaten in the past but she's going to come to realize that I've become something sharper and more dangerous since our last encounter and she's going to get the Victoria that she can't put away.”

Darian nodded “And you'll show her that you're not just advancing you're making a statement “

“Exactly.” said Victoria “This is the tone setter for the whole tournament. I beat Kayla Richards in round one and everyone else starts thinking twice. They start questioning whether they can handle me.  The psychological warfare begins before I even meet my next opponent."

She stood up and Darian's eyes followed her to the front of the fireplace where she began a slow pace back and forth.

“And if somehow the stars misalign and I don't win the High Stakes tournament.” Victoria said “Then Plan B is still Mercedes Vargas and the Bombshell Internet Championship. But Mercedes will have to deal with being my backup plan.“

“You make it all sound so simple.” said Darian

“Well simple doesn't mean easy Dare Bear.” Victoria replied as she stopped pacing.”Most of the time people try to overthink things and they don't realize that in war it's simplicity that wins. You eliminate the opponent and give them no ground to stand on just like I did with Candy at Violent Conduct. Kayla Richards knows exactly who I am and while that makes her dangerous it also makes me deadly. She knows well what she has to prepare for, same as I do.”

“And in your head you've already beaten her.” Darian said.

“That's just confidence.” Victoria said as a smirk appeared on her face “But confidence isn't the same as arrogance Dare Bear. I respect Kayla and acknowledge her talent and everything she's done. But I refuse to be intimidated by it. Kayla is as breakable as anybody else and I intend to do whatever it takes to make sure she breaks before I do.”

Her pacing stopped and her eyes lingered on the fireplace as Darian sat upright on the couch.

“You have that look in your eyes again.” Darian said.

“And what look would that be?” Victoria replied.

“The one that says you're already building your victory speech.” said Darian “The one that doesn't leave room for failure.”

“Well, failure doesn't deserve a room here.” said Victoria. "I don't plan for failure, I plan for dominance.”

“Remind me to never get on your bad side.” said Darian with a quiet chuckle.

“You'd never survive it.” Victoria said, a touch of playfulness in her voice.

With her wine glass in hand she went and sat next to Darian as he rested his head on her bosom and she ran her fingers through his hair. She was more than ready to bring her brand of chaos to the High Stakes tournament, and if Kayla Richards chose to rest on her laurels and her past victories, then Victoria had already won.

__________

It was a busier day at the Lyons Den and there was activity everywhere. Trainees were taking bumps and hitting bags as Coach Kaiser walked around barking instructions. Victoria Lyons watched it all from her bench, taking a quick breather from her own workout and preparation for the High Stakes tournament. Ever present nearby was the queen's consort Darian Price.

The door opening at the opposite end of the den caught her eye, it was Vincent who stepped inside. It didn't take her long to realize he was steadily approaching her.

“Victoria.” said Vincent, stopping in front of her “We need to talk.”

“I don't think we have anything to talk about.” Victoria said, looking up at him.

“Alexandra Calaway.” he said “She involved herself in my business and she needs to be handled.”

“Why don't you just handle her yourself?” said Darian, his eyes also locked on Vincent.

“Because SCW will punish him if he does.” said Victoria “A fine, a suspension, they might even strip him of his championship. The point is,  they don't like that whole violence against the opposite sex sort of thing.”

“Exactly.” said Vincent “And I know there's no love lost between you and Alexandra. I know you're the one that's more than capable of doing what's necessary.”

“I understand your situation Vincent.” said Victoria “Alexandra Calaway can be quite the pest, but you forgot one thing. You went out in that ring and said you have no sister. So you know what that means? That means I have no brother. You want Alexandra Calaway handled? Ask someone else or figure it out yourself.”

Vincent's lip quivered and his eyes narrowed.

“This doesn't have to be about loyalty.” Vincent said “This is an opportunity. An opportunity for you to show Alexandra Calaway once again how dangerous you are.”

Victoria stood up now meeting her twin brother eye to eye. Darian remained a vigilant observer.

“I used to cover for you when you got reckless.” Victoria said. " I used to cover for you when you needed it, but not anymore. You closed to that chapter when you said you had no sister. I have my own battles to fight Vincent. I have to worry about getting past Kayla Richards and winning the High Stakes tournament. This whole thing with you, L.J. and Alexandra? That's your problem, you handle it.”

Darian chuckled off to the side.

“Something funny fat boy?” Vincent growled at him.

“No no… you don't speak like that to him.” said Victoria. "You're talking to me, and I'm telling you that I'm not intimidated by Alexandra Calaway, but you have to solve your own problems now. I'm not your protector anymore.”

“So you're going to make me handle this alone?” Vincent said.

“I mean that's up to you. Maybe one of the other Bombshells will jump at the opportunity.” said Victoria “But it's not going to be me. You wanted independence and I gave it to you. You wanted no sister, I gave you that too. So my focus is on what matters and that's my path to once again being a champion around here.”

“So that's it then?” said Vincent with little emotion in his tone.

“That's it.” Victoria replied just as coldly “You got yourself into this mess you can find your own way out of it. My focus is on what matters and that's dominating the High Stakes tournament and becoming the Bombshell World Champion.”

With one final huff, but no words Vincent turned and took his leave.

“Bye bye.” taunted Darian as Vincent walked away.

“I can't believe he actually thought I'd go for it.” said Victoria

“Well in his defense..” said Darian “You ARE the best choice.”

“Well you're not wrong about that.” Victoria said shooting him a smile “But Vincent needs to learn the cost of his choices. It's the only way to really help him.”

“You still care about him don't you?” said Darian.

“Of course I do Dare Bear. “ said Victoria “He's my brother. Right now he thinks I'm against him, but he doesn't even realize how much I'm actually helping him by forcing him to make his own decisions and handle his own problems. It won't be an easy road for him but he'll come out stronger at the end of it.”

“That's my queen.” said Darian “Always so generous and helpful even if nobody realizes it.”

Victoria smiled at his comment.

“Vincent will figure himself out.” said Victoria "I have to keep my focus on Kayla Richards and the High Stakes tournament. Right now, nothing else matters.”

Darian grinned, “Time to remind everyone why you're the one to beat.”

“Exactly.” said Victoria “Everything else is just noise. I don't think Kayla Richards is ready for how much more dangerous I've become since our last encounter and that's where I'm going to catch her. She'll throw her previous victories and my recent shortcomings in my face. That will be her downfall because she will find out just how ready I am.”

She stood up and approached a nearby bag and began delivering crisp and deliberate strikes. Darian sat observing as the den continued the busy bustle around them. Victoria's mind however was solely focused on the tournament, where she intended to dominate and it all started by eliminating Kayla Richards right from the start.

__________

The cameras find Victoria perched high on a desolate rooftop above the lights of Las Vegas. Neon lights burn across the skyline as Victoria watches from the shadows near the edge of the rooftop. Nearby leaning against an air duct is the one who would come to be known as the queen's consort Darian Price. For a moment she just stands there overlooking the skyline, before turning to the camera to begin speaking.

“I know what the narrative is supposed to be.” Victoria began “Everyone expects Kayla Richards to steamroll the tournament and take back the Bombshell World Championship just like she did with Andrea Hernandez. Just like she did with Finn when she took back the Mixed Tag Team Championships from myself and Eddie. She always hits back harder after a loss, that's what she said to me on X a while back.”

She pauses with a casual shrug.

“If she can get past me….” said Victoria “I don't deny that might actually be the case but understand that's if she gets past me. I'm sure in her mind she's already won the tournament, so that's going to make it all the more beautiful when I put her down in round one.”

That ever familiar grin of confidence and arrogance creeps across her face.

“And that's exactly what I'm going to do if you choose to look past me in any way.” continued Victoria. “But you're smarter than that Kayla, you don't have the success that you have by being stupid. You know exactly who I am and you know exactly what I'm capable of. So that means it's going to be a fight, and a hell of a fight at that. We are the ones that are going to set the pace for the whole tournament Kayla. You know as well as I do whoever wins between you and I is going to be the one everybody has their eyes on for the rest of the tournament. We are the ones that Frankie Holliday is going to be watching the closest, because she knows that you and I are her biggest threats at the moment.”

“And if she doesn't see you two has the biggest threats.” Darian chimed in “Then Frankie Holliday is a complete fool.”

“But Frankie's no fool Dare Bear.” Victoria said "That's why she's the champion, Frankie Holliday is everything she says she is. She deserves competition and it's the type of competition she only gets from somebody like myself or Kayla Richards.”

“But Kayla had her turn.“ said Darian “It's time for the queen to rise and take her proper spot on top.”

“Precisely.” said Victoria “We don't need another Kayla Richards and Frankie Holliday match.  It's my turn and I know Frankie bested me in the past just as Kayla has. That’s why winning this tournament is so damn important to me because I'll start with getting my victory over Kayla Richards,  and then when it all ends I'll have gotten my victory over Frankie Holliday as well, and then there will be nobody left in this company that I haven't beaten.”

She pauses with a slight tilt of her head as her eyes pierce through the lens of the camera.

“The queen is coming to take her place on top.” said Victoria “And make no mistake about it I'm still a queen. Sure, I may not present myself as lavishly as I once did. But Kayla and you and the rest of the locker room know that the title of queen just  looks good on me.”

“I'll say it does.” grinned Darian.

“You know I heard your remarks a few weeks ago.” Victoria said, “When they put me in that little triple threat match. You said did not expect Bella Madison to win and I'll be honest neither did I because I underestimated Bella Madison same as you did.”

She sighs heavily has no feeling the weight of her own mistake.

“But that's my burden to bear I guess.” she said with a shrug.  “I chose to rest on my laurels. I went in with too much confidence due to the fact that neither Bella Madison nor Alexandra Calaway had ever actually defeated me in the past.”

“Technically neither of them beat you in that match either.” Darian reminded her

“Very true.” said Victoria “But I can't worry about technicalities.  I lost that match, but I'm not going to lose this one against you Kayla because I'm not going to underestimate you like I did Bella Madison, and you would be wise to do the same against me.”

“Do you understand her mind is more free than it's ever been?” said Darian

"That's because I have no distractions." said Victoria. "My idiot brother tried to pull me into his mess. He wanted me to take out Alexandra Calaway for getting in his face and I refused. I spent too much time being his protector that I realized I need to set him free so he can do as he pleases. But he has to do it without my help. It's what he asked for anyway with his I have no sister comment. Sure, there may have been a time when he didn't even have to ask me, I would have already been out there in Alexandra's face for daring to step up to my brother. But I can't be his protector anymore, and I can't have any distractions. My soul focus is on Victoria and becoming the Bombshell World Champion.”

“Of course there's always Plan B my queen.” said Darian.

“Plan b will only be invoked if necessary.” said Victoria “Which means Mercedes Vargas still needs to watch her back because everything I I said on Climax Control still stands. But I'm not going to just squander another chance to become Bombshell World Champion. I was placed in this tournament and I intend to win it, but you always need a plan b, and for me that is the Bombshell Internet Championship.  So Mercedes, be sure to keep those eyes in the back of your head, just in case.”

She laughs to herself, but she's still a serious as can be. This is a woman who has no plans of leaving High Stakes without a championship of some sort.

“Anyway back to the woman of the hour.” Victoria said “Kayla Richards, you're a force but so am I and I'm done underestimating I'm not going to rest on any of my laurels. I'm not going to play a part in someone else's story. This is my tournament to win,  you're going to see a new Victoria Lyons one that's different than you remember from our previous encounters. You're going to face a woman who tears down history and is willing to walk through fire to come out the other side with the whole world in her hands.”

She sticks her hand out into the air and clasps it into a fist as if grabbing something invisible.

“You see people like us Kayla, we don't fight to survive.” Victoria continued “Because survival is for the weak. We fight to rule. We really aren't so different you know. We're just two women that are too stubborn to quit. That's why when you and I face off, the world stops because everybody knows it's a true battle of who really owns the place.”

She pauses for a moment, a soft exhale leaving her lips.

“You've done well reminding people you can take back what was stolen from you.” Victoria continued, "You lose, you rebuild, you reclaim. But this time you have me standing in your way, and I'm coming to cut that cycle off at the throat and become the stumbling block you just weren't prepared for.”

“Just the thought of it gets me excited.” said Darian with a giggle of his own.

“I do have respect for you and everything you've done.” said Victoria “But don't think respect is going to spare you from what's coming.  By hook or by crook I'm going to eliminate you in round one of the tournament and change the entire cycle. If I'm willing to cast my brother aside for my goals, what do you think I'm going to do to you? I take you out in round one and the rest of the tournament bends to me.”

“All eyes on the queen.” Darian noted.

“So bring me whatever you've got Kayla.” Victoria said in a calm and precise tone "Bring all of your thunder, because you're going to find out when I swallow you whole that I'm the storm itself and I'm going to erase any doubt anyone's had about my place at the top. When I eliminate you from this tournament. I will rewrite your whole story.  You're going to be left grasping at straws to figure out your next move,  while I continue on all the way to Frankie Holliday,  where I become World Bombshell Champion and set everything right in the world. You have been warned Kayla Richards so all you can really do now is…. be prepared.”

The camera remains on her cold, but confident face, the shadow of Darian lingering behind her has everything fades to black.

It was like her whole world was falling apart around her. She had no crown, no championship, and now her brother had completely lost his mind and pushed her away as well.

Her recent lack of success was weighing on her mind as well, two failed opportunities to become the number one contender to Kayla Richards.

She knew she was good enough, great even. You don't break records in the Bombshell Roulette Division like she had by being not good enough. So what had really changed?

Maybe it was Vincent. She had been at her best before his arrival, so maybe he was the problem. If he wanted to do things on his own then she had no other choice but to do things on her own, just like she did before he showed up in SCW.

She needed to return to that form. Crown or not she needed to be the queen of SCW because that's who she was. That's what made her the most successful. She needed to be that callous bitch that everybody loved to hate.

Her first new order of business was to make an example out of Candy, because if there is one thing  Victoria wasn't, it was sweet.

__________

Victoria didn't just find herself at Miami Beach for leisure, sure that was part of it and the margarita did a lot to help but she was also out here quietly scouting the area.

She needed to see where the currents came in strongest our weather waves crashed the hardest because she intended to bury Candy in the perfect spot. She was insulted at the very fact she even had to face someone she considered so out of her league. So she very much intended to send a message, a very violent message

Not like her insolent brother of course. No, she wanted to hear the screams. She wanted to hear the suffering because that was her favorite part.

Her eyes scanned around the beach as she sipped her margarita. Right now all the tourists were out enjoying themselves, kids were playing and the music filling the airwaves was full of “la pasion.”

But when violent conduct rolled around all that would change because she intended to stain the beach with Candy's blood, but that wasn't enough there was so many ways she can bring pain and terror.

Open some wounds and throw her in the ocean, let the salt water do its work. That could be fun. She was already planning to bury Candy to her neck in sand, as per rules of the match but she needed the waves to be crashing down on her as well, and then perhaps unleash scorpions or ants upon her. Then again, they were on a beach, maybe she should just be thematic and use crabs.

She had plenty of time to decide what malice to bring upon Candy, who in her opinion was the most annoying bombshell in the locker room.

The perky attitude, the glitter, everything about her was just everything Victoria wasn't. It was like, grow up already little girl we're not preteens anymore,  we're grown ass women and this is going to be a fight.

That's what separated her from Candy and Victoria knew it. Candy had no edge to her, this was all fun and games for Candy and for Victoria it was business. A business she had known her entire life, she had beaten better women than Candy and she had decimated better women than Candy.

But Candy was who they gave her probably as some sort of consolation prize because she came up short in her opportunities to get a world championship match.

But those women who had beaten her for those championship opportunities were at the very least actual competition. Bella Madison and Frankie Holliday were at least able to bring her a fight. Something she didn't believe Candy was going to be able to do.

Maybe Candy would prove her wrong, but she found that doubtful. She would use Candy as an example, make Candy her plaything and make Christian Underwood and the rest of this new management team regret putting her out there with someone so beneath her.

Yes they would regret their decision, they will have nobody to blame but themselves for what happens to Candy at Violent Conduct.

For now she would just enjoy her Margarita and maybe consider burying Candy right over there where the waves seemed just slightly bigger as they crashed on the shore.

Maybe Candy was onto something, maybe this was going to be fun. But not the kind of fun Candy envisioned, it was going to be the type of fun Victoria enjoyed.

The kind that ended with blood screams and anguish.

__________

It's late into the evening as the cameras open up on Victoria Lyons casually walking down the shores of South Miami Beach. Other people are walking past and around her but they seem almost like ghosts, non-entities as the cameras stay completely focused on and follow the self-proclaimed queen of SCW.

“Oh Candy, sweet sweet Candy” Victoria said “I have to wonder how this company could do this to you. Why would they put you in this sort of match against someone like me? I mean you're a nice girl, you're cheerful, kind and friendly. I'm vicious, callous and violent and I especially don't like annoying little girls like you.”

She continues walking, moving past some passing tourists.

“A little girl who never grew up.” said Victoria “I mean what sort of grown woman plays with glitter? Is that really your trump card? Glitter? If so then this is going to be easier than I thought. Getting glitter in my hair is going to be a mild inconvenience to me, but the pain and punishment I afflict upon you will haunt your dreams for a lifetime."

She gets that arrogant smirk we've come to know as it appears beneath an unsettling laugh.

“If you want my advice you should listen to the voices.” said Victoria "Yeah I saw your little interview a few weeks ago with Miss Rocky Mountains. Those voices you were hearing calling you a loser, do you know who they belong to? Because they belong to you. Those voices are your innermost feelings trying to come to the surface and help you.”

She takes a short pause.

