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Thaddeus Duke · (05-19-2021)

Illuminatus Compound || Old Saybrook, Connecticut || 7:13 AM

Laying here silently staring up at the ceiling in my bedroom, trying hard to knock the fog of sleep from my brain, trying hard to clear my vision. I wonder to myself what the end game of all of this is. Through months and months of agonizing over my mothers death, my fathers role in it, and whether or not what I know to be the truth is actually the truth. It’s hard to fathom and while I have publicly doubted questioned and even outright denied the known truth, there’s still part of me, albeit a very small part, that wants to believe everything I know is factual.

It would be a lot easier in the grand scheme of things. I could just learn to accept what I know and try to move on. Whatever the truth is, whatever comes my way, I know that I need to put it to bed in short order. My children are due in a couple weeks and I can’t have that and this going on simultaneously. When the babies come, this shit that I can’t seem to accept, I need to make peace with.

Just as I roll out of bed and put my feet on the floor, a knock comes from the other side of my door.

”Yeah?” I call out as Mufasa, lying on the floor between my bed and the door let’s out a little warning gurgle. ”Mufasa relax buddy, it’s just Dolly,” I remind him as my door is thrust open and Dolly pokes her head in.

”Hey, you’re up,” she says as she enters my room and takes a seat on the floor and begins to stroke Mufasa’s mane. He’ll never let on, but the big cat loves his pets. ”Did you sleep well?”

”Not particularly,” I answer with a yawn and a stretch before falling back across my bed.

”Well, up and at ‘em,” she says with a slap on my thigh before she stands up. Her slap of me, playful as it was, grabs the lions attention in a negative light.

”It’s okay boy,” I say to reassure him as he looks at Dolly then lays his head down on the carpet.

”Berta said breakfast in fifteen,” Dolly informs me, entirely ignoring the small threat to her health and well being that just transpired.

”Yeah okay,” I say as she stands and heads for the door. ”I’ll be down after I shower.”

”C’mon Mufasa,” Dolly says to the lion who quickly hops to his feet. ”Wanna go outside?” That question sends him into a tizzy. He acts very similarly to a dog in that regard. Once Dolly and Mufasa leave me, I lie there a few moments, gathering my thoughts and trying to shake the last bit of sleep from my body. With another yawn I get to my feet and head into my bathroom to shower.

After showering and getting dressed, I head downstairs to the dining room to eat breakfast with Dolly. Just as I exit the stairwell, I about walk straight into Robert Zane, my personal attorney and the man handling my adoption case for Frankie.

”Robert!?” I say with a bit more enthusiasm than I intended. ”The fuck you doin’ here?” He and I haven’t seen each other much the last month or so. Updates have usually been handled over the phone. Fact is, I hired this man because he’s a legal attack dog. I’m paying him a fuck ton of money to run fast, bite hard and take down Judge Lightoller so I expect nothing but victory where Frankie is concerned. Though his appearance here today out of the blue with zero heads up is concerning.

”Nice to see you too, Thaddeus,” he says with a bit of an annoyed look before extending his hand to me. ”Is there somewhere we can talk?” he asks as we shake hands. In response, I nod to him and lead him into my “office” which is more aptly described as a man-cave.

Once in my office, he shuts the door behind us and leans against the door.

”You want breakfast?” I ask him. ”Berta always makes way too much.”

”No but thank you,” he replies as the door opens some and smacks him in the back with a thump.

”Owww,” Dolly says from the other side of the door as Robert steps away, allowing her to enter.

”You okay?” I ask her with a bit of a laugh as she rubs her forehead.

”I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that you had company,” Robert says, extending his hand to Dolly. ”Robert Zane.”

”Yer reputation precedes ya,” she says warmly.

”You’re a really hard man to get a hold of,” he says as he advances into the room further with his phone in his hand.

”Don’t be ridiculous,” I say with a wave of my own phone in his direction. ”I never go anywhere without it.”

”You missed 14 calls,” he says incredulously.

”That’s imposs…” I begin but cut myself off as I unlock my phone. ”Humph…. Would you look at that? It was on ‘do not disturb.’”

”Yeah you might wanna sit down for this,” he says, his demeanor turning for more serious.

”What is it?” I ask and I can feel the color drain from my face. In response, he motions to the sofas behind me. I turn my head for a moment, then sit. Dolly stands by the door, a worried look crosses her face.

