All Vince's.
Emily sat in her office organizing her notes we received last week from Shaun "X Pac". There were good notes as far as how the whole beginning thing began, but she felt like there was so much to the story.
"Emily, you have a call on line 2", her receptionist said on her intercom.
Emily answered the phone and there was quiet. It took her saying hello three more times before someone answered back.
"Is this Emily?" the whispering voice said on the other line.
"Yes, who's this?" Emily asked weirded out.
"Are you still doing the story of Stephanie McMahon and that wrestler, Triple H?" the voice said avoiding her question.
"Um yes, I am. To what concern of yours?" she said now annoyed and intrigued at the same time.
"I know a girl. Darlene Coolard. She use to be an assistant for Ms. McMahon. She was fired three months ago. She's pretty pissed about it. She might be willing to talk." And then there was a click as the mysterious person hung up.
Emily sat there rather puzzled. The guy on the other line didn't ask for a reward or anything. Why would he help her out? Emily pressed her finger to her intercom to buzz her receptionist.
"Get me a number or address for a Darlene Coolard...recently unemployed by the McMahon family." She said as she released the button.
At the end of the day, her receptionist finally found a Darlene Coolard who use to work for a Stephanie McMahon. She was more than willing to talk. She even set up an appointment at a coffee shop outside of Stamford for the next day.
As Emily stepped into the coffee shop, she saw a very put together woman sitting at a far back table already sipping on coffee. Emily walked up to her.
"Darlene?" she questioned sticking her hand out.
"Emily, I presume." Darlene said connecting with Emily's hand and shaking it.
As Emily sat down, Darlene stared at her. Emily stared back.
"I'm not trying to rat anyone at. I don't want anyone in trouble." Darlene said relaxing her posture a bit.
"Me either. I just want to write a journalistic story." Emily said in a reassuring smile. "Can you tell me how long you have been working for Ms. McMahon?" Emily said pressing play on her recorder.
"Almost four years. I started working for her not too long after her divorce." Darlene said taking a sip of her coffee.
"You started working for her after the divorce papers were signed or after the first part...like the breaking up?" Emily said as the waitress set a cup of coffee in front of her.
"Oh, right after the break up. That's why I was so mad when she fired me. I put up with so much shit. Not necessarily from her...but from him." she said non chanantly.
"Who is him?" Emily asked.
"Mr. Helmsley." Darlene said cutting her eyes at Emily.
"Are you kidding me? Stephanie and Triple H had contact with each other even after that terrible break up?" Emily asked feeling like a bomb was just dropped.
"Oh lord, yes. As much of a bitch as Stephanie is...I felt bad for her in that aspect. That man would never let her move on. From their divorce up until the day I was fired, they were in each other's lives." she said with sympathy in her eyes.
"Why do you think they just didn't get back together then?" Emily said turning her head to the side.
"Oh well lots of reason. Her father, his temper, his running around with girls, and his trust. He always told her he could never trust her again even though he still loved her. It's rather sad." Darlene said.
"So she talk to you about this...like you two were...friends?" Emily asked to make sure the girl was telling the truth.
"Oh hell no. Ms. McMahon, as she made me call her, had few friends. I guess do to Mr. Helmsley's controlling manner. I just was always there. For a bit, during Wrestlemania season, she had me stay in her guest house. She always had something for me to do. So, I was there a lot for their little episodes. It was entertaining at times." she said taking another sip.
"I'm sorry but this is all so hard to explain. You never catch them interacting on TV." Emily said questioningly.
"Of course not. If her father or brother knew she still had even the tiniest bit to do with him...they would be irate. Poor woman...three men just running her life for her. No wonder she buries her thoughts into work. No one will let her have any outside of work." Darlene answered.
"You seem to have compassion for Ms. McMahon. That's odd for someone that fired you." Emily asked jotting on her notebook.
"Oh, Ms. McMahon didn't fire me. Linda McMahon did. She said a lot of things were going on in her daughter's life and they couldn't risk an outside source knowing about them. She was very nice. But I mean I'm out of a job. So I'm not necessarily pissed at Ms. McMahon...more like her family." She said adding some more sugar to her coffee.