“You should embrace your true feelings Candy.” Victoria said “Take it from someone who once upon a time gave into her own voices. I used to be weak like you, but then I listened to my true self and now I'm a record breaker and one of the most dominant Bombshells on this entire roster. But you are too worried about seeking approval, you want them to like you and see you as this kind sweet friendly girl. But you don't need to be that Candy, and those voices are trying to tell you this. You need to let them in, let them guide you. Let your true self out and don't be concerned about how it makes others feel.”

She takes in a breath and continues along her stroll.

“You need to understand that I'm not going to play nice with you.”  Victoria said. “I'm not in a position where I can lose another match. I need to reassert myself. I need to reassert my dominance and I'm going to reassert it over you. You are nothing more than a toy to me. Something I get to play with before I get bored and finish the job by burying you to your neck right here on this very beach. Don't worry I'll make sure to give you a nice view of the ocean as it splashes upon your face.”

She laughs to herself with a sinister tone.

“I will show you what can happen if you listen to the voices.” said Victoria “If you listen to your true self, and give in to your true desires and stop caring what the rest of the world thinks. I'm sure you'll have fun exploding glitter bombs into my face and getting it all in my hair but you want to know what I would do with the glitter bomb?”

She paused and grinned, keeping a slow but steady pace along the beach.

“I would take it and shove it down my opponents throat so they're shitting and vomiting glitter for weeks.” she laughed.  “But that's just what I would do. It's that edge that makes me better than you. I'm willing to take it to that next level.”

The camera steadily keeps up with her pace.

“And tell you're willing to do that Candy.” Victoria said “Until you're willing to do what those voices are trying to tell you all you're going to continue to do is to lose to people like Bea Barnhart. The best thing you can do is take this match as a lesson and listen to my advice. After all, look what I did for Harper Mason.”

She smirked arrogantly, as she came to a stop, next to a hole dug out on the beach shore. It's even decorated with flowers and has a small radio next to it.

“I made this for you.” Victoria said “This is where I intend to bury you, and if you were smart when they finally dig you out of this hole you should take it as a rebirth and become a new Candy. A more vicious evil version. The one those voices really want you to be, become a Candy who takes what she wants because she feels like it and doesn't care how anyone else might feel because in Candy's world nothing should be more important than Candy.”

She makes a pause overlooking the little scene she's created.

“I promise I picked a nice spot.” she said “I think you'll like it here. I even brought some friends along to keep you company.”

The camera pans over into the hole where there's a bunch of small shore crabs skittering about. Victoria can be heard laughing in the background.

“We're going to have so much fun my sweet Candy girl.” said Victoria. “And I can't wait to see what I force you to become after I give you no other choice but to listen to your voices, and become a candy that's perhaps a little more sour than sweet.”

She smirks again as she presses play on the the radio as “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies begins to play Victoria sits in the sand with a smile, eerily vibing and singing along to the music as everything fades to black.

“Sugar sugar, oh honey honey, you are my candy girl….”

__________

She looked down at her half eaten pint of red velvet gelato as she slouched against the headboard of her South Beach Hotel room.

From the TV came an iconic synth opening, because of course they would be playing Miami Vice.

“Nothing says Miami like cocaine and pastel suits.” said Victoria, rolling her eyes at how ridiculous she thought Don Johnson looked.

An annoyed sigh, she clicked the TV off and sat along with her ice cream,  the muffled sounds of music coming through her closed balcony door.

She poked around at her gelato thinking about her career since losing her championship. She was supposed to be a queen and she couldn't even really keep it together.

A queen wasn't supposed to eat like this. This wasn't even a name brand Gelato, just some overpriced trash she had picked up from some little pop up store on Ocean Drive.

It was already partially melted and some dripped onto the bedspread. She didn't care, that was the cleaning maids job.

What she did care about was Candy, this was a match she could not lose. She stood up and walked over to the open the balcony door and step out onto the balcony where lively music filled the air.

‘Bamboleiooooo, bamboleia…..’

She  imagined Candy was down there prancing around spraying glitter into the air having herself the most wonderful of times.

But Victoria was focused, laser focused on destroying Candy. She was tired of losing, and she knew she could bounce back from a loss to names like Bella Madison or Frankie Holliday but to lose to someone like Candy would ruin her.

She would become a laughing stock because as Candy said herself she even lost to Bea fucking Barnhart.

Was this what Candy wanted? To get into her head so she would overlook her and then Candy would use that as her opportunity to strike? Was Candy even that intelligent?

She stabbed what remained of her gelato.  Candy of all people wasn't getting in her head. That immature little piss stain?!

She was wondering too much about the what if.  The what if Candy beat her, and not enough about the what would. What would happen when she got her hands on Candy because she knew there was no chance that Candy was going to beat her, and there was no chance that Candy was actually in her head.

She sighed  heavily as some announcer came over some speakers set along the beach for the parties.

“And now we will begin the start of our totally '90s hour. Let's kick it off with some Mandy Moore.” the voice came

“You've got to be kidding me.” Victoria muttered to herself as she finished the last bites of Gelato.

‘ I'm craving for you, I'm missing you like candy, yeayaah’

There was a twitch in her lip and she crumpled the gelato cup in her hand and threw it on the balcony floor and angrily stamped on it.

“How dare you taunt me.” she growled wondering who she was even talking to, Candy? Fate? The DJ? Mandy Moore?

Whoever it was it didn't matter, she wouldn't let them get into her head she would destroy Candy and prove that she still belonged competing with the very best SCW has to offer, and that she would be a champion again in the very near future.

She just wanted to be on top again, because that's where a queen deserved to be.

__________

The camera opens panning across a concrete floor, various candies are strewn about crushed to pieces, lollipops, gobstoppers Smarties turned to dust, M&Ms stomped beneath the weight of someone's feet.

The camera continues passing through a valley of nerds before somebody's Doc Martens come crashing down smashing a collection of Kinder Eggs to pieces, the camera pans to reveal its none other than Victoria Lyons with a crazed look in her eyes.

“You think you're tired of losing Candy?” Victoria hissed, “So am I, and unlike you I am someone to be valued in this company. I am someone that's been touted as the future. I'm someone that has been called one of the best by even her biggest naysayers, whether they admit it or not, everybody who gets in the ring with me has at least some concern and doubt in the back of their mind. Yet recently some might say I might be on my Icarus downfall with the success I've had in recent months.”

What's a primal screech, she angrily smashes the skull of a poor chocolate Santa, before giving the camera an eye roll.

“Oh shut up, it's not even Christmas yet.” she said with a laugh “I will smash Candy's skull just like poor Saint Nick there.  As I was creating this sugary masterpiece of destruction you see strewn about before you I even had a wonderful idea involving a jawbreaker inside of a sock, seems like going to make a nice weapon doesn't it?”

As if on cue she reveals she does in fact have a sock with a large jawbreaker inside a handcrafted weapon which she swings around like some sort of ball and chain.

“She's perfect isn't she?” Victoria smiled, “I think the jawbreaker might be the perfect Candy. It's sweet, but destructive. It's got a tough exterior and takes you a while to break it all down. But you're not a jawbreaker are you Candy?”

She pauses for a short moment

“You might be sweet but your last week and brittle as the rest of this Candy.” she said "I'm going to have so much fun with you, so many choices. Do I actually throw you in the crab pit? Or do I change it to scorpions? or maybe ants? Perhaps I just beat you senseless with my jawbreaker sock.”

Her words come almost gleefully and she spins the jawbreaker sock around a little bit more.

“I might just come up with new plans altogether before our little dance in the sand.” said Victoria “Or I might just do all of it. All I'm concerned about is making sure I am the purveyor of your destruction, all I'm concerned about is walking out with the victory. Nothing nice is coming your way Candy. Considering this is a warning. Your best bet would be to run away, because if you choose to enter the Lyons Den and dance in the sand with me, then you had best….be prepared.”

She winks to the camera and starts laughing while swinging around the jawbreaker sock and smashing some of the candy around her beneath her feet gleefully as everything fades to black.

__________

Victoria looked across the room of her Monaco hotel at her brother Vincent who had been staring at his new championship silently for some time.

“I just realized..” she said “I never congratulated you on your championship victory. So congratulations dear brother.”

Vincent sighed and shook his head not turning to look at her, his eyes still fixated on his championship.

“Wasn't a victory.“ he muttered

Victoria nodded to herself she knew what he meant.

“Look it doesn't matter now how it happened.” Victoria said “Whatever happened with Guy and everything, none of it affects you and none of it affects the Lyons Den.”

“It was just handed to me.” Vincent muttered again

“Because you are the best man for that championship now.” she said “That's why. Don't worry about the how , just worry about the now. You are a champion because nobody else deserves it like you do.”

Vincent shook his head and looked back at her.

“No.” he said “I haven't earned shit. I don't deserve this championship. Not yet. But it's not in my nature to just give it up either. I'm sorry Victoria, but you can't help me with this but I think I know who can.”

“Oh.” Victoria said curiously “and who might that be?”

“Eddie.” he said “He always knows the right thing to do.”

Without further word Vincent grabbed his championship, slung it over his shoulder and with a nod at her, he left the room. Victoria watched him until she heard the door click shut behind him.

“I hope Eddie has the answers you need brother.” she said to herself.

With a sigh, she stood up and walked over to a nearby vanity and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

“And what does the future hold for you?” she said “The easy answer of course is the Bombshell World Championship. How you're going to waltz right through Bella and Alexandra, take Kayla's championship, change the narrative and go on to face Andrea Hernandez instead.”

She laughs slightly to herself.

“But nothing's that easy is it?” she said “Through it all you know what both Alexandra and Bella are capable of. You've gone to war with both of them, and you know they were some of the toughest wars you've ever been in.”

Of course she is still herself and that cocky grin appears on her face.

“But as tough as those wars were.” she said “Who came out on top every time? You did. Alexandra and Bella have given you some of the best fights of your life, it's true, but they haven't beaten you. There's no reason for you to let that start now.”

Through a sigh, her expression changes to one that looks slightly uncomfortable.

“But even if you do win, then what?" she said “You have to face Kayla Richards and you know who hasn't beaten Kayla Richards? YOU. You know who Kayla Richards has beaten? YOU.”

She growls slightly accepting an uncomfortable truth.

“So how are you spinning that narrative?" she said “Oh right! You won the mixed tag titles from her and Finn!”

She shakes her head.

“Wrong again.” she said “Eddie won those belts for the two of you, and you know who lost them for the two of you? You did. As dominant as you were in your first year, there's still one woman that's always been better at each and every turn and that's Kayla Richards.”

She nods to herself.

"What you need to do is change the narrative." she said "Kayla Richards has been calling for a new contender and even said she'd rather it be you than Andrea. How about we give her what she wants? Let's change the narrative and become the wrench in the works that Kayla nor Andrea were ready for.”

With a confident nod she laughs a bit to herself before moving back to relax on her comfy hotel bed.

__________

The cameras open in a smooth Velvet Lounge dimly lit with some soft jazz music fill in the air as they find Victoria Lyons with a glass of red wine sitting at a big comfy lounge chair. She looks at both shoulders and then touches the top of her head and shrugs.

“I suppose this makes both of you happy.” said Victoria “To see this to see me with nothing, no championship, no crown, just me.”

She pauses for a moment once again looking at her empty shoulder.

"This is the image you always wanted to see isn't it?" she said "You wanted to see me fall everybody's been waiting for Victoria's fall from grace.”

She shakes her head with a slight laugh to herself.

“Well laugh it up ladies.” she said “Enjoy it while it lasts, because it won't last long now that I've been given a goal, and that goal leads me straight to the Bombshell World Championship.”

She takes another short pause, her eyes still lingering at the camera.

“I mean I may have nothing." she said “But neither do the two of you.  In my record-breaking championship reign, both of you failed to be the one to succeed me. Harper Mason was the one who had what it took and that's because of the drive that I instilled in her mind. So while I reigned what were the two of you doing?”

She pauses looking into the camera wide-eyed like she's Dora the Explorer waiting for a response.

“How about you Alexandra?” she said “You came at me a couple times and couldn't get the championship from me. I will give you credit however, you did prove yourself a queenslayer when you burned my throne and then took the crown. You ended my reign as queen and I didn't really see it coming. I was truly expecting a more physical encounter if I were to lose my crown, but you played it smart and you didn't even need to fight me to end my reign as queen.  Very impressive indeed. “

She sips her wine and gives a nod to the camera with a tip of the glass.

"But as impressive as it was that didn't make you a champion." she said "And you're still out there chasing championships. Do you know why? Because something about you in SCW just seems softer. The Alexandra Calaway that I see teaming with my cousin in PWS is a completely different animal.  That Alexandra Calaway is a champion.  That Alexandra Calaway wants nothing but destruction.  That Alexandra Calaway along with my cousin Alexander beat the shit out of Bella Madison's husband in PWS. I thought you and Bella were friends I wonder how that makes Bella feel?”

She laughs to herself with a wink.

“So why are you softer in SCW?” Victoria said raising an eyebrow “I think the common denominator is Alexander. He's not here with you in SCW, so you stick around LJ and that's what makes you weaker. With LJ you're worried too much about being a loving girlfriend and having a happy little relationship. But when you're with Alexander there's no romance involved, just destruction.  Just the two of you causing chaos. That's the Alexandra Calaway you need to bring, not the cute little loving girlfriend of LJ Kasey. Because if you don't, well then you're just making my job that much easier.”

She takes another sip of wine keeping her relaxed posture.

“And what about you Bella?” Victoria said "You actually did manage to become a champion after I defeated you. But instead of holding on to it month after month like I did, you decided to take the Internet Championship and begin a game of hot potato. You won the title then you lost to Aleesha, then you won it back, then Mercedes Vargas won it, then Lilith Locke won it, then Mercedes won it back again. Maybe you should try holding the championship for longer than a couple months. Try a year, that's how I did it.”

There's that arrogant smirk on her face again.

“It's no wonder this match came about either.” she said “After Kayla Richards expressed her displeasure about her next contender on X. But she gets her wish now, she'll have to defend against one of us before she even gets to Andrea Hernandez and I'm sure Andrea is going to be watching everything closely as well.”

Victoria takes a short pause and a sip of wine.

“You're going to be in that lounge with a very different Victoria than you remember from our past encounters.” she continued “I was satisfied, content, had everything the last time I faced either of you. Now I have nothing which means I'm hungry and I need that hunger to be satisfied. You are nothing more than obstacles in my way of fulfilling the ultimate hunger and becoming the Bombshell World Champion.”

She smirks confidently through another sip of wine.

“This is going to be where everyone learns that Victoria Lyons doesn't fall from grace.” she said “Victoria Lyons rises through it and becomes stronger and more dangerous than she was before. What? Did you think it was the end of me because I lost the Bombshell Roulette Championship?”

She faints tears with the mock crying motion.

“If that's what you think.” she said “Then you really don't know who Victoria Lyons is at all. Because she's only just begun. The Bombshell Roulette Championship was only the first chapter in a much longer story. I made my mark as the longest reigning and greatest Bombshell Roulette Champion of all time.”

She lifts her glass and drinks down the remaining contents.

“The entire game is about to change now that I have arrived in the world title scene.” she said “I know it's the arrival everybody's been waiting for, everybody's wondering when I would begin to make moves toward the Bombshell World Championship. The truth is I've always been ready. But I was busy.  I had the Roulette Championship to worry about. But now I trust in the good hands of Harper Mason that she will be a perfectly fine champion, not as good as I was of course but a perfectly fine champion nonetheless.”

She laughs to herself with an arrogant grin.

“But now it's time to give the people what they want.” she said “And they want Victoria Lyons as the Bombshell World Champion whether they want to admit it or not. Everybody knows the best thing for this company is that belt around my waist and I will stop at nothing to give them what they want.”

She pauses shortly.

“My time is coming.” she said "I will be on top again and the rest of you had better…”

“Be Prepared.”

She nods confidently at the camera and rises from her seat walking off with style and grace as the scene fades out black.

__________

Victoria walked through the halls of the Monaco Convention Center this was to be at one another one of those promotional appearances. She was going to have to sit at a table sign autographs and smile for photo ops.

She was never really a fan of when she was chosen to do these but contractual obligations required such of the SCW superstars at times, she could do nothing but grit her teeth and get it out the way.

She meant to pay no mind to the three girls dressed in various SCW t-shirts chatting amongst themselves, and the classic sunglasses/ball cap disguise did well to hide her face from the fans.

Then she heard words exit one of their lips that she couldn't ignore.

“Victoria Lyons.” the one wearing sunglasses said.

That stopped Victoria dead in her tracks and she moved to lean against a nearby wall hiding her face as though she were just doom scrolling her phone but she was listening, listening to every word.

“She peaked in the roulette division” sunglasses continued “and Harper Mason exposed her.”

“Yeah I was really getting tired of her.” said one in a Kayla Richards t-shirt “Kayla Richards had a better reign anyway. With Victoria it was just like hey we've got Kayla Richards at home.”

The trio laughed.

“She thought she was so untouchable.” said the third one with the ponytail “Now she's just another Bombshell.”

They laughed again and then continued about their way. Victoria stayed at her post saying nothing. She let herself feel the weight of the words those girls were saying. Maybe they bothered her a little bit but she knew she could prove them wrong and when Violent Conduct rolled around, and she walked in as the Bombshell World Champion, nobody would deny her again.

She stepped away from the wall and continued her way towards the signing room, where she would be forced to interact with some members of the SCW universe.

___________

sign.
smile.
pose.
sign.
smile.
pose.

This was the stale routine that Victoria had fallen into. Another fan sent forward from the line.

sign.
smile.
pose.

