A Big Risk

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May 16th, 2020

Dallas, Texas

Off Camera

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We open inside of a hotel room in Dallas, Texas; though to say that this is a room may be misleading. This “room” was huge and didn't look like a hotel room at all...more like a guest suite in an Italian palace. The bed was king-sized with pure white, Egyptian cotton sheets. Included was a desk, a thirty-six-inch TV with video and DVD, a sprawling leather sofa, and, on the other side of the floor-to-ceiling windows was a private terrace. And the bathroom was amazing to say the very least. As well as the power shower, there was a bath big enough for a football team, and a Jacuzzi. Everything in marble and handcrafted tiles. A suite built for a millionaire.  The blonde beauty lying restfully asleep on the king size bed doesn’t typically get treated to this kind of luxury.

So who is occupying this room this morning?  It is none other than Aubrianna Powers. The first impression most people get when they meet Aubrianna Powers is that of an obnoxious, arrogant, overbearing little bitch.  There’s no secret that she is quite full of herself but what makes people so agitated is that she can oftentimes back up her words with action.  She is damn near as good as she claims to be. She trained under her older brothers, accomplished professional wrestlers in their own right, Steve and Derek Powers.  She would make her debut as a professional in April of 2017 and in the short span of time that she has been an active wrestler she has already amassed quite an impressive list of accomplishments.

MCW World Tag Team Champion.

HKW Tapout Champion.

GCW International Champion.

GCW Global Champion.

GCW World Champion.

She has most definitely backed up all of her arrogant, smug words during the span of her professional wrestling career.  At times she can come across as smug, stuck up, and condescending.  That isn’t the entire story of who Aubrianna Powers really is.  Few people get to know the true person deep down inside.  Even Aubrianna’s brothers, Steve and Derek Powers, do not quite grasp the true nature of their youngest sibling.  Only one individual, one man has the opportunity to see the true Aubrianna Powers; and that man is professional wrestling reporter Dexter Russell.

Aubrianna met up with Dexter Russell thanks to professional wrestling.  Aubrianna was raised in and around the business and she was one of the few who took the time to befriend Dexter.  Their friendship would eventually become more than just that.  Fearing of commitment Powers would dump Russell.  Later, after Powers made her professional debut, they would return to one another’s arms.  Love, as it turns out, will not be denied.

Another thing that will not be denied is Aubrianna’s success.  Wrestling doesn’t necessarily run in her family; her and her brothers are the first generation of their family to be wrestlers.  What does run in their family is a strong desire to be successful at whatever they set their mind to.  In this case, Aubrianna was determined to be a success as a wrestler.  This is Saturday morning, the beginning of day two for GCW Resurrection IX weekend.  The self-proclaimed “MVP”...Most Valuable Powers...is going to be the headline of this three night event.  Today, The MVP thinks that she will get a restful day to plan and prepare for her night three main event.

That will not be the case.

The sunlight streaming in through the window doesn’t immediately wake up Aubrianna Powers who sleeps rather soundly in a king size bed all by herself.  Being alone is nothing new for The Most Valuable Powers.  She knows the life of a wrestler all too well means constant travel and appearances in various cities, sometimes multiple places in the same day.  It can easily earn one frequent flyer miles and can take a toll on the human body, both mentally and physically, but this is the life Aubrianna chose and she wouldn’t have it any other way.  Recently she has been traveling with her new husband, Dexter Russell.  The two lovebirds finally got married after their on again, off again, and finally on again relationship.

Powers needed to be woken up but it wasn’t just the warmth of the sun’s rays that did the trick, for loud noises from the front door seemed to also act as an “alarm” clock of sorts.  Powers sits up in bed and yawns loudly, taking a big stretch as well.  She turns her head towards the door in time to see Dexter walking back into the room with a cup of orange juice in hand.  Aubrey furrows her brow in confusion.

“How long have you been gone?”

“Long enough to go downstairs and get breakfast.  Did you know the hotel serves breakfast every morning?”

“No, and I don’t care.” Aubrey rolls her eyes.

“You should try it.  It’s good stuff.”

