Thank you once again for your reviews! Here's the next chapter... the more I write the more I get into the story hopefully you will like this chapter as much as the last. Please continue to review and if there's anything you think I can improve on or that you don't like I'd love to take that on board.
"So I have some very important news…" Vince McMahon brags down the microphone in the centre of the ring with a smug smirk on his face. "...You see because lately there's been a lot of talk, a lot of whispers in the wind…"
Vince stopped for dramatic effect while the crowd in Madison Square Garden chanting in unison; 'Asshole, asshole, asshole'
"...SHUT UP!..." The billionaire hissed down the microphone with poison in the tone of his voice which caused the crowd to retaliate with booing. "...There's been a lot of talk recently regarding my personal affairs - yet that's not what I'm here to talk about…"
"...I've been staying low recently… I've had some matters to attend to both personal and business…" Vince explained his egotistical grin painted firmly on his face. "... And I came out here to tell all you WWE fans that life couldn't be any better for Vincent Kennedy McMahon - not only is my marriage with my devoted and loving wife back on track after the little misunderstanding that hit the tabloids in the last couple of months… I've accustomed a new contract with none other than my rival company WCW…"
Vince could no longer contain his excitement beaming from ear to ear. "Ted Turner practically begged me to take over WCW and now I own my own competition! God is Good!"
As Vince continued to boast about pretty much (yet not completely) confirming the deal with WCW. The video screens behind him showed a different crowd - not the one in Madison Square Garden; he wasn't sure where it was. Vince looked confused as to what is going on with the footage. "Turn it off… Turn it off god damn it…"
Tech guys looked at each other before looking back at Vince, hands in the air signalling they didn't know what was going on.
"Hello Dad…" Shane McMahon sarcastically greeted his dad from the other side of the screen. Vince looked up at the screen to see his estranged son. Shane was just as conniving as his old man after all he was made in the devil's groins. Normally this would make the CEO of WWE extremely proud but it caused him angst since not being on good terms since the affair he had with a certain blonde which resulted in a street fight between them at Wrestlemania. Shane ultimitaley won. Son or not, Vince was not happy to see his offspring; a twisting feeling in his stomach made him feel very uneasy seeing Shane. This couldn't be good news. "...You surprised to see me?"
Vince still puzzled as to what was happening couldn't find the words to leave his mouth. It wasn't often the billionaire was left speechless.
"...Now dad, you're going in that ring… you're bragging, gloating, saying God is Good… Well guess what dad - God is Good…" Shane smirked obviously knowing something his parent doesn't know. "...You see while you sit there thinking you have the perfect little world and everything is going great… Do you know what I've been doing while I've not been around? I've been making moves… I've been figuring out what comes next now I'm longer interested in the World Wrestling Entertainment. You see Dad… you sit there and you brag about WCW and you're right because Mr McMahon has just bought the company…"
Vince looks nodding his head in agreement thinking to himself. 'I know that you piece of shit'
"...No you don't get it do you Vince?' Shane chuckled down the WCW microphone. The use of his father's first name sending shivers down his ascensors spine. "...Well you will now because I'm the owner of WCW… Shane McMahon… Not you… And you know another things pops… You think WWE is the superior brand? I'm going to show you… I'm the big dog around town. I'm going to put you out of business before you can even blink. So I'll be seeing you old man…"
And without another word the screen went blank and the crowd goes into an uproar. The animosity on Vince's face evident for the whole world to see. The disrespect of his child overwhelmed him - how dare the boy he gave everything too, turn around and treat him like this.
While storming through the backstage of the arena. Vince could feel the outrage of his son's revelation running through his veins. The cheek, the audacity; how could he turn around and be so damn ungrateful. While lost in his thoughts he collided with a force.
Vince looked down to see none other than Trish Stratus - the homewrecker of the year.
"I'm so sorry Mr McMahon…" Trish barely making eye contact with her ex-lover.
Vince still fueled with rage. "You're sorry!? What for you slut… Sorry for wrecking my marriage? Ruining my family life? Making me a scandal all across the world?"
Trish didn't flinch or make eye contact with Vince who picked up she was a bit shaken up. After already exhaling the verbal diarrhea he took a step forward to Trish who was holding back a lot of emotions, she knew if she was to make eye contact now she'd just burst into tears.
"You know what Trish, I'm sorry…" Vince no longer shouting but sighed in a defeated manner. "I'm having a bad day and you just happened to run into me… it's nothing personal."