And another fan sent on their way.

A small group came next and her interest perked. It was them. Sunglasses, Kayla Shirt and Ponytail.

“Oh my gosh.” Sunglasses said.  “We are such big fans. Your reign as Bombshell Roulette Championship was nothing short of incredible.”

Victoria raised an eyebrow curiously.

“I really liked your Barbed Wire Massacre with Bella Madison at last year's Violent Conduct.” said Ponytail.”

“Yeah my favorite was the High Stakes Marathon with Luna at High Stakes.” said Kayla t-shirt

Were these girls serious? Earlier they were trashing her, now here they were eager to get their little pictures signed and even prepping for a photo op.

She knew it should bother her and she should say something, maybe question why she's wearing a Kayla Richards shirt and not a Victoria Lyons shirt but she was trying to keep her focus correct. She could feel that World Bombshell Championship just within her grasp and she wasn't going to let this gaggle of fake bitches to cause her to lose focus.

sign.
smile.
pose.

With a smile just as fake as the girls themselves Victoria thanked them and off they went as another fan was called up. Well at least this one was wearing a Victoria Lyons t-shirt.

“They're just going to sell all those pictures you signed on eBay.” she commented as she walked up “I overheard them in line.”

“Then let them.“ Victoria said “At the end of the day they're still profiting off of my name.”

“I guess that's true.” the fan said “It still feels a bit insulting to your real fans.”

…Real fans? Victoria gave a curious look as the words entered her ears.

“What you think you don't have fans?” the girl said. “You held the Bombshell Roulette Championship for a year and took no prisoners. Some of us were inspired by that.”

“Is that right?” said Victoria “Well thank you. Sorry I never got your name.”

“Stacy.” the girl replied.

“Well it's nice to meet you Stacy.” Victoria said “I'm….”

“Victoria Cadney Lyons.” Stacy said with a smile. “Named after your mother's two best friends Victoria Crawford and Cadney Nyyushiin.  That's Cadney not candy. You are exactly thirty-seven seconds older than your brother Vincent, and the two of you are actually born in different years due to your mom giving birth just around midnight on New Year's Eve. You were class president in high school and your favorite band is Blink-182.”

“Well yes that's all correct.” Victoria replied.

“I told you you have real fans.” said Stacy. “I won't lie I didn't like you at first but watching you carry yourself like a champion and take on all comers for a year you turned me around and made me a fan. I know some still don't like you but there's those of us that understand you're just standing your ground".

“I appreciate that Stacy.” Victoria said.

“Good luck in your match.” Stacy said “I'll be rooting for you, and I hope you become the Bombshell World Champion because you deserve it.”

Stacy's words were motivational to Victoria, and she was going to do this for her fans she couldn't be concerned about what any of the other fake fans thought she had her own, and as she was making a shift from deplorable cunt to annoying bitch, it was good to know that there were people out there who supported her.

Victoria then caught sight of one of the workers giving her a look and tapping their wrist.

sign.
smile.
pose.

“You have a good day Stacy.” Victoria said has the workers ushered Stacy away to push forward for the next fan who said nothing exciting, not even hello. He just pushed another promotional picture right in front of Victoria.

sign.
smile.
pose.

The routine was back on, but at least Victoria had a new motivation. She was gaining fans? Who would have thought it?  Now she had even more reason to bring home the Bombshell World Championship.

Until then.

sign.
smile.
pose.

__________

The lights of Monaco sprawled on behind her as the cameras opened with Victoria on her hotel balcony. She seems relaxed yet still has that aura of confidence about her.

“You know ladies.” she said “There is something I've been wondering about our match. I'm wondering about a little thing called hesitation. “

She pauses for a moment stroking her chin.

"Not by me of course." Victoria said "Because I won't hesitate. But what about the two of you? Will your friendship get in the way? I understand you both have respect for each other, and I'm sure you'll even be fine getting aggressive against each other if you need to. But how aggressive are you willing to get with one another?”

There's that smirk everyone's grown to love.

“If one of you has the other down, and can deliver the killshot will you take it? Or will you hesitate, even if just for a moment and then take it?” Victoria said. “For your sake it should be the former because, if you hesitate even for a second I am going to capitalize. You want me to be honest? I respect both of you as competitors but I don't like either one of you and I certainly  don't give a shit about either one of you.”


“And don't think I'm not ready for the possible double team. “ Victoria said “I'm not stupid. I held a championship for a year. I'm well aware that the two of you could be concocting the strategy to take me out, and then fight amongst yourselves. You don't think I'm ready for that? So if that's your strategy, then I dare you to go ahead and try it. The two of you would need to team up on me anyway, since neither of you could beat me one on one.”

She's still keeping that look of arrogance about her.

“That's the thing about friends in this business and why I choose not to have too many.” she said “They can slow you down, they can make you hesitate and I don't need any sort of distractions on my path to greatness.”

She takes a short pause letting her words linger.

“And if we're being honest ladies.” Victoria continued “This is the match everybody wants. They want Kayla Richards against Victoria Lyons with the World Bombshell Championship on the line. They've wanted it for a long time. I was just too busy defending a championship of my own but now the time has come.”

She grins.

“Everybody knows I'm the one to watch now.” Victoria continued “Ever since it became clear my reign as Bombshell Roulette Champion was going to be more than just an ordinary reign.  Everyone has been waiting to see me step up to the next level. What they're going to find out is I've always been on the top level this entire time.”

She takes a short pause again.

“It's time to change the narrative ladies.” Victoria said keeping the smirk on her face “And that means me going into Violent Conduct as your Bombshell World Champion. If either of you want to have a chance at stopping me from challenging Kayla Richards,  then…… Don't hesitate.”

She winks keeping her arrogant gaze on the camera letting everything fade to black.

She was coming up on an entire year as the bombshell roulette champion, putting her among other long reigning champions like Finn Whelan and J2H.

But there was still those doubters out there. Those who claim she had it easy or that her championship was no more than a paperweight.

All lies and fabrications of those who just couldn't admit the truth that Victoria Lyons operated on a level that most of the Bombshells were not ready for.  Certainly not Harper Mason.

It wasn't easy when she pulled the championship from the clutches of Alexandra Calaway.

It wasn't easy when Luna Pasilno came not just for the championship but for blood as well.

It wasn't easy when Bella Madison came at her full of the fire and energy that Bella is known for.

Mercedes Vargas, Bobbie Dahl and Alicia Lukas never made it easy.

It wasn't easy when Alexandra Calaway came knocking again.

It wasn't easy when Christian Underwood pulled the rug from underneath her in the Queen's Gambit.

But Victoria had survived them all and she remained the Bombshell Roulette Champion. Harper Mason was becoming quite stubborn in her mind, she had already failed twice to capture the championship from Victoria and the third time certainly wasn't going to be the charm.  Not if Victoria had anything to say about it.

In fact she was ready to remain champion for another year if she had to.

At this point who was going to stop her?

Certainly not Harper Mason.
___________


Everyone has moments that stay with them. Moments they don't forget, perhaps because they got something they wanted or perhaps because they didn't get something they wanted.  Victoria Lyons remembered one of the moments that she didn't and it was the night of her senior prom.

Her and Vincent had both grown quite popular over the years in school, their family was known in the area and they both were seen as two of the most popular kids in school.

For Vincent it was athletics which meant captain of the wrestling team of course, as well as a starter on the football team. He had the respect of all his peers.

Victoria had been part of the leadership team and was even made class president.

She was a shoe in for prom queen, and the whole school knew it.

The sounds of “Rockstar” by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage faded out, Victoria stood among her fellow classmates as Dean Sanderson stepped up to the stage to announce the prom king and queen.

He went through the usual formalities, talked about what a great year they had and how everybody had such  bright futures ahead of them, and he wished all the seniors well in their upcoming years of life, the typical take life by the horns speech, before making the announcements.

Timothy Duncan won Prom King because of course he did. That came as no surprise to anyone but rather it was the next announcement that did.

“And the winner of your Myers Park High 2018 prom queen is…” Dean Sanders began “Monica Saperstein!”

There was a hush over a crowd before the applause came in as vice president Monica Saperstein took the stage to accept her crown.

Victoria smiled up at her the two of them had worked hard this year organizing all the different events dances including this very prom this was a time when she was a different person and she was very happy for Monica.

“Oh wow I didn't expect this.” Monica began “Thank you so much everybody I couldn't have done it without you, but the one person I really couldn't have done it without is Victoria Lyons. Her and I made a great team this year and it was under her leadership that I was really able to find myself. So Victoria I say thank you for a great year and thank you for being a leader you are the best.”

Victoria looked at her from the crowd and nodded and gave her a thumbs up and clapped showing her respect with a smile this was Monica's moment and Victoria couldn't be more proud.

That crown wasn't to be hers but she knew she would find her own someday.

…………
……….
…….
……
…
.

Victoria sits on the edge of her living room couch looking through her old high school yearbook running a finger across a picture of her and Monica Saperstein. What a team they had made that year and through Monica's own words it was because of Victoria that she won that crown.

She could have recreated that with Harper Mason and led Harper Mason to that great championship victory that she's been chasing for so long, but the world is full of stubborn people and Harper Mason was one of them.

She clasped the book closed and exhaled. Back then her feelings were genuine and the smile on the face of her and Monica in that picture was real.

All she wanted to do was lead she had been a leader her whole life but there's always people that refuse to embrace true leadership and that's the route Harper Mason chose.

Victoria was done giving Harper chances she had two chances to capture the Bombshell Roulette Championship and failed twice.

Being knocked out the first time must have made her completely senseless, because the second time was apparently a suppose act of  cowardice on Victorias part, because Victoria did not pin Harper Mason in the Queen's Gambit.

Of course that is why Harper Mason would continue to fail and why she truly should have accepted Victoria's lessons. Victoria wasn't afraid she was simply smarter and understood the true objective and how to overcome the Queen's Gambit.

Summer XXXtreme aboard the Princess Cruise would be Harper Mason's final lesson,  and Victoria was ready to make sure she had chosen her leadership all along.

___________

The cameras open with a clearly photoshopped image of Victoria Lyons and Harper Mason standing over the fallen body of Cassie Wolfe. I want to give you guys bloodied and laid out with Harper resting her foot on Cassie's prone body, raising her arm in the air Victoria standing alongside her.

“This is what could have been Harper.” the voice of Victoria Lyons cut through “But you chose to remain defiant. Oh what could have been.”

The image gives way to flame, revealing another photoshopped image of Harper Mason standing over the fallen bloodied body of Bella Madison. The internet Championship raised high above her head.

“This could have been real.” Victoria's voice cut through again “But you chose defiance and Mercedes Vargas reaped the benefits instead. Now Mercedes is a champion and you're not.”

The image gives way to flame to reveal the face of Victoria Lyons amidst fog and darkness shrouded by the moonlight.

“You have no idea Harper.” Victoria said “You have no idea the things I can guide people to. It seems nobody around this company does because despite the fact that I have held this championship for damn close to a year now people still choose to disrespect me.”

She scoffs shaking her head.

“Why because I say mean things about the people they like?” she hissed. “Because I speak the truth? Isn't there something about not being cocky if you back it up and have I not backed it up for an entire year?”

She pauses for a moment letting the words linger about.

“And there've been those who have gotten the better of me”, said Victoria “But did I not show some respect after they did? Did I not show some respect to Kayla Richards? To Luna? To Andrea Hernandez? I gave Lillith Locke and Frankie Holliday their flowers after they were able to defeat me. But because I didn't go out bowing before them or anything all that goes I noticed by everybody.”

She exhales heavily.

“Is it because I kept the crown and called myself Queen for a year?” she said “Because again I earned my right to be. Don't any of you act like you weren't entertained. I know all of you are out there wishing you still had me as your queen because I made that shit interesting.”

She takes another pause, her eyes not wavering from the camera.

“Your entire problem Harper....” Victoria said “...Is this hero complex of yours. The world needs a hero and her name is Harper Mason! That's your mantra right?”

Victoria shakes her head with a laugh.

“The world doesn't need heroes.” Victoria said “The world needs winners. People who aren't out to impress anybody. People that aren't going to answer to anybody but themselves. You are too concerned about what the fans and everybody else think of you and that's what's holding you back Harper. Like me, hate me, I couldn't care less. I haven't held this championship for a year by giving a damn what anybody thinks about me, and I damn sure didn't do it by trying to be anybody's hero.”

She holds out her Bombshell Roulette Championship before resting it back on her shoulder.

“You've had yourself a fun little run over the past few weeks.”  said Victoria “And I'm sure your confidence is riding high. But I must remind you this time it's going to be just you and I in that ring. There will be no Cassie Wolfe to have your back and there will be no Kate Steele to come buzzing around like a fly and ruin things. Just you and I sweetheart exactly how you wanted it.”

She laughs to herself.

“That's the best part you'll have nobody to blame but yourself” said Victoria. “Just like you have nobody to blame for yourself for your failures against Bella Madison. What did you do after? You chose to come after me. Why didn't you choose to go after Kayla Richards? Are you afraid of Kayla Richards?”

She raises an eyebrow.

“You're the one that said I'm swimming in the kiddie pool because I'm afraid to go after Kayla or Bella or I guess now it would be Mercedes.” Victoria said “So why did you choose to step back into the kiddie pool? Why didn't you choose to go after our Bombshell World Champion? I have a championship, that's my excuse, but I sure would love to hear yours.”

Victoria pauses for a moment.

“I assure you my division is no kiddie pool.” said Victoria “I have turned it into a shark tank, and if you think I'm a lesser champion than Kayla or Bella or Mercedes or anybody else you're about to find out what all my opponents over the past year I have found out the undeniable truth that Victoria Lyons like it or not is the real deal, and there's nothing they can do about it.”

She smirks confidently looking proudly at her championship.

“Rue and I are ready to celebrate our one year anniversary.” Victoria said “And you are not going to be able to take that from us. Just like last year I will walk into the Princess Cruise as champion, and I will walk out as champion. Sure Harper, one day there will be someone to pry this from my grasp and then I can set my sights on the Internet or World Bombshells championships, but until then someone's going to have to prove that they're good enough to take this from me. Because if you're going to be my successor, you're going to do it right and I can tell you right now the one to succeed me certainly isn't going to be Harper Mason.”

Her eyebrows furrow as she continues.

“You chose not to fight by my side.“ said Victoria "But after Summer XXXtreme, you're going to wish you had.”

She smirks confidently and rests her eerie gaze on the camera until the scene fades to black.

__________

Victoria was seated in the Patio Lounge area on the Lyons estate when Vincent approached her. She held a photo in her hand, an old one from high school it was her and her three best friends. The four of them were the Myers Park “It girl” squad. Victoria Monica Rachel and Jasmine.

“What you looking at Vicks?” Vincent said on his approach.

"Just an old photo." she said "The girls and I back in the day."

“The Queens of Myers Park?” he said with an eyebrow raised and a slight smile. “You four made quite the team.”

“We sure did.” said Victoria smiling has she set the picture down “We ran that school and everybody loved us.”

“Didn't Rachel and Charlie go to prom together?” Vincent asked.

“They did.” said Victoria looking him in the eyes “But remember, we weren't going to discuss Charlie anymore because everything about the island needs to be put behind you.”

“I know..” said Vincent “I was just saying..”

“Vincent..” said Victoria “It's time to forget the island. Continuing to let its memory haunt you will only hold you back. It's time to let it go.”

“Yeah I know..” said Vincent sorry.

“It's okay Vincent, don't worry about it.” she said.

“So why are you looking at a picture of the ol’ Myer Park Elite?” Vincent asked

“Maybe I'm just getting caught up in my own past memories too.” said Victoria “But I kind of miss this, you know? We all went our separate ways after high school and I don't know what became of the girls, but I miss being part of a badass take no nonsense girl squad.”

“Is this about Harper rejecting you?” said Vincent.

“I just wanted to help.” said Victoria “That's all I wanted to do Vincent, lead. But nobody will let me. It could have started with Harper and then more could have followed and I could have led another bad ass girl squad that could have taken over SCW but nobody wants to accept actual leadership.”

“Sounds like their loss to me sis.” said Vincent trying to reassure her.

“I thought maybe I could build something again with Harper.” Victoria said “Pull her out of the hero complex that holds people like her and Eddie back. but it's like they don't want to listen to the success that's right in front of their face, because in their own arrogance they think they're somehow better than me.”

“Then show them that they're not.” said Vincent.

“That's what I've been doing.” said Victoria “Yet, it still doesn't seem enough for them I still don't get enough of the respect that I deserve I don't get the praise or the adulation that I've earned for making the Bombshell Roulette Championship mean something again.”

“Well I'll always be in your corner.” Vincent reminded her.

“I know Vin.” she said “I know.”

“And if they're getting mad at you for having to stranglehold on the Bombshell Roulette Division..” said Vincent “Then they need to find somebody that can do something about it.”

“Well that was Harper Mason's complaint.” said Victoria “So she's going to try but like everyone before her her efforts are going to be in vain.”

“Of course they are.” agreed Vincent, “Just like I will finished Jaden Harris now that he has that false sense of security in his head.”

“That's my little brother.” Victoria said with a laugh.

She looked back down at the picture of her and her old squad with a smile she was a different person then but she was still the leader of the group because that's what she was born to be.

__________

Black, that’s all that can be seen as the cameras open, the only sound comes from distorted audio clips of Victoria's past opponents, each of their faces flashing on screen with X’s on their eyes, as their voice is heard.

