Chapter XI: Returning the Favor

Next Week - Tuesday, July 30th, 2019 - Memphis, Tennessee

The WWE Universe was ecstatic as their energy could be felt all throughout the FedExForum in Memphis. Over 10,000 fans were in attendance watching as the WWE Superstars exclusive to the SmackDown roster were giving them the best they had to offer in hopes of putting on a show.

And that list of superstars included one they almost hated in the Intercontinental Champion: Jaden Sennoa.

lowered the mic and walked towards the ropes grabbing a microphone from the ring crew as his music faded away into the background.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Intercontinental Champion speaking," Jaden said on the mic as the WWE Universe in Memphis booed.

"And as long as there's a breath in my body, I will remain the Intercontinental Champion for as long as I feel like it," Jaden declared as the fans booed again, "It's true, you can boo all you want but it doesn't matter. Everyone that the powers to be have placed in front of me have been put down and destroyed."

"What?" The crowd chanted.

"There isn't a man today who can say they have bested me."

"What?"

"There isn't a man today who can say that they've beaten me."

"What?"

"I have choked them all out and sent them packing down to the back of the line."

"What?"

Jaden looked visibly annoyed with the "What" chants from the crowd. "If your IQ is lower than 100, say what."

"What?"

Jaden rolled his eyes as a wave of boos mixed in with laughter could be heard through the crowd as he looked around.

"Exactly, That's probably why all of you have created this false narrative that Ced will be the one to knock me off my pedestal at SummerSlam. You all relate to him."

"What?"

"You're all idiots just like him."

"What?"

"You're all failures just like him."

"What?"

"He couldn't handle the pressure of NXT and his body buckled with the pressure of being Champion. And he failed. And now he wants to try his luck and face me at SummerSlam for my title. He couldn't cut it in NXT, he damn sure can't cut it against me. And last week…. Well, last week was proof of that," Jaden said as he pointed to the titantron with a smirk on his face. The titantron showed a replay when Ced was choked out by the reigning Champion, Jaden Sennoa.

Jaden watched the replay chuckling at the chaos he caused last week. He shifted his gaze to the crowd looking on with a smirk.

"Last week, Ced learned his lesson. Ced learned that he just wasn't in my league when I put his ass to sleep. And at SummerSlam, it's gonna-" Jaden said as his speech was cut off when he heard the crowd cheering. He turned around only to be speared by his challenger at SummerSlam. Ced immediately piled on the punches to the head of Jaden Sennoa as the WWE Universe cheered.

Jaden Sennoa managed to push Ced off of him. Both men quickly rose to their feets and Ced immediately ran towards Jaden and clocked him with a clothesline. Jaden popped right back up and was taken down with another clothesline. Jaden rose back up and stumbled to the ropes. The Challenger for SummerSlam ran towards Jaden, sending him over the top rope with a clothesline as the WWE Universe cheered.

Ced ripped apart the white tank top as the WWE Universe cheered as he stood there with a gold Figaro chain around neck with light blue wash jeans and brown Timberland boots.

Jaden rose up to his feet on the outside looking on with a frown as he put a hand to his mouth. Jaden gaze shifted from Ced to see his Intercontinental Championship belt that he dropped in the ring. Ced's eyes saw where Jaden was looking and caught him staring at the title. A smirk snaked its way onto Ced's face as he bent down picking up the coveted Championship title, chiseled chest heaving as he looked down at the title.

Jaden muttered something inaudible to the people watching at home but Ced heard exactly what he said making him slowly raise the title into the air in response getting a light pop from the crowd in Memphis as "Icon" blasted on the sound system of the FedEx Forum.

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Days Later - August 3rd, 2019 - Orlando, FL

Cedric finally had a few days off before he had to head back on the road and he decided to spend them with his lady since he knew he was going to busy and locked in for a while. And the way he decided was to throw a few steaks on the grill, kickback and relax and invite some of their friends over for the festivities. Cedric invited his boys, Denzel "Red" Harris, his life long best friend and David Summers or as they liked to call him "Big Dave". Keana had invited her best friend, Leah and Leah decided to invite her friend Janine.

Right now it was a little early in the day currently around 1:30 PM and Cedric was setting up the grill by the pool of his apartment complex and trying to get everything ready being a good host and everything.

