“Mr. Windsor, your 2:30 appointment is here to see you.” The sweet voice of his receptionist sang through the intercom as he swung around in his plush office chair, legs extended as to not thwart the momentum. Taking a glance at his apple watch, he winced, noting the time. Where had it all gone? Whatever the case, he knew he just wanted to get this one over with. “Send him in.” He finally replied with a sigh, slamming his feet down and stopping the chair in its tracks. Pushing up from the chair, he sauntered over towards the window overlooking the busy financial district of New York City, a million thoughts racing through his mind. Receiving the phone call from Jackson Ford a few days prior had been unexpected to say the least. But then again, it wasn't surprising at all. With the interview of he and Star having gone viral and the announcement of Platinum Elite and the Platinum Network now out into the stratosphere, Kerry knew without a doubt that he was now the CEO of the biggest thing in professional wrestling, and of course everyone would want an in. But Jackson Ford was a name from the past. One that he hadn’t spoken to or had any contact with in years. They’d never been friends. Even worse, Jackson had been an enemy and a part of a faction that had every intention of tearing Kerry’s world apart at the seams. They were intent on taking away everything he’d earned and making an example out of him, to no avail. But Kerry wasn’t one to forgive easily, and he damn sure wasn’t one to let bygones be bygones. That simple fact alone left him completely clueless as to how the meeting with Ford would go. It has been a few days since he spoke with Kerry! Alexander felt weird talking to him about coming to work for him, especially after all the stuff that the Ant-Establish did to Kerry a few years ago. Alexander smiled a little bit think back on the days of old. A lot, has changed since then such as the Anti-Establishment is gone, He found out that Jackson Ford is not his real name and his foster brother is no longer alive. Not to mention he lost a little over 100 pounds of dead wait with the divorce. “Mr. Ford!” the lady behind the desk softly spoke as she looked at him. At first he didn’t pay any attention as he hasn’t answered to that name since he found out that his real name is Alexander Rizzo. “Mr. Ford!” she said as she made her way over toward him tapping me on the shoulder. he looked at her, “oh, sorry but as I stated my name is Alexander Rizzo, but Kerry would remember me as Jackson Ford.” “Ford, Rizzo it doesn’t really matter to me what your name is but Mr. Windsor will see you now.” she replied before turning around, signaling for him to follow her. A light knock on the door, followed by the sound of it opening grabbed his attention away from the bustling Lower Manhattan streets. Kerry turned around and saw the familiar face stepping into the office, still looking just as punchable as it did during their days in Chicago. “Well, ain’t this a pleasant surprise.” Kerry said as he gave the man he’d known as Jackson Ford a quick look over. He looked a bit more worn than Kerry remembered, but time had its way with everyone sooner or later. “Please, have a seat.” He said, motioning for his former nemesis to have a seat as he casually stepped over towards the fully stocked mini fridge. “Care for a beverage?” Alex looked around the office; a picture on Kerry’s desk caught his eye. He picked up and looked at it for a moment. “I will take a bottle of water. You have a beautiful wife. Nice family as well.” he said as he sat down holding that picture in his hand. “Your son is growing fast.” he said as he placed the picture back on his desk. He sat there thinking about his daughter Autumn who he hasn’t seen since she decided to live with his birth sister. “Someday…” he mumbled gently under his breath. As he gathered his composure he looked at Kerry. “Kerry, before we get started can we leave the past in the past?” he said a he looked over at Kerry who was walking back toward his desk. “But is it not a good foundation to understand just where we are now?” He mused with an amused smirk. Granted, they were far removed from the days of Revival Wrestling, where Kerry served as a proverbial poster child for not only the company but for HBO as well; but Kerry couldn’t help but to wonder just exactly what Jackson…. or Alexander for that matter had been up to since then. God that was going to take some time to get used to. The Anti-Establishment had done some heinous things to Kerry back in the day, yet there was one of their proudest flag bearers humbling himself and in a way seeking a pass or better yet a bygone. Finally he let out a sigh. “But if that’s how you want to play it…” he relented with a shrug. “So what brings you here? You have been a Ghost the past few years!” Alex sat there for a moment pondering the best way to approach the issue before realizing that there is only one way to approach it. “Kerry you know me or know what I am about. In the past there was the Anti-Establishment we was brought together to push our own agenda. The ‘Change’ if you would.” an amused look came across the face of Alex. “Well Kerry it is Ironic that all the news outlets and internet buzz has been talking about Platinum Elite. You and Star are building an empire on the idea that wrestling needs change on the idea that today’s current state of wrestling is dull.” the excitement in his voice was obvious. As he stands up and pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Kerry tell me if this