"It's fine…" Trish half smiled sadly without making eye contact. She couldn't look him in his eyes, the shame, the guilt she was feeling over their affair was just increasing as the days went by. She thought or hoped it would slowly disappear but unfortunately that wasn't the case.
"Look to make it up to you… Take the night off… Go to WWE New York, you can take a limo out back, put a few things on my tab and go see some of the fans we haven't scheduled anybody to actually attend tonight anyway so it works out in my favour." Vince offered Trish.
An uncertain Trish nodded her head slightly. "Yeah… course… thank you Mr McMahon."
She walked past him down the corridor… confused as to what had just gone down. He let into her that part was pretty much written in stone; since the affair was made public he had no patience or kindness to offer Trish. The thing that surprised her is that he apologised after it? Vince was a proud and smug man - why would he apologise to her? He normally didn't care who he hurt in the crossfire especially with the news he had just found out… it really didn't make sense.
As she walked to leave the arena, The Hardy Boyz and Lita were walking into the arena. Trish keeps her head down while walking past them and Jeff notices her. "Hey Trish…"
Trish ignores him and keeps walking. Jeff shotting a look of blame before following after her.
"Jeff where you going man?" Matt sighed, rolling his eyes before carrying on with his girlfriend.
"Trish…" Jeff tapped her on her shoulder as she turned around to face him. "I know you didn't want to be friends anymore but you can at least say hi?"
"Hi…" Trish obviously feeling uncomfortable as she turns around before trying to get in the limo.
"Where you going? The show's only just started…" Jeff continued making conversation. Team Xtreme had the week off from when he lost the intercontinental championship to recover from his bruised ribs and for some reason Trish had just been playing on his mind. He could see that deep down beneath her beauty she had a lot of sadness inside of her. He didn't like how she didn't really have any friends or anyone who would look out there.
"I've been given the night off…Well technically I've got to make an appearance at WWE New York which is basically a night off… I'll see you around Hardy." Trish flashed him a small, cute and very genuine smile. Jeff just gave her a subtle nod as she got into the limo, the license plate reading 'V1NCE01' as he watched the limo drive away.
"So I'm facing Eddie Guerrero for the european championship tonight…" Matt proudly announced to Lita and Jeff. Performing mostly in a tag team - the older Hardy brother was happy he had been giving this opportunity considering the recent events in the last few weeks and The Hardy Boyz small feud with The 2 Man Power Trip. It seemed since having a week off Stone Cold and Triple H had found other people to feud with taking the heat of the the young Hardy Boyz for the time being.
Jeff's head was somewhere else and while Lita and Matt exchanged conversation excited for the night ahead of him, the charismatic enigma sat on his chair watching the events off the show.
"Earth to Jeff…" Lita snapped her fingers in front of her boyfriend's younger brother.
Jeff seemed to snap out of his trance momentarily, looking up to his team partners.
"Are you even listening?" Lita asked again, quite annoyed how unengaged Jeff was regarding Matt's match. The younger brother had been quite distant all week - whether he was still mad over what she said to that blonde bimbo. Lita was only trying to look out for the blue haired man as she genuinely cared about him like a brother; she also knows Trish quite well over past feuds and remembers it wasn't that long ago she was managing T&A and cheating to help them win, getting involved and had even prevented the Hardy's from winning against the team more than once. Lita watched as Trish turned her back on Test and set him up. She knew what the girl was really like and she didn't want Jeff to get screwed over by her.
"Jeff you need to get your head out your ass man." Matt spoke very bluntly. They were brothers after all and sometimes you needed to give family tough love. Matt knew Jeff better than anybody and he knew if he just kept on digging him eventually it would sink into his head.
"Haven't you got a match to prepare for?" Jeff replied showing zero interest in Matt or Lita.
"Yes I have… That's what I'm trying to do now…" Matt hit back. "Considering we're all in the same team I was hoping for some moral support maybe? If that's not too much to ask baby brother you know considering it's a good opportunity."
"Like the support you've been giving me the last few weeks?" Jeff chuckled arrogantly.
"You know what Jeff you're really starting to piss me off…" Matt stepped forward to his younger brother as Jeff responded by getting up off of the chair. The two head to head began trash talking each other while Lita slot herself in between the brothers.
"Stop!" Lita yelled with authority. "Get a grip we're on the same team!"
The brothers began to back up from each other before Jeff grabbed his stuff.
