The fireplace warmed the living room as it cast an amber glow across the face of Victoria Lyons as she sat in her favorite lounge chair with her favorite glass of red. Darian Price lay on a nearby sofa, the look of a job well done on his face, holding his preferred glass of rum and coke to himself.
“I have to say Dare Bear.“ Victoria said with that unmistakable smirk on her lips “That first round went exactly the way we planned it. I mean can you believe it? I defeated Kayla Richards, she is no longer part of the high stakes tournament.”
“I'd say it went even better than we hoped.” Darian chuckled
Victoria smiled through a sip of wine, her eyes lighting up.
“It was the look on her face when I struck her with the lion's paw.” said Victoria “She thought she was so untouchable, and I left her flat on the mat.”
“Nobody even saw it coming.” Darian grinned, “and the next thing they knew your hand was raised.”
“And that's all that matters.” Victoria said “Kayla Richards is one of the best to ever step foot in this company, everybody knows that and now everybody knows that I beat her. The how of it doesn't matter. What's done is done.”
She casually takes another sip of her wine
“Now my High Stakes Tour of SCWs best continues.“ said Victoria “Last time was Kayla Richards, this time it's Bella Madison. Next time it'll either be Crystal Caldwell, or Alexandra Calaway. If it's Calaway what a wonderful High Stakes journey I will have indeed. Sort of a tour of my greatest hits. I cap off the tournament with a victory over Calaway and I'll have the momentum I need to go in against Frankie Holliday.”
“And if Calaway doesn't win her match?” piqued Darian
“Then I beat Crystal Caldwell instead.” said Victoria, “It may not be as poetic of a story, but the end result will be the same when I have that Bombshell World Championship raised over my head.”
“With a journey like that nobody will be able to deny you when you win that championship.” Darian said.
“Exactly.” said Victoria, “And you dare bear, I can't forget that you executed your part perfectly, the timing and everything was professional work.”
“Just trying to help my queen.” he grinned taking a sip of his drink
“Don't undersell yourself.” she said “You're part of this now too, and you've done very well.”
She smiled at him, she really did like this boy. Aside from all the consort business, and SCW she found a certain charm about him
“So what's the plan for Bella Madison?” Darian asked.
Victoria leaned back in her chair and swirled some of the wine in her glass.
“Bella Madison's an interesting one…” Victoria said “She'll catch you if you're not careful. That's what happened last time. I took her too lightly in that triple threat with Calaway and it cost me in the end.”
“But remember she technically didn't beat you in that match.” Darian reminded her.
“That may be true.” said Victoria “But I still lost that match, and that means I can't just brush off Bella Madison. She's disciplined, and if you make the slightest mistake she'll strike with venom, and she will get you.”
“Then don't make any mistakes.“ said Darian.
“That's the plan.” Victoria said “Because she's getting a version of me that's completely dialed in, the one that just took out Kayla Richards.”
She casually took another sip of her wine.
“I want her to be at her best too.” said Victoria “Because when I win the whole thing people will remember who I beat to get there. No easy path or excuses, I'm beating names that matter. Kayla Richards, Bella Madison, whomever I get next, that's what's going to make my journey real.”
“And I'll be there with you the whole way.” Darian said slyly “To make sure everything goes…..fairly.”
“Fair enough for me to win.” Victoria grinned.
They sat there in silence just for a moment letting the warmth creep across their faces.
“I can feel the shift already Dare Bear.” she said “I've got my rhythm back. I may have slipped into a bit of a rut and some may have doubted I could step up to the next level after losing the roulette championship but this is the tournament where I prove them wrong.”
“And Harper cracked under the pressure because she couldn't fill your shoes.” said Darian.
“Perhaps, but Harper Mason is no longer my problem. She made her own fate.” said Victoria “I need to focus on my future and my journey back to becoming a champion.”
“And we still have Plan B.” Darian reminded her. “The Bombshell Internet Championship.”
“Yes “ said Victoria "And plan B will come into effect if we need it. Need to keep focus on what's ahead of me and that's Bella Madison. I know how good Bella is, but I know I'm better, and with you by my side I can be unstoppable.”
“Bella won't even see it coming.” said Darian
“Just like Kayla.” Victoria smirked.
The two sat together enjoying each other's company among their drinks and the warmth of the fireplace, but inside Victoria's determination to win was burning hotter than the fire itself. The fire crackled and somewhere inside Victoria, so did destiny.
__________
It was a quiet night outside a rare sort of silence as Victoria sat alone on the hotel balcony overlooking the street of Santa Clara beneath her, back inside the hotel room Darian had already fallen fast asleep. And this moment it was just her and the rhythm of her own thoughts.
She sat back and to her chair and thought about the word queen and how so long ago it meant something different for her. At one point it was about the crown and feeling above everybody else and untouchable. Now she felt like a queen in a different way, it wasn't about the crown, but about the presence she carried herself with. It was her confidence. She was a strong independent woman who no longer demanded people's attention, she earned it.
They may not have liked her methods or even her at times but they had grown to respect her and everybody knew that, like her or not she deserved all of it.