"Baby, you got everything you need?" Cedric heard making him turn around set his gaze upon Keana in a purple bikini with a black crochet coverup and her hair curly hair down framing her make-up free face. To say that the wind had left his body when his eyes set upon her was the understatement of the century.

"No," he said as his eyes trailed up and down her body, taken back by her beauty, her face contorted into a frown as she looked at him with genuine concern etched in her face.

"What else do you need?"

"You," he replied earning an eye roll from Keana as she walked towards him and placed a quick peck on his lips.

"But in all seriousness, do you have everything that you need?" she said earning a chuckle from Cedric as he put his arms around her shoulders.

"Yes, I have everything that I need. Although a glass of Macallan 18 would be perfect right about now-"

"You know the rule we discussed no alcohol for 2 weeks before Pay-Per-Views or big matches or in my case, big games," Keana said reminding him of the rule they established for themselves a few months ago. Keana herself coudln't drink just yet but she decided to agree to the rule to show a sense of union between the two. Cedric agreed to it so he could keep his body tight and keep himself in the best condition and with this rule, he agreed to no alcohol at all during WrestleMania season.

"Okay, babygirl, you're right. Now do me a favor go sit down and let me get this ready," he said almost in a deep murmur as she bit her lip hearing that pet name that she seemed to love so much.

"Okay, you got it," she said walking off to go take a seat by the pool as Cedric chuckled, shaking his head and getting ready to grill up some steaks.

(!)-(!)-(!)-(!)

A couple of hours had passed and the festivities were in full effect essentially. Denzel and Big Dave had made their way there and had brought the vibes with them brining alcohol for themselves and a speaker for the music that would essentially get the party started. Leah and Janine had made it a little while ago and were over by the pool taking to Keana.

"Damn bruh, I feel like we don't ever see your ass. You always on the road traveling and shit," said Denzel "Red" Harris, one of Cedric's best friends, a man he considered a brother. Denzel; stood tall at 5'11 with a lean yet-toned physique. Denzel had a cool dark brown complexion with brown eyes. Black hair cut into waves and a beard. He had a tattoo of his mother's name: Pauline on a bed of roses on his forearm.

"For real, he a big-time superstar now, we can't never catch up with his ass," said Big Dave in a deep tone of voice. David Summers or as they called him "Big Dave" stood just as tall as Cedric at 6'3 and had a grizzly bear-like physique with tattoos gracing both of his arms, his chest and his back. He was a bit of a light-skinned man with a honey-brown complexion and dark eyes, beard and a bald head.

Cedric chuckled shaking his head, "But isn't this what we dreamed of? Me, a professional wrestler doing what I love on the biggest platform of my industry. Dave, you, the head of a multi-million dollar corporate law firm who just racked up a 20 million dollar settlement last week. And Red, you and I partners running perhaps the hottest rising nightclub in the city and a recording artist in your right. I think we did this shit."

Dave and Red chuckled as they nodded their heads.

"Yeah, I guess we did," Dave said with a smile.

"Yeah we did, I'll toast to that," Red said as he held up his red solo cup as his boys did the same taking a sip of their drink.

"Now, Ced, I love you bro but I gotta ask, how the hell did you pull that?" Dave said as he motioned at Keana sitting across at the pool engaged in a conversation with her friends. Cedric chuckled as he took a longing gaze at her before turning back to his boys.

"I just got game," Cedric joked as he sipped his drink.

"Game? More like luck," Red interjected with a laugh, teasing Cedric good-naturedly. "I've seen you stumble over your words around her plenty of times."

Cedric rolled his eyes playfully. "Hey, a little stumble here and there just adds to the charm, right?"

Big Dave let out a hearty chuckle, shaking his head. "Well, whatever it is, you better not mess this up, man. She seems like a catch. She got her shit together, I talked to her earlier and the fact that she's in school and actually wants something for herself, that's impressive. Much better than that last chick, you dated."

Red raised his eyebrows on that one, slightly agreeing with Dave. Cedric knew they were referring to Mercedes and at one point Mercedes was the one for him in a way but ultimately they realized their lives were heading in different directions and they couldn't hold each other back.

"Look Mercedes was great at times and we had our fun together but we both knew we needed to follow our own paths and my path led me right to her. I like Keana, she motivates me every day to get up and be a better man than I was yesterday," Cedric said as Red and Dave nodded.

