"Do you really have to make such a big deal out of my signing?" Lily asked Hunter.
"I don't have to make it a big deal. The daughter of Shawn Michaels signing is a big deal," he replied.
Lily spent the day subjected to a photo shoot with her father and a sit down interview together.
She found it funny how he was against her signing but was hamming it up for the cameras.
Cathy entered the room to conduct the interview. Finn's apparent on and off girlfriend. She was pretty enough with brown hair that had a few gold highlights, dark brown eyes and what Lily considered a nice body. She looked preoccupied with her phone until the camera crew was ready to shoot.
"It is my privilege to be sitting here today with arguably the greatest superstar of all time, Shawn Michaels and WWE's newest signee, Lilith Michaels," Cathy introduced them. "Lily, what was it like growing up as the daughter of Shawn Michaels?"
"Normal," Lily simply answered. There was really nothing more she could say. She didn't have the normal wrestler's offspring upbringing where they went backstage to shows, met other wrestlers and their families, traveled with their father, etc. At home he was just the average dad, no facades, none of the glitz and glam. She wished she could give a cool answer but she couldn't.
"Oh, okay," Cathy looked confused and unsure of how to react to the short answer so she turned her attention to Shawn. "Shawn, how do you feel about Lily following in your footsteps."
"It's been eight years since I retired. Truthfully, I miss interacting with the people and the boys in the back and all that kind of stuff. Wrestling is the kind of business that once it gets in your blood, it's tough to get it out. I still want to be part of the business. Of course, I'm not going to be a showstopper with these brittle bones. I'm not going to be your main-event guy or your headline guy. I still have a little something to offer to the business and that something just happened to be my daughter," Shawn stated, reaching over to grab Lily's hand. Lily felt herself becoming emotional. "I always knew my Lily would be something special. This business is in her blood so it was no surprise when she came to me to 2 years ago and said-"
"Really, Dad?" Lily muttered. She looked at Cathy. "Are we live?"
"No, they're planning on doing a press release next week to announce your signing with the photoshoot and this interview," Cathy informed.
"Good," Lily sighed. "Can we take a break?"
"Uh, sure," Cathy said, walking away with her head down on her phone.
"What's the matter with you?" Shawn asked, raising his voice as he pulled Lily to the side. "This is what you wanted, now you have it but once the camera starts rolling you act like an uncooperative brat?"
"I'm not the only one who changed once the camera came around," Lily shot back. "Your opening statement was perfect and then you went into me coming to you? Really? I remember things going a lot differently. You should've quit while you were ahead. I'm not okay with lying and I'm not okay sitting back listening to you lie."
Shawn's chest rose and fell with a frustrated huff. "Wrestling is all about selling a story. Exaggerating the truth is a part of the game. If you knew wrestling like you claim, you'd know that too."
"I'm well aware of that but honestly, Dad, I think you being against me signing would be a better story to sell. Do you know how many legends and their children have put on the same 'wrestling is in his/her blood' song and dance? There's nothing we can say here that Ric and Ashley haven't already said 2 years ago and they were authentic. Let's break the cycle," she pleaded.
"Do you know how bad that's going to come across? Me being against my daughter joining the business that has given me everything?" he argued.
"Just repeat what you told me that first night! It was genuine and I believed you loved the business but loved me more. Do you know how many actors, actresses and athletes have publicly said they didn't want their children to follow in their footsteps? I don't recall their fans chasing them with pitchforks and torches and I don't think yours will either," Lily said.
"You obviously don't know wrestling fans," Shawn snorted. "I don't know, Lily. We'll figure something out."
"What's there to figure out?" Lily countered.
"I don't know what you two are trying to figure out but I've figured out when you'll debut," Hunter said, walking up behind them.
"Omg, when?" Lily's annoyance with her father was quickly replaced with excited anticipation.
"October's all women's pay per view, Evolution against Natalya," Hunter revealed.
"But why?" Lily's face dropped. "How does it look on a night dedicated to empowering women to rehash a feud older than me with 2 decrepit old men standing in our corners."
"Decrepit?! I know not me! You must be referring to Bret and even then, you watch your mouth and show some respect, young lady!" Shawn snapped.
"Sorry," Lily bit out. "It's just...I want to be more than Shawn Michaels' daughter. Sure Charlotte is 'the queen' but from the wooos, to the robe, to the theme to the figure four, she's Ric Flair's daughter. I want my own identity. I don't want to rehash your feuds. I don't want my finisher to be the Superkick. I definitely don't want to be put in the studio to sing 'I'm just a sexy girl, I'm not your Barbie doll.'"
