Millicent Cameron

Millie Cameron

Roger's widow, now thrown into the middle of the whirlwind and trying to save the family company

Gender: Female Current Quality: Excellent

In Game

Plots: Board Meeting, Cashflow Crunch, Incriminating Letter, Workplace Romance

Bluesheets: Decameron Enterprises, Board and Stock

Character Hint

You are Millicent Cameron, and you've always tried to be the good southern belle -- standing by your husband, helping and supporting him as he built his company. It's been a good life, if not always the most satisfying one.

And now it is over -- Roger is dead, shot by one of his own employees. You are practically vibrating, between the overwhelming anger, the shock and the grief that you are sure is lurking just behind it all. But the company is in trouble, and you will be damned before you let the vultures swarm in and tear it apart. It's time to stop playing second fiddle.

You are always smartly dressed, and never more than today. If possible, you should be dressed in black, but business-like: today is not a day to show weakness, nor to dishonor the family.

Character Sheet

You are Millie Cameron, and up until today you pretty much knew what your life was: devoted wife and mother, supporting your husband as he builds something great. And now, that's all come crashing down around your ears.

More than a few times in recent years, you've wondered how you wound up here. It isn't what you intended in college, God knows. You thought of yourself as a free spirit then, back when you were still Millie Hamilton, and Helen certainly encouraged that. Helen Derren was probably your closest friend back then, and you shared a lot of background: both from Proper Rich Southern Families, rebelling against your staid parents who wanted to box in your lives. You both came to Violet City for college (the University was particularly renowned back then), looking for a more interesting life, and spent much of your time together. (You even had a brief fling, although you decided you were better as close friends.) At least she seems to have mostly managed that.

You -- well, when you look at it now, you've always kind of defined yourself by your relationships. Back in school, you fell for Isaiah Zubin, and the two of you got quite serious for a while, even moving in together junior year. (You never did tell your parents why you never invited them to come visit.) But you always told him that he was too dour, always seeing the dark side of things, and telling him to accentuate the positive was usually met with a list of objective reasons why things were bad. Whether it was politics, schoolwork or money, you were always arguing -- lovingly, but arguing. (Especially over money: he always seemed to resent the fact that you just had it, without having to work for it.) Eventually, you broke it off, partly at Helen's urging but mostly because it was just too depressing to be with him any more. You've never forgotten that first real romance, though, and still cherish him as a dear friend.

Just after college, you met Roger Cameron at some charity event, and the two of you hit it off immediately. He was charming, handsome and ambitious, a couple of years older than you -- you sometimes gently made fun of him as being the Ken doll you had dreamed about as a child. And it proved so easy to fall into the habits you'd been taught as a girl: to find the right husband to love, honor and obey. (It didn't hurt that the sex was fabulous in those early days: Roger had real fire in every way.) You could tell that Helen was disappointed in you, but you really didn't care that much, and really -- her attitude has left her alone all these years. You wouldn't want to be pushing 50 and still be single; really, you can't imagine it.

Damn. Now you have to imagine it. It's horribly real.

When Roger first proposed Decameron Enterprises, you actually thought he was kidding. (And you gently scolded him about the hubris of the name, but he was determined -- "It's the company of Cameron, it's the right name!" -- so you let it be.) Model rocketry was a toy for boys, not a serious business. But he was serious, and he had the MBA chops to lay it all out for real. He had pulled in a friend of his, Fred Ronit, to run the marketing, and they were gung-ho. So you brought Helen in so they could "take a meeting" as Roger liked to put it. He laid the whole plan out to Helen, and eventually persuaded her to invest a good chunk of money in it. (Not that ten thousand dollars was a fortune to either her or you, but it was enough to help get things off the ground, and helped persuade Daddy that this thing was for real.) At that point, you started to believe.