"Well, if I'm being honest. I like her, you better not mess this one up," Red said.

"I second that," Dave said as Cedric chuckled and turned to look at Keana.

Meanwhile, Keana, Janine, Leah, and herself were all engaged in a conversation and the topic of discussion was her romantic partner, a similar conversation that the guys just had.

"Ke, the pictures on Instagram do not do that man any justice," Leah said as she looked over the 6'3, WWE Superstar. Keana chuckled at her friend's comment about her man.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Keana asked with a toothy grin.

"That's a damn good thing, he's got this GQ, Calvin Klein type of vibe going on," Leah said as Keana nodded.

"He's great, a bit stubborn and hard-headed at times which gets annoying at times and then with his career being so active, he's gone at times but other than that, he's great. I can always talk to him about anything. He's smart as hell, driven and loyal and he treats me like a queen," Keana said as Leah smiled a wide grin for her friend. Happy to see her in a real genuine relationship. Janine looked like she had some malicious intent or thoughts circulating through her head as she sat there.

"So have you and him…you know...did the deed?" Janine asked as Leah took a sip of her drink and dmn near choked on her sip.

"Umm, no, we haven't yet," Keana said with a raised brow at Janine's question.

"Why not? I mean you guys have been together for a while," Janine asked.

"We're waiting for the right time, why so curious?" Keana said with a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"I'm just saying, it's not like men to go that long without having sex. If he's not getting it from you, he's definitely getting it from someone," Janine said as Leah shook her head.

Leah interjected, her tone firm, "Janine, that's a pretty bold assumption to make. Just because they haven't taken that step doesn't mean there's something fishy going on."

Keana, maintaining her composure despite the intrusive line of questioning, spoke up, "Our relationship isn't defined by physical intimacy alone. Cedric respects my choices and boundaries."

Janine leaned back, a smirk playing on her lips. "Maybe he's just good at hiding things. You never know what those wrestler types are up to when they're on the road."

Keana didn't like what Janine was insinuating but it was something that she started to think about. Leah turned to look at her friend Janine with a look of annoyance due to the chaos she was causing.

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The couple of Cedric and Keana were saying their goodbyes to their guests as the evening wound down. Keana was saying her goodbyes to Janine and Leah individually. Her goodbye with Janine was anything but warm, she didn't forget her comments and because of it she had been treating Ced a little cold, something he was going to get to the bottom of later.

Keana pulled Leah into a tight embrace which her best friend returned, whispering into her ears, "Don't let Janine, ruin what you got going on babe, you got a good man just remember that."

Cedric dapped up his boys and thanked them for coming, his smile reflecting the contentment he felt in having his loved ones gathered around him.

As the last of the guests departed, Cedric turned to Keana ready to talk to her about why she had been so cold to him for the past few hours since her talk to Janine.

"Okay, you wanna talk about why you've been icing me out for the past few hours?" Cedric asked as he walked into the kitchen following behind Keana.

Keana paused in her movements, her back to Cedric as she stood at the kitchen counter, tidying up the last remnants of the evening.

"No, we're fine."

"Ke, we're anything but fine. This whole evening, you've been quiet, distant. If I did something just let me know babe," he said trying to get her to talk to him but she never turned around to face him. Cedric took a deep breath and walked over to her

Cedric gently turned Keana around to face him, his touch tender as he lifted her onto the countertop, standing between her with his hands planted on her sides to prevent her from moving. Their eyes met, a mix of emotions flickering between them, unspoken words hanging in the air.

"Keana, talk to me. Please," Cedric pleaded, his voice soft yet filled with concern. "I want to understand what's going on with you. And I can't do that if you're not talking to me."

Keana's gaze softened as she looked into Cedric's eyes, her walls starting to crumble under his earnest gaze. She let out a sigh, her shoulders sagging with the weight of unspoken burdens.

"Are you cheating on me?"

He was taken aback by her statement. Him cheating on her? There was no way in hell that he would cheat on her, so he didn't understand why she made that statement.

"What? Keana, no, never," Cedric responded, his voice filled with genuine shock and hurt. "I would never do that to you. Where is this coming from?"

Keana's expression softened as she saw the genuine confusion in Cedric's eyes. She hesitated for a moment, her mind racing with doubts and fears that had clouded her judgment.

