Mistakes

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Post IWC Uprising 3

Off Camera

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New York City is definitely not a bad place to be.  It is a grand city, quite lovely, and full of sites to see.   There is absolutely nothing wrong with New York City and when Silas Mason asked Marie to return to New York City, she had no problems fulfilling this request.  Silas assured her that he needed her in New York so that he could fight on her behalf to get her suspension lifted.  After spending time in New York City, helping Silas in any way she could to get the suspension lifted, she returned to the Bahamas for further vacation, only to turn around and return to the states in time for Uprising 3.

No one expected Marie to show up for Uprising 3.  She was suspended, for starters, and furthermore she didn’t want anything to do with the Uprising brand to begin with.  It didn’t make much sense for her to show up to an Uprising show.  And yet there she was, making her presence felt yet again, this time at the expense of Christian Savior.

For Marie it was a matter of principle.  Drew Bryant needs to learn the error of his ways.  Marie swore at the very beginning that she would burn Uprising to the ground if she did not get what she wanted and she is systematically going to go through the entire roster until she accomplishes that goal.  Crissy Gardner, Scott Steel, and even Drew Bryant himself were the first three victims.  Christian Savior was next. 

Currently Jones is still in New York City, but she is getting packed and ready to leave for the Bahamas again.  She sits on the edge of her bed in her New York City apartment, throwing the essentials into her luggage.  She’s wearing a black mini-skirt, sandals, and a red t-shirt.  Her long red hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The loud knocking immediately gets her attention as she perks up and looks to her bedroom door.

“Come in…”

She watches as the door slowly opens.  In walks the familiar figure of her mother, Angelica Jones.  The elder Jones is wearing denim jeans, tennis shoes, a red t-shirt that matches her daughter’s, and her signature black leather jacket.

“Oh…it’s you…” Marie turns her attention away from her mother and back towards packing.

There is a noticeable tension in the air between mother and daughter.  Angelica and her daughter Marie have always had their tense moments, from the time of Marie’s birth when she gave her up for adoption, to the times Marie watched Angelica in her wrestling career and the heinous things she did just to get ahead, just to win a championship, despite the many times mother and daughter made peace with one another, there had always been that tension that would always exist between them, for neither could completely forget the past.

What Marie doesn’t always understand is that Angelica does mean well.  Everything she has done, even if it is a heinous act, has been done with the best of intentions.  Take, for example, when Marie had her issues with Samantha Hodgson and Ethan Von Aaron.  Angelica was right there to push her in the direction of Silas Mason because, at the time, Angelica thought Silas could work the same magic on Marie that he had done for so many others.

Now things have changed.  Angelica sees how cancerous Silas Mason can be.  She saw how ruthless he can be when he tried to injure her daughter Jessica and her sister Kayla.  Angelica, the matriarch of the Jones family, had a choice: support Silas Mason or support her family.  It was an easy choice for Angelica, because she will always choose her family.  Always.

The same can’t be said of Marie Annabelle Jones.

“It’s nice to see you too, Marie.”

Angelica walks over to her bed and sits down next to Marie.  Immediately the younger Jones shoots up off of the bed, sighs, and walks off towards a far corner of the room.  Angelica watches her longingly with a pain in her eyes.

“Marie, I…”

“What is it, mom?” Marie says impatiently, interrupting her mother in mid-sentence. “Tell me what it is you want to talk about and leave.”

Angelica doesn’t say anything right away.  She pauses, looking down at the luggage. “Where are you going?”

“I’m about to leave for the Bahamas…if you must know…”

Angelica smiles warmly. “They’re lovely this time of year.”

The tension seems to be easing up just slightly as Marie cracks a smile of her own. “Yeah, I know…”

“Do you remember the times you, me, your sister Jessie, and Andreas would go down there?”

Marie, her back still facing Angelica, nods her head. “Yeah, those were great times.  Good memories like those are the reasons why I still go to the Bahamas.”

“Really?”