”I really don’t know how to tell you this,” Robert prefaces, causing my anxiety to skyrocket through the roof. I mean, who doesn’t like skylights? ”It’s about Frankie.”

Immediately I jump to my feet. ”What is it!? Did something happen? Is he okay?”

”Just sit,” he says quietly as Dolly pulls her phone from her pocket and starts typing away. Reluctantly, I sit on the edge of the sofa. ”I’ve been trying to get a hold of you Thaddeus, because I’ve made some moves...”

”What kind of moves?” I interrupt.

”I was able to pull some strings and I got this case back on the docket,” he says with a slight smile.

”Ah HA!” I blurt out in relief as I lean back on the sofa. ”You’re pretty good at building up unnecessary tension,” I say to him with a wag of my finger.

”Court is performance art,” he replies.

”When?” I ask as I lean forward.

”Today,” he answers. ”At one this afternoon.”

Excitedly, I leap from the sofa and run over to Dolly still tapping away on her phone. Without even thinking about it, I lift her little self up and spin her around before realizing what I’m doing.

”Oh sorry,” I say as Dolly laughs.

”It’s okay,” she says as I put her back on her feet. ”Corey’s already on his way. Elizabeth knows too and Corey’s already planning to stop by in North Carolina to pick her up and bring her.”

”Noooo,” I protest, not out of coldness or anything, but she’s about to burst. ”She’s...”

”In love with you?”

”No I mean...”

”She loves Frankie, we all do Thad,” she says in an effort to reassure me. Finally I nod in agreement. ”Good because she was coming whether you wanted her to or not.”

Westbrook Probate Court || Westbrook, Connecticut || 12:42 PM

It kind of goes without saying but the last few months have been a nightmare, at best, for me. Honestly, I never imagined that the court would take Frankie from me. It was cruel and unfair. No matter what that put me through, I can only imagine it put Frankie through so much more. They wouldn’t even let him call me. I’m steadfast in my stance that what Judge Lightoller ordered, wasn’t punishing me, he was using Frankie as a pawn to put a young rich kid in his place.

Frankie isn’t a pawn. He’s a child that has been through so much and I failed him. I let him down in that last court appearance and I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive myself for it. In defense of myself, how could I know the Judge kept my incident in Pittsburgh in his back pocket in order to trap me? Pittsburgh wasn’t anything. Some jagoff groped my girlfriend and we fought over it. The police took me in to sort out that mess and I was released a couple hours later. No charges filed. No jail time. No anything. It was a giant nothing burger… no cheese.

I’ll concede that the incident in Roswell was a mistake. I let my anger and emotions take me over and it cost me… everything, in the end. You get to see my emotions on full display all the time. Never once have I hid from them. Frankie? That kid is my entire world. No, I’m not his father and in the grand scheme of things, I’m far too young and immature to be a father. He makes it easy to love him and with all my heart I do… and it’s a rather big heart. He’s an extremely special person and did not deserve what the judge ordered.

”You ready for this?” Dolly asks of me, her hand in mine, purely out of solidarity, as we enter the courthouse.

”I’d be lying if I knew how today was going to turn out,” I freely admit. I don’t, in all honesty. ”I thought it was in the bag last time too but we all know how that turned out.”

”Just be good and keep your mouth shut,” she wisely advises. ”Let Robert do his job."

I’m going into this with nothing more than the support of my friends and Elizabeth and no one else. Of course Frankie supports me too but this asshole judge has decided to drive a wedge between us and separate us. If I was my father, and thankfully I’m not, Judge Lightoller would live to regret that ruling… but he’d neither live nor regret very long.

Entering the courtroom, I’m disappointed immediately. No Frankie. That just about rips my heart out. Honestly I have no idea what Lightoller’s motive was, but if it was humbling a sometimes brash and sometimes arrogant young man, then he’s succeeded.

”You ready?” Robert asks as Dolly unhands my hand and sits in a seat behind our table.

”To be honest… not really,” I reply to him as I take my seat.

”Just keep your head straight okay?” he advises as he leans down in my ear. ”I’m god damn good at this so just keep your mouth shut and let me do my thing and Frankie wears your last name within the hour.

“Understood?”

”Yessir,” I say quietly with a nod. I’m convinced I’ll stay quiet. Partially convinced.

”All rise!” instructs the Bailiff and like sheep, we all rise. I glance over my shoulder a second at Dolly who shakes her leg nervously. Glancing further back, there’s still no sign of Corey or Liz. ”The Westbrook Probate Court of the State of Connecticut is now in session. The Honorable Judge Frederick Lightoller presiding.