“Do you remember what it felt like when you first realized you were afraid of me, Victoria? Not just wary. Not just cautious. But afraid?.-Alexandra Calaway

“You want a war, Queenie? You’ve got one. But remember this—when you step into that ring with me, it’s not about survival. It’s about destruction. It’s about who can endure the most punishment. And Victoria, I promise you, I’m willing to bleed for this. Are you?” -Bella Madison

"You've been riding high on that overinflated ego of yours for far too long. I'm going to puncture it, deflate it, and leave it in tatters. They say history is written by the victors. Well, I'm about to write you out of the history books entirely. Your chapter in this company is coming to an abrupt and painful end.” -Mercedes Vargas

“It doesn’t matter the stipulation, it doesn’t matter where fate takes us. The end will always be the same when it comes down to you and me, Victoria. You’re going to lose, and I’m going to relish in the tears. I’m going to relish in knowing you’ll be wallowing in your own self-pity. Your own self-doubt. Your own self-hatred. I’m going to drink in the tears and pain, and know.” -Luna Pasilno

“I just hope the wheel gives me the opportunity to pin Victoria so I can have some bragging rights. Because knowing her? She’ll cry foul if she isn’t the one to lose the title herself. That’s the thing about Triple Threat matches, ya know? But that is exactly why I am determined to prove myself better than Victoria, because how else could I claim to deserve the title if I don’t beat the best?” -Bobbie Dahl

“You see Victoria has fallen into the same trap that I fell into. She is talking about how everything that I’ve done was in the past and now it is her time and the future of the company. And in a way she’s right. Trust me Victoria you are completely correct. You are the present when it comes to this company and the Roulette division and you could also step up and be a bombshells world champion.” -Alicia Lukas

“Victoria—that name, that title—you wear it like armor made of mirrors. Polished. Pretty. Reflective. But easily destroyed.” -Lilith Locke

“Lyons can talk about dominance. Mason can talk about respect. And after this match? They can keep talking. Because I’ll keep winning. And when Into the Void IX is over? I won’t be looking up at anyone. I’ll be standing—with championship gold in hand”. -Song

“I don’t drop the ball this time because I am leaving Tokyo with the Bombshell Roulette Title, sorry Victoria but the fans are tired of you already and it’s time some fresher blood held that title! - Harper Mason

The blackness fades open on Victoria Lyons, with her Bombshell Roulette Championship.
She sits on a bench behind her you could see the decor of the decaying flowers and twisted brambles.

“Do you hear them Harper?” said Victoria “Do you hear the echoes of the ghosts? The ones who tried before and were made to eat their own words?”

She grins arrogantly.

“That includes you Harper.” said Victoria “And you failed to capture this championship twice. So what makes you think you deserve a third opportunity? Do you think you're better than all these other women? Are these the ones that I've been swimming in the kiddie pool with? I mean that seems to imply I've had it easy does it not? Please tell me, who are these kids I'm supposed to be swimming with? Swim with the real sharks? What makes any of them not what you consider a "real shark?" ”

She cocks an eyebrow and grins.

“Because if that's what they are.” said Victoria “Then what does that say about your opinion of them? Were none of them real competition? Why don't you go tell Bella Madison that she wasn't real competition when I defended this against her? Why don't you tell that to Alexandra Calaway who I won this championship from? Why don't you be the one to tell Luna Pasilno that she was easy competition for me? I don't think someone like Lilith Locke would appreciate being referred to as easy competition from the kiddie pool. Neither would Mercedes Vargas, Alicia Lukas, Bobbie Dahl or any of the others that I fought to defend this championship against.”

She pauses again for a moment.

“You should apologize to all those women.” she said. “Apologize for the implication that they were lesser competition in any way. You're the one that said I'm a shark swimming in a kiddie pool, not me. I may have said harsh words about them going into our matches but they were all fine competition…. of course I still proved to better.”

She laughed again always topping off any words of respect with that sprinkle of arrogance.

“Of course you'll make excuses," said Victoria. "You'll say I'm twisting your words,  this and that but you know what you said and you know what you meant. You do think you're better than all those other women that's why you're so insistent that you will be the one to end my reign and do what they couldn't. The problem is you won't admit it to yourself and that's what holds you back.“

She pauses for a moment.

“Do I think that I'm better than all those women?” Victoria said with a smirk “Yes. I absolutely do, but I've also beaten all of those women so I would argue I have a right to say that, and if they have a problem with it then they can come and try to do something about it.”

She stares daggers into the camera as if begging someone to try.

“You're getting the fight you wanted Harper.” said Victoria “But don't think this is going to be some third times the charm for you, because it's going to be the exact opposite. I'm going to put an end to you and end this little heroes facade once and for all. Because in this case Harper it'll be three strikes and you're out.”

She laughs again and smirks confidently into the camera, the Bombshell Roulette Championship proudly resting on her shoulder as everything fades to black.

_________

There was a thick almost sacred silence around Victoria. No fanfare, no roulette wheel, no pyrotechnics. Just the faint hum of the air conditioner cutting through the stillness of her private home on the Lyons family estate.
 
She stared at the Bombshell Roulette Championship laid across her coffee table like a devoted acolyte gazing upon their god. This was what they couldn't take from her. Try as they might her Sweet Rue was still polished and perfect as it lay in the glow of the dimly lit lamp.

They had been together for over three hundred days. A couple months shy of a year. The longest reign in the history of the Bombshell Roulette Division. All the battles, all the challengers, all the blood, and still this this was what they couldn't pry from her. The Bombshell Roulette Championship was her true constant.

But they still dare call someone else queen.

Her hand clenched into a tight fist, she scowled and her lip quivered. It was like she could smell the fire. Smoke and burning velvet, the splintering wood from her throne being engulfed in flames during her war with Alexandra Calaway. The one they now called queen.

The Queen for a day.

She exhaled, and a laugh almost escaped her lips as she unclenched her fist. It was a cute game Alexandra was playing. Win a match ,take the crown and now she gets to play god with the SCW roster for twenty-four hour. Of course she calls upon Victoria. The now deposed queen.

She didn't do it to elevate the division, or because she felt it was best for business. She wanted to poke the lioness. Victoria knew why. It was because deep down Alexandra knew the truth that Victoria wasn't just a queen, and she wasn't just a champion, she was a force of nature caged by the illusion of civility.

Alexandra can have her day. She could  prance around feeding matches into the SCW engine like they were offerings to Alexandra's own vanity.

Alexandra burned the throne and they gave her the crown. But she didn't kill the queen, she only awoke something worse.

Her eyes drifted back down to her Sweet Rue. She reached out and ran her fingertips across it in a gentle, maternal fashion.  Rue was the thing that still made sense to her in a world that kept lying pretending she lost something.

She had lost nothing. She had transcended.

She wore the crown for a year because she was worthy of doing so, and her lengthy record-breaking reign as Bombshell Roulette Champion proved it.

Maybe it was time for her to ascend.

Maybe she was ready to be more than a queen.

Maybe she was ready to become a goddess.

She could feel some laughter bubbling up, twisted by something underneath, it felt pleasing as it pushed up and escaped her lips.

She would play this new Queen's game, and she would welcome Frankie Holliday to the big leagues of SCW.

Frankie Holliday, a new toy brought in from the void and the winner of the Bombshell Blast from the Past tournament. The future challenger to Kayla Richards and the Bombshell World Championship. It would seem SCW is already anointing her as a golden girl in the making, or perhaps another sacrifice.

She wasn't angry at Frankie. She had no reason to be, in fact she was rather intrigued. There was there was something about Frankie and and the aura surrounding her. Victoria could recognize it.

Frankie wasn't someone who screamed naive like that wide-eyed hopeful little girl named Harper Mason. There was something older in Frankie's eyes something that told Victoria she had seen things. What those things may be Victoria couldn't tell but it was enough for her to know that Frankie was not to be treated like a child wandering into the lion's den.

That meant Frankie would get the real thing. The weight of everything Victoria had become, the queen for a year, the record-breaker, one of the most dominant bombshells SCW had to offer, wether they liked it or not.

Frankie had done well to win the blast from the past tournament. Victoria couldn’t deny that, but she had been playing with children. Now it was time for Victoria to test to see if Frankie really was ready to play with the big girls. She didn’t have to like Kayla Richards to know what the Bombshell World Champion was capable of. Victoria knew the simple truth, while the entire division had varying degrees of talent, two names always seemed to rise above the rest. Victoria Lyons, and Kayla Richards.

So it was to be a royal street fight. Victoria imagined Alexandra thought she was real clever with that one. Another jab, another reminder that the crown that wasn’t  Victoria's anymore, but that was fine. Alexandra could lace it all in symbolism and watch the chaos from her temporary perch and smile. Victoria would smile back at her eternal rival, as she killed the momentum of her chosen hitwoman.

Frankie Holliday would be burned into memory, not because she hated Frankie but because it was time to remind everyone especially Alexandra Calaway that Victoria Lyons doesn't need a throne, and that she builds empires out of ashes.

She reached out and pulled her Sweet Rue off the table and held it to her chest like a mother embracing her child. She stood and walked over to the window looking at the world outside.

She had been queen for a year whether they liked it or not. They can throw around that it was only supposed to last a day all they want, but deep in their tiny little hearts they knew the truth. That nobody could wear the crown like she did. She made that shit look good, and she made it mean something. Now they all seemed pleased to relegate it back to a mere prop, after all she did to elevate the crown. It was disgraceful.

But now, Victoria was ready to become something else. Something untouchable, something eternal.

She was ready to ascend to goddess. The game would continue but it would be Victoria who would write the rules.[/i]

__________

The cameras open on blackness, but there's a low faint sound like a choir humming a funeral dirge in reverse and then the two golden slivers of Victoria Lyons eyes appear among the darkness as she speaks with a silky venom in her voice.

“A revolution requires sacrifice..” she said “That's what you said, isn't it Frankie? And you're absolutely right because now you are the sacrifice.”

From the darkness she fully emerges confident smirk on her face. Bombshell Roulette Championship probably displayed on her shoulder.  But now she is crownless, deposed by the higher authorities.

“It's not because you're unworthy. Oh no no no.” she said “You're talented, impressive even. I watched the whole Blast from the Past play out like a violent fairy tale, and you became a rising star born in a ring of fire, screaming truth into a void filled with rotted egos.”

With a smirk she nodded slightly at the camera.

“You spoke the truth to Mikah.” she continued “You spat in the face of manufactured royalty, and has someone who earned their crown and earned the right to call themselves queen, I loved it."

She pauses her aura becoming more sinister.

“But now..” she grins “Now the real test begins, because you're not checking off faded names for a highlight reel, oh no Frankie you're in the deep end now. You're not playing with the children anymore, you're stepping into the ring with me, so perhaps we should get properly acquainted."

She extends her hand out offering a handshake to the camera.

“My name is Victoria Lyons the current and longest reigning Bombshell Roulette Champion of all time and my career only started a year ago.” she said “I fought and I bled, and I smiled the entire time. I came in and I ripped this championship away from our little matchmaker Alexandra Calaway, our Queen for a Day. Let that sink in for a minute Frankie.”

Victoria paused keeping her gaze on the camera.

“She chose you.” Victoria continued “She chose you to fight me. But if you really think it's about showcasing you Frankie my dear, it's not.”

She paused shortly for a moment.

“She's using you.” Victoria said “She's parading you around like a shiny new toy hoping you'll play hit woman for her and be her pawn. Her chance to vicariously take another bite out of me. She's tried to take this championship back but she couldn't. She stole and burned my throne. My property, and now she's being rewarded with my crown. The one I wore for an entire year. She's just hoping you can get the job done for her. How does that make you feel? To know you’re just being used?”

She shakes her head slightly.

“I was proud to call myself Queen.” she continued “I wore that crown with pride and righteousness like it meant something. But now I see the truth. Queens fall and kingdom's crumble. But Goddesses? We endure.”

A confident but delusional smile grows on her face.

“You made your way through the blast from the past tournament with fire and force and declared yourself the future. That's something to be respected.” said Victoria “But you have to realize I'm what comes after the future. I am what remains.”

She pauses again for a beat as a fog creeps around her through the darkness almost shrouding her in its grasp.

“Don't go mistaking my respect for softness Frankie.” [/color]said Victoria “I do see something in you something sharp unsettling and familiar, the kind of recklessness that can't be taught and perhaps if the stars find another way in another time line I'd have taken you under my wing.”

She exhales softly

“Unfortunately you've been placed in my path and I have a point to prove.” said Victoria. “You have a lot of momentum behind you after winning the tournament, but momentum has a way of making you feel like you're meant for more. That nothing can stop you. You will face Kayla Richards. That can’t be taken from you, you earned that. But I'm here to kill your momentum.”

She smirks at the camera.

“So when you stumble into your match with Kayla, broken and unsure and the ghost of our match crawls down your spine and whispers at you that perhaps you're not good enough just as you're about to deliver the kill shot, you'll realize what I've done to you, and you'll realize that I'm no ordinary bombshell, I am an infection.” she continued

She laughed herself the smirk not wavering.

“I get inside your mind and rest behind your eyes.” said Victoria “Alexandra Calaway knows that. That's why she sent you, she wants me wounded. You're being used to settle an old score she's praying you can be the one to break me.”

Victoria takes a few steps slowly through the fog toward the camera.

“So no. This match is not going to be your next big moment Frankie.” said Victoria
“This is going to be your crucifixion. I promise you when that bell rings you'll be standing across from everything I used to be, everything they burned to the ground, and everything I'm becoming all at once.”

She continues her slow step toward the camera the fog thickening around her.

“This isn’t about retribution, or about gold, it's not even about Alexandra.” said Victoria “It's about evolution. My evolution, my rise from Queen to Goddess. You said you seek a revolution Frankie, but the thing about revolutions is they always start in blood and my dear yours is going to be the first to spill.”

The fog continues to thicken around her almost engulfing her completely her sinister gauge remaining on the camera and tell everything is completely shrouded in fog in the scene fades out to black.

_________

The old Greenhouse was forgotten not just neglected but forgotten over time buried on the Eastern edge of the Lions Family Estate like some secret they all agreed not to remember.

Nobody visited anymore no one spoke of it the path had become overgrown under weeds and Moss and it was only by Instinct that Victoria even founded again Guided by something more than just memory something woven into the bones of her being.

She felt like a trespasser has she stepped into the threshold the glass above had mostly shattered and Vines curled in from every corner like fingers reaching flying and consuming. The air was thick and damp with the scent of soil in old wood over something that was once beautiful and had now turned Wild.

The three of them used to play here once years ago her Vincent and Eddie. It had been so long that it felt like a different life but she remembered the sun flooding through the clean planes in the laughter that echoed throughout the high Dome ceiling like music back when the world felt huge and she didn't know yet what it meant to bleed for power.

Another world felt smaller sharper and hungrier. Fallen Twigs cracked beneath her boots has she moved deeper in to a rusted fountain in the center of the room empty and covered in Moss a spider had built its own Empire where water once rested.

Victoria smiled at the little spider empire.

She ran her fingers against the dry basin everything in here everything they had once planted had been left to choke or change it had become a tomb.

No… not a tomb this was a womb, a place where things were reborn. A carving in the Basin caught her eyes.

V.L.
V.L.J.
E.L.

The three of them had no idea what they would become she stared at they carved initials when the creek of old wood reached her ears. Without looking she knew who it was.

Vincent.

“I thought this place was gone.” he said approaching her.

“Not gone.” Victoria said softly “Just forgotten.”

She watched Vincent looked around the old Greenhouse.

“We used to call it the temple.” she said.

“I remember.” nodded Vincent.

They stood there in silence, Victoria letting her gaze wander. The old orchids were long dead, the roses had become brambles and the lilies were no more than ghosts. But even in the decay there was life, small green shoots pierced through the dead foliage here and there and moss bloomed like velvet on the stones.

“I don't think anyone's been here since we were kids.” said Vincent.

“Yeah I suppose no one had reason to” said Victoria “But I do now.”

“Why now?” asked Vincent eyebrow raised.

“I needed to see what happened to things that are left behind.” Victoria said “You know I used to think beauty meant something, that if you tended it long enough and gave it care it would reward you and it would stay.”

She wandered over and kneeled next to a rotted red planter box running her fingers over the brittle pieces of what could have been something beautiful.

“But it doesn't stay.” she said “It just waits for time, for rot, for someone to come back and see the truth.”

“And what's the truth?” asked Vincent.

“That nothing grows until something else dies.” she said turning to him “That's why Alexandra thinks she's won. She burned the throne. MY throne. She thinks burning my throne and carrying the crown means she's won. but all she did was make room for something worse.”

“So what happens next?” asked Vincent.

“I go out and I beat Frankie Holliday.” Victoria said simply “I remind everyone that crown, or no crown I am still one of the most feared and dominant Bombshells in SCW. I beat Frankie not because she deserves to lose, but because of the future wants to forget about people like me and I refuse to be forgotten.”

They stayed there a while longer surrounded by the ghosts of their childhood listening to the quiet they could both still see it, the kids they used to be running in circles through the wild green, Eddie may have taken his own road, but The Lyons Twins were still ready to burn kingdoms to the ground together.

__________

The cameras open at nightfall in the long abandoned Lyons family greenhouse, a single chair rests, surrounded by candles as Victoria Lyons sits with the Bombshell Roulette Championship displayed proudly on her shoulder.

The camera rests and she remains silent for a moment plucking a piece of ivy from the side of a broken pane.

“Funny how people always think they're in charge of their own story.” Victoria said with a soft but venomous tone “You win Blast from the Past get your hand raised, the confetti in the air, and you think you're the master of your own fate.”

She looks up to the camera with a sharp expression.

“But if you were really in control Frankie you wouldn't be facing me next would you?” Victoria said “You earned your shot at Kayla Richards fair and square, but before you can go after your prize you've been handed a detour, you've been pointed at me.”

