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Dionysus · (11-26-2023)

I always forget to give William more credit than he is due.

He foresaw the potential for legal action, and made contact with a pair of attorneys that could assist us with Scapelli's lawsuit. Breach of contract and intimidation were the major concerns on the complaint, and while I wish I had a better understanding of legal matters when it came to business dealings, I only had so much free time.

So William and I set off for Saint Paul the very next day, leaving The Many Faces behind to watch over the vineyard. The pair worked out of a building off of Selby Avenue near Boyd Park; a lovely area that I rarely visited. We were greeted by the pair; Greg Agathon, a balding yet charismatic man in his fifties, and Charles Menander, a small wisp of a man that stammered quite a bit, but had a remarkable understanding of laws and precedent, according to William, anyhow. We sat in their office while Greg looked over the complaint. Charles, on the other hand, was looking through a legal book pertaining to contract law. "While I read through this," Greg said, his eyes not leaving the brief, "I'd like for you to tell me your side of this story. What led to the complaint being made and why is his story untrue. I'm listening."

"Well I'm in the process of constructing a tasting room for a vineyard I had planned on opening in the next year or two," I began. "We signed a contract with South Shore Construction to handle the building of the structure, aside from one window which I contracted out separate. We had a minor issue early on in the negotiation stage, but otherwise our two camps were amicable. Then, a few weeks ago, I was contacted by my partner here," I paused, gesturing to William, "That I needed to return to the vineyard. He was already assessing the damage when I had arrived. The first floor had been completed, but the windows were destroyed, the remaining lumber was cut through, wet, and otherwise rendered useless, and there was a sludge coming out of the piping. We later discovered more damages from the incident, which is in the inspection report William is holding. I drove over to Scapelli's office to discuss the matter. The conversation did not go well, and it resulted in me threatening legal action. As I was leaving, he tried to slam me into the door, but he kind of just...bounced off of me. I didn't even bother to check on him; I left immediately, not wanting to get mixed up in his business further. His own subpoena came days later, which brings us up to now."

Greg simply nodded as he continued reading the document. "Interesting way to handle the situation," chimed in Charles, "Though I suppose a man of your stature wouldn't be so easily intimidated by a rogue like Scapelli."

I turned to face Charles. "...A rogue?" I asked.

"Don't worry about him," Greg interjected. "Sometimes he talks like he's from the renaissance. Its just his nerves."

"Well you didn't have to be so forward about it," Charles replied snidely. His expression was hurt, like Greg had just swatted an ice cream cone out of his hands.

"I forget, how do you two know each other?" William asked.

"Greg is my brother-in-law. Or was, rather. Death, not divorce," Charles answered. "We had been close before his marriage to my sister, but since her passing we only-"

"Charles, I don't think they're interested in hearing about our personal life," Greg interrupted.

"Another time, then," Charles replied, returning to his book.

He set the document down as I was turning to face him again. "So you assessed the damages yourself, went over to South Shore Construction to tell him about it, he assaulted you as you're leaving, then he sends you this complaint. It doesn't sound like he has much on you, but let me ask you a few more questions before I give you my plan." He leaned in closer. "Why did you go to Scapelli's office in the first place?"

"I didn't want to risk a phone call and have him miss the message. I believe in delivering bad news in person."

"I take it there another reason for the visit?"

"I believe he may have been responsible for the damages. He knew where the construction was taking place, his business has an interest in the event of damages like this, and the damages that were assessed could not be reasonably linked back to any other party. It made sense to me to gauge whether or not he would buckle under what I knew about the situation."

"Did you threaten him at any point in the conversation?"

It was a pointed question, and thinking back to that day one phrase did come to mind. "I...believe I mentioned at one point that I wanted to do harm to him, but was holding myself back."

"Tsk tsk," Charles said clicking his tongue. "Never give them an opportunity to discredit your argument."

"Agreed," Greg said. "That being said, your emotional state at the time could be deemed understandable. And the fact you were willingly showing restraint means that any footage they could show would render his intimidation charge as moot. In other words, it is potentially damaging should this reach a trial, but given the circumstances we can work an angle with this."

"So what do you think? Do we have a case?"

Greg nodded. "I believe we can file countersuit for breach of contract, and should his assault come to light, we could leverage that into a charge against him. William here did give me some instruction prior to our meeting, which Charles happily took on."

"Indeed," Charles said. "I took the liberty of filing the restraining order on behalf of Berget Vineyards. Do you have security for the site? We will want to prevent any further damage and to preserve the crime scene."

"That's actually another good question," Greg interrupted. "Who was responsible for securing the site?"

I turned to look at William, who simply shrugged. "When we signed the contract, both parties decided that it would not be necessary, since the vineyard was out of the way enough."