“Your Honor,” he says as he hands the docket to Judge Asshole. ”Case number 0437937, a petition for adoption of one Francis Robert Rickle of Connecticut to Thaddeus Leander Duke the second, also of Connecticut.”

”Be seated,” Lightoller says as he burns a hole through me as I sit quietly at the table. He looks over the documents before him, seemingly somehow keeping one eye on me at all times. ”Mr. Duke, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little confused over change in counsel.”

I stand up and straighten out my suit jacket. I go to speak, but Robert hushes me. ”Your Honor, you’ll address me, not my client.” I think he’s got this… I return to my seat.

Lightoller sighs a deep sigh as he stops shuffling through the documents and stares at me. ”I’m hesitant to allow it, Mr. Duke. Our last meeting wasn’t one I’ll soon forget.”

”He ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” Zane whispers to me as I stand up. ”Your Honor, I’m now a member of the Connecticut Bar and as such, I’m fully eligible to represent Thaddeus Duke in this matter… and all matters to come.”

”Your Honor, if it pleases the court, I’d like to publicly apologize to you for my outbursts during our last meeting. It’s no excuse, but I was stunned and hurt by your ruling. I’m an extremely emotional person, Your Honor.

“Sometimes, I let them get the better of me.”

Zane mean mugs me as I retake my seat. He nods but doesn’t say anything, turning to the representative of the Department of Children and Families table to our right.

”Where is the child?” Lightoller asks.

The lawyer for DCF stands. ”Your Honor, considering the highly emotional status of this case, we felt it was best to leave him in the hallway with his foster family,” she says.

”This court doesn’t care how you feel,” he states emphatically. ”Francis Rickle’s future will be decided today, Counselor. He needs to be here.”

”Yes Your Honor,” she concedes as she quickly makes her exit.

Similar to Liz last time, Dolly leans over the railing and wraps her arms around my neck. ”Stay positive,” she whispers in my ear. ”You got this, okay? Just stay cool and calm.”

Reaching up, I place my arm on top of hers and squeeze a little tighter.

”Dolly I really don’t know what I’d do without you...”

”THAD!” Frankie shouts as he enters the courtroom and I burst out of my seat and out of Dolly’s grip and stand up. He busts through the railing doors like a bull at a rodeo and leaps into my arms. I don’t care what the judge thinks right now. At once, the tears falls from my eyes and I try to control my sobbing. I haven’t seen him in months.

”Frankie,” I say quietly. ”I missed you so much buddy.”

SLAM! Goes the gavel. Judge Hardass has to be heard.

”Would the Counselor please have the boy seated?”

I forget her name, but she tries to pull Frankie from my arms and I try to let him go, but he won’t let go of me.

SLAM! Goes the gavel again and I just can’t stop myself. Zane looks at Frankie and I, with a death grip on each other, then looks at Lightoller. ”What are you gonna do, Your Honor? Throw a ten year old in jail for contempt of court?”

Get ‘em Robert!

”Mr. Zane!” he shouts, clearly displeased with his comment.

”I’m sorry Your Honor,” I lie. I’m not sorry at all. I’ve waited to hug this boy again for months and that judge can go take a long walk off a short cliff for all I care. ”Okay bud, you have to go sit over there now so we can get you home.”

Sobbing into my shirt collar, the boy grips me tighter… it feels good to be loved. ”I don’t want to,” he whispers through his sobs.

”I know, I don’t want to either buddy but the Judge is getting mad at us,” I try to explain to him.

”He’s stupid,” he whispers, causing me to chuckle.

”I know, go sit now.” Frankie finally relents and I set him down. Begrudgingly, he takes his place beside the attorney for the state.

”Mr. Zane, in looking over the notes from your clients anger management counselor, tell the court how you think it went.”

Zane looks at me then at Lightoller.

”Your Honor, we don’t feel, and the counselor agrees, that he has issues managing anger. Yes, he does lash out when he feels like he’s being mistreated and he stands up for myself.

“Anyone should.”

”The counselor agrees with your own assessment,” the judge says as he taps his fingers on his bench. “Your clients outbursts in the previous appearance in this courtroom...”

Judge Lightoller is interrupted by someone bursting through the doors.