"Could you tell me an incident...like play by play...of a Hunter and Stephanie interaction you have witnessed with your own eyes." Emily said flipping her recording tape onto the other blank side and re pressing play.
"Sure" she said with an exhale as she went into thorough detail of a crazy night on her job.
It was around the time of Evolution. Poor Ms. McMahon would watch Raw in her hotel room. She would watched him all over girls and having the time of her life. The only time I ever saw her have fun was with her nephews or when Kurt Angle would occasionally take her to dinner or something.
Anyway, it was one night. I believe it was Halloween night. Yep...that's right. Because it was the night Eric Bischoff put on a Vince McMahon masked and then forced himself on Stephanie. She flew me and her and her dogs back to Stamford that night. She was infuriated. Her father had already called her. Well when we got to her condo, she had all these messages on her answering machine. Well it was my job to check them and when I hit play, Mr. Helmlsey's voice boomed on the machine. He was saying things like, "Call me back. We need to discuss your lil slutting around on Smackdown" or like "Fuck you Stephanie...". He was so angry none the less.
Well Ms. McMahon didn't call him back. So we all just went to our separate corridors and went to bed. About four in the morning I hear banging on the door. I was so startled I ran to Ms. McMahon's room first. She woke up with me and we went to the door. She was the first one to peek through the peep hole.
"Holy Christ" she said. "It's my retarded ex husband." she said as she rolled her eyes.
"What do you want Hunter, it's four in the freaking morning." she yelled through the door.
"I wanna talk Stephanie...I suggest you open this god damn door." he gritted through his teeth.
Without hesitation, she unlocked the door and swung it open madly. She glared at her drunk ex husband.
"How did you get here Hunter?" she said looking at his pathetic form.
"You aren't the only one with a private jet, Stephanie." he sneered at her as he helped himself in. Ms. McMahon asked me to go fetch him some water or gatorade, so I did so. But I was still in ear reach. I remember everything that was said.
"Hunter...what the hell is your problem?" Stephanie asked sounding tired.
"You...you are my problem. I saw Smackdown tonight. I saw you sucking face with fucking Eric Bischoff...you disgust me Steph." He slurred and sneered at her.
"Oh yeah Hunter. Well if I disgust you...why the hell did you fly out here at four in the morning. And second of all...he forced himself on me and you know it. And thirdly, you disgust me. Showing up at my house reeking of booze and perfume. So get the fuck out of my house, Hunter" she said heading towards the front door. Hunter grabbed her arm as she tried to walk pass him.
"You want me to fight Bischoff for you. I will...is that why you did it. To make me jealous. It worked." He slurred as he wrapped her up in his arms. "You can ask Ric. I tore apart the hotel room when I saw that. Is that what you wanted...huh?" he said nibbling on her ear.
Stephanie pushed him as off of her as she could. "No Hunter it's not. This little thing between us is not what I asked for at all. You know what I asked for...I asked for you to forgive me. I asked for you to stay married to me. I certainly didn't ask for you to come stumbling in here, saying I disgust you then gnawing on my neck like I'm one of your little Evolution ring rats." Stephanie said as she began sobbing with every word.
Then Hunter pleaded with her. Said how much he still loved her, he just couldn't trust her. She felt sorry for him as usual and let him stay. Only for him to be off by in the morning as usual.
Emily couldn't believe her ears. Hunter and Stephanie still talked. They still loved each other. And it sounds like they still slept with each other.
"Well...wow. You have been a lot of help Darlene. Thanks for the info...coffee is my treat. Anything you would like to add before I go" Emily said as she gathered up her things.
"Yeah...I think something major is going on in Stephanie's life. When Linda McMahon fired me...Stephanie was there. She looked like a kid in trouble...something is going on. That family and Hunter are cracking down on her and hard...I don't know why, but they are protecting her like her life is at stake. You may want to see what the hell is going on there." Darlene said grabbing her purse as she stood up.
"Yeah...thank you." Emily said shaking Darlene's hand one last time before she turned and walked out of the diner.
