Mabel's fall from grace

Mabel huffed and puffed before the door of the conference hall where the emergency meeting would hold. Her stepdaughter was the reason for her grief. The bothersome brat was running late and the meeting would soon commence. She had put all her eggs in one basket and that basket was Joan.

Mabel would suffer through more minutes of irritation before Joan appeared, alone without Asher as she'd asked. Mabel had also instructed Joan not to tell Asher about her plans for the meeting. She didn't want him ruining her work.

"I'm so sorry for my tardiness Mabel, I lost track of the time while getting ready," Joan recited her fake apology as she neared her stepmother. She had intentionally arrived late, in a bid to both piss off and scare Mabel.

"Hello Joan darling, you came at just the right moment. Come, walk with me," Mabel muttered barely suppressing her gall.

Joan smiled, she could see the fruit of her work by the crease on her stepmother's forehead and her visibly troubled face. Seeing