Marie nods her head. “There are tons of beaches to choose from and I’m wealthy enough to go to any of them and stay.  But the only reason I choose the Bahamas is because of those memories.”

The Phoenix turns around to face her mother.  It is clear that both women are in emotional pain right now and are fighting back the tears.  Marie was not expecting this visit, otherwise she probably would have made sure to avoid it.  She isn’t ready yet to speak to her mother one on one, face to face.  It’s too soon since Angelica abandoned Silas Mason and Silas World.  They are still mother and daughter, nothing can change that, but it still feels as if Angelica betrayed her.  It still hurts.

“And I just need to get away…”

“Get away from what?”

“Everything.” Marie states definitively. “You name it, I want to get away from it.”

The mother motions back to the bed, next to her, where Marie was sitting earlier. “Sit down.”

After a brief pause, Marie nods and reluctantly walks over and sits back down on the edge of the bed next to her mother.

“Look, Marie, I know in the past I have not been there for you.” Angelica admits. “But I want to change that and that’s why I’m here.  I want to support you.”

“You want to support me?” Marie asks, almost shockingly. “Let me ask you something, mom.  Who encouraged me to sign with Silas Mason?  Who told me Silas World was the best way to go?”

Angelica doesn’t answer a t first. She just lowers her head in shame. “Answer me, mother!”

“I did…”

“That’s right, you did!” She exclaims loudly. “And now you left Silas World and are going to war with him?”

“I’m going to war with Silas Mason…” her voice trails off “…I’m not going to war with you.”

“I am a part of Silas World and I will defend Silas if necessary.” Marie retorts. “You may as well be at war with me!”

Angelica shakes her head. “Never…I will never physically harm you, Marie.  I will take them all apart piece by piece if I have to, but I will never harm you.  I swear.  And…and…”

“And what?” Marie asks impatiently. “What is it?!  TELL ME!”

“…that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Angelica takes Marie’s hands into hers and squeezes tightly. “No matter what happens, I do not want Silas to come between you and me.  I want you to know that no matter what happens, I will always support you, whether you are a part of Silas World or not.”

The younger Jones stares into her mother’s eyes for what seems like an eternity.  She isn’t quite sure what to make of her mother’s words.  She isn’t sure she believes her.

“Really?  Is that so?”

Angelica nods her head. “Yes…”

“Uprising 2, I blasted Drew Bryant with a chair and I put Crissy Gardner and Scott Steel on the shelf.  Uprising  3, I took out Christian Savior.  You still support me?”

Angelica lets out a low chuckle. “Sweetie, what you’re doing is not much different from anything I did when I was your age in the wrestling industry.”

“Actually, you did worse.”

Angelica shuts her eyes. “This is true…I did do worse…”

She opens her eyes back up and embraces Marie. “I do not support your association with Silas Mason but I will ALWAYS support you in anything else you do!  If that means taking out people, if that means being violent, then fine, be violent, but go out there and handle your business.  Do what you do best and wrestle.  Wrestle and win.  Do whatever it takes to win.  That has to be good enough for now.”

The Phoenix is still quite stunned.  She did not expect this reaction from her mother.  She expected a lecture, not support.

“Yeah…that’s fine…but I’m going to tell you what I told Jessica.  I am not interested in you trying to save my soul.  I happen to like being with Silas World.  He’s done a lot for me.”

Angelica nods her head. “I know, and I won’t try to save your soul today, but that won’t stop me from trying later, because you are good enough without him, Marie.  That’s the last lesson you need to learn in order to truly be the best.”

Marie shakes her head. “That’s where you’re wrong…I’m already the best…and at Extreme Fury I’ll prove it .”

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Later That Day

Off Camera

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Angelica Jones is, and always will be, a polarizing figure in the world of professional wrestling.  You either love her, or you hate her, and there really is not any gray areas where she is concerned.  Whatever side of the fence you fall, whether you are a fan or if you despise her, you cannot help but respect her for everything she has done as a professional athlete.  Thirteen times she has been a world champion in the world of professional wrestling.  She has been a member of three different halls of fame.  Much of her success, though, has come as a result of questionable, controversial decisions.