sounds familiar” he presses play on it and plays a clip from [b]The Naked Truth[/b] [i]”we’re back to bring the fire that the industry has been missing for quite some time. I got tired of the lackluster and I know everyone else has to. It’s over for all of that. Dead. Life begins anew, and the outlook is Platinum.” [/i] Alex knew he might get one of two reactions from Kerry but he didn’t care. He continued to push the issue. “Kerry, I want to be a part of that foundation that you two build Platinum Elite on. ” he pauses and before sitting back down with a firm tone “What do you think Kerry?” he asked! Kerry sat there in relative silence, his face an unreadable mask as he processed what Alex had just said to him. Kerry wondered where Alex even found the gall to dare compare he and Star’s endeavor to the ideology of the Anti-Establishment, but considering the source of such a ludicrous notion, Kerry merely bit his tongue. Instead of addressing it, he posed a question of his own. “And just what makes you think you’d be a fit for what we’re trying to do here, Alex?” He glared directly into the man’s eyes, searching for an answer before he could even fix his mouth to give one. “The Platinum Elite is going to be just that; elite. And that is something that not only I, but my wife, is willing to risk our reputations on. So tell me, Alex … what makes you think you are worth the risk?” Kerry challenged. People needed to know just how serious he and Star were about this project. Alex smirked as he can see that he is getting under the skin of Kerry. “Kerry, in business there are risks and there are sure things. I consider myself a sure thing. I’m no longer the guy there to push the agenda of other people. In Revival I was there to push Myke and Aaron’s agenda.” Alex shook his head in disbelief. “Kerry, you think you have me figured out don’t you? Well you don’t. Since I came into wrestling I have went to war with the best. William Mason, Namen Hammer and you can throw your name in there as well. I had people who I thought would be there for me. Guys like Myke Adams, and Aaron Blaize turn their backs on me.” Alex slammed his fist down on the edge of Kerry’s desk. “Kerry, In Myke’s and Aaron’s eyes I was only good for one thing and that was to push their agenda. Well in Alpha I had my own agenda and they turned on me in a blink of an eye. I went to war against them.” Alex stood up and walked over to the window looking down at the people living their lives. “I know you don’t trust me or like me due to the things I have done in the past. However I can boost the ratings for Platinum Elite.” He turns and walks back over to the chair and takes a seat. His voice started to get raspy as he started to point out things that in his mind made sense. “Kerry, you know this from experience I’m really good at getting people to hate me, hell it comes natural to me. Platinum Elite needs a villain and I will fit the role perfect. It will boost the sales of the quote good guys merchandise and people will turn in or show up just to root for their favorite star.” Alex takes a moment hoping to gain a response from Kerry, when no response was given Alex took a deep breath before saying on last thing. “This is after all your company and your decision. If you think I’m a risk then I’m a risk, however the bigger the risk the bigger the reward.” “Myke Adams, Aaron Blaize… that’s all fine and dandy, Alex but you…” he pointed a finger at Alex and smirked “... were the one that asked to leave the past in the past.” The cocky grin returned to his face as he straightened up the lapels of his suit. “I don’t care about your wars with them from how many moons ago. We’re in the here and now. Granted, you have an uncanny ability to make people hate you, but to be here you have to be the all around package. Just having a fucked up personality and a punchable face, it’s not going to get you by. Not here. How do I know you can still go?” He questioned. “The world hasn’t seen you in years. You dropped off the face of the Earth, and the level of talent we’ve already started penning to this company?” He let out a low whistle. “How do I know that you’re capable of hanging with them? Forget about the past, that’s what you said… so that’s what I’m doing. So how do I know? Where have you been? What have you been up to? What am I basing this off of, Ford?” Alex let out a sigh in disappointment of Kerry’s comments. Before addressing his questions Alex pulled out his wallet and grabbed his driver license. “Kerry this license says Alexander Rizzo, I do not see Ford, or Jackson or any other name on this card other than my real name Alexander Rizzo.” he glared over at Kerry in frustration. “Yes, I did say the past is the past, but i do recall you asking me what I have been up too since then. So you can get that cocky grin off from your face.” without care Alex smiled. “Just for you I am going to sum up what I have been up to and where I have been in slow motion so it sinks into your egotistical mind.” Alex knew this brash talk probably isn’t sitting well with Kerry but he didn’t care. “About two years ago I found out my name was not Jackson Ford, I found out that my step mother changed my name in hopes of hiding my Identity. This didn’t sit well with me it caused a rift between me and my step family. With this new information I needed to get away, I needed to reinvent myself.” shaking his head he knew he was going to make Kerry eat his own words. “You think I fell off the face of the earth, the only reason why you think that is because