”Hey Thad! Sorry I’m late!” shouts Corey Smith as he holds the door open. ”Someone wanna get the other one? She’s gigantic,” he says in reference to Liz.

SLAM! Goes the gavel.

Liz enters the courtroom, very large and always in charge. ”Corey,” she stops as she passes by him. ”Don’t make me kick your ass in front of your friends,” she threatens him angrily.

”Yes ma’am,” Corey says sheepishly as she waddles her way toward the front of the courtroom. Before coming toward me, she veers right and reaches over the railing to give Frankie a big hug and a kiss.

”She’s moody,” Corey mouths in my direction, causing me to chuckle to myself.

”Young man, identify yourself,” Lightoller orders.

”Corey Smith. Sup?”

”Sit down and be quiet, Mr. Smith. This court is in session.”

Corey approaches the railing doors and I can’t resist getting up to give him a hug. It means a lot to me that he’d show up for this. ”I didn’t come alone,” he whispers as my father, my uncle Theo, Heyman and Ginny, Liz’s mother, enter the room.

”Mr. Duke, is this your jury?” he asks in a futile attempt of being facetious.

”Actually, Your Judgeship, we’re yours,” Corey answers.

”Bro I don’t think he actually wanted an answer.”

”Oh fuck… yeah you’re probably right.”

”Excuse me?” Judge Lightoller asks, understandably angered by the interruption. ”Mr. Zane, please tell the court about the circus that I for whatever reason just allowed to enter my courtroom!”

”Gladly, Your Honor,” he says before approaching my fathers seat.

”Are these friends? Family?”

”A little of both,” Zane answers. “This is my clients father, Sebastian Duke,” he says before moving down the line. ”His uncle, Theo Pryce. His estranged baby momma...”

”Hey!” I say with a slight chuckle. ”I wouldn’t say estranged...”

”No? What would you call it?”

Defeat. ”Okay so she’s estranged.”

”Elizabeth Tate-Henry,” Lightoller’s ears perk up. ”Virginia Tate,” he says as he looks up at the judge. ”She’s his baby gramma... my clients business manager, Paul Heyman. Of course, you met Corey Smith already. He’s a...”

”Corey’s my brother,” I remind him.

”A brother he chose. And a sister he chose, her name’s Dolly Waters,” Zane says as I tear up a little. ”They’re all here today to cast judgment upon you Your Honor, and your dereliction of duty.”

Judge Lightoller scoffs and shakes his head in disapproval. ”And what in your mind, Counselor, makes you think that I was in any way derelict in my duties to this court and the state of Connecticut?”

”We’re getting there and to your injustice,” Zane answers him curtly.

”Injustice. That’s what you think?”

”It’s what we know, Your Honor. You chose to take an arrogant young man…” he points at me. ”And make an example of him. You chose to humiliate him in order to humble him. In that effort, Your Honor...” Robert Zane turns his attention to Frankie and points.

”You used a ten year old child as a weapon against my client and these people find you guilty of that fact. A TEN YEAR OLD CHILD!” His voice level raises about a dozen octaves and he stops momentarily to cool down.

”A child that lost his parents just last summer. One he buried, the other in prison for killing her. You used a child to humble my client and Your Honor, your actions hurt him in the process and no one in this courtroom will ever forgive you for that.

“Quite honestly, you should be removed from the bench and disbarred by the state of Connecticut for using a child as a pawn in your little game of ‘humble the outspoken rich kid.’”

Tears begin to fall from my eyes and obviously I couldn’t care less. Once again I look over at Frankie.

”These people might even be here more for Frankie than my client and that’s okay. You took him out of a home he was still trying to get comfortable in. From people he trusts and loves. From people that love him and would do absolutely anything to take away the pain he suffers.

“But you… you took him away and put him into a home where he knows no one and no one knows him. Whatever pain he’s endured you took that knife that’s been stuck in his back by his natural father, and you just had to twist it.

“I… no WE… We want to know why. You had other options at your disposal, yet you chose the worst possible one. With all due respect to you, Your Honor. Your job as the presiding judge in this case is to determine what is best for Francis Rickle. Instead… you hurt him horribly to send a message to someone that pissed you off.”

SLAM! Goes the gavel. Finally Zane retakes his seat.

”Your Honor, no matter what you decide today, whatever you think of my client personally. Whatever you think of the people that came here today in support of he and of Frankie… he,” Zane points to me. ”Is at your mercy. This was never about him but it was you that decided to make it so. I beg you, Your Honor, to put Frankie where he belongs. At home. My clients home. With those that love him and would fight to the death in order to protect him and keep him safe.”

