Post by Amber Mansley on Sept 7, 2024 11:29:05 GMT -5
"Amber! Please call us back! We went too far, and we understand that now! Please, we're in jeopardy of losing everything, and our family is falling apart! We're so sorry about what we did and want to make amends. You can have anything you want! We need the house! Please!" - You have 100 messages.
STOIC.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
When the world comes crashing down, one doesn't know what to do until they're in the fire. It was all peaceful, but Summer Madness had a different meaning than she had expected. Perhaps the consequences of her actions were in the shadows, preparing to strike best, and it did when she lost the X-Division Championship at the chance of retaining it. Why is it when she was on the verge of happiness that others had to bring her down back to the fold? She never wanted to be the enemy, but the world saw her differently. Learning the truth about what happened made her evaluate what to do next, but in the end, she couldn't trust anyone other than her closest friend, Joe, the only family member she had.
It broke her to find out what made her father pass away. She spent years living with the guilt of his health deteriorating, but to come to blows that the truth was out at the expense of his life made her stomach churn. On top of the guilt, the shame of losing her championship to a man she despised after a scoundrel cost her the win invoked vengeance in her heart. She wanted to make him suffer for a thousand years to experience a fraction of the pain.
God, she hated Ezra and his self-righteousness. Every man she faced had been easy but with him? No. Amber's disgust and volatile spew in his wake were justified after he proclaimed himself champion when the world had worked together in unison to bring her down.
However, redemption always waits at the end of the tunnel. She just needed to take it.
At her home, she stood on the balcony upstairs, away from the main bedroom housing the portraits of her parents, who are now gone. The family portrait of her father and mother with Amber as a young child seated before them was probably the last time she felt genuinely happy. Boca was a complacent city compared to Orlando, but it was home. Yes, it culminated with retirees seeking the sun in the sunshine state. Still, she grew up in this neighborhood, secluded from the average life and having a good childhood until she lost the people she loved one by one.
She just stood there.
Despite the wind blowing on her face and the sound of a car honking in traffic, watching the people pass by, she just stood there. The house phone rang off the hook, her cellphone becoming annoying with everyone trying to reach her, but she didn't move. A statue and to know things were wrong; her hair was a mess, her face wasn't washed, she was in her black pajamas with no shoes on, and her skin hadn't been tended to in the last two days. Her isolation became a pity party from the Gods themselves, and a beauty guru would collapse at the sight of her.
"Amber?" A neighbor two blocks down from her home caught her attention after she recognized her. The neighbor was a middle-aged mom of four. Her husband was involved in criminal law and known to the neighborhood to be a clerical cheater in his marriages. However, she didn't acknowledge her. Her green eyes, emphasized by the dark circles, made her neighbor concerned as she approached her gate to try and sympathetically garner her attention.
"Amber. I heard about your father. I'm sorry. If there's anything you need, please let us know." The words dug into her chest, but she didn't respond. "Amber? Are you okay?" Again, I am still waiting for a response. "Please, are you handling things well? Are they still bothering you?"
Of course, they were. Could she not hear her phone going off? Amber looked down from above at her neighbor before returning to the house and slamming the door shut behind her. The neighbor sighed and returned to her usual morning jog, but Amber hid away from plain sight in the open for some peace. She dragged herself down the stairs and into the kitchen to make coffee. The fridge had been emptied, the dishes hadn't been cleaned, and the kitchen was a mess.
Rock bottom in fortune may not be rock bottom at all.
The house phone kept ringing, and the messages were piling up. The fallen family was desperate to latch onto the Mansley name as the scavengers they were. At this point, she couldn't handle the phone's sound and marched over with the coffee in her hand, a slight burn to her fingers, and pressed the answering button to receive the call.
"Amber speaking."
"Amber, it's Jan—" She slammed her hand on the phone to end the call. In less than two seconds, the phone was ringing violently. What the hell? Could this woman leave well enough alone? Amber stood at the kitchen doorframe until spinning on her feet to walk back and answer the call again. Her mannerisms were almost defeated, but she was on the edge of losing her composure to hear Janet's voice again.