"It sounds as if you're embarrassed of who you came from," Shawn said, looking and sounding insulted.
"If I was embarrassed of who I came from, I'd be at USC introducing you to my roommate as Michael S. Hickenbottom," Lily pointed out.
"Well, what is your vision for your character?" Hunter inquired.
"Um, I haven't even thought about it yet," she confessed. Lily never thought she'd actually get this far.
"2 years of sneaking around and you have no character arc to show for it?" Shawn scoffed. "You certainly acted like you had everything all figured out."
"How about we try it our way for a while and you can gradually become the person you want to be?" Hunter proposed.
Lily sighed. "If we're going to do the Shawn Michaels' daughter thing and the Natalya feud, I want to do it my way."
"And what's your way?" Shawn raised a brow.
"I want to take it old school before the days of wrestling forums, social media and insiders spoiling everything," Lily's blue eyes were gleaming with determination. "Dad, maybe you never bringing me around can work to my advantage."
"I think I know what you're getting at," Hunter nodded. "We're going to need a lot of NDAs in order to pull this off though."
Lily: As of right you don't know me or anything about my origin.
Ashley: Huh?
Lily: I'll explain everything later.
Everyone who was around the ring to witness the practice match against Della Stone were made to sign non-disclosure agreements. If they mentioned anything about Lily being associated with Shawn, they'd be fired and made to pay a fine of 50,000. Most of them being former independent wrestlers and now NXT wrestlers, they didn't have that money to spare. Shawn made a hefty donation to her former wrestling school in addition to the NDAs in order for them to keep quiet.
"What about the kids from your high school?" Hunter asked.
"I went to a preppy, rich kid school. Wrestling is too low brow, no offense, for them to give a second glance. They don't know who or what a Shawn Michaels is. My dad was just Mr. Hickenbottom to them. I think I'm safe. I've already changed the name on all of my social media from Lily Hickenbottom to just Lily. We're good to go," Lily replied.
"They're always complaining about things being predictable but they're going to go crazy not knowing where we're going with this. They're so used to Meltzer and dirt sheets spoiling angles weeks in advance," Hunter chuckled. "You're going to Jacksonville tomorrow for Raw. Do I need to remind you why you can't tell anyone backstage about this angle?"
"You've told me a million times, I think I got it now. Because they have outsider friends and family, are friends with wrestlers in other companies and some leak stuff to Meltzer," she said.
"Precisely," Hunter nodded.
"Are you sure you can handle this alone?" Shawn was worried as he loaded her bags into her car. "You've never even driven outside of San Antonio and now you're going to drive two hours from Orlando to Jacksonville? I think I'm going to trail you."
"I know back in '98 you guys had to spread maps across the dashboard to get from city to city but in 2018, we have this thing called GPS and Google Maps," Lily flashed her phone. "You can't be seen anywhere near me, Dad."
"I'm not going to be anywhere near you. I can follow you there and hang around backstage talking to some of the guys," he said.
"That's going to blow the entire operation. Shawn Michaels randomly shows up backstage and not in San Antonio where he lives, in Jacksonville on the same night a mysterious blonde debuts to feud with Natalya, Bret's niece. Wait a minute, she has Shawn's eyes!" Lily gasped dramatically.
"You're right," he sighed, rubbing his temple. "I guess this is how I would've felt dropping you off in front of your dorm room. I'm still not 100% okay with this decision but...I'm proud of you already."
"Aww, Dad!" Lily walked up to him to give him a hug and he smooths her hair down on her head. She pulled back. "I need to hit the road now if I want to leave time for fast food stops, bathroom breaks and backed up traffic."
Hunter asked Lily to come to the arena early. The only people there when she arrived were the ring and production crew, backstage personnel and the broadcast team. She hadn't spotted any wrestlers yet. She seated herself in his office and waited. He was giving her a pep talk an hour later when she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," he invited.
Natalya entered still dressed in her street clothes. A pair of jeans and heels. She raised a confused brow when she saw Lily sitting in front of Hunter's desk. "You sent for me?"
"Yes, I'd like you to meet Lily," he introduced.
Nattie looked between H and Lily before extending her hand. "Uhm, hi. Natalya."
"Hi, nice to meet you," Lily smiled courteously and met her hand.
"What is this about?" Natalya was still looking at Lily but addressed Hunter.