“If it’s so damn good why the hell didn’t you take me?!” Powers demands angrily.  Dexter chuckles as he walks over to the king size bed and sits down next to his wife.  He plants a loving kiss on her cheek.

“Didn’t you just say that you didn’t care about their breakfast?”

“I don’t care.  I still want to be asked so I can mock it and mock you for asking me.”

“That’s why I like you, Aubrey.  You’re always blunt.” He sighs. “Honestly, I didn’t want to wake you.  You looked so peaceful and you were resting so well.”

“I was peaceful?  Did I look cute?”

“You were adorable.” Dexter says with a wink.  Powers smirks.

“Yay!  That just made up for you not inviting me to breakfast.”

“You are one of a kind, Aubrey.  So lovey, beautiful, and...of course...humble…”

“Humility?” Powers scoffs.  She knows that her husband meant that as a shot at her but she doesn’t mind. “Humility is for those who are not great.  But me, I am great.  I am a prodigy.  Tomorrow night I am going to be in the main event of Resurrection.  I was in the main event last year too, by the way.  Both times I was competing for world championship gold.”

“You lost last year, sweetheart.” Dexter says with a wry grin on his face.  He knows that will rub his wife the wrong way but he doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest.  Powers rolls her eyes.

“So what?  Don’t live in the past, Dex.  Live in the here and now.  Look to the present and the future of this business and me, I am its present and future.”  After hearing Powers say this, Dexter begins to look around the room.  Aubrianna furrows her brow curiously.

“What’s wrong with you?  What are you looking for?”

“The cameras.”

“What cameras?!  This isn’t some hidden camera show or some shit like that!”

“No, but you sounded like you were cutting a promo, so I wanted to see if there were cameras around that I didn’t know about.” A jovial grin forms upon Dexter’s face.  Most wouldn’t get away with this kind of talk with Powers.  Dexter can only because she loves him to death and would do anything for him.  She will also tolerate any of his behavior.  The MVP playfully shoves her husband back.

“Oh grow up, Dex.  You know what I mean.”

“Yes but where’s the fun in growing up?  I enjoy seeing you mad.”

“Yeah well you wait and see what happens if I lose tomorrow night.”

“Huh?”

Normally Powers is a very confident individual.  Dexter isn’t used to Aubrianna showing vulnerability.  He watches as she slowly slides off of the bed and walks over to the window and looks out over at the Dallas skyline.  Dexter gets up off of the bed and slowly approaches his wife, joining her by the window.  He wraps a comforting arm around her shoulder.

“What’s wrong, Aubrey?”

“You already said it, Dex.  I lost last year...it was a triple threat match, just like the main event this year is also a triple threat match.  I don’t have to be pinned to lose this triple threat match.  What if lightning strikes again?” She sighs and turns to look up into her husband’s loving eyes. “I don’t want to get on a Resurrection losing streak here, babe.”

Dexter smiles back at Aubrianna.  He runs a hand through her long pink tipped blonde hair.  “And you already said it yourself, babe.”

“Said what?  What’d I say?”

“Don’t dwell on the pest.  Focus on the here and now...which is your match tomorrow night...but also focus on the future.  GCW won’t be there for you forever.  HKW Underground is going through turmoil as well, based upon what you’ve told me.  Maybe you should consider some other options?”

Aubrianna considers Dexter’s words.  She opens her mouth to speak but is interrupted when Dexter’s cell phone begins ringing.  Dexter sighs with an annoyed tone.  He looks at the number and sighs again. “I don’t recognize the number.” He presses a button to reject the call. He smirks knowingly at his wife.

“They can wait.”

“Good.   Now, uh…” Aubrianna is attempting to speak again but just as she is beginning to find her words the phone rings again.  Dexter looks at it and he now looks thoroughly annoyed.

“It’s the same number.”

“Ignore them.”

“No,” he takes the phone “I’ll just tell them off…”

Powers chuckles as she watches Dexter walks off with the phone in hand, talking to whoever it is on the other end.  Aubrianna decides that perhaps it is time to get dressed.  She approaches her closet and opens the door.  She looks at two fancy dresses the brought along for tonight.  Tonight, night two of GCW’s Resurrection event, is a Hall of Fame and Awards ceremony.  So she wants to be dressed to the nines in her finest of apparel.  One is a typical little black dress and the other is a sparkling silver dress.  She looks at one and then at the other, trying to make up her mind.  It is a difficult decision, she’ll look great in both and she knows it.  Maybe she should get Dexter’s opinion?