Roger told you that he needed a couple of good engineers to work up the designs, and needed someone young enough to not cost a fortune, and you could hear kismet working. You introduced him to Isaiah, and they hit it off pretty well. Oh, Isaiah was skeptical -- heaven forfend he should ever be enthusiastic about something -- but he needed the work and thought it sounded interesting, and so they shook hands, bringing him in as the first non-founding employee of the firm. You were happy to be able to do something nice for someone you cared about so much. And for a while, he even seemed happy, especially when he found Judy some years later.

Your families got a bit closer once you both had children. Roger had been reluctant to have a child -- he was always quite aware of the fact that he was working long hours, and didn't want to be unfair to a child. But you were getting terribly bored with your life, and your parents were constantly on you to give them grandchildren. Ainsley was born 17 years ago, and you were over the moon -- she was such a sweet child when she was young. And then Judy Zubin had Amy the following year, and the two of you started nattering about parenting all the time. Being a mother wasn't always the easiest job, but it gave you a sense of purpose, and you were good (if tired) for several years. Sadly, Judy developed breast cancer about ten years ago, and finally succumbed to it the second time around, maybe five years ago. Poor Isaiah was heartbroken, and drew back into himself; you haven't been as close since.

Of course, Roger was right about spending too much time at the office, and that only got worse after the company went through its hard times. About fifteen years ago, Decameron brushed with bankruptcy -- the boys were no longer buying rockets, because the Internet was now starting to distract them. Your heart sank when you heard that the warehouse had burned down, taking most of the stock with it, but Roger steered through it, using the insurance money to move in a new direction, taking government contracts. It led to some lean years, but he eventually turned things around, and as far as you know, the company is now as healthy as it's ever been.

But he was spending practically his every waking minute at the office, rebuilding the firm. (You saw so little of him, you began to think he was having an affair with H Derren, he talked about her so much. He had always had a clearly roving eye, but you made clear to him that the company was built partly from your money, and you would not tolerate philandering.) Finally, when Ainsley was around eight or nine, the two of you had a towering fight over it. He finally gave in and acknowledged that he needed to see more of his daughter. And to be fair, he was as good as his word: he started being home for dinner more nights than not, and taking Ainsley out on weekends whenever possible.

That was great for Ainsley: she'd put Roger on a pedestal, and getting to see him more made her so happy. But your relationship with her began to suffer -- slowly at first, but more as the years progressed. Since she became a teenager, she's started to act out more and more, and simply won't accept that if she's going to succeed in life, she needs to learn proper behavior. She doesn't get that, when you are rich, you are always in the spotlight, and that means that even things she considers minor (like watching her language, which has become absolutely terrible in the past couple of years) can rebound on you if you let loose at the wrong times.

And of course, the more Roger doted on her, the more she resented you; you hadn't expected having to be the bad cop to his good, but that's the way it came out. He was always the giver of presents -- not least, when he gifted her with five percent of the company last year, out of his own stock, to teach her responsibility. You couldn't argue with it -- it was a great lesson, and she's taken it seriously -- but it left you feeling even more inadequate in comparison. You love them both so dearly, but you wish they would just let you in.

Now you're crying again. That won't do. Today, you need to be strong.

You scarcely even know what happened -- you got the phone call an hour ago, turned on the television and found it all over there. Some engineer named Seamus O'Malley apparently went mad and killed Roger, Frank Meyer (Roger's head of research and development), and "a teenage girl". Your heart almost exploded at that last -- today was "Take Your Daughter to Work Day", which Ainsley had been so proud of setting up -- and you called the office, frantic. It turned out that Ainsley was fine, if shaken -- but Amy Zubin was shot and killed.

You've wanted to reconnect with Isaiah, but not like this. Never like this.

Now what? Everyone thinks of you as The Nice Southern Belle, but damn that now. You weren't just raised to be nice, you were raised to be strong -- Daddy taught you to shoot and ride at the same time he did your two brothers, and you were always told that you would have to sometimes fight for yourself and your family. Now is that time.