Her agenda was first and foremost on her mind.  Angelica Jones had a goal in mind and she set out to achieve that goal by any means necessary.  Sometimes she became popular, other times she was jeered and booed by the masses.  But she never cared about the crowd response.  All she cared about was getting what she wanted.

And usually she got what she wanted.

Those who are not very close to Angelica only know the professional side of this Boston native.  They only know of the woman who has done anything and everything to succeed in this business and, as a result, perhaps their view of her is tainted just a little.  Those individuals who know her on a more personal level realize that, when push comes to shove, ultimately everything Angelica does is with good intentions.

Angelica Jones was not certain that she could care for Marie Annabelle Jones on her own.  So she gave infant Marie up for adoption at birth.  Many, many years later she thought that the world was better off without her, so she faked her own death and went into hiding.  Actions such as these and many others too numerous to name left her family emotionally scarred and hurt, but Angelica did them with the best of intentions.  She was convinced that giving up Marie at birth was in Marie's best interests and she thought faking her own death and thus disappearing was for the world's best interest.

You can't exactly say that Angelica is a bad person but you can easily say that she is a terrible judge of what is the best thing for everyone.  And for someone who, at one time, was renowned for being a brilliant wrestling strategist, that comes as a surprise to many when they find this out.

Perhaps the worst decision Angelica has ever made was one that was meant to only affect her.  Over a year ago, Angelica Jones had ditched her longtime agent Samantha Hodgson in favor of a new manager: Silas Mason.

The partnership worked brilliantly at first.  Sure, Angelica appeared to be a willing little lap dog in Supreme Championship Wrestling, doing Silas's bidding on her first night in the World to help Kelcey Wallace win Taking Hold of the Flame, but things evolved a great deal from there.  Angelica won two more world titles under Silas Mason: the GCW and GFC World championships.  Angelica, with Silas's assistance, was able to purchase Pro-Wrestling FRONTIER.  Even her career in SCW had begun to take off as she mowed through the competition in the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament, damn near winning it all.

It was such a perfect setup that Angelica had even talked her daughter, Marie Annabelle Jones, into signing a contract with Silas.  Angelica would watch on with pride as her daughter reaped the benefits of being with Silas Mason.  Marie would win the IWC World Tag Team Titles, come in second place in the Last Stand Rumble, and main event Invictus II, coming within an eyelash of winning the world championship.

It would appear as if things were going perfectly for Angelica Jones...

...until her middle daughter, Jessica Lasiewicz, got involved.

Jessica Lasiewicz felt it was her mission to redeem the Jones family name and she would start by driving her mother and sister away from Silas Mason.  Angelica saw no reason to leave Silas Mason and, furthermore, she saw the danger inherent in challenging Silas Mason.  Angelica had been with Silas for quite sometime and she knew how dangerous he could be.  She had witnessed first hand what happened when certain individuals tried to challenge Silas Mason...

...he would rain down fire upon them, figuratively speaking.

Angelica wanted to spare her daughter that but she also wanted to spare herself the possibility of having to choose between obeying Silas and protecting her own child.  Angelica knew that if Jessica continued her crusade long enough, that she would piss off Silas to the point that he would intentionally put Angelica into that position where she would ultimately have to choose between loyalty to Silas or loyalty to her family.

The decision came on Breakdown when Silas ordered Katie Steward and The World to try and break her daughter's neck.  Angelica knew what the World was capable of and she knew what she would have to do: she turned on Silas and fought off Silas World.

Choosing between Silas and her family was a no-brainer.  Unlike other wrestling families where it seems as if there is a civil war every other week, the Jones family always stands united and Angelica will never ever raise a sword against her own family.  When she was expected to just sit idly by and watch Jessica get destroyed, she knew that she would have to leave Silas World.