A slow unamused smile unfurls on her face.

“And I want you to ask yourself one important question.” she said “Who benefits from that?”

She lets the question linger among the silence for a moment.

“It's not you, it's not me, and it's not Kayla Richards.” said Victoria ”It's Alexandra Calaway. She's got you doing her dirty work Frankie. She's the one playing general while you play soldier. You're the one being sent into the lion's den to try and soften me up. ”

She smirks and a quick laugh exit her lips.

“You didn't ask for this fight and you didn't need it.” said Victoria “But she booked it, not to honor your success but to weaponize it. You're a hitwoman Frankie, a bullet she's loading into the chamber and the second you misfire she'll pretend you were never even in the gun.”

She rises to her feet standing with poise and confidence.

“The truth is this division is full of jealous catty bitches.” said Victoria “They all want to believe they’re the heroine, the savior, but the truth is this division isn't some sort of fairytale. It's a graveyard of women who couldn't keep up with me.”

Her voice tightens becoming more lethal in tone.

“Selfish, jealous, and cutthroat.” she said “That's what this division is built on. The women who never gave me the credit I earned because I said the things they were too scared to admit. Because I refuse to play nice and I won't fake a smile for the camera and play their little politics.”

She takes a few steps closer to the camera.

“You're not just walking into a fight with me.” said Victoria “You're walking into a mirror and it's going to show you exactly what happens when you try to survive in a place that feeds on women like you.”

She pauses staring straight into the lens.

“You can't just beat Kayla Richards.” she said “Kayla is more venom than blood, and if you want her championship you're going to need something darker than determination. Something cold, something lethal.”

She pauses gracing her fingers slowly across her championship belt.

“I'm not here to break you Frankie.” said Victoria “I'm here to wake you up. I'm the only one in this division who will tell you the truth even when it cuts deep.”

She moves again taking a few steps forward almost too close.

“You're strong, you're proud, and you clawed your way through blast from the past to get here.” said Victoria “But if you want to stay here, if you want to leave a legacy that lasts you need to start moving like a threat.”

She pauses for a beat.

“Don't let people like Alexandra use you.” said Victoria “Don't let the division chew you up and spit out the parts that don't smile on cue. If you want Kayla's blood, you need to stop letting other people sharpen the knife.”

She exhales softly.

“You're walking into a den of liars.” said Victoria “But Frankie, I'm not one of them. I'm the only one who will tell you what the others are too scared to admit. I'm not looking for your friendship. I'm just giving you some friendly advice on how to survive around here. I just want to open your eyes to what the SCW Bombshell division really is. At the end of the day the choices you make will be yours alone but you really should…”

She pauses with a slow smug smile for me on her face.

“Trust me.”

Keeping the expression on her face she winks at the camera has everything fades out to black.

A fine cold rain streaked across the window has the city outside buzzed with the low muted energy but inside the hotel room there was a tension that could be cut with a knife.

Victoria paced, slow but with fury. Her bare feet soundless on the carpet, the Bombshell Roulette Championship laid across the bed just behind her.

Vincent stood at his favorite perch near the window watching. His silence wasn’t it new he rarely interrupted her storms, and the night after Climax Control was no different.[/i]

“It's something about this city….” said Victoria “The air is foul and damp I ccould feel it in my lungs the moment we landed. But they didn't want to hear anything about me feeling unwell, and now Lilith Locke pins me in some throwaway tag match and suddenly everybody's whispering that I’m slipping.”

She turned sharply toward Vincent.

“I'm not slipping Vincent.. I was ill..” she said “The Amsterdam air didn't agree with me, and Harper? Harper was too busy playing rebel child to follow simple instructions and let me lead her.”

Vincent said nothing but there was a slight twitch in his lip. He could hear her but his mind was focused on his own problems in particular The Execution of Jayden Harris…

“She's supposed to listen Harper Mason….” Victoria said “I gave her an opportunity I offered her elevation but she has this streak in her a defiant and ungrateful one maybe this Queens Gambit will teach her some manners. Sometimes tough love is the only kind that gets through.”

She turned away from Vincent as she drifted toward the dresser and looked at her reflection. Her eyes looked different they were sharper, perhaps hungrier, but not weak. Never weak.

She grabbed the Roulette Championship. Her “Sweet Rue” that had been with her for so long and cradled it like a wounded creature, or newborn baby.

“I legitimized this championship.” she said “I bled for it. Built my entire reign as queen around it. Now Christian Underwood pulls the rug from under me. Tricks me into defending MY championship in a fatal four-way. That smug little snake with his spreadsheets and coffee breath.”

She paused her eyes resting on her own reflection.

“He thinks I don't see the pattern. He thinks I don't see the coup that he's trying to create.” She said “They're trying to depose me Vincent, piece by piece. First Alexandra Calaway steals my throne and burns It to the ground, and now she gets paraded into the Queen for a Day match she can have the opportunity to take my crown as well? I swear if she wins….”

She turned away from her reflection and sat down on the corner of the bed setting the belt down next to her as she dug her nails into her palm with a restrained rage.

“And then there's the others…” she said “Crystal and Selena in the same ring that's not competition that's a duet. Cassie Wolfe once again taking opportunities that should go to Harper Mason. Then we got a couple of tryhards in Juliana Dimaria and Kat Jones. the whole lineup is a damn charity buffet and none deserve to wear the crown.”

She paused a soft exhale leaving her lips.

“They want me to crack. I can feel it.” she said “They want the queen to fall apart on camera so they can sweep up the pieces and turn me into a plot device for someone else's story.”

You picked up her championship again and move back to look at her reflection now with a smile and fire in her eyes.

“But there will be no fall.” she said “There will be a transformation they have no idea who they're dealing with. Let them crown their new queen. I'll be sure to be the first in line at her coronation. Let Harper try to take my championship. I'll show her what defiance earns. Let Lilith Locke continue to think her methods of madness are superior to mine, and let Song make her attempt to make herself relevant one last time.”

She turned and looked at Vincent again.

“They think I'm coming undone Vincent.” she said ”That all of this, the throne, the title, the new queen, that it's making me crack. But they can think whatever they want. I will remind them why my crown should never be touched. Why I should have been the final Queen for a Day winner last year. They should have retired the whole concept after I won it.  I feel we may be heading to war Vincent and it may be just us."

Finally Vincent spoke.

“Stronger together.” he said with a nod.

“Yes.” she said with a smile that matched his “Stronger together. Which reminds me, the mixed tag titles have been vacated, and I don't know what their plans are for those at this moment but it's something for us to keep our eyes on."

“They want war? Then war it shall be.” said Vincent.

Both of the twins had their own problems to deal with at Into The Void.  Vincent was looking to go further with his execution of Jayden Harris, while Victoria had not only  her “coup” to worry about, but a deposition as well, and a new Queen she would be ready to set her eyes on.

But there would be no deposition.

There would be no peaceful transfer of power.

She was in control.

_________

A fog rolls through a shadowed alley in Amsterdam the cobblestone underfoot still wet from the recent rain. An old street lamp casts its shadows, as a figure approaches cutting through the fog. It's Victoria Lyons.

She wears her Bombshell Roulette Championship proudly over her shoulder with sharp eyes, she's dressed in a long black coat as she stares directly into the camera poised but with a hint of madness hidden beneath her eyes.

“You want to put things into perspective Harper?" said Victoria “You want to analyze who gains the most from our tag match? That's the story you chose to tell, because you still don't understand that wrestling is more than just a series of numbers, vlogs and clever soundbites as you talk like you've already arrived.”

She shakes her head slightly.

“The problem is you haven't arrived Harper.” Victoria said “You were invited into the presence of royalty to be given a chance to arrive, and what do you do with that honor? You spit on it. You question it, and you doubt it. As if your rookie insight somehow carries any weight against my reality. Your little "what if I bailed on Victoria..” fantasy revealed just how unprepared you truly are to stand in front of the storm that's coming for you in Paris.”

She slowly walks forward through the fogged alley.

“Our match was no failure. It was a test.” she said “And I may have taken the pinfall which is only because the Amsterdam air did not agree with me and I was under the weather, but you Harper failed something more important than the actual pinfall".

Her voice starts to slip into a darker colder tone.

“You failed me.” she said “You were there to learn, to listen, and instead you defied you made that little Vlog of yours and made me sound like a joke like I was throwing names in a hat just improvising."

She scoffs with disgust.

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear Harper.” she said “Nothing I do with improvised. I chose Song and Lilith for a reason. I wanted to see how they’d react. I wanted to see if you'd hold position under pressure. All my decisions are made with the precision of a chessmaster but instead of standing by me and learning what was unfolding around you, you spend your time fantasizing about bailing out and riding solo.”

She smirks into her camera and her eyes glistened.

“That's why it's time for tough love.” she grinned “At Into The Void, we are not partners and you will not be protected. You will be staring across the ring with a different VIctoria Lyons. You'll be standing across from your reckoning, so before the final piece in the Queen's Gambit is played..”

She pauses for a moment.

“Let me give you one final piece of advice.” she continued “Don't ever assume that I'm not ten steps ahead of every little plan you think you're clever enough to plot. There's a reason I've held this roulette championship for over 300 days. Nobody can outplay the queen."

She exhales heavily.

“Now let's talk about you Song.” she continued.” You're supposed to be some methodical presence among the chaos, calculated and efficient. A “By the book warrior” so to speak.

She scoffs and shakes her head.

“You talk like you are above Lillith, and above the games.” said Victoria “But let's be real, you didn't win that match, she did. You just tolerated her long enough to let her carry the weight. Your hesitation to shake her hand after she pinned me told me everything. You didn't mind it, you didn't need the spotlight because the victory itself was enough. But I know what it is that really eats at you.”

She leans into the camera.

“You know I've already beaten you this year.” she grinned “You know the moment the bell rings what’s coming for you. You may have a shot at my title, but it's because I gave that to you. You know deep down the end of the day I will be the one standing over you, Lilith and Harper."

She straightens up her posture keeping her eyes on the camera.

“But I do ask you this Song. Does Master Lilly see you as a champion or ad revenue?” said Victoria “Because he said it himself, he wants to bring the eyes from china. Clicks, streams, and commercials. He sees your value with a number stamped on it and wants SCW to make sure they wring every single cent out of you before your contract is up. You're nothing more than a final investment."

She pauses for a longer time to let the words linger.

“While Harper is flailing around for her identity and Lilith is carving her own from the shadows.” said Victoria “You're just passing through. Another product on the shelf being positioned for one last sale before you write off into the sunset.”

She shakes her head.

“So for you Song, when that bell rings in Paris.” Victoria continued “You're going to remember what it's like to be beaten by somebody who's not here to be sold. You're going to be beaten by someone that's here to be feared, and when you're gone and forgotten chasing whatever glory your handler carves out for you next, I'll still be here with this championship in my hands.”

She holds the championship out to the camera before placing it back on her shoulder with a heavy breath.

“Oh but we do have one more don't we…" said Victoria “Lilith Locke. My wildcard. A woman who speaks in riddles wrapped with razors.”

Her own twisted smile forms on her face.

“You talk poetry like blood soaked metaphors will shield you from the truth.” said Victoria “You want everyone to think you're chaos incarnate, and that you're suffering gives you depth. But you're not chaos Lilith you're just noise. beautiful noise I'll give you that, but noise all the same just static dressed up as scripture.”

She repostures herself and lifts her chin slightly in a regal fashion.

“This felt like a summoning for you?” Victoria continued “Sweetheart no one summoned you. “You were begging the void to notice you, but that silence you wallowed in for weeks? That was your own irrelevance.”

She leans in closer to the camera smiling.

“You talk about your altars of regret and making reality flinch.” said Victoria “But reality doesn't flinch, it watches and waits. Then when it's ready it crushes you under its heel."

She straightens her posture keeping her ever confident gaze on the camera.

“You don't need fire, blood, and cryptic verses to make the world kneel.” said Victoria “I look them in the eye and they bow. If you want to unmake me then you better pray the darkness you worship hears you, before I bury you in it.”

She takes another deliberate lingering pause.

“Three names…. three styles… three offerings…” said Victoria “Song with her honor, Harper with her hunger, and Lilith with her darkness. You all come with your scars and stories and sharpened teeth and think it makes you dangerous, but it just makes all of you predictable.”

That confident grin appears on her face again.

“I'm here to prove that no matter how many of you scream, scratch, or sacrifice.” she said “There's only still one name that will echo even when the crown is gone.”

She pauses and turns walking back into the shadows as we hear her voice with one final whisper, before everything fades to black.

“Victoria.”

__________

Victoria stood in the midday sun on the edge of an overlook looking at a shimmering lake down below, arms rested on the stone railing between her and the view. She remained quiet for a moment, dark sunglasses rested on her eyes.

Vincent sat nearby on the stone railing itself, expressionless his thoughts focused on his own war with Jayden Harris.

“This whole thing is rigged…” she muttered. “I had chosen Harper Mason for the Queen's Gambit, and I entertained the idea of Song and Lilith Locke as possibilities, not certainties. I got played."

Vincent's eyes shifted even though his mind was elsewhere he was still aware of his sister's plight.

“You're not wrong sis.” he said “It's a setup they're trying to tear you down.”

“They let me set the stage and then pull the rug from under me..” she said “Now I'm in a fatal four way with three different problems all at once.”

“Still nothing you can't handle at the end of the day.” Vincent noted.

“Harper, sweet Harper.” she said “She was my golden girl, my real choice, the one I thought I could mold. Sharp, young, and good under pressure. But she's defiant and she questions everything. She acts like she's above the foundation I'm offering her, and I feel she may be turning into a problem at this point."

“Some people are just beyond helping.” said Vincent.

“And Song wants one last go at it before her contract ends.” said Victoria “There's nothing noble in that. She's just throwing a final hail mary trying to cling to whatever relevance she had left. She’s nothing more now than a headline from a bygone era."

“You beat her once.” Vincent reminded her “You'll do it again.”

“Lilith Locke is the true question mark.” Victoria admitted “I called her my wild card for a reason I included her to shake things up, to keep everyone guessing. But I wonder if I've dipped too deep into the well. Not because I think she's better than me, because she's not. But she's chaotic, the kind of wild card will flip the board just to see what happens next.”

“Just remember she's not the only one who thrives amid chaos.” said Vincent.

There was a long pause between them before Victoria spoke again.

“I'm not paranoid.” she said.

“Didn't think you were” said Vincent “You're just being perceptive, they've never understood you and they've never understood us. They call me your lap dog because I support you like it's some crime to be a supportive brother. They don't realize that we molded from the same DNA, two bodies from the same cell. A bond they can never understand.”

“Jayden Harris?” said Victoria.

“Jayden Harris is my problem.” said Vincent “He'll be handled and it will be on my terms.”

“They think this queen's gambit is going to break me.” said Victoria “But they forget who laid the board in the first place.”

“Then you need to remind them.” said Vincent

“Oh I'm going to remind every single one of them.” said Victoria with narrowed eyes.

The twins stood there for a while just overlooking the lake both focused on their own futures, and still keeping the bond that made them The Lyons Twins.

__________

The cameras open on a crackling fire resting inside a steel shallow basin in the center of the frame. The location remote, the flames illuminate her face

Victoria Lyons.

She wears black from head to toe in a long leather coat, dark sunglasses, and sleek black gloves. Her tight fitting trousers tucked into her heeled boots that tap the stone underneath her feet.

“Three names. Three delusions. Three drops of the queens personal poison into my own glass.” said Victoria.

She produces a slip of paper folded in half and she unfolds it the name in bold letters is revealed.

Harper Mason.

“Harper..” she says with a hiss “You were the one I chose when the queen's gambit began, because I saw something in you. Something raw, something real. I saw it since day one when I won this crown and put you in that handicap match. But you refuse to see it in yourself. I thought I could shape you mold you and bring you into my legacy..”

She crunches the paper softly.

“But now all I see is arrogance.” she said “Defiance for the sake of defiance. You think your rebellious nature makes you dangerous, without realizing I'm the one that's trying to bring out the real danger that you refuse to let loose.”

She reaches out holding the paper over the fire.

“You think this could be your moment?” she said “That you'll step in the ring and topple the queen you could have served beside? All you do is spit on the once in a lifetime offer that's being presented to you.”

Callously she drops the paper into the fire and watches has the flames consume it.

“My faith in you was misplaced, perhaps…” she said “Perhaps my wild card was the better choice all along.”

She produces another paper with the next name on it.

Lilith Locke.

“I'll admit it Lilith.” Victoria said “You are chaos incarnate. You move without rhyme, logic or fear and that should terrify me.”

She pauses, a sinister smirk of her own creeping across her face.

“But you have chaos without direction.” said Victoria “That is why you'll collapse. You'll swing your fist at everything without stopping to ask if the building you’re tearing down is also the one keeping you up.”

She reaches out holding the name over the flame.

“I chose you as my wild card in the Queen's Gambit." said Victoria “Hoping you would bring destruction to the others, but the truth is all I see is you destroying yourself.”

Without hesitation she drops the name into the fire.

“And then there's our other friend.” she said.

Another paper appears in her hand with the final name.

Song.

“You really feel like the one that doesn't belong here.” said Victoria “Unlike Harper and Lilith you want this to be one final run at glory. At least Harper and Lilith are looking to create their legacies.  You're still clinging to your own washed up one and you hope somehow winning this match or somehow make you relevant once again.”

She holds the name out over the flames.

“But your time is done.” she said “And your flame is fading. You won't ride into the sunset on top with all the glory and honor. You'll fade out with a fizzle and a whimper.”

With one final release she dropped the last name into the fire and looks into the camera with dead eyes.

