Chapter 49

Seth was NOT happy to discover what happened to Lilianna upon arriving back at the hotel, after a great workout with Jon, AJ and Baron. Jecina had informed him of the incident since Lilianna was knocked out, thanks to her painkillers. She hadn't left Lilianna's side, just in case the woman needed her and had waited for Seth to return. There was no way she would keep what happened away from Seth, especially since Lilianna had a huge bruise on her backside from the shove. Roman really didn't know his own strength and Jecina was glad she'd been with Lilianna, not wanting to think about what the man's temper might've caused him to do.

"That mother fucker is LUCKY he's off the road for 30 days!" Seth growled, tearing a hand through his wet hair and glanced inside to make sure he hadn't awoken his girlfriend. "Do you think she's gonna need another scan to make sure he didn't do more damage?"

"No, I don't think so because she landed directly on her butt."

"She never should've provoked him." Seth was going to tan her hide when she was fully healed, gritting his teeth. "That was reckless."

"I know, but you have to understand what he's put her through. I agree she should've left him alone, but you should know how Lili is by now. She does not take shit line down and will call people out on their bullshit." Even if it meant putting herself in harm's way or in the line of fire. "I'm gonna head back to the room to see Jon. If she needs me for anything, have her call me, please."

"Will do…" Seth stopped Jecina and pulled her into his arms for a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. "Thanks for watching out for her when I can't."

"That's what friends are for, Rollins." Jecina grinned, squeezing his upper arm and headed off down the hallway to head back to the hotel room she shared with her own man.

On her way, she was stopped by none other than Dean Ambrose. She tried to sidestep him, but he merely moved in front of her, their eyes not leaving each other. Jecina did not trust him, not after everything he'd pulled and done, to both her and Jon.

"Get out of my way."

"Look, I just wanna talk for a minute…" Dean held his hands up, but didn't unblock her path either. "You can't make time for an old friend?"

"Friend? You think everything you've done still makes us friends? You've seriously lost your mind if you think that, Ambrose!" Jecina retorted, folding her arms tightly in front of her chest while shooting acid at him. Her eyes were boiling with it.

Dean had to find someway to get her to forgive him or else he'd never have a shot at breaking her engagement off to Moxley. He had to play this carefully. "I know I've been…an ass lately."

"That's putting it mildly." Jecina scoffed, rolling her eyes and could feel the anger surging through her. "You put Jon in the hospital, your own brother, and for what? Because of me? Because you're still in love with me and can't seem to move on? So you tried to permanently END his career?!"

"Don't you see what's happened, Cina? He's corrupted you against me! He's changed you and not for the better! He's controlling you at every turn, including convincing you to marry him." That was something Dean would not allow to happen, not unless it was over his dead body. She belonged with HIM, not that prick evil twin of his! "I would never do that to you. I would never try to control you or manipulate and corrupt you to hate others. That's not what a true relationship is about."

Dean was like a broken record, using the same excuse and reasoning for his actions and it was getting old. "Do you know what I see when I look at you, Ambrose? I don't see a man who's in love. I see a man who's lost, confused and doesn't know WHAT he wants in life. I see a man who is hurt because a woman he supposedly loves chose someone besides him and he doesn't know how to cope with it, so he lashes out by being a dick to everyone. I see a man who was TRUMPED by his twin brother, so he's done everything in his power to try to destroy him because he's JEALOUS. That's right. You're jealous of Jon and you always have been since the day he stepped foot in this company. You couldn't and still can't handle the fact he's BETTER at this than you are. He's better in the ring than you ever thought about being and HE'S the one who should be holding the WWE title, NOT YOU. Because you don't deserve it, not after everything you've done." Throughout her explanation, Jecina kept her voice low and neutral, not caring if what she said angered him. It was the truth. "You don't love me, Ambrose. You just THINK you do because I chose your brother over you. It's about possession and obsession, nothing more. That's all this is. It's not love – because if it was, you would've walked away and let me be happy and respected my choice."