She smiled to herself faintly, the word independent resting on her mind. She didn't need anyone to define her anymore, not even her family and yet there was Darian.
Her sweet Dare Bear.
It all happened so fast with him, a spark of chemistry had turned into something more. She didn't see him as just a pawn in her game. But she didn't quite see him as her equal either, not in the way she fought to get where she was. But he was loyal and stayed beside her. Perhaps he could be a little too eager at times, but his heart was always in the right place and that mattered more to her than she ever expected it to.
She found herself caring for him like truly caring for him and affection and warmth that was more than just some convenience. Wherever she landed, whatever was on her mind he always looked at her like she was everything that mattered in the world and she loved that about him.
Some people might look at the two of them and see their relationship as strange, but this wasn't some ancient world. It was a modern age and love looked different in it. Who was anybody else to judge them?
It's not like they needed their approval anyway.
As she looked toward the skyline she thought about Vincent, her twin. Her chest tightened as his name crossed her mind. Be worried about him she may never say it out loud but he had always been a piece of her story and now he all but vanished from it. There was a time when she would have gone looking for him but she couldn't do that anymore because she finally understood that Vincent had to find his own way back and she had her own path to walk.
Then her mind shifted to Eddie, her cousin her equal and her frustration. She didn't believe it herself, but she was quietly rooting for him. She wanted him to win his own High Stakes tournament, maybe if only for the idea that a Lyons could take both of the tournaments on each side of the line but somehow she knew it was deeper than that. She truly wanted to see him get the moment he had earned. She wanted all of his hard work to pay off for him.
Weird, she thought, shaking her head.
She couldn't be distracted by the boys in her life, not when she had Bella Madison waiting in the wings. She wouldn't underestimate Bella this time she couldn't make the same mistake twice. The finals of the high-stakes tournament were just around the corner and she knew she would do whatever she needed to do to get there.
She was feeling grounded for the first time in a long while she didn't need a crown to feel like royalty anymore. She didn't need validation, because she was the validation. Yet there was still a burning hot ambition and purpose in the side of her.
Bella would get the best version of her, the one who really discovered her rhythm and turned her insecurity into steel, she would find that she was still a queen and when the bell rang she would remind Bella Madison and everyone else exactly what that meant.
__________
The cameras open on Victoria Lyons standing near the edge of a terrace overlooking the city of Santa Clara, Darian Price leans against a stone railing nearby just enough to make his presence felt.
“So we're at the High Stakes semi-finals.” said Victoria “And I've drawn Bella Madison. I was talking with Darian the other day about how poetic it is, I beat Kayla Richards, now it's going to be Bella Madison, and the potential of it being Alexandra Calaway in the finals. It's like I'm on my greatest hits tour. Being forced to overcome my greatest opponents before I get my opportunity against Frankie Holliday.”
A faint smile grows on her face.
“And I'll give you your credit Bella, you got one over on me in that triple threat.” Victoria continued “You came with the fire and heart you always come with, and you came out with the victory. But let's not act like that night rewrites history. Let's not pretend you defeating Alexandra Calaway means you have my number, because you never have. When it's been you and I I come out on top every time and that's not arrogance that's just truth.”
She shrugs and smirks at the camera.
“When this tournament started I vowed not just to win but to set the tone." Victoria said “And that's exactly what I did when I beat Kayla Richards. The woman everybody expected to steamroll the whole thing and win her championship back. Instead she ran straight into my fist, and realized how serious I'm taking this.”
“And Kayla was just the beginning.” Darian quipped
“Exactly.” said Victoria “Because I'm out to remind people why my name strikes fear into people's hearts. Why when you see my name across from yours, you're forced to step up your game because you know if you don't I'll sink my claws in and absolutely bury you.”
She pauses shortly.
“The truth is, you could be Bombshell World Champion right now.“ said Victoria “But you squandered your opportunity against Kayla Richards. Just like you'll squatter your opportunity against Frankie Holliday should you manage to win this tournament. It's my turn for a shot at the Bombshell World Championship, not you, not Kayla Richards, not Alexandra Calaway, not even Crystal Caldwell. They won't admit it but it's what everybody wants right now. They want me in a match for the Bombshell World Championship.”
“They want the queen.” Darian chimed in.
“When I win this tournament I won't squander anything.” said Victoria “I will take the world Bombshell Championship from Frankie Holiday and the era of Victoria Lyons, the era everyone's been waiting for will begin.”
She smirks.
“When that bell rings Bella. I'm controlling the pace.” She said. “I need to become a champion again, and if I have to put you in the dirt to do it I will. I won't be playing any hot potato with the championship like you and Mercedes Vargas did either. I will be a proper champion just like I was as Roulette champion, before Harper Mason won it from me and then crumbled under the pressure.”
She laughs.
“Your journey ends here Bella Madison.” said Victoria “We've done this before and you know I'm your better so bring all the fight you can, bring everything you can, because at the end of the day, you're going to need it. You're going to need the people to see that you at least brought a fight, and you will, but my fight is going to be stronger. I am ready to be Bombshell World Champion and I'm ready to begin shattering records once again.”
She nods to the camera keeping her stare confident and intimidating as everything fades to black.
[/i]