“Aubrey!”

Speaking of Dexter, Powers is rattled back to reality by the sound of his somewhat startled voice.  He still has his phone in hand and he is holding it out towards Powers.  “You should take this…”

“What?! Why?!” Powers asks in a bewildered tone. “They called you, Dex.  Not me.”

“Yes, but she only called me because she doesn’t have your number.”

“She?” Powers asks, now sounding more intrigued.  Who called her husband?  Dexter nods his head.

“Aurora Alan called.  She wants to talk to you.”

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May 16th, 2020

Dallas, Texas

Off Camera

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Aurora Alan is a name that Aubrianna Powers has not heard in a very long time.  Their two families are forever interconnected through their shared experiences in professional wrestling.  Aurora Alan is the sister of Matthew Alan, the promoter who first hired Aubrianna’s oldest brother Steve Powers and gave him a job as a professional wrestler.  Together Matthew and Steve ran roughshod over the independent wrestling circuits in the southeastern United States, marketing and promoting him as the very best talent in existence.  It was Matthew’s marketing genius that helped make the Powers family famous and got them their start in the wrestling business.  Indirectly, Matthew is also responsible for Aubrianna’s career, because had he not got Steve his start then it is highly doubtful Steve would have been able to help Aubrianna get her start either.

She never expected to hear from anyone connected to the Matthew Alan family again after GCW first shut down in 2002.  In fact, they never even heard anything about Matthew Alan until they learned from the news that Matthew was being indicted on several charges of white collar crimes.  Now, shortly after Matthew Alan’s trial have begun in federal court, Matthew’s younger sister, Aurora Alan, has reached out and made contact.

The two women share quite a bit in common; much like the age gap between Aubrianna and her older brother Steve is very wide, the age gap between Aurora and her older brother Matthew is quite wide.  Both are ambitious and want to be successful.  Still, Powers did not expect to hear from Aurora Alan today and she certainly did not expect that Aurora would want to meet with her face to face; but that is exactly what she wanted.

What could she possibly want?

The Most Valuable Powers currently finds herself in a small bar area on the bottom floor of the hotel where she and her husband Dexter are staying.  Dexter is sitting next to her.  Both have drinks in front of them.

“What do you think she wants?” Aubrianna asks absently, staring blankly ahead.  Dexter just shrugs his shoulders.

“Who knows?”

“You should!” Powers exclaims, turning to quickly to glare at her husband. “You took the call!”

“And she didn’t want to give me any details.” Dexter remarks calmly. “She wanted to tell you personally.”

“God I hate this!” Powers exclaims as she takes a quick sip of the unknown alcoholic beverage in her shot glass.  Dexter smiles warmly at Aubrianna.

“It’s ok...I know what the problem is…”

“What’s the problem then, genius?”

“You hate not being in control.”

“Well duh!” Powers rolls her eyes. “Of course I hate not being in control!  I like knowing what’s coming at me!  I like being prepared and this...I don’t know what to make of this...I…”

“Hush…” Dexter says holding a hand over his wife’s mouth to stop her ranting from going any farther “...I get it, your brother and her brother didn’t exactly end their relationship on good terms.  But this could be something different.  Give her a chance.”

“Her family left my brother out of work, Dex.  They left you out of work when they went belly up.”

“That was her brother who did that, not her.” Dexter points out.  Powers nods her head.

“You’re right…” she takes another shot of her beverage “...fine, I’ll give this a chance.”

No, Aubrianna does not trust Aurora or her family.  But why?  What is this beef that the Powers family has with the Alan family?  Simply put, Matthew Alan’s corporate greed sent the company into bankruptcy, causing many superstars to lose their jobs including Steve Powers.  Matthew would not even attempt to make things right or give them a safety net.  He left the competitors to their own devices, not caring what happened to them.  Matthew Alan may have initially set up Steve Powers to have a career in this business but he also was damn near responsible for Steve’s career ending.  Steve has not forgotten and neither has Aubrianna.  For her part, willing to meet with Aurora Alan is a big step taken by Aubrianna Powers.  How will it work out?