“It's time to show you what danger really looks like.” she grinned “Danger is not Harper Mason with a fistful of youth, ignorance and empty rebellion. Danger is not Song clawing at the last threads of a fading legacy, and danger is not Lilith Locke dancing on the edge of a cliff she doesn't even know she built.”

Her words cut sharp and direct.

“Danger is me.” said Victoria “Because I have everything to lose, and I'm not going to let it be taken from me lightly. If somehow the conspiracy against me is completed,  then that becomes even worse for the rest of you because a queen with nothing left to lose doesn't sit in mourning. She rises in wrath. She becomes the fire and she becomes the end. You all fantasize about me losing everything at Into The Void, but you're not ready for what happens if I do.”

The fires illuminate her face as she raises up the Bombshell Roulette Championship like a relic.

“So come for me. Take your shot try to tear down everything I've built.” she said “But just know that SCW isn't ready for a queen who has lost everything. For if I fall something darker will rise from what remains.”

That she turns and walks away from the fire her voice echoing through one last time.

“But I won't lose and I won't be deposed.”

“You have two options.”

“Kneel or burn.”

The fire continues to crackle as the scene fades to black.

Victoria could do nothing but stand there and watch as Alexandra Calloway set her throne of Blaze the fires consumed everything reducing her power symbol and legacy to nothing but embers. She was forced to stand there and witness her throne turned to ash and cinder.

But she didn't scream she remained calm committing every flicker of flame to memory and once the video stopped playing she focused her attention on something more important.

How?

Somehow Alexandra had gotten in gain access to doors that should have been closed to her it couldn't have happened on its own she had to have help and there was only one person in The Lyons Den who would offer such a helping hand to Alexandra Calloway.

Alexander Lyons.

They were friends and tag team partners over in PWS, it had to be him, he had to be the one who gave her access and let her in. She really should have seen it before how could she have been so foolish? Even if he had nothing to do with it, she really didn't care. Someone needed to pay, and since Calaway won't be available until Blaze of Glory, it may as well be one of her friends. [/i]

“Alex..” Victoria said casting a glare over to Vincent.

Vincent only nodded, he understood what Victoria was telling him.

It didn't take them long to find Alex, alone, brooding in one of the corners of The Lyons Den minding his own business.

“Hello cousin.” said Victoria “Got something you need to tell me?”

Alexander tilted his head and only smirked at her, why Victoria whatever can you mean he said.

“Listen to me bastard.” she said “You know exactly what I mean. My throne, it was you who helped your precious little dark sister steal it, wasn't it?”

“Maybe I did maybe I didn't.” Alexander said with a smirk still on his face.

“Don't play games with me bastard.” said Victoria “She couldn't have gotten done it alone, and she couldn't have gotten into the Lyons Den without an invite from somebody FROM The Lyons Den, and that somebody is you isn't it?”

“Hey I'm not the one who dropped my keys.” said Alexander flippantly.

“So you don't deny it?” said Victoria glaring at him.

“I only helped her get it out of here.” said Alexander “She did all the rest but you know what I'm glad she did and I'd help her do it again.”

“You had no right.” said Victoria.

“Oh get over it.” said Alexander “It was just a damn chair. You should worry about that precious championship of yours, because Alexandra is dangerous right now, more than she has been in some time, and more than ever she wants to be the one to make you fall, and I’ll be the first to congratulate her when she does.”

“Is that so?” said Victoria shifting a gaze to Vincent and nodding. “I understand you two are the number one contenders for the tag titles in that little company working together.”

“And what business is that of yours?” said Alex.

“Oh it's really not.” said Victoria “Just like my business with Alexandra had nothing to do with you, but you involved yourself even if you were just an outside force and now the time has come.”

“Time has come?” said Alex, “Time has come for wh..”

Before Alexander could finish, he was nailed from behind by Vincent with a clobbering blow to the back of the head. Alexander fell to the ground as both the twins began to stomp him.

After laying the boots to him, Victoria held Alexander down as Vincent quickly grabbed a nearby chair and wrapped it around Alexander's wrist and stomped on it not once, not twice, but three times.

The only thing louder than the cracking of the bone was Alexander's screams as they echoed throughout The Lyons Den

“Good luck taking those tag titles home now…bastard..” said Victoria.

She kicked him in the head one last time for a good measure before her and Vincent made their escape, not that anybody could really do anything about it anyway, given their last name.

__________

The room is trapped in swirls of an impenetrable fog, swirling endless circles with shadows that stretch and twist along empty gray walls. The eerie silence cuts deep in the stillness of this place as the cameras catch up to Victoria Lyons sitting cross-legged the floor with Vincent behind her.

She has a different intensity in her eyes one that borders on madness, the kind that only is born out of desperation. She runs her fingers across the crown on her head knowing that at least that was still hers, but deep down she knew Alexandra had destroyed her true symbol of power.

She exhales heavily, holding on tight to the championship around her shoulder. It feels heavier, the weight almost unbearable but she refuses to release it. It's hers, it's her identity, her legacy and she will not let it go.

Softly we hear her begin to sing in a beautiful but dark tone.

“Cinders glow and embers bite.
A thief will burn before the night.
Smoke will rise and flesh will char.
She came for blood, she took her turn.
Now it's mine to make her burn.”

The rhyme rings through the fog softly as if the air itself is carrying it. Victoria breathes in deeply as she rises to her feet, a sick strange darkness lingering in her eyes that stay glued on the camera as she readjusted her crown and begins speaking.


“Did you really think you could just get away with it?” Victoria said with a venomous hiss “Did you really think you could just come into MY domain, take MY property and destroy it and suffer NO CONSEQUENCES?”

“I'd call her a fool.” said Vincent “But even a fool would be smarter than that.”

“You think you’re so smart don’t you?” said Victoria “Do you have any idea what you've unleashed? Do you realize what a big mistake you just made? You just sealed your own downfall and the downfall for all those you care about.”

“Which means perhaps LJ should watch his back…...” said Vincent.

“I'm going to destroy everything she loves brother.” said Victoria ”I thought we were even when we played the concussion game, but I should have known, with how selfish Alexandra is. It's never enough for her is it she can just never accept the truth."

“That she will never beat the queen.” said Vincent.

“Now she stands even less of a chance.” said Victoria “Because she unlocked something in me, she unlocked the anger. The bitch took my throne Vincent!!!! It was mine!!!! And she burned it!!! And she had no right!!!! She had no right.!!!"

“Focus sister….. this is what she wants.” said Vincent.

“I am focused brother.” said Victoria “But now she's made it personal, and I am going to make sure that this “Queenslayer” who need I remind you, has never slayed any queens is reminded of her place beneath me. I don't need to prove a damn thing to you or anyone else but I'm going to, and when it's all said and done you'll be nothing but a name forgotten in the dust another failed challenger.”

Victoria pauses with a heavy exhale.

“You wanted this Alexandra.” Victoria said “You wanted to make this into a war, so now all is fair game, and anything that happens to you, anything that may happen to LJ, or Bella, or anyone else you care about is going to be on you.”

“Just ask our cousin Alexander to give you a hand.” Vincent said with a smirk.

“Oh she's going to be furious when she finds out about that” laughed Victoria “But she should consider it a lesson learned about what happens when you cross me.”

That hideous smirk grows across her face.

“You stole from me.” said Victoria “But one thing you can't steal is my championship, you're going to have to actually earn that. But you won't, I'm going to keep this championship and wear it for even longer than anyone ever imagined. I'm going to be champion as long as I WANT to be champion and all you're ever going to do is chase me and be caught in my dust."

“Always reaching but never grabbing.” said Vincent.

“Or never holding on long enough for the very least.” said Victoria, “You want to talk in your little blog about me not passing the reigns of others?…BITCH, my reign is longer than both of your reigns combined. My reign has outlasted every other Bombshell Roulette Champion except one And once I beat you I'm going to that record in the dust too. It is my destiny to become the sole member of the Bombshell 300 Club. You're NOT better than me!!, You think you can just take from me?! You want to burn MY throne? Well, I'm going to fucking burn you bitch.

“Victoria….” Vincent said nervously

Victoria wasn't listening, she seemed blinded by rage her eyes filled with a fire of their own.

“She needs to learn Vincent!! She needs to learn that you don't just steal from people!!" Victoria said, “Did I STEAL my championship? Did I STEAL my crown? No. I won this championship, I won my crown by fighting. I didn't just take, I don't just take things, I earn them. And some may not like my methods, but at least I'm not a  thief. Anybody who still thinks I haven't earned my right as champion or earned my right to be in the position that I'm in, is either delirious,  jealous, or just lying to themselves at this point.”

“Vicks.”. said Vincent

“I'm tired of it Vincent.” said Victoria “The disrespect. I have earned every accolade that I have to my name. I have earned them ALL Vincent!! Yet still some think I'm nothing, that I don't deserve to be here. Throne or no throne, I am still the queen and I am still the Bombshell Roulette Champion. A reign like mine doesn't happen by accident Alexandra, just because my sole reign is not only longer, than both of yours but more memorable, doesn't mean you need to be jealous. Is that it? Because I'm tasting all this success that you desire? What are you going to do when Vincent and I become the mixed tag team champions? Do you really think we're concerned about you and LJ? We already proved who the better team was.  Or will it be Miles? Whichever of those two idiot brothers it is, won’t matter, because I will always be better than you.”

“Vicks…” Vincent said again but his words continue to fall on deaf ears.

“You screwed up Alexandra.” Victoria continued  “You shouldn't have stole from me, because now it's going to be my personal mission to make your life a living hell. This should have just been about the championship but you crossed the line, and now you're going to pay the price. I will show you and everyone else who truly rules this division.”

“Long live the queen.” said Vincent with a sigh.

Victoria keeps her hideously twisted glare on the camera has everything fades out to black.

_________


A brisk wind blew through the Lyons estate, Vincent and Victoria were far enough from the main house to avoid any interruptions but close enough to still feel like home.

Victoria kept a tight grip on her Bombshell Roulette Championship, it's not just possessing the title that matters to her it's what the belt represents.Power, dominance, and control. And Alexandra Callaway wants to take all of that away from her.

Nearby leaning against the stone railing Vincent watches her with his arms crossed he had let her vent and stew in her own anger long enough.

“You're playing right into her hands.” Vincent said to Victoria

Victoria casts the sharp glare in his direction, “What did you say to me?!”

“You heard me.” said Vincent “I said you're doing exactly what she wants she wants you angry and she wants you to lose focus and you're giving her exactly that.”

“I'm pissed Vincent! She stole from me! She trespassed and stole MY  throne! I have every right to be pissed off!” Victoria said angrily

“I never said you didn't Victoria.” said Vincent “But I know you better than anyone, you let anger take control and it costs you.“

“Do I look like somebody that's going to lose.” snapped Victoria

“You look like somebody who's making this personal instead of tactical.” Vincent snapped back

“It is personal!” Victoria said rolling her eyes

“Listen Victoria…” said Vincent “If you don't keep your head on straight you're going to lose that championship.”

“You really think Alexandra Calaway is capable of beating me?” asked Victoria annoyed

“I think anyone is capable of waiting if their opponent is too blind with revenge.” Vincent replied.

Victoria held her championship up to Vincent

“This is MY championship.” she said “And she's trying to take it, but I'm going to break her Vincent. I'm going to make her regret ever thinking she could step to me. She was the one who challenged me and when I accepted she backed out. You don't get to just tap on my shoulder and run and you certainly don't get to steal from me.”

“That's fine.” said Vincent “Just don't get sloppy, don't give her a single opening. You want to hurt her, fine. Just make sure you're still holding that championship when it's over. We need to leave Blaze of Glory as champions together."

“I'm going to hurt her.” Victoria said “There's not going to be enough left of her to scrape off the mat when I'm finished.”

“That's what I like to hear.” said Vincent, “Just remember focus, she’s trying to get into your head because that's the only way she can win. Don't let her.”

“You know there's always LJ Kasey…”. said Victoria “I wonder how much fight should have left in her when she finds him lying in a heap in the parking lot before the show. It would just be poetic she takes for me I take from her.”

“Could be a nice little lesson.” smirked Vincent

“She'll learn Vincent.” Victoria said “One way or another she will learn.”

Somewhere deep down she knew Vincent was right and he was the one person that could talk to her so aggressively and still get away with it. His words sat in the back of her mind but Alexandra’s still sat toward the front because one thing was still for sure.

Alexandra Calaway was going to pay one way or another.

__________

Victoria said across from coach Kaiser in the lions den both of them staring at each other like a couple of old gunslingers Victoria knew why she was called in here and she wasn't bothered by it.

“You broke Alexander's wrist you know Victoria." Coach Kaiser said breaking the silence.

“Oh how tragic.” Victoria said with a smirk and feigned concern.

“He still wants to fight, but now he's going to have a cast for a while, you handicapped him.” said Coach Kaiser.

“And?” Victoria said casually resting her feet on Coach Kaiser's desk.

“He's your family Victoria!” said coach Kaiser

“Oh he will be fine.” Victoria shrugged “You said he's still competing, the way I see it I did him a favor. Now he can prove how tough he really is.”

Coach Kaiser exhaled heavily.

“You don't get it do you?” he said.

“I get it just fine.” Victoria said “But I don't get is why you're pretending it's some grand injustice, since when do you have a problem with people making statements?”

“That wasn't a statement Victoria, that was a retaliation.” Coach Kaiser said. “And you're playing right into her hands.”

Victoria's expression darkened.

“Calaway….” she hissed.

“Yes her.” Coach Kaiser nodded “This is what she wants Victoria, you to be distracted and  reckless. You're letting her get in your head and you're making it personal."

“I'm making it personal?!?!” Victoria snapped “She's the one who started this. I'm just going to be the one that finishes it.”

“And that means you needed to break your own cousin's wrist?” said Coach Kaiser

“Stop being so dramatic.” Victoria said with an eye roll “If he’s still showing up then that gives him an edge and makes him look tougher. It'll be better for him in the long run. See!  I am a magnanimous queen after all.“

“You're walking a fine line Victoria.” said Coach Kaiser “You want to be the longest reigning Bombshell Roulette Champion? Then start thinking like a champion and stop thinking like a woman obsessed with revenge.”

“This really is the principal's office isn't it?” Victoria smirked “Calling me in here, scolding me, trying to teach me something like I'm some unruly kid who got caught fighting in the halls, it's actually kind of sad Coach.”

Coach Kaiser didn't say anything in response.

“Is this what you do now?” Victoria said “Sit behind your desk and try to keep the new generation in line you used to be the star student of this place. You were my dad's prized student, and Vincent and I both looked up to you like a brother growing up. Now you just live through your own students, through us.”

Is a slight flicker in coach Kaiser's eyes but he said nothing.

“Oh don't give me that look.” Victoria said “You need us to be great don't you? You need Eddie, Cleo, even me to be successful because if we're not what does that say about you your legacy and your leadership?"

Coach Kaiser continued to look at her his expression unreadable but she could feel the tension in the air.

“I don't need your lectures coach.” Victoria said “I don't need your approval, and I don't need you to tell me how to be a champion.

“Then go prove it.” Coach Kaiser said with a steady voice.

“Oh I will.” said Victoria confidently.

Then she stood up and on the turn of the heel she was gone from the room.

__________

The cameras open on a suffocating endless void. The silence lingers for an uncomfortable amount of time, just long enough to feel unnatural before a wispy glow emerges from the mist and the fog curls and twists into unnatural patterns as though it's watching someone.

And then she appears.

Victoria Lyons.

She moves with a slow and methodical pace the Precision of a predator she has the Bombshell Roulette Championship resting proudly on her shoulder and as always her crown resting proudly upon her head.

“I keep telling me I'm taking this too personal.” Victoria said that “I need to let it go move on focus more on the match in my legacy and do you know what that tells me?”

She glares into the camera.

“It tells me that none of you understand.” she said “Not one of you pathetic weak-minded insects. You think this is just about a match? That is just about a title defense? That is just about me adding another name to my endless list of failed challengers?"

She exhales heavily with purpose.

“That throne was mine!” she said with a venomous tone “I bled and suffered for it. I walked through the fire and yet somehow I'm being told that I'm too emotional when it was my property that was destroyed. MINE!!!

She pauses and takes a sharp inhale as though trying to keep something monstrous inside.

“Like I should just sit back, smile  and allow a pretender like Alexandra Calaway to put her filthy hands on my throne”. She huffed

Has she catches her breath she crunches her hand into a fist.

“Who the hell do you think you are?!” she explodes with a vicious untamed rage “You were never meant to stand where I stand, you were never meant to be near my throne but you wanted to play Queen didn't you? You wanted to step into my world and make a statement of your own at my expense.”

Her expression twists into a smile as she laughs to herself.

“You were wrong.” Victoria said “And at Blaze of Glory I will make sure you never make that mistake again. I'm not just going to beat you Calaway. I'm not just going to defend my championship. I'm going to break you and I'm going to leave you lying in the ruins of your own failure so you finally understand the cost of your arrogance.

She tilts her head playfully.

“I want you to remember my voice Alexandra.” Victoria said “I want you to remember my name because I will be standing over you still the Bombshell Roulette Champion. You will suffer, you will burn, and you will be broken. You will regret making the biggest mistake of your life. Long live the queen.”

Then the screen cut to black and through the silence there was a slight crackling the flames the sound of something burning.

__________

Victoria Lyons stands at the precipice of another war but this one is more personal than her previous battles. Alexandra Calaway has forced her into a battle that is not just about the championship, but about dominance legacy and refusing to be cast aside.

