The night Elinor had been dragged from her debut had been the same one where she experienced perhaps the greatest sleep of her life. But not because she had entered her bed satisfied with the match's outcome, or she was content with her victory, because Sheila had unceremoniously robbed her of both of those emotions. No, Elinor's rage had followed her well into the night, and the only thing able to put her mind at rest were a series of sedatives, enough to tranquilize a horse.
Several weeks later, and the German businesswoman was still seething. She had joined LAW first and foremost to promote her brand, and in the process, fulfill a personal desire to practice a form of ruthlessness that even the cruel world of business couldn't match. And what did she have to show for it? Sure issues of her fitness magazine were flying off the shelves, with online subscriptions having doubled since the match. But promoting a brand also went hand in hand with sending a message, and it's here that Elinor felt the most disappointment. She put every ounce of effort into demolishing her opponent, not only her breaking body, but laying claim to it too. She had given the match her all.
Or so she liked to think. After all, Sheila... god just thinking of that name made her recoil - Sheila had come dangerously close to actually winning it. Sheila had managed to get up at the end of it all. Not only that, but Sheila had even lay clear her plans for vengeance. Clearly the message wasn't set, clearly Elinor, the woman who espoused fighting to the very end, had failed to practice what she preached. Her grand plans for a quick rise to the top were already being challenged. Business was booming, but Elinor had promised shareholders gargantuan returns on their investment in her as a future champion, and Sheila was already proving to be a roadblock.
Had this been any other match besides her debut, Elinor might have even respected the woman for it. After all, she was a foreign upstart just like herself, no doubt with dreams, ambitions, and goals of her own. But this was her debut. The one match that set the precedence for all that was to come. How could she possibly bill herself as an unstoppable force too powerful to fight when her first opponent was willing to do just that all over again?
Elinor stood still as she mulled over these questions relentlessly. They whirled inside her head every minute of every day since that match. Her still creaking bones and still aching muscles paled in comparison to the pain these thoughts brought her.
"Ms. Klügmann - Uhh... Ms.Klügmann?"
The soft spoken voice of her loyal assistant finally saved Elinor from drowning in her own sea of thoughts. The towering woman hastily looked around the room, having completly forgotten where she was for a few seconds. A bright flash from a nearby camera eventually put things back into perspective. Ah yes, her company had leased out a few floors of a Tokyo high-rise so Elinor could still engage with the business from abroad. And here she was, on the top floor, supervising a photoshoot for next weeks cover of Amazoness magazine.
"Ms. Klügmann, we're uh, still waiting for you to uh, select a model ma'am" Heidi whispered, nodding her head towards the line of fitness models that posed against the backdrop.
"Right...Right! Ahem, I was just... thinking that's all. And I still haven't decided, so hush Heidi!" Elinor claimed. Who knows how long those models had been standing there while Elinor pondered a match long gone. She tried to save face by putting on an unimpressed muse, her eyes jumping from each woman to the next. They each hailed from different nationalities and backgrounds, each one seemingly more toned than the woman before her, yet the German still loomed over them all.
"Get rid of them Heidi. I think I'll put myself on the cover for this week's issue"
"Excellent idea ma'am! Right away!" Heidi beamed up to her boss, before quickly going on to shoo the disappointed models out the door. "It's about time you put yourself on the cover Ms.Klügmann. Readers have been dying to see you commemorate your win with -"
"What did I say about mentioning that match!?" Elinor chastised. Heidi stumbled back, taken aback by the sudden shouting. "Yes... Yes Ma'am" she gulped.
Elinor was supposed to have been featured on the cover of the magazine only days after her debut win, but had been putting it off since she still struggled to come to terms with the match. Even now, she was unsure why the sudden change of heart, but with a sigh, Elinor began preparing herself for the photoshoot. She had entered her office's closet, pulling out the clothes she had prepared especially for this occasion. An exact replica of her in-ring attire, with her tie and reading glasses to accentuate her stylish business acumen outside of the ring.
She made her way towards the backdrop, posing in front of the lights as the cameraman went to work capturing her from varying angles.
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"Not now Heidi"
"But there's someone in the main lobby wanting to see you. Should I -"
"I said NOT NOW!" Elinor boomed, her modelesque smile straining under her frustration. The small secretary retreated in the corner as she watched the photoshoot from afar. All the while her earpiece blared with reports from the lobby a few floors down. Apparently someone was causing quite the commotion...