What a self-righteous bitch! Dean couldn't believe the poisonous words that spewed out of her mouth just now. He couldn't remember feeling this enraged by a woman in his life and clenched his fists tightly at his sides, needing to put distance between them. She just cut him down verbally and basically told him Jon was the better twin, the better brother, the better man! No, Jon wasn't anywhere NEAR his level or caliber, and Dean would prove it. He had a plan and wanted to give Jecina the chance to make this right, to rectify this situation, to finally come to him instead of staying with Moxley. Obviously, she was still blinded by that dick and it was time to set his plan fully into motion, the gears in his head beginning to turn.

"I'll make you see the truth. You'll see it soon enough, Cina." Dean promised in a deadly voice and stepped aside, allowing her to walk away from him.

Those words were ominous and Jecina felt a chill rush down her spine as she hurried to the hotel room, needing to feel Jon's arms around her immediately.

The next couple weeks flew by in the blink of an eye for the company and soon enough, the draft had arrived. It was a two-day event that would start on Raw and end on Smackdown!, which would be live on Tuesday from now on instead of taped. Usually, it was taped and then aired a few days later on cable, but not anymore. Vince had changed it completely, wanting a solid competition between the two brands. It was also called Smackdown! Live now instead of just Smackdown!. He also decided the ACTUAL draft would happen on Smackdown! Live instead of Raw, just to draw out the suspense further.

Stephanie McMahon was the new Commissioner of Monday Night Raw while Shane McMahon was given Smackdown! Live. Each Commissioner had to choose their own General Manager, which both would be announced tonight on Raw. This would be a blockbuster night full of twists and turns for every single Superstar in the locker room. Nobody was ready for what was about to happen.

Seth and Dean did a phenomenal job building the triple threat match at Battleground while Roman remained on suspension. He could not come back until the NIGHT of Battleground. However, tonight on Raw, Seth would challenge Dean for the WWE World Heavyweight championship, one on one, since Roman was out on suspension. He wanted his one on one shot he rightfully deserved and Stephanie gave it to him. The match would tear the roof off the building and Lilianna secretly hoped Seth walked out as the champion leading into Battleground.

Lilianna was nearly 100%, her ribs no longer hurting and had promised Seth up and down she would never provoke Roman again. Lesson learned. It wasn't worth it because she never wanted to endure broken ribs again as long as she lived. Not to mention, she was chomping at the bit to get back in the ring. Gabriella was still the Women's champion and she wanted that strap around her waist after playing valet long enough.

Meanwhile, Jecina was a ball of nerves because, not only was draft day here, but Jon had a match coming up at Battleground against Rusev for the United States championship. She didn't have a doubt in her mind he could defeat Rusev, but the man wasn't exactly the safest in the ring. Battleground was on Sunday and it would be the final joined pay-per-view event – Raw and Smackdown! would have their own going forward besides the major four, which was the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Summerslam and Survivor Series. They were also talking about making Money in the Bank a multi-brand pay-per-view as well, but it was just rumored right now for next year.

Another thing bothered Jecina as well. She could NOT get Dean's words out of her head, no matter how hard she tried. They scared her and she didn't know why. She didn't think Dean would ever hurt her the way Roman had Lilianna. Hell, anything was possible with Dean these days. She thought she knew him, but obviously, she was sadly mistaken. Being only friends had never worked for them and she was an idiot to think otherwise or to even try. Staring in the mirror, Jecina looked down at the emerald ring on her left ring finger and closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer for her and Jon to wind up on the same show.

Just then, her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered on the third ring, feeling her stomach tighten at the sound of Stephanie's voice on the other end. "Hey Steph, everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to tell you what show you'll be working for going forward." Stephanie sounded sad and Jecina felt a wave of nausea wash over her.

"What show?"

"You'll be working on Smackdown! permanently. That means there's an extra house show per week for each show and Mondays will be Smackdown! Live's while Tuesdays will be Raw's." Stephanie explained, staring down at her freshly manicured nails with a sigh, hoping people were all right with her choice in who the General Manager for Raw would be.

"Steph, has there been a decision on where Jon is going?" Jecina was almost afraid to ask, tears filling her eyes while she once again glanced at her engagement ring.