"Nattie, I know you're supposed to be accompanying Ronda to the ring tonight for her match vs Alicia but we're giving Lily a tryout match and since she's a hometown girl here, we want it to happen live. It'll only be 5 minutes."
"Does it have to be me?" Nattie asked, sullenly. Lily didn't take offense. Who'd want to miss a spot in a Ronda Rousey segment to give some rookie a shot.
"Yes, Bayley and Sasha are booked with Della and Marina, Ronda and Alicia are obviously booked, Alexa is booked, Ruby is injured and the other Riott Squad members can't carry a match the way a veteran such as yourself can," H replied.
"You forgot to mention Dana Brooke," Nattie said.
"That'll be the blind leading the blind," Hunter snorted.
"Uhhh, Mickie James? She's actually more of a veteran than me."
"I'm asking you, Nattie," Hunter insisted firmly.
"Okay," Nattie relented with a sigh before turning to Lily. "How experienced are you?"
"I-" Lily started.
"She wrestled two years in Mexico as a masked performer," Hunter quickly took over.
"Oh," Nattie blinked. They went on to talk about their wrestling styles and lay out the match with H's input.
Nattie left and the next knock came from Della and Marina. They were currently in a storyline against Sasha and Bayley.
"Hey, it's you! Damn and I thought they brought us up quick," Della laughed, looking around. "Where's Shawn, Mr. Michaels or whatever he wants to be called today?"
"About that," Hunter said, sliding two NDAs forward.
Marina skimmed the document in front of her before looking up. "Is this really necessary? Neither of us are Chatty Patty types."
"I actually forgot she existed until we walked in here," Della added.
"Oh thanks," Lily mumbled, somewhat sarcastically.
"You know what I mean, Lily," Della replied before turning back to H. "The point is, I know how to keep a secret."
"She sure does," Marina snorted as if there was some meaning behind it and it was judging by the glare Della shot her way.
"I'm sure you do, Della but I have to do what I have to do to protect this angle," Hunter replied, pulling out two pens.
"Fine," Marina sighed, picking up a pen and putting it to the paper until Della slapped it away.
"Don't sign anything until I have my lawyer look over it," Della said, taking pictures of the document. "I'm not saying I don't trust you, H, but I have to do what I have to do to protect myself."
"Sure, go ahead, I have nothing to hide," he shrugged.
Della sent those photos to her lawyer and got a response 20 minutes later. She looked at Marina. "I guess we can sign now."
"Is she done so we can show this stranger whom we don't know and have met before around?" Marina asked.
"Yeah, I'm finished. You can head to the locker room. I have some business to take of before showtime anyway. Lily," he called out, giving a look of warning. "Be careful."
"How's your shoulder?" Lily asked Della, noticing the sling. She read on the dirt sheet that Della injured her shoulder at a house show last weekend.
"It's doing a lot better. There's still some pain depending on how I move it but I'm a big girl. They don't want me back in the ring until Summerslam but honestly, I can get in there tonight if they let me," Della replied.
"So what's this angle that's so important we're signing non-disclosures and stuff?" Marina questioned.
"I don't know all the details yet but I know I'm slowly starting a feud with Nattie that'll lead to a match at Evolution," Lily replied.
"Uh oh, fresh meat has found fresher meat," a guy hissed. Lily hadn't noticed male wrestlers staring at her as they walked around backstage until she heard that. She was always beautiful so she'd gotten used to men watching. Over time she learned to get comfortable ignoring the attention.
"Oh my god, it's…" Lily trailed off, trying not to sound like a fangirl. She tried to look casual as Roman Reigns walked down the hall that they walked up. He was intimidatingly huge and really, really handsome in person.
The first hand he grabbed was Della's. She hissed and he dropped it. His eyes got big as he gently reached out to touch her shoulder. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you? Sometimes I forget my own strength."
"It's okay," she told him calmly.
He moved on to Marina. She gave him a limp handshake and grunted a hello. When he moved on to Lily, he looked over at Della and Marina for an explanation or introduction but they said nothing so Lily took it upon herself to speak.
"Hey, I'm Lily and I'm new," she said, reaching out her hand.
His hands were surprisingly soft and large as they swallowed hers. His grip was also strong and firm as they shook so she understood how that could be harsh on someone in Della's condition. "Are you from NXT or…?"
"I'm a local performer," she said.
"Oh, welcome to Raw," he said before leaving them.
"Thanks," she called behind him. "He is so gorgeous."
"He's too old for you, also," Della quickly said.
"Too married also," Marina emphasized.