"Amber! Please! I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. I know you don't want to talk to me, and you feel what I'm feeling. I can explain everything. You have no idea what's happening to me and my family. The police are investigating us all, our assets have been frozen, no one wants to talk to us, and they're thinking about charging me with murder! If you can talk to me that I may explain so you'll understand-"
"Did you ever love him?" she asked calmly. Her tone was chilling, and her voice cracked. Amber leaned back on the counter after sipping her coffee, pressing the phone against her ear, and awaiting an answer. Janet stumbled over her words before responding.
"Of course I did!" Her voice was shaky. "You know I loved your father more than anything! I understand we didn't have the best relationship, but I loved him!"
"Were you there when he was in the hospital? Did you ever visit him? Did you see how he was dying from day to day? Did you even know what his last words were?" The silence from the other end was prominent. Amber chuckled under her breath, and she took another sip. Amber walked out of the kitchen to sit on the living room couch and turn on the flatscreen hung on the wall to watch the local news.
"You look great on TV." The news was reporting Janet's family from the Boca courtroom after footage was submitted by nearby civilians taking live streams of Janet and her family escorted into police cars in handcuffs. The cup of coffee was the perfect day to start breakfast with the meal of her former stepmother being humiliated. She could hear Janet breathing heavily, which was a comfort.
"Okay, you made your point." Those words. Point? No. Amber sat up and placed the empty cup on the table beside her.
"Point? Oh no. You haven't seen me make my point."
"Amb-"
"It's Ms. Mansley to you." She said firmly. "We're not family anymore, Janet. We're not friends. You came into my life and made it an absolute hell. Ever since my mom died, you had this way of sneaking into my family with hopes of turning everything we've made into yours. Do you think I give a damn about what happens to you? It's called justice. You should learn the meaning."
She stood from the couch and walked through the halls of home to be outside the pool, vineyard, and the hut next to the river where her father's Yacht rested on the bank. Amber removed a chair next to the pool and sat to soak the sun up for the first time in a minute. On the other hand, the wireless phone was placed on a speaker resting on a glass table. Janet's mindless rambling was music to her ears, trying her best to deflect Mansley's statements and twist the words to play the victim.
"Listen! MY FAMILY IS GOING TO JAIL! I AM GOING TO JAIL! MY CHILDREN WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE THEIR MOTHER! ARE YOU GOING TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS?!!"
"Yes."
"WHY?! PLEASE AMBER! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"
"And why not?"
"BECAUSE...Because...BECAUSE-"
"Because I don't deserve it? Because I didn't put the work in like you? Because I'm a spoiled brat, who got lucky?"
"..."
"Funny how the words you speak come back to bite you."
EMOTIONAL.
Right, Ezra?
Amber tossed the wireless phone into the pool, and the device frizzled into permanent malfunction. She leaned back on the chair and kicked her legs up. She closed her eyes, allowing the sun's rays to brighten her face, but she was still a remnant of her loss in Summer Madness.
Oh, you must be so proud of yourself. Congratulations, you won. You're the new X-Division Champion.
Everything you said, despite bringing my name down, has been exemplary. You worked hard for this. You spent time in the gym, understanding the lessons Cholo gave you, and went hand in hand alongside Kenji to win the belt. You're probably celebrating with your mother and father (tell them I said hi); your family has rolled out the red carpet for you and even booked a life extravaganza. Their baby boy, the runt of the family, has finally reached success, given all the resources in the world to be the best.
Family. That's what you fight for. It's noble, and you should be happy to have a support system.
After all, you wished for The Fortunate Ones to suffer and to be on the bench so that you and your family could rise now that you've managed to win your first championship. On the other hand, what about poor Amber Mansley?
Well, you watch the news. I have no family left that I consider close to me. I preached the truth about my stepmom being the reason my family has fallen, and now she's suffering. She's begging me, punishing me for what she's done, but what about you?
Amber took a moment to stand and walk around the pool. She enjoyed her feet against the tiled floor as she had never been the type to go barefoot.
You're out here raising the championship stolen from me. After all, you were saying I was undeserving of being a fortunate champion, but have you considered what you've done to be a champion?
You conspired with Kenji Miyamoto on live television, telling the world to outnumber me in the ring for an advantage. You were busy putting my name down, pretending to be worthy in the ring, and thinking I was an afterthought because you were jealous that The Fortunate Ones were more of a family than you, Xavier, and Cholo.
That turned out poorly for you. When you become champion, you discover that your supposed "friend" Xavier was waiting to pull the trigger to knock you down.