You've talked enough with Roger about the company to know how this works: the venture backers will pounce at any sign of weakness, and try to take control. But this company belongs to your family: you might not have a majority share, but you're pretty sure that between Roger's shares and your own you have more than anyone else. You've just heard that B Truman, the representative from Greyrock (the lead venture fund), has called for a Board meeting this morning to decide the future of the company. Yep -- "pounce". But Roger always told you that, if he was ever hit by a bus, it would be up to you to take charge and protect the company and its people. (Well, he's been telling that to you and Ainsley lately, although that was mostly humoring her.)

Which probably means that you need to step in, at least as interim CEO, to right the ship. Which is terrifying, but Daddy taught you that 3/4 of leadership is putting up a brave front. You need to be strong, get your hands around what's going on in the company quickly, understand the money and where it is coming from and going, make sure you know who your friends are (probably starting with Helen), and show that you are in charge.

Hell. And stop crying...

Who You Know

Roger Cameron: Your husband -- God, your late husband. You've had ups and downs over almost 30 years of marriage, but it's mostly been good. The idea of trying to face the world without him just leaves you feeling cold, and terribly alone.
Helen Derren: Pretty much your oldest friend, since college -- with Roger gone, she is the closest person in your life.
She has made out well from the company, investing a fair chunk at the beginning, adding more then selling it off at the top of the market, then re-investing when the company was low and helping to build it back up again. She has been a Board member from the start, and a part of you has long slightly envied how close she and Roger have been in making it all happen.
Ainsley Cameron: Your daughter, a headstrong and sometimes rebellious 17-year-old. You often think she doesn't understand that you're trying to prepare her for the harshness of the world: that she is going to need discipline to survive it. But at least she's strong, and likely to get through this -- maybe better than you can. And she's lost her father, so you need to show her that her mother does love her.
Isaiah Zubin: Your old flame from college -- he is always smart and talented, but often a little bleak. An engineer, he was the first employee at Decameron.
Today, the two of you get to mourn together. You're not certain whether that is going to help, or hurt even more.
Samuel Antonino: One of the longest-time employees at Decameron, Roger hired him many years ago to be the Office Manager, and he has excelled at it ever since. You've never been personally close, but you like each other, and you are likely to need him if you're going to come to grips with the company.
Jamie Rickie: Decameron's long-time accountant. Roger has been very clearly angry at him for the past month or so, but has been refusing to say why -- you've tried to get more information out of him, but he kept putting you off with, "It's nothing you need to worry about, dear". It's a pity, because you've always liked Jamie -- he has always seemed like a lovely person, if a bit stuffy, and you've enjoyed talking about the company's money with him. (You're rusty, but Daddy insisted you learn basic accounting in college, so you could understand at least some business.) You need to talk with him soon, to get a handle on the company's money.
Regan Archie: The company's lawyer, as well as your personal one. She has Roger's will, and while you know what it says, you need her to make it public, quickly, so that everyone knows that you control the family's stock.
Fred Ronit: Roger's partner when he was founding Decameron, he was in charge of Sales and Marketing until he left the company something like six years ago to go into politics. A friend, and one you tend to trust, but he is very passionate in his politics, so you eventually learned to steer away from the subject at dinner parties. He still holds a good deal of Decameron stock, although he stepped down from the Board when he went into politics.
Reagan Newbold: The current Senator, who Fred is running against. You know him socially, although you've never been close. Roger was always trying to encourage him to take the tax load on business more seriously, pointing out that America's high corporate tax rates are one of the main reasons why companies like yours have trouble competing on the international stage, against companies headquartered in lower-tax nations.
Jeri Ferdinand: Mayor of Violet City, also someone you know socially. She has always struck you as a lovely person, and very serious about trying to help people, but she is quite liberal, and you have trouble seeing her in the Senate.
Roger Forrester: One of the friendlier reporters you've met, although that's not necessarily the highest bar. He did a puff piece on Decameron a couple of years ago, which turned out mostly well -- he even did an interview with you and Roger together as a sort of "human interest" part of it, which was nice. The only sour note was that he insinuated that the warehouse fire's timing was -- how did he put it, "convenient"? -- but as Roger put it, God simply took an interest in a company on hard times. (And it had been a hot and dry summer.)
Carla Lennart: Decameron's VP of Sales and Marketing since Fred left the firm. As far as you can tell, she is smart, competent and professional, but your parents would have called her "slick", which isn't a compliment.
Aidan O'Malley: The priest at Lady of Redemption for the past few years -- a nice man, if a bit young for a priest in your opinion. While you were raised Baptist (of course), you were really never the fire-and-brimstone type, and you fell in with the Irish-Catholic crowd when you got to Violet City. So you've been coming to Lady of Redemption for many years now, and think of it as a bit of a refuge. Fortunately, Roger never made a stink about your religious differences. (Not that he was ever more than vaguely religious anyway.)
... and now that you think of it, is he related to that bastard who killed your Roger? If so, what does he know?
Brian Truman: The representative from Greyrock Investments, the lead backer behind the company over the past couple of years. You don't know him well, but Roger always made a point that you all needed to be on best behavior around him -- as he liked to put it, "They're vultures, but they're our vultures, and we need to keep them happy". He is on the Board, so you need to try to win him over to you.