"Well, yeah, that too," Della added. She stopped right before they approached the door that read: Raw female talent. "When we get in here we can't act too chummy with you because the others will start asking us questions that we legally can't answer."
"Yeah, I understand," Lily nodded.
Marina opened the door and Lily heard female voices speaking.
"She's a young, pretty thing so maybe that's why they're giving her airtime because every tryout match that I've seen has happened before the show or in a dark match after," Nattie shrugged.
"If she's blonde with B-cups, I found herrrrr," Della sung, stepping out of the way to reveal Lily.
Lily scanned around the locker room to find herself being watched, no, assessed is more appropriate. She got scrutinizing looks a person being sized up would receive. It unnerved her slightly because these were the women she'd have to be around and work with in the coming months and all of their expressions ranged from indifference to confusion to annoyance. She wondered how her reception would've been if she walked in as Shawn Michaels' daughter.
"I don't mean any harm but your role here tonight is a local jobber?" Alexa tilted her head.
"Yes, well, no. It's a tryout match," Lily criped.
"Either way, this locker room is for Raw women only," Alexa replied. "There's a separate changing area down the hall for extras, jobbers and enhancement talent."
"Oh," Lily dropped her head. "I guess I'll go…"
"No, you won't," Della spoke up. "I'm not sure but when we were passing, didn't Triple H send you here which is why you followed us?"
"Yes," Lily confirmed with a nod, gaining a little bit of confidence. "He sure did."
As Lily dressed for her segment, she felt stares, knowing she was being monitored as the others tried to figure her out. Her ring attire was black leather, assless chaps with short red spandex shorts that exposed half of her butt paired with a studded black and red leather bra top that stopped right above her belly button.
Hunter's eyes widened when he caught sight of Lily as she stretched in an isolated corner backstage. "Shawn is going to kill you and then kill me for allowing you to go out there dressed like that!"
"He wore chaps," Lily laughed.
"He did but he wasn't as...shapely," Hunter snorted. "You have about 30 minutes before your match. You go on right after Balor. Are you ready?"
Lily took a deep breath, needing a moment to psych herself up to officially step into the wrestling world for the very first time. She was nervous but there was no turning back now. The small percentage of herself that wasn't nervous felt a thrill of anticipation.
Finn warmed up before his match in the locker room. Sometimes he felt that he was just going through the motions now that he was on the main roster. It was frustrating compared to his prominent career on the independent scene but when his theme hit and he heard his guaranteed pop and saw his fans raising their arms to the sky along with him, he knew this is where he belonged. He loved being in the ring regardless of the outcome or storyline.
"Am I the only one who saw that hot blonde out there with the tight ass?" Dolph asked. "This needs to be discussed."
"Who is she?" Zack Ryder asked.
"I don't know but she was with Della and Marina," Dolph replied.
"Della and Marina? Rollins, don't they ride with you?" Elias raised a brow.
"Yeah, but I didn't hear them talk about any new girl nor did I see one," Rollins said.
"I saw her," Roman spoke up as he slid his glove up his hand. "She looks a little too young for me to give a second glance."
"Only in the face," Dolph muttered.
Finn didn't really pay attention to what they were saying. Sometimes the locker room reminded him of a fraternity full of egotistical 30 plus year old men the way they carried on. Chances were this new blonde wasn't that hot. A nice ass or a decent set of implants was enough to get overrated in the looks department here.
A producer knocked and stuck his head through the door. "Balor, you're next after this commercial."
As he was walking to gorilla, he spotted the ass Dolph was referring to and he had to admit it was very nice indeed. It wasn't too big or too small, aggressively round with the right amount of plumpness. The chaps she wore really highlighted it. Finn forced his eyes away because his trunks showed enough flaccid.
The blonde glanced around before her gaze settled on him, a smile of recognition crossed her face. "Hey!"
"Well I'll be damned," Finn said out loud to himself. He was confused two weeks ago when he found out that Shawn a daughter, a hot daughter. She was beautiful. Tonight she managed to look better than before. Unfortunately, her being Shawn's daughter meant she was off limits but still he found himself interested in her.
As he approached her, he tried to keep his eyes focused on her face instead of her perky boobs. That still didn't help because her face was just as beautiful. He focused on her lips, like her ass they weren't too big or too small with the right amount of plumpness. Her eyes. She had her father's eyes. Good, that killed his fantasy because he imagined Shawn with those same blue eyes blazing as he points one of his hunting rifles at him.
"Hey, Lilith, about the other week, you didn't tell your dad about the sex demon comment I made, did you?" he asked.