Lightoller removes the glasses from his face and leans back in his big chair. Wiping his eyes a moment as the room falls deathly silent. The judge then leans forward, replacing the glasses on his face.

"This court is in recess for fifteen minutes," Judge Lightoller announces before a slam of the gavel. "Bailiff, show the Counselor and his client to my chambers."

Lightoller exits the courtroom to a bit of uproar inside.

”Thad! What’s going on!?” Frankie blurts out as the counselor for the State grabs him by the arm and stops him from coming to me.

”I don’t know buddy, just stay cool. It’s almost over,” I try my best to reassure him, although I’m not really convinced myself. Standing up, I can’t help but ask. ”What the hell is going on Robert? Do you really think this circus show was gonna go in my favor?”

”That got us exactly what we needed… private eyes and ears with Lightoller,” he says as he steps out from behind the table and toward the front of the courtroom.

”Thad?” my uncle grabs my attention on my way by him, holding a manila envelope. ”This is all you’ll need.”

”What are you talking about?”

”Boy you got a LOT to learn about this stuff,” Zane says as he grabs the file from Theo and returns toward the front.

”Show him that,” Theo says. ”You’ll get what you want.”

”This gonna make my hands dirty?”

Theo shrugs a bit.

”Fuck it, it’s worth it… but Unc?”

He looks up at me.

”Chaos though, really?” I ask him in jest. He shrugs again causing me to scoff and roll my eyes. ”Didn’t think of a Corporate Thad or nothin’ did you?” I mutter under my breath as I join Robert.

Entering Lightoller’s chambers, he stands with his back to us, staring out through the blinds. Hearing the door close, he turns his head toward us a moment before staring out again.

”Are you proud of yourselves?” he asks mockingly.

”Be glad it was him and not me,” I answer and Lightoller turns to look at me. ”He went easy on you.”

Lightoller walks away from the window toward a small bar along the right side of his office. ”Have a seat,” he offers on his way by. ”Either of you care for a drink?”

Both of us wave him off as I retrieve the papers held within the envelope that Uncle Theo handed me. Immediately I smile. Money trails leading exactly where I never thought to look.

”You sure you two don’t want a drink?” he offers again. ”If you think I’m going to rule in your favor after that display of bullshit in my courtroom, then you really didn’t think this through.”

”Doing that out there,” Zane prefaces as Lightoller sits behind his desk. ”Got us what we wanted and will get us victory today in your courtroom.”

Lightoller scoffs with a chuckle.

”You’re all smiles now Frederick, but you played right into our hands,” Robert tells him as his face starts to fade and he eyeballs the stack of papers in my hand.

”What’s that?”

”Nothing much,” I answer him with a pause as I stand up. ”Sometimes I struggle to do the right thing bro, it’s true. I’m not a perfect person by any means. When you set your sights on my family, on my loved ones, on my friends, on those that count on me to protect them…

“Well…

“Let’s just say things can get real complicated, real quick. I’m not above getting dirty if I have to, Lightoller. I’m young, I know that but, I learned a lot over the years. I learned that no one is squeaky clean. Well, except maybe Fred Rogers but that saint is sadly no longer with us.”

”What are you getting at?”

One by one, I lay the pages out in front of him.

”Gambling debts. Money laundering. Connections to the underworld.”

”Underworld,” he repeats with a mocking smile and a roll of his eyes. ”That’s insane.”

”So you’ve never borrowed money from an Alister Henry out of New York?”

Lightoller falls quiet for a moment.

”I’ve borrowed money from people before,” he admits. ”There’s no crime in it.”

”There is when that money comes from Alister Henry,” I reply to him quickly. ”The same Alister Henry that sent you my police records from Pittsburgh and Roswell. The same Alister Henry that placed calls to your office in the days preceding and immediately following the original court appearance.”

”Even if that were true Mr. Duke, that doesn’t prove that this Alister Henry is part of the...”

”He is,” I interrupt him. ”You know it and so do I.”

”How would a man of your unlimited means know...”

He stops himself as I lean across his desk, bringing my face very close to his.

”You know how I know,” I answer the question he never finished. ”Alister Henry is my biological grandfather, Fred. What’s more, is I used to do some work for him.”

Lightoller taps his fingers on his desk nervously. ”If this gets out...”