GM Notes

Modeled intentionally on Millie, the President's wife on Scandal -- she's a delightful character, and well worth having in the game. (But omit the overwrought rape plot and its consequences, for heaven's sake.)

Older, but not old, perhaps 50. Still quite attractive, and proud of it. Much more conservative than her late husband ever was. Fiery and passionate, but mostly under the surface - she keeps herself in tight control most of the time.

Today she is distraught, but will be damned if she will let anyone see that. She knows perfectly well that, with her husband's death, she now owns most of the company, and needs to keep it together as its new leader. She has called all the members of the Board together (on whose recommendation?), and hopes to put her foot down and establish herself as interim CEO. She knows perfectly well that she doesn't call all the shots, though: between her own stock and Roger's she controls about 25% or so -- the largest single block, but by no means a controlling block.

She is not yet aware of Cashflow Crunch, but should probably be told upfront that she needs to get her hands around the company quickly: personnel, projects, budget and cash.

She is armed, and an excellent shot. She has never shot anyone, but if Seamus O'Malley was still alive she would take the greatest pleasure in shooting each of his limbs one at a time, and watching him bleed out.

Dresses very conservatively, and is in all black today. But still smartly tailored and well fitted: it would not do to dishonor the family image today.

Millie does not know that The Accident was intentional -- she always believed Roger's assertion that it was simply an accident. Roger had flaws, but she always believed him to be fully lawful.

Back in college, she was in love with I Zubin, and they were pretty serious for about a year. It blew hot and cold, though -- while she loved Isaiah, she found him to often be pretty dour, falling into fits of anger or depression over things so easily. Eventually, she couldn't take it any more, and broke it off.

She never forgot Isaiah, though, and when Robert set up the company, she introduced him to him. He wound up bringing him on as the first engineer at Decameron, and that helped Millie feel like she had done right by her old love.

Over the years, they've stayed close: she grieved with him when his wife died of breast cancer, and they've enjoyed watching their daughters grow up to be friends. When she and Robert have had their arguments (which has happened a fair amount over the years), she's often wondered what it would have been like if she had stayed with Isaiah.

She should have her own very slight inklings that Roger was a little closer to H Derren than seemed right, but has been careful not to think about that.

She should specifically have a concern about Ainsley's comportment and language: she reflexively scolds Ainsley whenever she curses (since that's how she was raised), but has been agonizing over whether raising Ainsley the way she was raised is right, or whether she should let her daughter be herself.