Victoria has had an iron grip for months as the Bombshell Roulette Champion, proving time and time again why she belongs at the top. But Alexandra has positioned herself as a legitimate threat not just to Victoria's championship, but to her very reputation.

Alexandra Calaway is no mere challenger. She’s someone forging her own right, unrelenting and dangerous, willing to go to any lengths to claim victory. The queen won't admit it herself but she is completely blinded by rage and wants nothing more than to make sure Alexandra Calaway suffers.

It's not just about winning for Victoria anymore, it's about making sure that Alexandra knows she made a fatal miscalculation. It's about sending a message that nobody, not Alexandra, not anyone will forget the name of VictoriaLyons.

A storm is brewing, and both Bombshells are certainly going to rip each other limb from limb but Victoria is prepared to prove that she is the undisputed queen of destruction. When the dust settles it will not be Victoria who falls it will be Alexandra Calaway who burns.

Victoria knew something was wrong the moment she stepped into the lion's den. She had suspected as much when she noticed the key to her private room was missing.

Her hope was she had just misplaced the key or perhaps Vincent had grabbed it, but in the pit of her mind she knew that wasn't the case as she pushed the door open to the room she had had built to be her own sanctuary, a reminder of her dominance where every detail mattered.

She could almost feel her jaw hit the floor as she entered.

Her throne was gone, her crown was the only thing left behind, likely a message from the thief.

She paused, taking a slow and steady breath. Trying to consider who may have stolen it. It had to be an inside job, it had to be somebody who trained at The Lyons Den. Only the people here knew where she kept it.

She ran through some of the names in her mind and only one truly stuck out only one person around the Lyon's Den had a history of crime and more than a few felonies to their name.[/i]

“Cleo Phillips…” Victoria muttered

Cleo Phillips wasn't a name that was part of the SCW universe,  she was a PWS Superstar who also trained at the Lyons Den and had even worked with some of the talent that did work in SCW. A former felon who had used wrestling to turn her life around for the better and had left that life behind her in favor of becoming a youth speaker to help troubled you with not make the same bad decision she had.

Of course Victoria being Victoria looked past all that and looked at Cleo with a once a felon always a felon mentality.

As she stomped around the corner she found Cleo near the weights getting ready to do a workout.

“All right, where is it?” Victoria said with a demanding and angry tone

“Try again.” said Cleo showing no signs of intimidation.

“I want my throne back Cleo." said Victoria, “I have a match against Alexandra and LJ and I need to be able to address them. It's Vincent's big debut and I need my throne.”

“Well I don't know where it is.” said Cleo “I certainly didn't take your little fancy chair.”

“You're the only one around here with a criminal record.” said Victoria “And you love to make trouble. It seems right up your alley.”

Cleo nodded and let out a short laugh.

“Let's get one thing straight Victoria” Cleo said. "If I was going to come at you like that I would do it to your face. I'm not going to stab you in the back I'm going to stab you in the front.”

Victoria frowned and folded her arms.

“You really think I'd waste my time dealing with whatever little setup you had in that room over there?” said Cleo, "Maybe you should start thinking about everybody else you've been pissing off lately.”

Victoria frowned it was possible Cleo is lying but somehow she knew she wasn't Cleo may have had a criminal history but she was always in your face about it and she never hit it if Cleo had done something she'd likely already be bragging about it.

But who else could have been? Victoria was going to have to go down the list and figure out this mystery.

“Fine whatever.” said Victoria “But if I find out it was you I'll make sure you get put right back in that jail cell you belong in.”

“Yeah I'd like to see you try.” said Cleo, stepping up and getting in Victoria's face.

Victoria stepped back trying not to show that she actually was intimidated by Cleo.

“I'll just go ask somebody else…" said Victoria

“Yeah. I would advise you do.” said Cleo

Frustration still simmering, Victoria walked away and found a private corner of the room to sit and observe.

Any one of them could have done it. It could have been one of the new talents coming in, it could have been Coach Kaiser, she did have a little bit of an argument with Alexander or for all she knew perhaps Eddie had something to do with it.

She had to try to not let it get to her. She was already still dealing with her loss to Andrea Hernandez. All Because of Alexandra Calaway and her Code of Hammurabi moment.

Victoria honestly wasn't even that mad about it. After all, she smashed Alexandra with a chair first, gave her a concussion and ruined her chances at the chamber.  If anybody loved the eye for an eye mentality it was the Mad Queen herself.

Of course now that they had fired their shots at each other it was now time for war and climax control was the perfect chance to set the tone for Blaze of Glory.

Victoria alongside  the debuting Vincent would be taking on Alexandra and her boyfriend LJ Kasey.

Alexandra was dangerous and Victoria wasn't going to pretend that she wasn't. She knew what type of threat Alexandra was.

But LJ Kasey? LJ was  Miles Kasey's  little brother, trying to step out of his brothers shadow and be his own man. He always fought with something to prove and had been making a name for himself in his own right.

But she had a little brother of her own and he would be fighting alongside her. Vincent was her twin. By little she meant it due to the fact that she was born a minute and a half earlier but was also bored at a different year due to the time change at midnight when their mother gave birth to them.

Eddie had his dad so that Vincent was ready and didn't like Victoria using him like this but she knew better she knew Vincent wasn't broken and she knew he wasn't lost Vincent was searching for meaning and his time away on that island whatever happened had forged him into something else entirely.

He was a weapon now his time away forging him into something primal, something relentless and he was coming to SCW, not only to back up his sister, he was here to destroy, and Victoria was the one ready to unleash him. Those lovebirds didn't know what they were in for but they were going to find out and so would the rest of Sin City Wrestling.

__________

The cameras open on the familiar dimly lit throne room of Victoria Lyons. Banners of her insignia hang on the walls framing the scene, but there's an absence, an empty void where her throne would be. That is where Victoria since legs crossed fury in her eyes, her crown resting on her head.

Beside her looms Vincent Lyons Jr casually leaning against the wall. His posture and subtle movements hint at the restrained violence simmering beneath the surface of the man who was once called The Young Lion.

Victoria inhales slowly exhaling through her nose as her lips curl into her signature smirk.

“Take a look around.” she says “Notice something missing? My throne has been stolen.”

She motions around the room to show that there is indeed no throne anywhere.

“A bold move I must say.” she said “And I will deal with whoever did it in due time. I thought perhaps it was you Alexandra, but no it couldn't be. You chose to blast me with the championship, that was your revenge. Besides this is The Lyons Den and you don't even go here.”

She exhales, the mystery is clearly weighing on her mind.

“You call yourself the Queenslayer.” she said with a smirk “You act like it means something, like it's some badge of honor. But how many queens have you actually slain? Because last time I checked, I'm the queen of this company and I have consistently stood above you in our little war.”

She pauses letting her words linger in the air.

“You had your moment and you took your shot.” Victoria continued “You went Code of Hammurabi, eye for an eye and paid me back for what I did to you. I guess now that we both have given each other concussions we can call it even.”

She chuckles as does Vincent.

"I should be furious and I should be calling for your head for costing me my match against Andrea Hernandez." Victoria continued "But I'm not rather I applaud it.  Because now it means we are officially at war, and that means blood will be spilled. So honestly I'm not mad I'm excited.”

She pauses keeping the grin on her face.

“You want to call yourself the Queenslayer?” Victoria continued “Then you should know what happens when you fail.  You don't lose the fight, you lose everything, and I promise Alexandra at Blaze of Glory, you will fail to reclaim MY championship, it will slip through your fingers and you'll never touch it again so long as I'm champion.”

She holds up the Bombshell Roulette Championship to the camera as if reaffirming her point.

“But before that we have a battle at Climax Control." Victoria continued “And it's not just you and me is it?”

Vincent slowly begins to step forward standing closer to her just behind her now.

“We have your beloved LJ Kasey, and we have my brother and my twin Vincent Lyons Jr.” Victoria said with a smirk. "It almost makes me feel bad for poor LJ.”

“Wrong place. Wrong time.” said Vincent.

“We know what this match really is Alexandra.” said Victoria "This is about us. This is about our war, and LJ? He's just an afterthought, a casualty of circumstance. A supporting player in our game that he doesn't even realize he's playing.”

“A mere pawn.” said Vincent.

“See Vincent knows.” said Victoria “Vincent knows this is our war and that he is also just a player in something bigger. But he's willing to bend the knee and stand behind his queen, support his family and support his kin.”

“Long live the Queen.” said Vincent “Family first.”


“See I don't care about LJ.” said Victoria “Vincent doesn't care about LJ. We care about destruction and that's exactly what's coming for the both of you, and unfortunately poor little LJ will be a casualty of war.”

She pauses for a moment readjusting the crown on her head.

“When we step into that ring at Climax Control I want you to take a good look at me.” said Victoria “I want you to really think about what's happening, because it's only going to be a taste of what you have in store coming your way at Blaze of Glory consider it a sneak preview if you like.”

“A red band trailer.” said Vincent with a grin of his own.

“You want to be the Queenslayer? Then come try.” said Victoria her smirk widening, “But I think we all know how that story ends. At Blaze of Glory, I walk in as Bombshell Roulette Champion, and I walk out as Bombshell Roulette Champion, and you will never forget why I am the one that gets to sit on the throne. Because even when it's stolen I'm still the queen."

“Long may she reign.” said Vincent.

With both of them showing some sinister grins, the scene fades to black.

__________

Victoria's patience was wearing thin. She needed to know who stole her throne and if it wasn't Cleo then who? What made matters worse is that nobody was taking it seriously as they should have.

Just a chair. some of them would tell her like it wasn't a symbol of her dominance.

She caught sight of her next suspect while they were having lunch. Eddie exhaled heavily as he felt her approach.

“Yes Victoria?" he said bluntly “Can I help you? I'm trying to have lunch with Sabrina.”

“You took it didn't you?” said Victoria with an accusing stare.

With an annoyed exhale Eddie it's at his sandwich down and looked up at Victoria.

“Took what?” he said "What am I supposed to have taken from you?”

“My throne.” she said “It's gone, someone broke into my private quarters and took it.”

Eddie just rolled his eyes and shook his head almost as if he found this whole thing amusing.

“Is this a joke to you?” said Victoria “A crime has been committed!”

“I don't know anything about your throne.” said Eddie “I've been waiting too busy with Sabrina's pregnancy and getting myself ready for the chamber. Do you really think I would take the time to worry about your throne?  I'm probably the one person around here who might still have your back and you accuse me? What would I even need your throne for?”

“I don't know you're going to be having new expenses with the baby.” said Victoria “Maybe you decided to go pawn it for extra cash.”

“Eddie wouldn't do that!” said Sabrina

“Oh I think he might do anything.” said Victoria “Anything at all for that bastard in your belly.”

Victoria didn't even see Sabrina stand up before she felt the slap connect to her face. She could feel her ears ringing. Before she could react Eddie was already in between them.

“Sabrina it's okay.” he said holding back a smile “Go sit down. I got this.”

“And you.” he said turning to Victoria "What was that about? You know that was out of line.”

“I just want my throne back.” said Victoria

“I understand that.” said Eddie “And if you want to pick fights over your missing chair then to go do it with someone else. Don’t drag us into it because Sabrina and I have nothing to do with it.”

Victoria scoffed. Eddie likely wasn't lying he was hardly around here anymore since they bought that home in Vegas anyway.  There were still others she had to consider.

“Fine whatever.” she said “Just stay out of my way I'm going to figure this out.”

Giving Sabrina a quick dirty look with the slap still burning on her skin she turned on her heel and stormed out of The Lyons Den.

__________

Victoria stood on a windswept location in the outskirts of the city as the camera flickered to life. There was no throne, no golden spotlight, no Vincent, no grandiose setting befitting the queen.  It was just Victoria, her championship and her crown.

She exhaled sharply as she began to speak.

“You ever have those moments when you know something is shifting?” she began “When you can feel the ground cracking beneath you but no one else seems to notice?”

A small humorless smirk appeared on her face.

"That's where I am right now Alexandra." she said "I'm surrounded by liars and snakes and thieves who think they can take what's mine and get away with it.”

Her voice trembled with frustration as she spoke.

“And despite all that.” she said “I have to deal with you. I know how serious you are. I haven't forgotten how hard I had to fight to take this championship from you in the first place.”

She holds out the Bombshell Roulette Championship.

“Now here you are crawling back trying to reclaim what you once held.” Victoria continued, “But there's something you need to understand that you've never been able to grasp.”

She pauses for a moment taking a step forward glaring directly into the camera.

“You will never be me.” she said sternly

She exhaled heavily before continuing.

“You can call yourself a Queenslayer all you want but let's be real you've never had what it takes to be a queen in the first place.” Victoria continued, “That isn't to underestimate how good you are, because you have been to the mountaintop before,  but then what happened? I stepped in and reminded everyone with true dominance looks like.”

She pauses for a moment.

“Now because you can't stand the fact that I'm still on top.” Victoria continued, "You've decided to latch onto this little idea that you can undo what happened, that you can erase that loss and take back what I took from you.”

She laughs to herself as if the thought amuses her.

“And what of your little sidekick?” said Victoria “Yeah I'm talking about you LJ, because that's all you're ever going to be. You’re the sidekick to your brother Miles and you're the sidekick to Alexandra. How does that make you feel to know that you will forever be a footnote in the career of better wrestlers?”

She does her little laugh again amusing herself.

“Do you really think our tag match is going to be some moment for you?" Victoria said “That your name will somehow matter in this match? Because it won't. Let me spell it out for you LJ. You are filler and you're an extra and you're just a little tag along to Alexandra Calaway.”

She pauses for a moment again.

“She needs you you know LJ.” said Victoria “Someone to carry the burden of her losing again. Because deep down she knows it's going to happen at Blaze Of Glory, so she's scrambling desperately trying to find something that makes her feel powerful.”

She pauses and takes a few steps forward.

“But here's the thing LJ.” she continued “No matter how hard she tries. No matter how hard she bashes in my skull or how many concussions she gives me she will always be in my shadow.”

She takes a moment to let her words linger.

“You really think that this match will give you some sort of momentum and confidence you need heading into Blaze of Glory don't you Alexandra?” Victoria continued “But it won't it only make the match that much harder. Vincent and I are going to show you and LJ no mercy and then that Blaze of Glory I will finish the job.”

She takes another couple steps forward closer to the camera.

“So when you're laid flat on your back at Blaze of Glory staring up at me after failing again.” Victoria continued "I want you to remember this moment and remember every single word I said. Remember that you were never strong enough to take my place. Then I want you to fully understand that no matter how much you want it you will never be the Queenslayer you desire to be.”

Victoria simply sat there for a moment staring down the camera with an unreadable expression and then everything cut to black.

__________

Victoria stood near the window of a dimly lit room lit by a flickering candle on an old desk, her fingers resting on the windowsill.

Nearby Vincent sat in A worn out chair resting his elbows on his knees still sweaty from the workout Victoria had just thrown him into. She had managed to get him into shape again and his body was ready but she could tell his mind was still far away.

“I'm proud of you, you know.” she said to him.

Vincent looked up meeting her gaze.

“I mean it.” Victoria said “After everything you went through, all you survived, you're still here and you're still fighting.”

“Doesn't feel like it.” Vincent muttered

“Of course not.” said Victoria kneeling beside him “Because nobody, not Eddie or Cleo or Alexander or any of the rest, none of them understood what it took to come back but I do.”

He looked down at Victoria and she smiled at him. She knew she had him right in the place. She needed him to be that tender place between doubt and need.

“They all doubt you.” said Victoria “Say you're not ready, that you shouldn't be wrestling again just yet, that you shouldn't be in the ring so soon after returning from that island but they're just afraid.”

“Afraid?” Vincent questioned.

“Yes," said Victoria “Afraid because they know you are the true heir. They know that you will surpass them because you are Vincent Lyons Jr. You are the son of the founder of the Lyons Den.”

She rises to her feet still looking into his eyes.

“If that island couldn't break you.” said Victoria “Nothing can not LJ, not Alexandra not anybody. You’ve survived something that they can't even imagine. Now you need to show them the new primal lion that you've become.”

Vincent exhaled sharply through his nose.

“You remember what it was like don't you.” said Victoria “When it was just you and your survival instincts? When there was no mercy and every move you made was life or death?”

Vincent began to stare blankly as Victoria's words lingered onto his ears.

“I'm not asking you to change.” she said “I want you to remember  I want you to remember what it was like. I want you to remember how you survived. Remember how strong and tough you had to be out there.”

Vincent continued with his blank stare, Victoria was unsure if he was even listening.

“Hello…?” Victoria said “Vincent? Earth to Vincent. Are you there? Do you copy?”

Vincent sat there and said nothing, his mind was already somewhere else entirely.  Victoria did her best to continue to get his attention but he was already lost to his memories.

It was rather quiet in the Lyon's Den as Victoria was finishing up another session training session with Vincent and had gone well and Vincent was growing more aggressive by the day just as she wanted him to.  Vincent sat on a nearby bench to take a breather and relax for a few minutes while Victoria sat on the ringsteps scrolling through her phone.

The sound of angry footsteps approaching caught her attention as she looked up to see Eddie Lyons standing there with a disapproving look on his face.

“Can I help you?” she said with a flippant tone in her voice.

“Tyler quit.” said Eddie “He decided the business wasn't for him packed his things and left.”

“Who?” said Victoria with a smirk on her face.

“Don't play games with me.” Eddie said, "You know who I'm talking about. That kid quit because you decided to have Vincent try and maul him like some kind of animal.”

“Oh right him.“ said Victoria “So what's your point.?”

“My point?!?” said Eddie, his tone rising. “Are you serious? That was a kid that came here to learn to grow to be part of The Lyons Den and now he's gone because of you and your actions.”

Victoria scoffed.