"I'm sorry, Cedric. I don't know what came over me. I let Janine's words get to me, and I... I started doubting everything. She said that because we haven't gotten intimate you might be cheating and I thought about how you're always on the road."

Cedric's hands moved from her sides to gently cup her face, his expression filled with understanding, "Keana Parker, I would never cheat on you because I am so madly in love with you. Ever since that day, I laid eyes on you on the side of the road after your workout, I knew that I had found a woman that I couldn't live without. Ever since that day, I thank the heavens that I have you here with me. I would never screw that up by cheating."

As Cedric's heartfelt words washed over her, Keana felt a rush of emotions flood her heart. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked into Cedric's sincere gaze, his words resonating deep within her soul.

"Cedric..." Keana whispered, her voice filled with a mix of emotions - relief, love, and a newfound sense of security. She reached up to hold his hands against her face, feeling the warmth of his touch grounding her in the moment.

"I love you, Keana Parker. I love you more than words can express. You are my everything."

A smile broke through Keana's tears as she leaned in to press a tender kiss against Cedric's lips, a silent affirmation of her own love and commitment.

"I love you too, Cedric, I'm sorry for accusing you of cheating, I never should've listened to Janine. I don't know why I thought you'd cheat, you're not like the other guys," Keana whispered as her arms reached out and wrapped around his neck. He reached out wrapping his arms around her waist and lifted her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist allowing herself to be held by her boyfriend.

"When it comes to love sometimes our common sense goes out the window which is most likely why you listened to a woman who isn't even a close friend of yours. And as far as not getting intimate with you, it's not that I don't want to-"

"You're waiting for the right moment."

"Exactly, I finally have something good going for me with this relationship and I refuse to let anything jeopardize it. You mean the world to me, Keana, and I want everything between us to be perfect," Cedric interjected, his voice filled with sincerity and affection as he held her close.

Keana's eyes met his, a tender smile gracing her lips as she gazed into his eyes, her heart swelling with love and understanding. She leaned in to give him another peck on the lips.

"Thank you and I love you."

"I love you too."

As they stood locked in each other's embrace, the world outside faded away, leaving only the two of them and the profound bond that united their hearts. In that quiet sanctuary of love and understanding, Cedric and Keana found peace, knowing that together, they could weather any storm and emerge stronger, their love shining brighter.

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Next Week - Tuesday, August 6th, 2019 - Detroit, Michigan

The WWE Universe was packed into the Little Caesars Arena for the final episode of SmackDown Live before SummerSlam. The show had kicked off with Trish Stratus and Charlotte Flair exchanging some heated words and a classic between Dolph Ziggler and Ali. And now the man who was facing the Intercontinental Champion at SummerSlam had some things to get off his chest before his clash on Sunday for one of the most coveted prizes in the WWE.

"Icon" Hits

The lights around the arena had lowered as the lights around the stage, ramp and ring started to play in an array of colors. Once the beat dropped to the song, a number of fans cheered as the Number 1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship walked out onto the stage with a smirk on his face as he gazed around the arena.

Once he got to the ringside area, he stopped and looked around once more at the crowd soaking up the pop he was getting here in Detroit. He then walked towards the steel steps and walked onto the ring apron before he entered the ring and made his way straight to the turnbuckle, stepping up onto the middle rope. He held his arms wide doing his signature pose as the cheers rolled in. He jumped down and walked towards the ropes being handed a microphone from a ring crew member.

Ced's music faded away as he looked around the arena while the lights around the arena lowered till there was a singular spotlight on Ced in the center of the ring. He raised the mic up to his lips, eyes looking around.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Ced," he said on the mic earning a small pop from the WWE Universe.

"And this Sunday at SummerSlam, I go one-on-one with the Intercontinental Champion, Jaden Sennoa," the WWE Universe booed hearing that name making Ced smirk as he looked around the arena dropping his mic from his lips momentarily. He raised the mic up and looked back out to the crowd.

"And I've said my piece about Jaden, I've said everything that I needed to say about him. I made a declaration a few weeks ago that I would be the one to end his undefeated and end his Championship reigns and that's exactly what I'm gonna do at SummerSlam," Ced said as he got a light pop from the crowd before pausing as he looked around the arena letting the anticipation build for his next statement.