"Where you going?" Lita sighed, the tension between Matt and Jeff had been growing ever since he started becoming friendly with Trish - this also added to the reason why Lita wasn't fond of their budding relationship. It made her think she was doing this on purpose… maybe it was part of a plan, a bigger picture or an ulterior motive. Whatever it was - Lita didn't like it. "Matt's got a match Jeff you can't leave…"
Jeff completely ignored his brother's girlfriend. Darting past her without looking at either of them.
"Let him go…" Matt shaking his head as stubborn as his brother.
While at WWE New York the video montage of the last few weeks between Stephanie, Trish, Hardys and Power Trip. While Jim Ross commentates on the events, Trish stands on a stage in front of the crowd of WWE fans. Surprisingly she has got a few cheers and people shouting 'Marry Me Trish' or 'I love you Trish'
While stood on the stage with the microphone. The cameraman signals Trish to get her best smile ready and they begin recording. She can hear Jim Ross through the ear piece as Trish stands with a hand on her hip preparing to respond to the interview. Knowing what sort of questions to expect with the revelation of her affair she plasters on her dazzling and seductive grin while acting calm and ready.
"So Trish… Thanks for taking the time to speak to us… We understand you've had quite a rough couple weeks and we was just going to ask you how you've been coping with it all?" Jim asked Trish through her ear piece.
Trish's smile didn't waiver once seemingly unaffected by recent incidents. If only people actually knew how she was feeling inside. "You know me J.R… I'm always smiling no matter what the situation but I'm doing well. I'm excited to be here with all the fans at WWE New York."
"Now we won't get into the personal scandals that have recently been exposed what I do want to talk about is your feud with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley." Jim Ross continued.
Trish chuckled slightly.
"Look I understand why she hates me but that doesn't affect me… I'm just going to continue to do my job here at the World Wrestling Entertainment. I owe it to myself and the fans just to carry on despite the recent events."
"One last thing Trish we noticed a couple weeks back that Jeff Hardy saved you from The Two Man Power Trip followed by his brother Matt then we see later on that night you actually assisted Jeff to win the intercontinental championship… Was there any reason for this I mean the world has never associated you with Jeff or The Hardy Boyz?"
Trish taken back for a slight second continued to speak calmly. "Jeff helped me out so I returned the favour that's all there is to that situation."
Not paying attention to her surroundings. The microphone gets snapped out of her hand.
"Actually JR… I was looking out for a friend and I would do it again."
Trish looks up on to the stage to see a certain blue-haired, green-eyed young man stood next to her on the stage. Her poker face was officially broken as the surprise showed on her face for a few seconds before returning to her smile. Trish heard Jim Ross through the earpiece. "Well there you have it folks, enjoy your night at WWE New York and coming up next Jeff's brother Matt competes in a singles match for the European Championship. We'll back after the break."
The crowd in WWE New York are going crazy over the arrival of the fearless high-flyer.
"Did you just see that?" Lita calls out to Matt in shock. "He's not here for your match supporting you because he's with Trish…"
"I'm done looking out for him…" Matt shrugged. "Let him do what he wants he'll realise eventually."
"What if by then it's too late?" Lita asks worried about her friend's decisions.
Matt shrugs once more. "I got more important things to worry about."
Trish sits in the VIP with her new found friend shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you came here what are you thinking when your brother has a match?"
"He can take care of himself…" Jeff chuckled.
"You shouldn't be here Hardy." Trish looks at him with a disapproving look on her face.
"Look I wanted to talk to you after what you said last week…" Jeff' spoke in his southern accent before he continued the blonde beauty interrupted him.
"We haven't got anything to talk about, I told you last week this friendship needs to stop!" The blonde obviously irritated as he doesn't seem to listen to a word she says, she burrows her perfectly shaped eyebrows at the young enigma.
"Says who?" Jeff laughed. "Listen you could do with all the friends you can get."
"I don't need friends." Trish frowned defensively.
Jeff laughed again. "You can't act like nothing gets to you but I know it does. If it didn't you wouldn't have listened to Lita and you wouldn't be trying so hard to convince people you don't care about anything."
"Who says I'm trying to convince anyone?" Trish frowned once more with quite a bit of attitude, crossing her arms around her chest like a little kid who was being told off.
Jeff laughed once more.
"Why do you keep laughing?" Trish obviously getting angered even more with the constant mocking from the young and intriguing man sat in front of her. She was confused as to why he was trying so hard to be there for her but Trish's wall was up and she didn't plan on bringing it down anytime soon. She didn't want to be seen as weak or soft - they were the reasons she was in this mess to begin with.