Unfortunately what this does is it puts her into a position where her career is at stake.  Silas Mason does not let his clients leave without a fight and that fight will come at Rise To Greatness when Regan Street, Sienna Swann, and Katie Steward representing Silas World goes against Angelica Jones, Harmony Fisher, and Jessica Lasiewicz.  The stakes are very high, because if Angelica knows if her team can win, they will be free from Silas Mason, but if Silas World wins, then all three of them must retire.

It is a depressing thought that Angelica, after just kick-starting her career back, and having such success, that she might have to retire before she was ready.  And yet there are other depressing factors, more depressing than that.  There is the fact that Jessica, her middle child, at the young age of twenty-two, may have to retire.  Angelica is at an age, not just a physical age but an age in terms of how long she has been in this sport, where anyone could understand if she wanted to retire.  It would make sense.  But Jessica Lasiewicz is far too young to retire now.  There is so much more she could still accomplish in this industry and yet, thanks to Silas Mason and his girls, she may be forced to retire.

And still more depressing yet?  The fact that a part of Angelica does regret leaving Silas World.

The red-headed wrestling legend is sitting on the patio area of a Japanese restaurant in New York City.  A plate of Jalapeño sushi rolls are sitting out in front of her but she just pokes at them mindlessly with her chopsticks.  Her glass of water is untouched.  She is wearing denim blue jeans, black boots, a red t-shirt, and her signature black leather jacket.  Her long red hair is left to hang unrestrained to shoulder length.  There is a pain on her face, a pain that speaks of the distress and regret that she is feeling at this very moment as she thinks about what may lie in her future, either an early retirement or a future without Silas Mason.  In order to achieve the latter, she must win at Rise To Greatness, but more importantly not for herself...

..for her daughter Jessica...

...and for Harmony.

“Angelica?”

The Dragon is caught somewhat off guard, as her mind was definitely elsewhere at the time she heard someone familiar calling out her name.  It doesn't take long for the red-head to regain her bearings and to remember exactly where she is.  She looks up to find her younger sister, Kayla Jones, approaching her table with a glass of wine in hand.  Kayla is wearing a royal blue dress with a hemline that stops just above the knee and high heeled sandals that shoes off her toes, painted red.  Her finger nails are also painted red and the younger Jones has a bright smile on her face, which is a great contrast to the depressed look on her older sister's lovely features.

The younger Jones sibling, younger by a year only, approaches the table Angelica where Angelica is seated.  Kayla pulls out a chair and sits down.  She takes a sip of her wine and then sets the glass down in front of her.  She crosses her legs, and then crosses her arms over her chest.

“Whoa,” Kayla begins slowly “what's eating you?”

“Nothing.”

Kayla shakes her head. “You're a terrible liar, sis.”

Angelica studies her carefully before shaking her head. “I am not a liar.”

“Oh yes you are.” She points a long slender finger at her. “You've been lying to me for years.”

“No I haven't!”

Kayla smirks.  Then she reaches out and takes hold of the edge of Angelica's leather jacket and gives it a firm tug.

“Remember when you asked to borrow MY leather jacket?”

“No,” Angelica pulls away “that's MY leather jacket!”

“Wrong.” Kayla shakes her head, still smirking proudly. “Mom gave it to me, you asked to borrow it, and you never gave it back.”

The younger Jones chuckles. “Come to think of it, you've borrowed a lot of my clothes and haven't given them back...”

Angelica sighs and shakes her head.  The elder Jones takes her chopsticks and scoops up a morsel of sushi and shoves it into her mouth, chowing down as her younger sister continues to give her grief.

“Look, Angel, just go ahead and spill the beans.” Kayla says, leaning in closer to show that she is much more serious this time. “Besides...”

She point sat her again “...you are NOT supposed to be the depressed, angry one.  That's MY job!”

The red-headed Dragon stares at Kayla for a few moments before laughing out loud.  She laughs so hard some partially chewed sushi comes flying out of her mouth and lands on her sister's dress.

“Gross!” Kayla leaps up out of the chair and immediately starts cleaning herself off. “Angelica!”

“Sorry,” Angelica remarks half-heartedly “but it serves you right!”