Stephanie remained silent on the phone for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, Jecina, but I can't reveal that information right now." Vince would have her head if any of the picks between the Commissioners were revealed before the show went live. "You'll know soon enough."

Swallowing hard, Jecina ended the call with Stephanie just as the door opened and she looked at Jon, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

"What's wrong, Jina?" Jon saw the phone in her hand and went to her instantly, cupping her face in his hands. "Don't cry…"

"I'm on Smackdown! Live from now on." She whispered, unable to use her real voice at the moment for fear of it cracking and covered her face with her hands.

Jon pulled her against him, letting her face bury in his t-shirt covered chest and rubbed her back soothingly, whispering soothing words into her ear. Jecina had found out her fate, along with most of the WWE employees that weren't on television. He knew this was extremely hard for her, but he had faith they would end up with this in their favor. Newly engaged, he was no longer feuding with Dean and going after the United States title, which would probably wind up on Smackdown! Live. It was going to be fine, Jon wasn't worried and rested his cheek against the top of her head.

"Regardless of what happens tonight and tomorrow, I love you, Jina. And we're gonna make it through this."

Jecina wished she could believe him, the tears not stopping. "I love you too, Jon."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the new General Manager of Monday Night Raw…"

The crowd exploded at the sound of a car crashing echoed through the speakers and none other than The Hardcore Legend himself, Mick Foley, walked out, waving his hand to all the fans. Even Shane was nodding, agreeing it was a great choice of Stephanie's and the backstage was buzzing, the Superstars elated to see Mick Foley again. Mick stepped into the ring, shook Stephanie and then Shane's hand, being respectful to both siblings while still catering to the crowd. He took a microphone, said his piece and basically thanked Stephanie for naming him the General Manager of Raw.

Now, it was Shane's turn and the crowd had been speculating all week who he would choose. "So who could I possibly think of, who is more popular and BETTER than Mick Foley? Hmm…Ladies and gentlemen, the Smackdown! Live General Manager…"

If the explosion for Mick Foley was loud, then they ERUPTED for none other than Daniel Bryan!

"OH MY GOD!" Jecina shrieked, jumping up and down and couldn't believe Daniel Bryan was back on WWE television.

"I'll be a son of a bitch…" Jon grinned at the monitor at his longtime friend, one of the only people who accepted him into the company when he first arrived. "He did say the company had a role for him to play, but that was a couple months ago…"

How long ago that had been. Jecina was ecstatic Daniel because he'd had to retire from professional wrestling due to a devastating neck injury and concussions. The man had gotten so many concussions, it was a miracle he remembered who he was when he woke up in the morning. She did the 'YES' hand gesture and got Jon to do it, laughing as they watched this momentous occasion together.

Shane was running circles around Mick Foley and Stephanie, doing the 'YES' movement as well. Daniel Bryan looked in his element while the crowd fed off him and his energy. This had been TOP secret and kept from EVERYONE; nobody was to know about Daniel Bryan's involvement in the draft and on the show until the day of his announcement. It had worked out perfectly, social media had no idea and it was a very nice surprise for the fans to have one of their all-time favorites back in the ring in some capacity.

"Brie must be going out of her mind right now."

"Hell, she had to know about it." Jon pointed out.

"True, but she still must be so happy for him." It was heartbreaking when Daniel had to retire from professional wrestling and there hadn't been a dry eye in the entire company. That's how much he was valued as both a competitor, a coworker and a friend. "I'll have to call her later."

After those bombshells were dropped, the show progressed smoothly and the main event did not disappoint. Lilianna had watched possibly one of the best matches of Seth's career take place in that ring. Only for the match to end in a double-pin draw. They had brought the best out in each other, much like they had in NXT and the crowd went home happy with Dean declared still the champion going into Battleground. Lilianna walked away with Seth and once backstage, she passionately kissed him, molding their bodies together. Seth growled, kissing her with equal fervor and draped an arm over her shoulders to head to his locker room for a much-needed shower.

If that was a prelude to this Sunday's triple threat at Battleground, the fans were in for quite a treat.