"You're so stubborn has anybody told you that." Jeff obviously unfazed about the blonde's behaviour in fact he found it quite humorous as he poured a bottle of bourbon into two glasses of ice and passing a glass to Trish who then pushed the glass back to him. "It's on Vince's tab you may as well have a bit of fun. You look like you need it."
Trish who seen the actions as a challenge reluctantly accepted and took a sip of the brown liquor the whole time never breaking eye contact with the superstar in front of her and not being able to keep her smirk at bay.
Vince was sat on his cushioned chair in his exquisite office. He started the day with such a spring his step and his son had managed to bring him down a peg or two. He knew that this wouldn't be the last he heard of Shane - in fact quite the opposite he knew now that his son was declaring war on his father.
A knock on the door followed by the door opening. To his surprise his estranged wife strutted through to her husband with papers slipped firmly in her hand. "My loving wife Linda." Vince smiled with relief. "Am I glad to see you!"
Linda chuckled. "I would rethink that sentence Vince."
The short haired blonde woman placed the files on Vince's desk.
Vince gulped as he looked down at the papers.
"I want a divorce Vince… It's over."
Half a bottle of scotch down and the blonde's defensives went straight down, she half lay on the sofa while Jeff was now lounged in the chair in front of her. They were just talking which was nice for Trish as much as she hated to admit it - the youngest Hardy was right. She could do with some friends right now and as she examined his face she realised he was really trying his best to make her feel better. He actually seen how she was really feeling, not the bitch everybody including herself portrays her to be.
"See I told you I'm not that bad. You sure you really don't want to be friends with me? It'd be a massive loss on your part." Jeff smirked arrogantly. Although when Jeff was arrogant it was actually quite charming and not off-putting in the slightest.
"Okay… I'm sorry." Trish smiled rolling her eyes. "I just don't want you getting caught up in this Hardy. You're a good guy and you keep to yourself. This thing with Vince and his family - I'm at the centre and I don't want you in the crossfire."
"I hear you but I'm a big boy Stratus." Jeff shrugged. "We're not doing anything wrong we're just hanging and you don't have to isolate yourself because of the scandal… Not everybody cares."
Trish raised her eyebrow. "You're wrong Jeff… Everybody cares."
"Well I don't… If anything I think you're the one that needs to be cut some slack..." Jeff replied honestly as he pours another two glasses of bourbon. Sliding a glass of bourbon to the blonde who accepted with no hesitation this time. "...So if you don't mind answering how did you end up screwing the boss?"
Trish nearly spat her drink out and chuckle. "Did you have to phrase it like that?"
Jeff gave her a look as if to say 'that's what you did though'
Trish sighed. "I don't know he was having marital issues… I didn't really have anyone since T&A disbanded and we just got to know each other… I didn't mean to be a homewrecker, didn't mean for anything to escalate but it just did. You can't help your emotions…"
"I get it…" Jeff nodded. "I mean I don't because he's old and wrinkly…"
Trish shot Jeff a look as in to say 'shut up'
"...Sometimes you can't help who you fall for." Jeff shrugged.
Trish nodded in agreement. "Yeah and the whole situation is still so fresh and my reputation is tarnished that's why I didn't want my friendship with you to reflect badly on either of us… I know what people would be saying that I'm a cheap slut who's already moving onto her next victim and it's nothing like that I thought I loved Vince he wasn't just someone who I had sex with"
"We're adults Trish… Believe it or not we can actually hang out without banging each other." Jeff laughed.
"That's not how anyone else will see it Hardy and you know it…" Trish sighed.
"For someone who acts like they don't care what anyone thinks of her I'm starting to think you care too much." Jeff raised an eyebrow at the blonde. Her defensive face reappearing on her face.
"So let me ask you a question Hardy…" Trish replied before taking a swig of bourbon. "Why have you all of a sudden started looking out for me, we never spoke before."
"Because you were a bitch before." Jeff said bluntly before laughing. "I'm joking."
Trish screwed her face at him. "I'm being serious… what's in it for you?"
"Nothing." Jeff chuckled. "I dunno when you bumped into me that time it just made me see you in a different light now everytime I see you I can just see it…"
"See what?" Trish leans her head looking at Jeff intrigued.
"You're sad like deep down you're carrying a lot of pain." Jeff replied looking into her eyes and seeing he hit a nerve. "I don't like seeing it… it just gets to me and I don't know why."
Trish is silent - not really sure what to reply back to him.