The younger sibling takes a napkin handed to her by Angelica and starts to clean off her dress.  Eventually she finishes cleaning, or at least cleans to her satisfaction anyway, and then she sits back down at the table with her sister.

“You’re disgusting…”

“No I’m not!” Angelica exclaims, still laughing. “You made me laugh!  I couldn’t help it!”

Kayla shakes her head. “Whatever, just tell me what’s bothering you.”

Angelica sighs as she reaches out with her chopsticks and picks up another sushi roll.  Kayla begs off.  Angelica just smirks.

“…ass…”

“Last time you ate one of those you spat it at me.” She remarks. “I’m just guarding against flying projectiles.”

Angelica shakes her head as she shoves the sushi roll into her mouth and begins chewing.

“I spoke to Marie about half an hour ago…”

Kayla Jones knows all too well about the roller coaster ride that has been the relationship Angelica has had with Marie Annabelle Jones.  Marie, Angelica’s eldest child, started out as a sweet child.  Very innocent.  Perhaps too innocent, for she began to question her mother’s every move.  Marie recognized when her mother was doing something wrong.  That’s not bad.  What’s bad is that Marie began to think, well if she can do it, so can I.  So Marie grew more and more into an exact copy of her mother.  Just as mean, just as nasty, and willing to do anything to get ahead.  Angelica wants her daughter to be a better person than she was but that creates tension between the two, a tension that has once again reared its ugly head.

“Oh, Angel,” Kayla says with a sad frown “I take it things didn’t go well…”

Angelica shakes her head. “No, they didn’t.”

“Did you get anywhere with her?”

Kayla presses for more information, leaning in and almost whispering so that no one around can hear.

“Not really.”

Angelica shoves another sushi roll into her mouth.  Kayla sits back and tilts her head to one side.

“What did you say to her?”

“I just…” her voice trails off “…I just…”

“What did you say to her?” Kayla repeats.

“…I told her I supported her.”

“You what?!”

Kayla exclaims, loud enough that a few of the other patrons turn and stare.  Angelica and Kayla remain quiet long enough that they go back to minding their own business.  Then Kayla turns her attention back to Angelica.

“You told Marie that you supported her?!”

“I did.”

“How can you say that?!  How can you POSSIBLY support her actions after what she has been doing lately?!  What were you thinking?!”

“Do you know what I was thinking, sis?  I was thinking that I was sick and tired of being the hypocrite.  I was thinking that I was sick and tired of saying one thing and doing the other.”

Angelica reaches up and begins to wipe tears that have formed in her eyes. “You realize that hypocrisy, MY hypocrisy, is what damn near destroyed my relationship with my daughter.   I preached right and wrong to Marie, I drilled it into her head, and yet while I was preaching that to her I did whatever it took to win inside of the ring.”

Kayla rolls her eyes. “I know about your faults, sis.  We’ve had this discussion before and I know you’ve been trying to make things right.”

“You don’t understand, sis…my actions have turned Marie into this monster, and she’s just one example of the monsters I helped create.  It’s time I started making things right with my children, Kayla, and I cannot do that unless I support them.  Marie, Jessica, Kelly...I love them all and I will support them no matter what.  I may not always support their choices, and I told Marie that I did not support her choice to stay with Silas, but I will always support her.”

A waitress comes over with a pen and notepad in hand.  She looks over at Kayla. “May I help you, ma’am?”

“Huh?” Kayla is taken by surprise, not expecting the visitor. “Uh, no thanks…I’ll just steal my sister’s...”

The waitress laughs lightly and walks off.  Angelica smirks.

“You’re not getting my sushi.”

“We’ll see...but before we get there, what were you saying about Silas?”

Angelica sighs. “The main thing I’m worried about is Silas using my own daughter against me…and…”

Kayla arches a brow “…and?”

“…I’m worried about my future, sis.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She scoffs. “You have NO need to be worried about your future.  You, Jessie, and Harmony will take care of Silas World at Rise To Greatness.  Silas Mason has no idea what he got himself into by challenging you, Harmony, and one of my favorite nieces.”