"Hmm..." Greg thought aloud. "Well that could also be a point against us."

"However," Charles added, "It is typically the responsibility of the construction company to secure their own site, unless stated otherwise in the contract. Since it would theoretically be their supplies that are damaged, if they didn't come to any agreement, then security would naturally default to Scapelli."

Greg smiled, gesturing to Charles. "You see why I like having him around?" He asked jokingly.

"So what are our chances of coming out of this with insurance covering our damages?"

Greg nodded with a sly smile. "I think you have a solid case. We'll need to gather more evidence to secure an opportunity to settle. Odds are they will, but should they push for a trial, I think we have a fighting chance. It would ultimately depend on how good their team is."

"Very good. I believe William has mentioned this before," I added, "But with my current work schedule I would prefer if you made William the primary contact for any updates. Feel free to include me on any email correspondence; I'd prefer to be kept in the loop even if I'm not around to help out."

"Traveling around the country, I take it?" Greg asked.

"Around the world, even."

"Oh?"

"Cambodia, to be specific. But that is a much longer story for another time."

Does anyone remember Aesop's fables?

Maybe the more memorable tales like The Tortoise and The Hare, but what of The Fox and the Grapes?

Let Dionysus speak the tale to you now.

One day, a fox discovered a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from the branches of a tree. The fox's mouth salivated at the thought of consuming this delectable fruit. Seeing that the fruit was high in the branches, the fox jumped to grab them, but missed. The fox then tried to jump with a running start, and while closer, still managed to miss his mark. The fox continued to jump.

And again.

And again.

But each time, he could not quite reach them.

So the fox sat down, looking at the grapes in disgust. "Oh what a fool I've been," he said. "Here I am wearing myself out over a bunch of sour grapes." And he walked away, scornfully, leaving the fruit behind.

If there was any of Aesop's fables that define this business, it is that of The Fox and The Grapes. I cannot begin to count the number of times I have been told I do not deserve the things I have earned. And it really falls under the language the use that tells you whether or not they act like The Fox. Take a look at BOB D, for instance. "You were only tolerating her silly little games more than I was." "I pinned a former champion while you pinned a hack." Doing everything in his power to ensure that my accolades are considered to be lesser.

And it is understandable that he would have this particular attitude; after all, if I had been playing fourth fiddle in BOB for so long that I needed to give myself a world title just to make myself more interesting, then maybe our trajectories would be roughly the same. But that is the difference between the two of us; where he wants to dig into the past, I want to look into the future.

But since you are currently preoccupied with bringing up old reigns, then maybe it would be best to tell you that the first title I ever won was the WCF World Heavyweight Championship. In my rookie year, I secured a world title. I let that success get to my head, and just as quickly, after a month-long reign, it slipped through my fingers. At the time, I didn't know what it meant to hold onto a championship at any level, let alone at the highest level. So I vowed to never let myself get complacent. That I would work as hard as I could, against every opposition that came my way, to ensure that I made it to the pinnacle of this industry.

I don't need to get into a dick-waving contest with you. I have my work ethic and pride to carry me forward. It is interesting, however, that you brought up me besting Angie Vaughn to win the Television Title a second time, yet neglected to mention that I pinned the current number one contender for the Universal Title my first go-around. And you may not view my opposition as being worthy of your time, but every second I spent in the ring with Isaiah King, Angie Vaughn, The Latina Submission Machine, Mastermind, and Slade Durant while I held or competed for that belt was a second I was fighting for a coveted prize. Because that is what makes reigns memorable. That is what makes us memorable.

...Or at least, that is what makes me memorable.

That is what you're so concerned with, isn't it D?

You don't see me as just another domino to knock over on your way to a briefcase. Because why place your faith in a goal that is not even a guarantee? And to hold yourself back on top of that? I thought you were a bastard, putting yourself above all others, even your own compatriots. Isn't this the end-game for you? A real opportunity to hold the coveted prize? To not be second banana, but be the biggest in the bunch? This was never about you securing a briefcase. This is all about you securing your legacy. To ensure that everything you have done up until now has not been in vain.

And yet, in all your efforts to protect your legacy, you have forgotten how to build on it. You see the grapes before you, the fruits of your labor, and you continue to jump and reach, but never quite getting to that point. And each time you stumble, there is always something to blame. Whether it is your opponents, the management...or even the prize set before you. Management did not place me before you at Fire and Ice to be a stepping stone. In fact, they gave us each a benefit in this whole match-up. It gives me an opportunity to continue to show why I am a worthwhile investment, and they are giving you a contender worthy of making your legacy better, should you win.

But that sentiment is lost on you. You are The Fox.

And we all know what The Fox says.

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