And on top of that, while you were telling the world how all my championship defenses were based on interferences, that ragged pirate bitch, Jetta Tall-Tide, was right there on the money to stop me from retaining the championship. Despite me putting her down so she learned her place, how fitting the timing of when I was going to maintain my championship was; she came out of the woodwork to make sure you would win the belt.
So let me ask you this, Ezra,
When our lives have been intertwined, and you've practically done what I've done to become X-Division Champion, what makes you think you are better than me?
She cupped her ear and listened to the water crashing against the walls of her pier. Amber took small steps and enjoyed the eerie silence. Her hand was let down, and she shoved both hands into her pajama pockets, observing the river scenery next to her family yacht.
You're not. You may have proved to win a championship at Summer Madness, but you are a title holder. There's a difference between myself and you. When I became champion, I had a purpose to elevate the tournament and bring attention to the promotion that I had done. I didn't care about others when I was surrounded by The Fortunate Ones and backed by Chris Page. We had a purpose, and the championship helped continue my resolve to forward that purpose worldwide.
Your purpose?
You only wanted to use that belt to bring me down, and you've semi-succeeded, but take a good look at yourself and your world.
You're considered a fortunate one now. I already told you about your background. Your family has everything the average person has, the world champion has mentored you, Jack Daniels came to your savings, and management put their names on the line to protect you. Hell, now Jetta, the pirate-pampered bitch, is your servant to preserve your wins and championship.
What exactly have you done differently than I am?
Nothing.
She shrugged and left the pier to take space on the front end of the yacht. The Yach rushing of the waves on the river made the Yacht rock back and forth a little, but she was safe in the vehicle. She climbed up on the top to sit in the driver's seat, remembering the days her father would take her to the sea for them to enjoy fishing together.
That's what you are; even with the X-Division Championship, you're nothing.
You're starting to realize how life can be when you've proven better than the rest. All the eyes on you, the pressure will be on a level you'll never face, and now, you're starting to see that the very people you consider family will turn on you as you continue to grow.
Can you handle that, Ezra?
Are you ready to be tested where your moral compass pointing north is itching to turn south? When your family, whom you love so much, sees you earning success without getting your hands dirty, they will influence you to do things you'd never thought you'd do. The moment you taste gold, the greed in you wants more, and when you least expect it, you find yourself staring at the man who helped Cholo, for his own WGWF World Championship?
Or better when Jetta gets put down again by me, and she blames you for her loss as you wave the belt in your face?
Are you ready for your world to be turned upside down by everyone and everything you love because you want what I've built for yourself?
The truth was firm in her throat. From the bird' s-eye view at the top of her yacht, she climbed over the Yacht's dashboard and slid down the windows to sit on the front of the boat. Amber pulled her legs to her chest and held them close, resting her chin. She was still fighting the demons from within and trying her best not to break down from the events in her life.
You're not. I'm going to save you.
You helped my world crash, but I'm strong enough to rebuild. What about you, Ezra? It's easy to speak high and mighty when everything goes your way. Take it from someone who knows and now? You're going to experience what I'm experiencing.
Loss.
I'm going to take back what was rightfully mine. The very championship that you, yourself, know you shouldn't have won, and you sit here parading it as if you are the rightful person. You don't know what it means to lead or even have a fraction of an understanding of what it means to be fortunate despite your life describing what you are.
Ezra. You are simply a boy in the right place at the right time. Now, you're abandoned. The world will turn on you as it has started, and to be frank, I don't want to see you go down the same path I did. You don't have the balls nor the strength to endure it.
You had fun. Yes, that's all you've been: fun. Now, the real work begins, and you don't know what to do other than post on social media that you did it and tell your family what you've done so they can be proud of you.
I will take my X-Division Championship back at the expense of watching you burn. I hope your family watches you fall at my feet and the world sees that all you were was a one-hit wonder. You're nothing compared to me, and I will prove that at Smash, remembering that The Influence remains forever.
When she stands up again, there's a difference in the atmosphere. She felt her strength coming back from the inside. The sight of the X-Division Championship and taking leadership of The Fortunate Ones in Joe's absence was an essence she needed to pick herself off the ground. The definition of her redemption would be one to throw in everyone's face for those who mocked her when she was done.
You can all continue to make your jokes but don't forget that I am the reason you are here—your purpose.
And now, I will be your demise.