“I think you misunderstand.”

“Oh?”

Angelica shuts her eyes tightly and sighs.  “I have no doubts about my chances at Rise To Greatness.  Jessie isn’t just my daughter, she is her father’s daughter.  She is a tremendous wrestler.  She can take on any challenge.  Harmony is awesome too.  And I’m The Dragon…”

She smirks “…I can wipe them all out.”

“Damn right you can!” Kayla exclaims.

“But…”

Kayla frowns “I knew that but was coming…”

“But I’m worried that even if we do win, that maybe, just maybe, I shouldn’t have left Silas.”

Kayla shoots up out of her chair again, once again drawing the attention of the patrons surrounding her.

“You have GOT to be kidding me?!”

Angelica shakes her head. “I won two world titles and purchased a wrestling company while with Silas.  I damn near won Shot of Adrenaline in SCW.  It’s hard to argue with success.”

Kayla, realizing that people are staring again, sits back down slowly.

“Explain please.  Your family HAS to come first, sis.  You know this.”

“I know that, and I don’t regret making that decision.” Angelica shakes her head. “When Silas threatened Jessica all bets were off.  I knew I had to leave.  It’s more of a regret…had Jessie not gotten involved, I’d still be there with Silas to this day…”

Kayla reaches out and takes her older sister by her hands and squeezes them gently.

“Then you should be on your hands and knees THANKING your daughter for getting involved.  Thanks to Jessie, you are now out from under his thumb.  Thanks to Jessie, you are gone from Silas World and you can be yourself.  Not a hired thug.  And now it’s time you repaid Jessie for what she did…”

“Repaid her?”

Kayla nods her head. “That’s right, sis, because now she’s putting her own career on the line on behalf of you and Harmony.  I mean, of course you and Harmony would have to put your careers on the line, that’s to be expected, but Jessie was never a part of Silas World, she’s doing this because she believes in you…believes in both of you…the least you can do is go out there at Rise To Greatness, kick so Silas ass, leave those bitches lying, and win it.  Win it for Jessica.  Save her career.”

“You’re right…” Angelica says with a quick nod of her head “…you are absolutely right, and that’s the real reason I’m fighting at Rise To Greatness.  I don’t fight for me…I fight on behalf of my daughter.”

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Kayla Jones

On Camera

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Bullies think that they run the playground.  Bullies are typically big, mean, and they smell bad.  They also have a bunch of friends who are also big, mean, smell bad, and are usually total losers so they hang out with the bully hoping some of his popularity will rub off on him.

The problem is, Silas Mason is that bully, and Regan and Sienna and Katie, well, Silas HAS no iota of popularity to rub off on you.

For the longest time Silas thought he could do what he wanted.  He thought he could run the playground.  But slowly and surely people began to rebel.  It started with Kelcey Wallace and it went from there.  Taylor Chase.  Harmony Fisher.  And now my sister Angelica Jones.  All are gone and have left Silas Mason’s grip.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news…actually, scratch that, I don’t mind it one bit because, quite frankly, you are a piece of shit, Silas, and you deserve every bit of destruction that my sister, my niece, and  Harmony Fisher are prepared to deliver to your doorstep at Rise To Greatness.

If you were any kind of man, Silas, you would take the beating yourself, but instead you are throwing Sienna and Regan and Katie to the wolves.  They are your pawns in this game of chess.  They are your cannon fodder.

They’re going down, Silas.  Even you have to know it to be true.  And then, when they do go down in defeat, and Angelica and Harmony are completely free of you, when they are free to do and act as they want, when they are no longer bound to wrestle who YOU say they should wrestle…oh that’s when the fun really begins…

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Mistakes

On Camera

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“My name is Angelica Jones…”

The clicking of high heels across a hard concrete floor is heard.  A singular spotlight shines down through the darkness.  As the clicking noise gets louder and louder we eventually make out the figure of a lovely young female off in the distance.  This woman gets closer and closer until she steps into the spotlight.  She is none other than Angelica Jones and she is wearing a black business skirt, matching blazer, and white silky blouse, and black high heeled pumps.  Her long red hair is left to hang unrestrained to shoulder length.  Sunglasses are on over her eyes.