That answer will be coming shortly.  Dexter Russell’s eyes grow wide as he turns his attention away from Aubrianna and towards the entrance to the hotel.  He watches as a woman enters.  Her hair is long and mostly straight with but a few curls.  She is dressed in a business skirt suit, looking very professional.  She has a friendly smile upon her face as her eyes meet Dexter’s.  She waves and Dexter responds in kind with a wave of his own.  Powers notices this…

“Who the hell are you waving at?” She notices the female approaching. “Is that her?”

“Yeah, that’s her.” Dexter remarks.  Aubrianna furrows her brow.

“Wow, she’s changed.  I haven’t seen her in ages.”

“I imagine you’ve changed too, Aubrey.” Dexter says with a grin and a wink. “So don’t be too judgmental.”

“I’m not being judgmental!” Powers exclaims, rolling her eyes.  Dexter hushes his wife as Aurora Alan gets closer.

“Dexter!” Aurora exclaims happily.  Dexter smiles warmly and nods his response.  “It has been too long!”

“Yes, yes it has, Aurora.” Dexter knew Aurora and her family very well as he worked for them early on his career as a journalist.  Much like Steve Powers got his first opportunity thanks to her family, Dexter also got his first opportunity thanks to them.  And also like Powers almost like his career thanks to Matthew’s corporate mismanagement, Dexter too almost lost his job thanks to the Alan family.  Dexter won’t like Aubrianna know it, but he is just as suspect of Aurora Alan as Aubrianna is.

“And Aubrianna!” Aurora exclaims turning to The MVP with a big grin on her face. “You were so tiny the last time I saw you!”

“Yeah?  I don’t even remember you.”  Powers says this with venom in her voice but Aurora takes it very well.  She chuckles and nods her head in response.

“That’s fair.  I mean, I may have grown up around wrestling but I wasn’t as interested in it as my brother was.”

“That must have changed.  You are the financial backer of my brother’s wrestling school.” Aubrianna points out, also with venom dripping from her voice, as she still does not trust Aurora, who still takes this in great stride with a nod of her head.

“You’re right, I have taken a bigger interest in wrestling.  I can explain more if you wish?”

“I would hope so.  You did ask for this stupid meeting.” The MVP remarks with an eye roll.  Dexter cannot help but chuckle.  Aurora nods her head and finds a seat next to Aubrianna Powers and across from Dexter Russell.  It is Dexter who tries to keep the peace, for he can tell that trouble is brewing within his lovely wife’s gorgeous little head.

“Do you want us to buy you a drink?” Dexter asks.  Aurora shakes her head.

“No thanks, Dex.  The thought is kind and I know what you are trying to do but let’s be honest with ourselves, shall we?  Aubrianna here does not trust me.  And I doubt you trust me, either.  To be perfectly honest with you, I could not blame you for not trusting me.  My brother did both of your families wrong.  He did so many people wrong with what we thought was just simply bad business decisions, only now we have found out that he was committing white collar crimes to make himself richer and wealthier while people like you Dexter and your brother in law Steve both suffered.  So many suffered for my brother’s crimes.  Now Matthew is going to pay for his crimes in front of a federal judge.”

“Yeah?  We’ll see.  People like him always seem to have the connections to get away with it.” Aubrianna remarks with a note of sarcasm and skepticism in her voice.  Aurora nods her head in agreement.

“I know and while my brother does have a great deal of connections, I truly feel the federal prosecutors have a good case against him.  He will be convicted.”

“You seem to be taking the news rather well.” Dexter points out with a note of curiosity. “In fact, it is almost like you are thankful he is being convicted.”

“Always the journalist, eh Dexter?” Aurora says with a sigh.  Dexter grins sheepishly.

“I can’t help it.”

