The Prodigal Daughter (Miranda: Spin-off from Movement In Still Life)
Author's Notes: (Here We Go Again)
1. This is the adventure of Miranda and Marguerite from the Movement In Still Life (MISL) series. To get caught up on their back story, you need only to read the last chapter of MISL. However, I will try to make sure that you don't miss any salient details even if you haven't read that chapter. No guarantees, but I will try.
2. This chapter ("INTRO") picks up at the time when Miranda takes over Cambius during the DRC chapter of MISL. It's in italics because it's in flashback. The next chapter, Chapter 1, will pick up in present time, a few months after the end of MISL.
3. This is an adult Miranda:
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4. This is Marguerite, who is half-black and half-white, having a Sudanese mother and a French father:
http://www.ourbollywood.com/uploads/Bipash...-Look-thumb.jpg
5. Some of Miranda's adolescent years will be covered, as will some of the initial relationship between Miranda and Marguerite as adults. All flashbacks are in italics.
6. Bianca and Maggie may appear, but only in flashback scenes. Other AMC characters will appear in present time.
Rating: Strong R for mature themes. Please read responsibly.
Disclaimer: Miranda, Bianca, Maggie, Erica, Kendall, Greenlee etc belong to AMC/ABC. No money or profit is being made from their use here. Please don't sue; pursue a non-litigious hobby instead. I recommend golf! Marguerite, Natasha and other original characters belong to me.
Feedback: Like a Chanel suit, it never goes out of style.
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THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER
INTRO
"Now this table has been with us for three generations. The Senior Mister Cambius chose it himself, on a trip to Thailand. Solid Mahogany, inlaid with the finest ivory. It has seen 40 years of business of this Board. It's practically priceless."
She trailed her hands over the aged wood, feeling little warmth but the legacy of power that the wood had been imbued with. She looked up into the eyes of her mother's closest ally. "Monsieur Thierry."
He chuckled and shook his head. "My darling Miranda. Please. You must call me Henri." He slid his bifocals off in a casual move and stepped closer, his eyes crinkling with pride and joy. "I have waited over twenty years to see you in this room. Your mother was one of the finest women it was my honor to know. But she knew, as did I, that her role was that of a Regent, preparing all of this for her Queen. And, you, Miranda, are no longer the child Queen."
He looked back at the table that span the breadth of the room, the massive piece spanning twenty feet long and six feet wide had held court for some of the most accomplished, ambitious, and egotistical men and women in the corporate world. "Your mother," he said, fondness outlining every word, "hated this table. For so many reasons, not least of because of the ivory. She detested that elephants were hacked to death for the ego of one not very nice man. I cannot say I disagreed with her. But she didn't want to rock the boat for the small things, when she was overhauling so many of the big things."
Miranda looked at him, with trust and openness, knowing he would be one of very few friends she would have in this room. He looked at her, and smiled. "You have so much of her in you. She did her best to cut our ties to the more...questionable...practices Cambius had engaged in. But there is only so much she could do. She was all too human, but she was wonderful, even if she always felt that she was forced into the role. She was happy to do it, most of the time. Because it was for you."
Miranda swallowed, letting her nerves show through in front of this wizened and wise man. "Henri...I'm...scared...I'm...not sure I'm ready..." She couldn't help the quaver in her voice, the slight tremble in her hands. This morning, she was going to sit down in the chair of the Chairwoman of the Board of one of the most vast and powerful private organizations in the world.
He smiled again, and leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. "That's how you know, Miranda. That's how you know you're ready."
She leaned back, and smiled, her eyes just a little watery. She grasped his wrinkled hands in her own, and smiled for the first time in genuine mirth that morning. "You said this table was priceless?"
He raised his eyebrow and only nodded.
She grinned, letting her teeth show. "Don't you think it's time we found a price for it?"
He chuckled, and she hugged him. She was ready for the other Directors to step into the Boardroom.
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A Few Minutes Later...
As she looked around the table, smiling at each of her Directors, wanting to start things off on the right foot but knowing that there would be battles waged in this room.
That she would be the Queenmaker as much as the linchpin; she had Cambius blood in her veins, though she would always consider herself a Montgomery, a Kane.
The oft troublesome legacy which put her at the head of this table, this organization, could no longer be denied, and she had decided to embrace it.
She was her mother's daughter. She was Erica Kane and Jackson Montgomery's granddaughter, Bianca Montgomery's daughter.
She was Miranda Montgomery, and there wasn't anything she couldn't do, including running Cambius Industries.
As she stood, waiting for each of her Directors, some of whom would be her allies, some her adversaries, she caught Marguerite St. Just's eye, the older woman standing on the other end of the table, opposite her. Her CEO. Miranda smiled wider, feeling a tickle of excitement work its way speedily up her spine.
Henri Thierry cleared his throat, and brought the muted murmur of movement to an end. "It is my great honor and pleasure to be here today, and welcome you, Mademoiselle Montgomery, as our new Chairwoman. We were honored to have your mother serve this organization for over twenty years, and we now welcome you to your rightful place at Cambius Industries. As we move forward in this new day and age, we, as your Board, will do our best to help you guide Cambius to even greater heights. We greatly look forward, with hope and pride, to creating a more successful, more holistic, and more prestigious era in this great organization's history. I know I speak for all our Directors when I say that we wish you the best of fortunes and success as our Chairwoman. Congratulations, Miranda."
The sound of applause greeted her, some more enthusiastic than others, but all more than willing to see what the future held with her at the helm.
She grasped the chair that stood in front of her, and said a silent prayer for strength and poise.
She was Miranda Montgomery.
She looked at each of her brethren in the eye. "Thank you, Henri. Thank you to all of you. It is my great honor and pleasure to be here today. I am incredibly grateful to all of you for your presence here, and I look forward to your guidance. I know I am young, and I count on your honest feedback and counsel in the coming years," she said, knowing full well that she was about to get their opinions for the next few decades whether she wanted it or not.
"I am humbled by the trust and privilege of leading Cambius in our new future together. I strongly believe that with us working together, we are all destined for great success. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart."
The applause started again, ten hands coming together in a cheer for her first official address as Chairwoman. As they all moved to take their seats, Miranda carefully pulled out her seat, and sank into the soft leather. She pulled herself toward the table, and settled in further.
She looked down at her folder, noting the long agenda in front of her, and silently sighed. This was going to be a drawn out first Board meeting. This was going to be much of the rest of her professional life. She straightened imperceptibly in her seat.
As she heard the rustle of folders opening around her, she looked up to catch Marguerite watching her, green eyes watching her like a hawk, a curious smile curling around the older woman's lips. Their tangle over the DRC deal was, Miranda had no doubt, still fresh in the other woman's mind.
Miranda had thought that she had won that round in a quick and bloodless battle, ruthlessly yet seemingly painlessly exercising her new eleventh vote on the Board. Miranda was sure, however, that that particular wrangling was only round one.
But now Marguerite only dipped her head slightly, and Miranda wasn't entirely sure if that was a sign of encouragement or a polite yet deadly declaration of war.
Miranda held Marguerite's eyes for a moment, and returned the slight nod.
Yes, Miranda thought, we're either going to relish this or kill each other.
- TBC with Chapter 1 -
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