“I have been in the wrestling industry for many…many…MANY years now.  Not all of them were good.  I have made many mistakes in my career, and it is time that I did something about that.”

Angelica reaches up and removes the sunglasses from her eyes and tosses them aside.

“I have made mistakes in my career.  I am a very competitive person and that competitive drive has led me to doing some of the most dastardly things in this sport, all in the name of winning.  I have ended careers all in the name of my own personal success.  Looking back, I can honestly say I am not proud of what I have done and perhaps, someday as I look back on my career, I will decide that joining with Silas Mason was a career mistake.”

“What I can say is that leaving Silas Mason was the only decision I could have made.  You say I made a mistake by leaving you, Silas?” Angelica shakes her head. “You have it all wrong because I will never…ever…raise a sword against my family.  I will never fight them.  When it comes down to choosing between the Jones family and Silas Mason…the decision is academic.”

She points a finger at the camera. “YOU are the one making mistakes, Silas.  YOU are the one who tried to break my sister’s neck, who tried to break my daughter’s neck.  You did that.  You drove me away. You have yourself to blame for me leaving Silas World, because YOU declared war on my family knowing what side I would choose.  Any idiot would know what side I would choose.”

“But you kept making mistakes.  I mean, you could have just left well enough alone.  You could have let me walk away.  Anyone with a half of a brain to work with would know to let Angelica Jones just walk away.  I was your most dangerous client.  There’s a reason they call me The Dragon and you know it.  And yet instead of doing the safe thing and just letting me walk away you kept pushing the issue.”

She shakes her head. “Not very smart on your part.”

“But then again, you aren’t actually doing any real fighting are you?  Not only is your lack of intelligence revealed but your lack of any real courage or manhood is revealed because you are sending Regan Street, Sienna Swann, and Katie Steward out to do your dirty work for you.”

Angelica mockingly applauds. “Good job, Silas!”

“Katie, I already whipped your ass once, so did my daughter and she would’ve pinned you or made your fake ass tap out had there not been any Silas World trickery involved.  So we already know we can beat you up and down that ring.  You are nothing special, Katie.  You are…how did my sister put it…cannon fodder?  That’s right.  You are cannon fodder.  The real goddess is standing right here in front of you, bitch.”

“Regan, you’re in a sad state because you don’t need him.  It’s a fact that I, too, had to learn the hard way but now that I have learned it, now that I realize that I don’t need him, or anyone else for that matter, to help me get ahead, I am grateful, and  I am joyous.  I am relieved.  I feel…liberated.  You could get what you want, you can get that SCW World Championship without his help.  If anything, Silas is holding you back.  He’s anchoring you down.  Do you think he really cares about getting you to the top?  He’s already stated that Sienna is his SCW crown jewel.  Just as he’s stated my daughter Marie is IWC’s crown jewel.  I wonder how Ms. Budde feels about that?  I wonder how you and Kate feel about it?”

“Sienna, you’re the only one who potentially could benefit from this slime and yet even you are taking verbal abuse from the bastard.  I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Regan.  You don’t need him.  I say this to you and to Regan both as someone who grew to be friends when we were all united under the Silas World banner.  I say this as a friend…you do not need him.  We’ll go out there, we’ll have a hell of a match, but make no mistake about it; you are better than this.”

Angelica folds her arms over her chest. “I know my career is on the line at Rise To Greatness and that’s fine.  I have had one hell of a career and if it ends at Rise To Greatness, then so be it.  I’ve had a great run and I do not regret anything.  But I don’t plan on my career ending right now and I sure as hell don’t plan on letting it end at the hands of Silas World.  My career ends when I say it ends; because yes, I HAVE made a lot of mistakes in my professional career, and the biggest mistake is letting other people dictate where my career goes.”

Angelica shakes her head. “That is one mistake I will never again make.”