A Mialotte Story: Good in a crisis

Board meeting

Autumn sped to the sister nursery with Marjorie in passenger seat, clinging on to door handle for dear life. The manager was slightly concerned about how calm her deputy remained as she darted around sharp bends, but as a result, shaved 7 minutes off their journey. "Bloody hell, Autumn! Where on earth did you learn to drive like that?" Marjorie exclaimed in astonishment as they parked up.
"It pays to have been in a car chase or two" Autumn answered honestly, yet with such stillness that it was masked as an ordinary response.

Marjorie glared at Autumn with widened eyes, baffled by her deputy's nonchalant statement. It wouldn't surprise Marjorie if she were to discover that her deputy had committed murder, though her always dignified demeanour seemed to take her aback every time. With all the recent revelations of Autumn's traumatic past, regarding her father, her brother and, Mia, Marjorie had given up questioning her deputy on her past. She saw the bloodlust combined with pain that hid behind Autumn's glasses, and had come to the conclusion that she had certainly earned her motives for a touch of unhinged theatrics.

Charlotte had taken a perch upon Mia's lap behind her desk, to allow room for the reminder of the party to squeeze into the already crammed office. Roger had smugly seated himself in Reece's chair. The old man had always seen his son as a disappointment and had foreseen him ending up in a police cell eventually, and sitting at his desk was simply him revelling in his own blood's downfall. Leaning against the arm of the chair by Roger's side, was Siobhan. You could often find her with the owner's arm wrapped around her, gripping tightly as to not loose his most prized possession.

The air in the office was murky, thick with pent up anger and silenced by hatred. Charlotte drew circles around the small of Mia's back as a silent gesture to keep her composed, knowing that she was far from thrilled to be breathing the same air as Roger again. Mia took deep breaths as she leaned into Charlotte's touch, finding comfort in her gentle strokes. Her eyes narrowed, shooting a cold glare at Roger and Siobhan.

"My my, you could cut the tension in this room with a knife. Father" Autumn said breaking the silence, and giving her father a nod as she entered.
"Mutton chops, nice to see you."
"Right can we cut the crap, okay? My boyfriend, is currently sat in a police station facing charges for assault. What exactly are we doing about it?" Marjorie chimed in urgently as she addressed the room.

Mia and Charlotte relayed everything they already had in motion, explaining that there was a solicitor on their way to Reece and that they would be heading to the police station to give their statements after the meeting. The two also conveyed that they'd been busy trying to keep on top of the paperwork, rotas and, parent communications to ensure that the nursery runs smoothly in the absence of its manager.
"Whilst I can understand why Marjorie is here, I'm failing to see the need for Charlotte's presence. This is a board meeting and Charlotte isn't even a manager" Siobhan said in a dissatisfied tone, belittling Charlotte as if she weren't even in the room.

Charlotte looked down to her lap sheepishly, partly believing that Siobhan was right. She had worked for The Knight Nursery for over 10 years and knew it like the back of her hand, yet constantly being passed over for promotion. Despite being the indirect cause of the incident in the carpark earlier today, she didn't feel that she belonged in that room. Mia felt Charlotte cowering on her lap and took her hand in her own for reassurance.

"Pipe down, Shibby, Charlotte has every right to be here. She has dedicated more to this company over 10 years than you ever could in a lifetime" Mia said proudly, forever defending her sweetheart. Charlotte felt nothing but adoration for her girlfriend in that moment, as she realised that Mia had chosen to emphasise her work ethic rather than paint her as a victim, and Charlotte was grateful for that. Although she had to confess her problems with Adam to Marjorie earlier, she wasn't comfortable with everyone knowing.