you was looking for Jackson Ford. The name change threw you off.” confident that he was getting under Kerry’s skin Alex decided to push it a little farther. “Kerry, do you consider yourself a student of the wrestling? Do you go out looking at the top talent in this industry? If you do you are just fooling yourself. If you did you would of known about Alexander Rizzo, you would of known that while talentless hacks was over here making a name for themselves I was in Asia facing the best talents in the world. If you don’t believe me google ‘Battle of Singapore’ or Tokyo nightmare, I can name numerous other super cards and you would see me in there making a name for Alexander Rizzo.” taking a moment to breath Alex “Kerry if you want excellence, you should offer me a contract. I guarantee you that not regret it. Again I leave you with a decision. The choice is yours.” “Just who in the hell do you think you’re talking to, Ford.” Kerry demanded, making sure to emphasize the name as blatant disrespect. Calling the man Ford before had been out of habit. This time however was out of spite. He damn sure hadn’t appreciated Alexander’s tone, especially when he had gone out of his way to actually be civil and hear the man out. “I don’t care if you’re Alexander Rizzo, Jackson Ford, or fucking Harambe for all I care, the one thing that never changes about you is your mouth. You’re your own hype man and sorry to inform you but the product has never been as good as advertised. Yes, we are seeking excellence here, and that was something I never saw in you. That is why you were left seeking me out for this opportunity and not the other way around. You came to me and I think it's best you remember that and let that sink into your egotistical mind.” He scoffed, his mood taking a turn for the worse. “The crazy thing is, I’m all about giving chances, Alex. This meeting is a sign of that. I was willing to hear you out, let you plead your case, and see if there was something I could work with. But this entitled bullshit that you seem to be on? That’s not the wave.” He shook his head. “Especially from someone that hasn’t earned it, and I’m about this close…” he held his thumb and index finger a fraction of a millimeter apart, “...to telling your ass to get the hell out of my office. Alexander shrugged it off like it was no big deal… He’d always had a problem with authority but at the same time he knew he needed to apologize even if he didn’t mean it. “Look Kerry, I am sorry about my attitude and what I said.” Alex rubbed his hand through his hair. He knew coming into this meeting that it would be hard. “I have had offers but none of them felt like the right fit. When I heard about Platinum Elite, I knew that I wanted to be apart of it. I heard and saw great things when Star had Platinum Dynasty.” Alex felt like he was kissing ass and in a way he was but he needed to let Kerry know that he was serious. “Kerry, I do have an ego and sometimes that gets the best of me but that ego also shows that I am confident in my in-ring ability!” he proclaimed as he sat there and thought for a few moments as his phone vibrated in his pocket. “Kerry my ability inside the ring has changed I can tell you that till I’m blue in the face, but seeing is believing so if you have time google those shows I told you about. I reinvented my offense and I am always evolving.” he paused and in a respectful but firm voice. “I really don’t know what else to say to convince you that I am worth the risk. After all talk is just talk, My actions inside the ring will speak louder than any words can!” Kerry heard Rizzo’s plea, but truth be told, he was unmoved. He’d already been offset by the earlier turn that the conversation had taken. Just as Kerry fixed his mouth to speak, he heard a familiar text tone. The attention grabbing opening note of Robin Thicke’s “I Need Love” blared from his phone; an inside joke between he and the wife. Snatching the phone from his pocket, he casually looked at the preview of the text his wife and business partner had sent him, and the attached picture of her and their baby girl Soleil. Hey, hurry up. We miss you. And it instantly put a smile on his face. So caught up in the beauty of the sight on his screen, Kerry momentarily forgot where he was until he glanced up and saw Rizzo staring at him with pleading eyes. Kerry sighed. How could he dare remain in a negative mood after having seen their faces. Little did Rizzo know, they’d been his saving grace. “Look…” he began, setting his phone down onto the table and refocusing on the conversation. “... I hear you, alright. I’m not sold in the least, but I hear you, so here’s what I’ll do...” He said, taking a deep breath. “As I said, I’m all about giving chances.” He shrugged. “I’ll run it by the wife, and see what she has to say. She’s definitely more lenient than I am, so she might be willing to give you a play.” Kerry definitely told no lies there. Taking a step closer, he extended his hand out to Alex. “We’ll be in touch. You’ve got my word.” Alex wanted to say something but bit his tongue as he knew he kind of dug a hole for himself. Although he wanted a sure thing before he left Kerry’s office he knew this would be his best chance as Star never had any conflict, however there is the chance that she has heard about the wars between Kerry and the Anti-Establishment and could consider any member of the anti-establishment a risk. Alex shook hands with Kerry! “Thanks for your time, I’ll see myself out!” Alex said as he stood up and made his way to the door.