"No," Lily's face turned red and she self-consciously fiddled with her hair.
"Thank God! I didn't even know Shawn Michaels had a daughter," he said only for her to cover his mouth, looking around. He flicked his tongue over the palm of her hand.
"Eww!" she shrieked in response and pulled her hand away. "Okay, that was unnecessary and unsanitary."
"What was that about?" he asked.
She pulled him aside. In a quiet and serious tone she said, "I'm kind of going undercover and I don't want anyone to know about my parentage, not the fans or anyone back here. If you feel like you're going to blab about it, Hunter can legally bind you into silence. As far as you know I'm just a random local talent from Jacksonville, FL."
"That actually sounds pretty cool," Finn replied. "We need a little mystery around here. Judging by the way you're dressed, you debut tonight?"
"I do," she confirmed. "Against Natalya."
"The eventual reveal is going to be epic. Can't wait to see how things unfold," he said, just as his theme hit.
He finished his match and was on his way up the ramp during commercial when Lily was being walked out by a referee. She was getting a jobber's entrance and would be waiting in the ring when Raw come back from commercial. She looked nervous as she looked around the arena of 15,000 people but he also saw excitement and determination. As they passed each other, Finn nodded and mouthed, 'good luck' and she smiled in return.
Jojo introduced her on the mic as being from Jacksonville and that's when the arena exploded in support of who they thought was a hometown girl.
When he walked back into gorilla, he parked himself in front of a monitor beside Triple H who looked very invested. No surprise there seeing as she was the daughter of his best friend. Raw came back from commercial break and a banner with 'Lily' flashed across the screen in front of her already in the ring. Michael Cole on commentary mentioned that she was from Jacksonville and Graves made a comment about her attractiveness. Lily was stretching when Natalya's theme hit.
He was surprised to see Lily starting the match heelish as she dropkicks Nattie before the match starts and stomps on her. The crowd was very behind their hometown hero early on. Nattie quickly turned the tide and tosses Lily to the mat. Nattie charged at Lily but Lily moves and hits another dropkick. Lily went to the top rope and attempted a crossbody but Nattie blocked it. Finn noted that Lily had flashes of ability and flies around the ring pretty well while Nattie no doubt is a vet and focuses on trying to keep the match on the mat. Lily was a little clumsy but nothing obvious that the fans would notice but Finn being in the business 17 years was aware of the little things.
Nattie appeared visibly frustrated by the local rookie and kicked Lily, she starts on Lily's arm and gets an armbreaker applied, but Lily gets a foot on the ropes and the ref made Nattie break the hold. Rolling leg lock by Nattie and she slams Lily's knee into the mat and the crowd booed. Nattie goes for a backdrop suplex but Lily elbowed Nattie in the head until Nattie aborted. Lily went for a hurricanrana but Nattie blocks it and powerbombs her into the turnbuckles. Spinning elbow by Nattie and she hits a german suplex but Lily kicks out at 2. Nattie picks up Lily and goes for a suplex, but Lily reverses it into a roll-up for 2 count.
Lily dragged Nattie to the turnbuckle and kneed her in the head. Nattie rolled out of the ring holding her head. Lily climbed up to the top rope and missile drop kicked Nattie on the outside. It looked a little shaky in Finn's opinion but it was enough to pop the crowd. Lily rolls Nattie back in the ring but doesn't go for the pin and the announce team says that's a rookie mistake.
Nattie immediately regained control and applied the Sharpshooter but it was near the ropes so Lily reached out to break it up. Nattie then dragged Lily to the middle of the ring and locked it back in. Finn decided it was over and Lily had a good showing. It looked like Lily's hand was going to tap but the crowd gave her a "Lily" chant and she powered up. To his surprise, Lily reached back and grabbed Nattie's leg and yanked it, causing Nattie to fall over. Lily then rolled, taking Nattie with her, and stood up a sharpshooter of her own. The crowd went crazy for it but Nattie powered out of it.
Nattie was still on shaky legs when Lily came behind her and applied an overhead backbreaker lift twisted and dropped into a double knee gutbuster or as Finn called it back when he was Prince Devitt, the Shingata Prince's Throne. 1...2...3.
"She did it! The hometown girl did it," Graves said on commentary. Lily rolled out of the ring and went around the front row slapping hands with fans. The camera showed Nattie looking stunned.
Lily looked ready to collapse when she made it behind the curtains. Finn went over to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"What?" her brows knitted and she laughed. "Yeah, I'm just really geeked right now. The crowd was awesome out there. I almost feel bad for deceiving them. Almost."
