It was time for Siobhan to take her power back. When Reece and Autumn had asked her if she'd vote against Roger and help them take over the nursery, she'd felt terrified. Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to help take his business from him. He'd taken everything from her, her body, her self worth, her money. Reece had reacted with pure rage when she'd told him that none of her board wages came to her, they went straight to Roger. That had now been dealt with, so finally Siobhan had access to her own funds again.
Now that the day was finally upon her, Siobhan felt sick. The notice had been sent and a meeting had been arranged, during which Roger would have the opportunity to state his case. Siobhan didn't want to sit in a room with him, listening to his lies and attempts to defend himself. She didn't want to feel his eyes on her body, it made her feel ashamed as she recalled all the things he'd done to her. Viv had made sure that she wasn't working, so she could drive Siobhan to the meeting and wait for her. Ironically, the meeting was to be held within the family room, it had a large table and enough room to accommodate all attendees.
Siobhan and Viv arrived just on time. It was a Friday evening and it was clear that everyone else was already inside, the lights were on and various cars were parked by the entrance. Just before Siobhan got out of the car, Viv held her hand gently and said "I know you're scared, but he can't hurt you now. You're so brave and I'm so proud of you." Siobhan wanted to feel brave but all she could feel was terror. "Please wait for me" the blond knew that Viv would never leave her, she just needed a little reassurance. "I'm here Bonbon don't worry." Siobhan smiled slightly as she heard Viv call her that. Nicknames had never been something she'd enjoyed, but with Viv it was different, it felt special and loving. It made Siobhan see that Viv really thought she was sweet and worth savouring - nobody else had ever seen Siobhan that way.
She had to do this alone. Walk inside, sit down and face Roger, alone. Reece, Autumn, Mia and Janice were already sat down, waiting in silence. Roger was stood with his back to the room, apparently deep in thought. The silent partner had been contacted by solicitor and provided their vote in favour of Roger. As soon as Siobhan pulled her chair backwards, Roger turned to face his audience, choosing to stare directly into her eyes. Siobhan felt her breath catch as she registered just how angry he was. As Roger sat, Reece stood and began the meeting, outlining its purpose and detailing the process they were to follow. He sat down and invited his father to speak, asking him to state his case.
Siobhan had no idea what to expect as Roger stood once again. Surely, he knew that this was a pointless exercise? He took a deep breath before simply stating "I'm sorry." He straightened his tie and continued "I know that I've failed as a father. My need for control ruined the bond that my children shared and I know that's my fault. I used money and manipulation to keep them apart, because at the time, I was scared of their love for each other. I was scared that my failures during their childhood would come back to haunt me. I used someone they loved dearly to hurt them and I do feel ashamed of that." Just as he was about to continue, Mia snapped "you groomed me. You should use the right terminology." Roger looked at her, surprised, before stuttering "I...yes, I groomed you." He cleared his throat before once again looking straight at Siobhan. "I know that I drink too much and when I drink, I'm not myself. I know that I hurt you Siobhan, I took my anger out on you and you didn't deserve that. I've stopped drinking, because I'm ashamed of myself. I know that it's too little too late, but I know I can change moving forward."
Siobhan frowned as he continued to gaze into her eyes, clearly he was trying to manipulate her and she wasn't falling for it. Just minutes earlier, he'd looked at her with pure anger and now, he wanted her to believe that he was sorry? Why had he spoken about Autumn and Reece as if they weren't even present but he'd chosen to speak to Siobhan directly? Anger bubbled up within her chest as she realised, he saw her as the weak link. He thought he could tug at her heartstrings and appeal to the woman who had cared for him once, before he'd destroyed her. As Roger settled himself in his chair once again, nobody spoke for several moments. Roger therefore spoke once again but this time his voice was quiet and defeated "I know you'll vote me out nonetheless. I deserve that and I'll take it graciously. I just wanted you all to know that I am sorry and I do want to change. Maybe one day you can forgive me."
Autumn shook her head slightly before saying "ok, let's vote. We know how the silent partner has voted." One by one, Autumn asked Janice, Mia and Reece for their votes and there were no surprises. Janice voted to keep Roger, Reece and Mia voted to eject him. Autumn cast her vote against her father and finally, she turned to Siobhan. "How do you vote, Siobhan?" Autumn's voice was unusually soft as she pictured the ways her father had hurt the defenceless woman now sat before her. It made her feel sick, but now she felt glad that she could help Siobhan regain her power. Siobhan's voice was shaky but clear as she replied "I vote for Roger's removal from the board." A huge weight was lifted from her shoulders as the vast majority breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally over.
As soon as the meeting was concluded, most attendees rushed out of the room as soon as possible. Roger and Janice remained in their seats as she wondered if she was next and he wondered how he could salvage the life he had left. Marjorie, Charlotte, Winter and Viv were standing together and chatting. As soon as Viv spotted Siobhan she rushed over to the blond and opened her arms, offering her embrace. Siobhan practically threw herself against the nurses chest and as she did so, she felt tears pooling behind her eyes. Her heart was racing but as soon as Viv held her, it began to slow down. When Viv placed her hand on Siobhan's lower back and said "shhh it's alright, I'm here. It's all over now" the blond immediately felt more safe than she ever had in her life.
Once everyone had said their goodbyes, Viv caught Siobhan's hand in hers and led Siobhan outside. For a moment, Viv was desperately tempted to storm into the family room and confront Roger. The night they'd rescued Siobhan had been a complete panic, so she'd never had the chance to tell him what she really thought of him. She decided against it however, because she didn't want to upset Siobhan, she couldn't bear the thought of being the reason the blond was hurt or sad. Just as they reached the car, a voice called out "Viv!" The two women turned to see Roger, stood motionless by the entrance of the nursery. Siobhan immediately pressed her body against Vivs, she was shaking and clearly absolutely petrified. "What do you want Roger?" Vivs voice was measured but her anger was evident as she waited for a response. Roger hesitated before saying "please look after her." He immediately turned to re enter the building, but he was pulled backwards by his collar suddenly as Viv rushed up behind him.
Viv immediately shoved him against the wall and spat "look after her? The way you did?" She jabbed her finger into his chest and yelled "how could you hurt her? How could you feel proud of yourself, after you'd violated her? How can you live with yourself?" She was once again waiting for his answer so he whispered "I don't feel proud of myself. I'm trying to be better, I know I'm sick. I've lost everything and I deserve it." As Viv looked into his beady little eyes, she knew that he was lying, this was an act. He was acting the way he thought others wanted him to, to try and gain their sympathy. "Go back to your mansion and drink yourself to death. Then you can rot in hell, where you really belong. If you ever even so much as look at Siobhan again, see what happens." With that, she stormed back towards the car and encouraged Siobhan to get inside, before joining her and hastily leaving the car park. She wanted to get Siobhan as far away from that rat as possible.
When they'd arrived home, Viv had thanked the babysitter and paid her, before checking on Jamie who was sound asleep. She ordered Siobhan's favourite food and together, they shared a bottle of wine and watched a film, cuddled together on the sofa. When Siobhan fell asleep on Viv, clearly exhausted, the nurse sat and held her for hours as she listened to her breathing.
Viv wanted to keep Siobhan safe forever. She could only hope that she was up to the challenge.
YOU ARE READING
TO SHIELD A SERPENT (TNN - SIOBHAN/VIV)
Fanfiction**WORK IN PROGRESS** How can Viv help Siobhan?