”Two months ago, I’d have released this to the local papers. I’d have destroyed everything you fucking spent a lifetime building,” I interrupt. ”I hired Robert partially to win, partially to destroy you.

“Rule in my favor today. Rule in Frankie’s favor Lightoller, because if you don’t. One by fucking one I’ll take away every little thing that you hold dear. Your bench. Your license to practice law. Your country club memberships. Your family will abandon you so that’ll take care of itself and by then you’ll be a lonely mother fucker with nothing but a bottle of the cheapest hard liquor as you drink yourself into the grave.

“The choice is yours,” I conclude as Robert and I head for the door.

”No one strong arms me!” he yells out defiantly, stopping me in his doorway.

”I just did.”

Robert Zane and I head back into the courtroom. Dolly, Corey, Frankie and all the others are dying to know what’s going on but I say nothing in particular as we retake our seats and Judge Lightoller retakes his bench with a slam of his gavel.

He takes a few moments to peruse over the documents that he’s now pretending are mine but are actually his.

”Mr. Duke please stand,” he prefaces, and I do as requested. ”It is clear to this court...” he begins curtly before allowing his voice to trail off. ”It is clear to this court that you have far better friends than you deserve...”

True.

”As your counselor so kindly pointed out that this case was never about you and only whether or not Francis Rickle would be safe in your care. Whether or not you are an acceptable adoptive father to the boy and that only.

“You admitted to me that you sometimes lash out and I fear that I’m sometimes guilty of that same vice.

“By the power vested in me by the State of Connecticut, the adoption of Francis Robert Rickle to Thaddeus Leander Duke is hereby granted.”

SLAM! Goes the gavel.

”Case dismissed,” Lightoller says as he tosses his gavel and begins his exit. Behind me, my friends and family celebrate, each in their own particular ways. Some of them pat me on the back as Frankie comes flying into my arms. As per usual, his knee lands in my nether regions.

After tending to those for a few moments, Frankie and I, along with the whole crew, and Dolly and Liz by our sides, and Corey bringing up the rear, we exit the courthouse. Finally, one long lasting nightmare is over and the boy is coming home.

Wins and losses are not decided by promos. Wins and losses are not decided by runtime of said promos. They’re not decided by frequency of promo releases. They’re not even decided by one opponent being a scared little chicken shit bitch that refuses to engage in some light hearted banter on our travels toward a match on the go-home edition of Warfare before we go to the motha fuckin’ moon!

That’s a good thing for ole Dumbass, isn’t it? I mean, if wins and losses were decided by such insanity as, you know, letting the world you have a fucking match then my god would he be in a world of fucking trouble right now or what? I mean, he’s in a world of trouble anyway because he’s gonna get his ass handed to him on Warfare by yours truly. If he thinks I’m staying up late and waiting to film this last bit of promo just so that he and I can exchange some banter, he thinks way too highly of himself. I mean, I need my beauty sleep. Does he think its easy to look this good? Does he think I just roll out of bed being this damn pretty?

Actually…

I do.

I mean he ought to be used to losing by now. Dumbass has been stuck at twenty wins for like two months, all the while competing on virtually every show. As they say, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Just add a picture of a sack of shit to the dictionary beside the word ‘insanity.’ That’s what Dumbass is, that’s what his promo style is, that’s what his tactics are worth to me and to anyone else watching (or in his case, not watching) at home.

See, I don’t take too kindly to the blatant disrespect of the business and how we all do things. It’s a shit tactic being pulled by a shit human being so I can’t really say that I’m all that surprised by his unwillingness to promote this match with me. If he was promoting it alongside me, it means he thought he’d have a chance at victory. Since he’s not, it’s clear to me and everyone else that he knows he doesn’t have what it takes to beat me and wants as few eyes on it as possible.

Not to steal Sarah Lacklan’s shtick, but when I have a match Dumbass, I promote it whether I think I have that match in the bag or not. It’s a work ethic your fat slob of an ass couldn’t ever catch. So, when there’s a Thaddeus Duke match Dumbass, it’s all eyes on me. I built that reputation, I earned that reputation, and I earned the respect of the XWF Universe beecause I work as hard on my craft as I do.

Try it sometime you worthless waste of human space, you might learn something. That’s all I have to say on the matter.

Catch me on Warfare Demos. I’ll be the one runnin’ circles around you, outworking you, and layin’ your ass down for one… two… three.

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode All Rise: RP #3
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