"And, I tried my best to show respect to Jaden and be cordial. Yeah, I came out and I talked a little crap but I never put my hands on Jaden until last week when I returned the favor for him choking me out 2 weeks ago in this ring."

"I'll give him credit where credit is due that chokehold is pretty legit, I understand why he's been undefeated for so long. Hell, I'm still seeing stars myself but Jaden, you made a grave mistake when you left a breath in my body. And just last week, I returned the favor and sent your ass running off like the little bitch that you are!" the WWE Universe popped at the sound of Ced's statement.

Ced, the man who usually tests the limits of WWE's PG guidelines, was feeling it tonight and was testing it for sure. He knew there was an earful coming when he got to the back but he didn't care if the fans enjoyed it, they enjoyed it, and ultimately Mr. McMahon and the powers that be would understand.

"Now, I hear Jaden isn't here tonight which I have to admit, isn't that much of a surprise to me, it should be, but it isn't. Jaden's at home enjoying his last few moments with his title and I don't blame him because if I knew that a man like me was coming my title, I would hide and cower like a little coward too," Ced said as he started to pace in the center of the ring as the fans popped at that last bit.

"But let me make one thing clear, Jaden Sennoa, if you think you can hide from me, if you think you can run from the fight that awaits you at SummerSlam, you got another thing coming. Because come Sunday, there will be nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. It will be just you and me, face to face, in this middle of this ring with the whole world watching as I expose the fraud that you are," Ced declared, his tone unwavering.

"Tick-tock, your clock stops at SummerSlam. I hope you enjoyed it, I hope you enjoyed having that Championship around your waist, I hope you enjoyed this little era of dominance that you had because it's all coming to an end. And when I beat you, I want no excuses so at SummerSlam, we're fightintg under your rules, under Jaden's rules. That means no disqualifications, no count-outs."

"See ya at SummerSlam, Jaden," Ced said as he tossed the microphone over his shoulder as his music played on the PA system.

Ced walked up the ramp with a frown as the fans cheered for him feeling his words and feeling his declaration for SummerSlam.

(!)-(!)-(!)-(!)

Cedric emerged through the curtain and immediately took a deep breath, decompressing from being out there in front of the WWE Universe cutting a promo that he knew he was going to get in trouble for. The WWE was a TV-PG program or at least trying to be and with Ced's promo out there he knew that was anything but that, if this was the 90s, he might be alright but this wasn't the 90s and this wasn't NXT where Triple H let him get away with stuff like this, this was the main roster where all eyes were on them and where Vince McMahon had full complete control.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Cedric heard making him look up to see the old man, the genius behind the WWE being the Titan of the Sports Entertainment Industry himself, Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr. He had heard stories about the man and had seen on TV for years but none of them did him any justice. He looked freaking huge almost like he was one of the WWE Superstars that he popularized and the look on his face made Cedric take a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I know the WWE is supposed to be TV-PG but I thought that the intensity of my promo would resonate with the audience. I wanted to make an impact, to get their attention," Cedric replied, his voice steady despite the nerves that thrummed through him.

Vince McMahon stared at him for a moment, his expression inscrutable, before a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Damn it, Cedric, you know damn well you can't be going outside the set rules for promos and stirring up the crowd like that. You pushed the boundaries a bit too far tonight. One more like that and I swear you'l l be reading promos that I write out for you."

Cedric braced himself for the reprimand, but to his surprise, Vince's smirk widened into a grin. "But I'll be damned if you didn't have that crowd eating out of the palm of your hand. You got them fired up, you got them invested. You made them care. That's what we need in this business, someone who can command attention and stir up emotions like you did out there."

Cedric blinked in disbelief, unsure of how to respond to Vince's mixed feedback. The legendary figure of the wrestling world was scolding him for his language yet praising him for the passion and intensity he brought to his promo.

"You got potential, kid," Vince continued, his tone shifting slightly. "But you gotta rein it in, find that balance between boldness and respectability. We're in the business of entertainment, but we gotta play by the rules if we want to keep this show on the road. You understand?"

Cedric nodded, a mix of relief and determination flooding through him. "I get it, Mr. McMahon. I'll dial it back, but I'll make sure to keep that fire alive."

Vince's grin softened into a nod. "Good. Now go before I think about giving you a fine."

Cedric nodded and quickly walked off with a grin as he just avoided having to pay a fine and survived another day in the WWE.