"Tonight I learned that you're a thief, a very impressive thief," he smirked.
"Sorry, this was very last minute so I kind of dug around in your playbook. You don't really use it in WWE so I thought it would be okay. I hope I didn't offend you," she dropped her head.
He tipped her chin up. "I'd only be offended if it looked shitty. Yours did not, Lilith."
She blushed. "Thanks."
"Alright, two sweet me, kid," he said, extending his fingers.
She reached out to meet him but she had long, pointy stiletto nails and they stuck him. "Sorry."
"You're going to kill someone out there with those," he replied.
Triple H approached them. "You were great out there."
"Thanks," she said. "I need to get back to the locker room to get my phone. I know my dad is calling me."
"He called me 30 seconds after you appeared on screen regarding those chaps," H laughed. "Don't go back to the locker room yet. You have a segment with Kurt."
"Segment with Kurt?" Lily asked.
"Yeah, go with the producer," H motioned toward a guy wearing a headset. "He'll explain everything."
Nattie ducked behind the curtain. She bumped into Finn trying to get to Triple H. "Seriously, who is that girl? The match was supposed to end after my sharp shooter! That's what we planned in your office. She went into business for herself!"
"She's just an indie wrestling kid from Jacksonville," H was barely able to control his amusement. His mouth twitched into a smile before he went back to his business demeanor. "And no, she didn't. I decided to change the ending, Nattie. It's no big deal."
Finn was still watching the monitors when the show came back from commercial it opened with Kurt looking down at his phone. Kurt suddenly looked up, laughed before looking back down. The camera panned over and revealed Nattie looking frustrated.
"What's funny Kurt?" she asked.
"Nothing," Kurt chuckled again, looking down at his phone. "I just got a text from my son, that's all."
"Yeah, right," Nattie replied. "I know exactly what you're laughing at. That victory out there was a fluke and hometown luck."
"Nattie, seriously, I was laughing at a text," Kurt explained showing Nattie his phone.
Nattie's face dropped and she forced an awkward, embarrassed chuckle. "Ohh."
"Too late," Lily said, coming into the scene. "You know, Nattie, I only have one hometown and I've never heard of Raw performing in the same place two Monday's in a row."
Kurt smirked. "Me either, Lily. How about you come back next Monday when Raw is in Greensboro, North Carolina and we'll get this settled once and for all."
Kurt exited, leaving Nattie and Lily staring each other down and then the action went back to the ring.
Finn was officially sold. She was good in the ring and was a natural actress. In his opinion she was better than Charlotte when Charlotte was only 2 years in.
After the show was over, he spotted Lily rolling her bags behind her. When the segment revealing that she would be back next week aired, there was a lot of whispers about her. There were two men from the camera crew talking as she passed.
"Who does she know?" one asked.
"More like who did she blow," the other said and they both laughed.
Apparently Lily heard them because she looked up at them before walking fast out of the area.
That pissed Finn off as he stormed over to them. "How about you show some respect. That girl went out there and had a better match than most of the men tonight, myself included. When James Ellsworth was invited back after his jobber duty, did you ask who he blew? Oh, wait, James isn't a beautiful woman so of course he wouldn't get sexist remarks thrown his way. Women are constantly climbing the ladder and slowly taking over this company. I suggest you get with the times because unlike them, you're disposable. Any idiot can hold a camera."
The men looked embarrassed by the time he finished with them and all they could do was mumbled sorry before walking away with their heads down.
Finn heard a slow clap behind him and turned to see Della and Marina.
"Bravo," Della applauded.
"What did you think of Lily's debut?" Marina asked.
"Why are you asking me?" he replied.
The girls exchanged looks and smirked, secretively. "Mostly because you're one of the few who know the truth of that we can't speak on unless we feel like going to court."
"So she wasn't joking about the legal binding?" Finn stared at them in disbelief. "Anyway, she did excellent. How is the women's locker room treating her?"
"Nothing overtly bad yet but some aren't cool with her just walking in," Marina said. "On the bright side, at least she gets to see who's real and who's fake early on before the reveal and they change their tune and start kissing her ass."
"Well, until then she better toughen up because no one is going to take it easy on her just because she's nice, young and pretty. If anything that'll make things harder for her. Imagine the guys who'll try to push up on her unknowingly," Della cringed.
"I think I got a preview of that earlier in the locker room," Finn sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, if you two promise to look out for her on the women's side, I'll try my best to look out for her on the men's side."