“Well don’t get me wrong.  I do love my brother.  I do not wish him any harm.  But he made many people suffer, including his own family.  His daughter Geneva needed help from Meagan Collins to get a job as a wrestler because so many promotions were blackballing her just for her relationship to my brother.  Our family nearly was put out of business because of Matthew’s bad reputation.  I worked my ass off in what had to be the single biggest public relations job to restore our reputation to what it once was.  That’s when I set my foot into the corporate world.  I used what money we had left to donate money to charities.  I even set up The Scarlet Hope Foundation, an organization whose goal is to help wrestlers down on their luck...people who, like my niece Geneva who have had problems getting a start in the business for one reason or another...wrestlers who cannot wrestle any longer due to career ending injuries to help them pay their bills if they are in financial need...we are here to help anyone connected to the wrestling business who may have financial needs or difficulty associated with the sport.”

Aurora points a finger at Aubrianna. “That’s what led me to your brother.  I heard about his wrestling school.  Specifically I heard that it was struggling.” Powers nods her head in confirmation.

“Yeah, he wasn’t getting any luck with students or whatever.”

“Wrestling schools are necessary so that the competitors can know how to safely do their job and effectively do their job.  Wrestling schools are also necessary so that the competitors will learn the skills to become the champions they want to be.  So to assist your brother’s endeavor I decided to be his financial backer.” Aurora grins knowingly. “And yes, thankfully we got that name changed.”

Up until now Aubrianna had been very skeptical and cold towards Aurora.  Now, however, things are beginning to change.  She chuckles lightly at Aurora’s latest statement. “I told him that The Very Best Wrestling School was a dumbass name!”

“That’s my thought too!” Aurora says with a light laugh of her own. “I wouldn’t quite use such harsh language, though.”

“Oh feel free.  My brother is, in fact, a dumbass.” Powers points out. “But PowersHouse Academy does have a much nicer ring to it, in my opinion.”

“I thought so too.” Aurora winks. “But now that I have helped your brother, I want to help you as well.”

“Help me?” Aubrianna looks on curiously. “How?”

“Like I said, I never was into wrestling.  Now that I have stuck my nose into the business with this charity work and now helping your brother with the PowersHouse Academy, I am beginning to see how addicting this sport can be.  I want to try my hand at managing a wrestler’s career.  And Aubrianna...I would be honored if you would let me be your agent.”

“Your...you want to be my agent…” Aubrianna was stunned at this request.  Considering the bad blood between the Alan family and the Powers family, she did not expect this.  Then again, it does make sense in a way.  Their respective brothers worked together well once upon a time.  Their respective brothers helped one another get to the top of the business for a brief moment until their worlds came crashing down around them.  It would be ironic that their younger siblings would now reunite that familial bond.  But can Aubrianna really trust Aurora Alan?

“What exactly do you have in mind, Aurora?” Dexter chime sin, thankfully taking the pressure off of Aubrianna to respond. “What would you do if you were managing Aubrey’s career?”

“Honestly, I believe she should expand her brand.  Being exclusive is ok, and she pretty much is exclusive right now to GCW and that is great, it is a big promotion.  She competes for HKW Underground but she’s not as active there.  I would propose branching out to another big scale promotion.  And I’m thinking of Supreme Championship Wrestling.”

“You don’t say?” Powers did think of joining SCW at one point.  Her contract with Emerge had just ended and she was in discussions with Sasha of SCW.  The two sides never could come to an agreement on pay and perks.  Aubrianna wanted more than what SCW was willing to pay.  Nothing had ever been finalized and for the longest time Powers had competed in just GCW and Underground.

“I know all about your heated contract negotiations with SCW.  I know how it didn’t work out well and that’s because you are a wrestler, Aubrianna.  You are not a businesswoman.  It takes a businesswoman to deal with another businesswoman and I can deal with Sasha on your behalf.  I can get you the deal you want.  And it would be just in time for Taking Hold of the Flame.”

“Taking Hold of the Flame…” Aubrey’s voice trails off.  This certainly sounds like a sweet deal.  She has wanted to join SCW for a long time.  She was disappointed her deal fell through.  Now, with Aurora’s help, it could come true.  And for her to make her debut at Taking Hold of the Flame, it would be the perfect opportunity to make an impact.  It would be the perfect way to introduce herself to SCW.

But is this what she wants?  Is she ready to put the past behind her and work with Aurora Alan?  Is she ready to take a big risk?