“Do you always have to be so dramatic Eddie?” she said with a dismissive tone. “That kid was never going to be ready. If he can't handle a little heat then there's no way he would have survived in this business. Better he figured that out now before he embarrassed himself in the future.”

“That's not the point!” said Eddie. "It's not even about Tyler's potential, it's about you using Vincent as your personal weapon when you know he's not mentally ready to come back to wrestling yet. You're setting him up to fail. Even worse, he could end up hurting someone or himself.”

“Vincent doesn't need to be coddled." said Victoria “He's already broken, he doesn't need you to protect him. He needs me to rebuild him and that means pushing limits and breaking barriers. You don't rebuild yourself by holding back.”

“You call this rebuilding?” said Eddie “A fist clenching at his side in frustration, “Vincent is barely holding it together and you're throwing him into the fire expecting him to magically figure it out. He's not ready, he's been isolated for months. You can't throw him into a ring and expect him to be like the two of us.”

Victoria finally stood up and met Eddie face to face looking at him dead in the eyes.

“That's exactly what's going to happen.” she said “He is a Lyons and he's stronger than you give him credit for.  He doesn't need pity and he doesn't need you to jump in every time things start getting tough.”

“This isn't about pity.” said Eddie “It's about giving him the chance to rebuild the right way. You're pushing him too hard too fast and what so you can make yourself feel powerful?”

“Or maybe it's about you.” said Victoria “You feel threatened by him don't you? You're worried he's going to surpass your career in SCW. Maybe he'll actually beat Finn Whelan. You can't handle that he might end up having a better career than you.”

Eddie laughed at the thought.

“That's not it at all!” said Eddie “Vincent doesn't deserve to be treated like this you keep pushing him like you are, it's not going to end well.”

“You're wrong.” said Victoria “Vincent is going to be exactly what he needs to be. Unlike you he'll be able to finish the job when it matters.”

Eddie exhaled heavily and without  another word he turned and walked away his footsteps echoing into nothingness as he left the gym. They could hear the doors slam shut behind him leaving Victoria and Vincent alone once again.

“Don't listen to him.” Victoria said turning her attention to Vincent  “Eddie doesn't understand he's so busy trying to play the hero to see the bigger picture but I see it, I see you, and I see it in you. I know what you're capable of. Right now you have potential to be stronger and more ruthless than you've ever been little brother and I will guide you there.”

She calmly rested her hand on his shoulder.

“You're not broken Vincent.”[/color] she said “You're being rebuilt stronger faster and better and when it's all said and done no one will be able to stop you.”

Vincent remained silent but there was a flicker of something in his expression, a faint hint of a smile, one as twisted as Victoria's. A glimpse at the person Victoria believed he could become, the person she would mold him into.

“Trust me little brother this is only the beginning you're going to show everybody exactly what Vincent Lyons Jr is made of and no one is going to be ready for it.” She told him.

Victoria knew she was right. This was her brother, not Eddie's and she knew how to handle him best. Her cousin could complain all he wanted, the Lyon's legacy would continue to thrive and she would make sure it did no matter the cost.

__________

The cameras open on Victoria Lyons in a lavishly decorated lounge. One that can only be described as “fit for a queen”. She lounges on the fancy red velvet sofa with her bombshell roulette championship over it behind her. She wears an expression that is both smug and dismissive and twirls a glass of red wine in her hand. She casually places the glass on the table in front of her and stares directly into the camera.

“Well well well, it seems Bobbie Dahl has found her voice. Isn't that precious?” she said with a shit-eating grin. “I sat there listening to you drone on about your struggles, your motivations, your excuses really felt like some low budget self help seminar if I'm being perfectly honest. In a way it was even a little pathetic.”

She takes a time to take a sip of her wine, the smirk never leaving her face.

“Let me be perfectly blunt with you Bobbie.” she said “Nobody cares. Nobody cares about your pity party or your so-called comeback. You want to talk about climbing the ladder and reclaiming your place in SCW? Well let me tell you an uncomfortable truth sweetheart. You never had a place to begin with.”

She repostures herself a little bit on the sofa making herself more comfortable.

“You turned on your little laptop and sounded so proud of yourself as you sat there and admitting your failures like it absolves you of them.“ said Victoria “But the truth is acknowledging you've been lazy and uninspired doesn't suddenly make you a threat. All it does is confirm the truth everyone already knew about you, that you're not cut out for this.”

She casually takes another sip of the wine.

“And you can spare me the I'm trying so hard speech.” Victoria continued “Trying isn't good enough in this business. You can ask my cousin Eddie all about that. Winning is what is good enough and who's been winning consistently since their arrival in this company? Me. Who has been a champion for the majority of their SCW career? Me. Who came into SCW not on some comeback tour to recapture former glory but to start their SCW career and elevated the entire division? That's right, me.”

She flips her hair back with the air of confidence and arrogance.

“You talk about wanting to turn around everything and make up for your mistakes.” said Victoria “But you're not starting off well are you? You've already lost one to Bella Madison who while I'm not a big fan of, is definitely a better woman and a tougher competitor than you. I mean let's not forget that I've defeated you twice, I defeated you once one on one and in a multi-woman match where you didn't even factor into the decision and I walked away with my crown.”

She slightly adjusts the crown she had been wearing on her head as if to reaffirm her point.

“But that's the story of your career is it not? Always there, never relevant, always showing up, but never delivering.” she said “Now you think you're going to waltz into Inception and take my championship away? You're delusional.”

She laughs arrogantly for a moment through another sip of her delicious red wine.

“Motivation. You want to talk about motivation? Do you want to know my motivation?"? said Victoria “My motivation is knowing every time I get in that ring I prove why I'm the best. My motivation is knowing that someone as mediocre and underwhelming as you will always be perpetually struggling and never touch my level. You've had every chance to step up and every time you fall flat on your face. Now you want to cling to this match for some more sort of redemption story? Well guess what this isn't going to be your redemption. This is going to be your humiliation and it's going to be broadcast live around the world.”

With a callous smirk she takes another sip of her wine.

“Do you understand why I'm the champion and you're not?” said Victoria  “It's because you have no killer instinct. Perhaps you once did according to Alicia, I don't know. The only Bobbie I've ever known is exactly what Alicia said you were. A clown that nobody wants to laugh at. I wasn't around at the time but both of you have confirmed that you were the one that put her on the shelf. So what happened Bobbie? And why are you feeling sorry for it? You should have kept that killer instinct that you had when you took Alicia out. I would have, and I wouldn't feel sorry for it either. I would feel proud of it just like I'm proud that I took Luna Pasilno out of SCW.”

She leans back on the couch lightly  crossing her legs with elegance.

“Then there's this little fantasy about pinning me specifically.” said Victoria “It's cute and I get it, but let's be honest the only thing you're going to be pinning is your hopes and dreams to that roulette wheel praying for some ridiculous stipulation that'll give you some molecule of an advantage. That's the only way you would even stand a chance but I'll be crystal clear it doesn't matter what that wheel lands on, tables, ladders, submission, cage, Japanese death match. I'll beat you in any match any time, any place and you'll have nobody but yourself to blame for it.”

She pauses again to enjoy some more of her wine.

“The truth is you're not in my league, you're not even in same league as Alicia Lukas.” said Victoria “Alicia may be past her prime but she's a thousand times more credible than you'll ever be. You think because you beat her in the past that your career means something? You're just a footnote in her legacy just like you'll be a footnote in mine, and don't worry Alicia I haven't forgotten you I'll speak to you properly in due time dearie.”

She gets a slight nod to the camera that almost seems respectful as she sips some more wine.

“So let's get to the heart of the matter Bobbie.” said Victoria “You don't really believe you can win this match do you? That's why you're focused on the process and the journey, because you already know how this ends. You laying in the ring staring up at me as I hold the Bombshell Roulette Championship high above my head as the realization sinks in that you were never good enough to take it from me. That’s your reality Bobbie, it not some fairy tale Cinderella story,  just cold hard failure."

She takes another sip of wine and looks into the goblet realizing it to be empty, casually dropping It to the ground.

“So bring whatever you can to Inception Bobbie."[/color] said Victoria “Bring your speeches, your delusions, bring Artie if it pleases you, bring whatever scraps of confidence you've managed to cobble together. It won't matter because when the bell rings I'll do what I've done twice before and that's beat you. But this time there'll be no doubt in anybody's mind that you don't belong in my ring with me. You're not a threat Bobbie, you're a joke and I'm going to make sure everyone is laughing at you when it's all said and done.”

She lifts her championship off the backrest of the sofa and puts it on her shoulder.

“I'll see you at Inception Bobbie.” said Victoria “Try not to embarrass yourself too much…. on second thought go ahead. It will make my victory that much sweeter.  I have to wonder when you lose and become 0-2 in 2025, what's your excuse going to be this time?”

With that she smirks into the camera, turns on her heel and walks out of frame the camera lingering on the empty goblet left on the floor as it all fades to black.

__________

The door to coach Kaiser's office Creek open as Victoria stepped in and set her gaze on the man behind the clutter desk. Coach Kaiser was flipping through a stack of papers, a faint smell of coffee lingering in the air. The walls of the office were adorned with old wrestling memorabilia of matches past, some featuring her father and uncles, some of Coach  Keevee Kaiser himself, others with Vincent, Eddie and even some of Victoria when she was younger. This was her world, the place where she trained and the place where she and Vincent grew up alongside Eddie.

“Sit down Victoria.” he said in a calm steady voice.

With a sigh she sat into a chair across from him leaning back but never really focusing on him.

“Before you say anything Coach.” she said “I already heard it from Eddie.”

“I figured.” said Coach Kaiser leaning back in his own chair.

“He gave me a full rundown.” she said, “Told me I was acting like an idiot and putting everything at risk over some irrelevant kid.”

“Well I won't sugarcoat it.” said Coach Kaiser "You did act impulsively and you're better than that.  You’ve been around long enough to know that type of stuff just isn't acceptable.”

Victoria simply Shrugged she didn't really care about what happened with that Tyler kid.  She saw him as weak and unworthy of being a part of this school he was never going to amount to anything and that was the truth of the matter.

“I'm not asking for anyone's approval.” Victoria said “I made a choice and the truth is Tyler was never going to make it anyway.”

“I don't disagree with you.” said Coach Kaiser “He wasn't he wasn't going to make it as a Lyons Den Talent but that was for him to find out on his own he didn't need to be assaulted like that.”

Victoria looked at her coach, she wasn't sure if he was mad or disappointed. She had known him her entire life,  he was trained by her father and he had seen her rise from a young wrestler to the force she was now. He was somewhat of a big brother figure to her and Vincent and had always been a prominent influence in her life especially after her father's passing.

“Look I did what I thought was  have time to cuddle anyone. If that Tyler kid  couldn't get the picture then that's his problem.” said Victoria with some snark in her tone.

“Perhaps.” said Coach Kaiser “But it's about the way you handled it, the way you let your emotions run the show. You've never been one to shy away from what you want, but you're walking a dangerous line right now Victoria and you need to start thinking before you act.”

“I'm not that little girl used to see around here when you were training.” said Victoria "I've grown into my own person and I've become a champion in my own right. And you know what? I'm the only one of your students that managed to keep their championship going into the new year.”

“I don't doubt you Victoria.” said Coach Kaiser “You've got the drive and the skill, but the road you are going on now,  it's not going to be easy. The choices you've been making, the things you've done to get to this point, it's all going to catch up to you and you'll have to decide if it was all worth it.”

“It will be.” said Victoria with a fierce expression “I'm not backing down from anyone.”

“Yeah I figured.” said coach Kaiser with a small slightly approving smile, “You've always had a certain fire inside you just make sure you don't let it go out of control. I'm trusting you with this whole Vincent thing too. All I'm asking of you is to think about your actions a little more before you do them.”

“I'll be fine coach." said Victoria “So will Vincent. I know what I'm doing, like I said I'm the only one of your students that is currently a champion and I'm going to remain a champion  and prove that I'm the best of all of us.”

“And I'm always going to be in your corner.” said Coach Kaiser “Best of luck to you against Bobbie and Alicia. Just remember,…..think.”

“Don't worry about it.” said Victoria “I have everything under control and when Inception ends and I still have my championship I'll walk right back into the school and prove why I'm the top student of this place now.”

With that she stood up and turned on her heel and took her own leave from the coach's office ready to prove to him and everyone else that her words were in fact true and she was the top student of The Lyons Den, and deserved to be treated as such.

__________

As the cameras open Victoria is back in her lavish lounge with another goblet of red wine. The crown still on her head and her Bombshell Roulette Championship draped on the back of the sofa just behind her. After a sip of the wine she speaks.

“Before I really get into it Alicia.” said Victoria “I feel like I should show my appreciation to you.  Unlike most around here, you paid proper tribute and proper respect to your queen. I appreciate that. It shows that you're a lot smarter than most of these Bombshells and that you do have some brains in that head of yours.  I understand now why you are a three-time Bombshell world champion. Now with that said I think you are owed the respect of me telling you exactly what's going to happen."

With the sly grin she takes another sip of wine.

“You know you do a real good job making yourself sound like you're doing something noble. Talking about how you want to work your way up and prove something to yourself.” said Victoria “But let's be honest Alicia you didn't come back here to grind. You didn't come back to hustle in the shadows and work your way up from the bottom you know exactly what would happen the second you walked through those doors again and you were fine with it.”

She takes another sip of her wine.

"You talk about how you expected your name to carry you, of course you did." said Victoria "You didn't come back to struggle you came back knowing management was fast track you to the front of the line because of who you are and what you've done dress it up however you want but you can't fool me. You're giving a chance in the Triple  Crown because of who you used to be, not what you've done since coming back.”

She pauses for a moment letting her words linger in the air.

“You said it yourself." said Victoria "I'm the one who elevated this division I made this Bombshell Roulette Division mean something. I have changed the game around here and now it's a game that you are no longer ready for.”

She smirks at the camera through another sip of wine.

“I can't say you were wrong about Bobbie.” said Victoria “She is a complete clown and if what you say is true, that she used to be a serious contender, well that makes it even worse. But knowing that she was the one that put you on the shelf, now I get it. Because If Bobbie Dahl was the one who put me on the shelf I'd be pretty embarrassed about it too. However I certainly wouldn't waste my time being disappointed in other people.”

She pauses again for a moment letting her gaze linger into the camera.

“Now while we share similar opinions on Bobbie.” said Victoria “I can't say we're completely the same. I'm not a person who is concerned with how I get the job done just as long as I get the job done. The ends always justify the means. I will have no problem putting you back on the shelf if I need to do that to keep my championship. And unlike Bobbie I will feel no guilt or remorse about it. ”

She takes another sip of her wine.

"The championship you see here right behind me." said Victoria "It's not a pit stop for me. It's not some consolation prize that's what I fought for, what I elevated and what I made matter. You're going to find out quickly that it's not the championship that's taking you out of your comfort zone, it's gonna be me.”

She pauses again through another sip of wine.

“I respect your history Alicia.” said Victoria “But history doesn't win championships, and the woman you're looking at right now? I'm not history, I'm the present. I'm the one who's been here fighting, bleeding and proving myself every single night. I came into this company, immediately made an impact and immediately changed the game.”

She continues to look into the camera with that familiar smirk on her face.

“I made this my division.” said Victoria “And while your words of praise were I appreciated understand I don't need your validation. I know I've elevated this championship because I defended it against everyone who stepped up. So I'm not going to be some stepping stone on your redemption arc. This championship isn't going to be  some check mark on your list of things I haven't done before and you're not going to use me to make yourself relevant again.”

Another sip of wine enters her lips.

“You do realize Alicia.” said Victoria “I'm not just one of the most dominant Bombshell Roulette Champions in history. I'm one of the most dominant Bombshells period. If you want me to be honest I think the only person I can say is my better in this company right now is our current Bombshell World Champion Kayla Richards. She's one of the few who's gotten the better of me but even Kayla at the end of the day couldn't pin my shoulders to the mat or make me tap out.”

There's a slight pause as if perhaps those couple of losses do get to her somewhat. But she seems to do a good job of hiding it for the most part.

“You want to accomplish the impossible do you Alicia?” said Victoria. "Well, you should start believing in miracles because the only way you're walking out of that match as Bombshell Roulette Champion is if you pull off one.”

She takes one final sip of wine and like she did when she addressed Bobbie she drops the goblet on the ground and the sound of it clinking against the floor echoes through the room.

“So keep rolling the dice Alicia keep spinning the wheel just don't be surprised when you come up short.” said Victoria. "Because at the end of the day the true mathematical improbability of you or Bobbie walking out with this championship is impossible. And you can take that to the tables and bank on it.”

She winks at the camera keeping that smart aleck grin on her face lounging back on the sofa as the scene fades out to black.

__________

Triple threats are chaotic, unpredictable and the strategy shifts when competing in one but if there's one thing Victoria Lyons has proven it's that she can adapt to any situation.

She's walking into this match as she always does with no fear. She's not concerned about the odds, if anything she's excited for them as they provide another opportunity to prove that she is the best in this division.

Bobbie Dahl is a distraction to her at best and she sees Alicia Lukas as a relic of the past that will never be as good as she once was.

She knows both girls are going to come with everything they have and they're going to fight like their careers depend on it because they do.

They can talk all they want. Promise the world, claim they're ready, that it's their time this is their redemption or this is their comeback.  But they're wrong, this isn't their time or their championship or their era. This is Victoria's era this is her time this is her championship and this is her reign. When the dust settles at Inception and the bell rings, she will still stand tall as the Bombshell Roulette Champion and she will still be the one true queen of SCW.  This is still only the beginning for Victoria Lyons.