Chapter Text
The first thing Rio notices is how sleek the office space is. Located at the top of a high rise facing New York City, she expected nothing less.
“Miss Vidal?”
Rio looks up to find an older woman with kind eyes and curly, greyed hair. Rio’s always been keen on people’s identification and she could automatically tell this woman was a very kind Dominant. “Yes, hello, nice to meet you,” Rio says after a moment, holding out her hand.
The woman has a sturdy handshake, despite her age and gentle demeanor. “Pleasure,” she says. “Lilia Calderu. I’m the CHRO of Harkness Industries, and I’m meant to do the whole—” Her arms make some fluttery motions. “—Shebang.” Rio likes her already. “Please, follow me.”
Rio does, walking forward through the building until she’s brought to a pair of wood double doors. They’re closed, but Rio can hear the voices coming through. She strains to listen, because she has always been a little bit nosy.
“This merger is important, Agatha.”
“We could have opened new positions instead of dealing with an acquisition.” The woman’s voice is low, a little gravelly. She sounds pissed off, she sounds powerful. Rio is intrigued.
“The merger was the best bet. The Board agrees. Your mother would have agreed, too.”
“My mother died three years ago. She wasn’t even CEO when she passed. Using her as a crutch when I’ve been interim Chief Executive for half a decade.”
There’s more hushed talking but Rio isn’t able to make out what’s being said. When she looks to Lilia, she sees the woman looking at her with her eyebrows raised and her mouth quirked up. “If you’re done eavesdropping, we can probably knock and let them know their new COO is here.”
“Lead the way,” Rio says, motioning for Lilia to walk forward.
Lilia does, knocking assuredly twice on the door before opening it and propping it open with a doorstopper. Rio walks in. There’s only three people in there; a black woman in a chic pink dress, a tall man with a goatee and a woman with extremely long hair and blazing blue eyes.
“Rio, let me introduce you to Jennifer Kale, the head marketer for Harkness Industries.” Rio reaches out, shakes her hand. She’s another Dominant, Rio suspects. “This is Stephen Strange, the CFO.” Another handshake, another Dominant. Which isn’t atypical in a big company like this. Bigwigs in corporate positions tend to be Dominants. “And this is Agatha Harkness, the CEO.”
Unlike Stephen and Jennifer, and Lilia before, Agatha doesn’t offer her hand to shake. She merely looks at Rio studiously, sizing Rio up. Her eyebrows knit together, her eyes are slightly narrowed, lips slightly pursed. Her arms are crossed over herself, closing herself off.
And Rio… well, Rio can’t get a read on her. She can typically tell from first introduction, her first impression always being correct but Rio’s read on Agatha is coming up as indecisive. She’s younger than she’d expected for a CEO, that’s for sure.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Agatha,” Rio says with a polite smile. She doesn’t offer her hand either, knowing that it’d be futile and honestly a little bit of an ego sore. “I’m sorry to hear that you’re not fond of the idea of the merger. Would you like to discuss it?”
“No.” Agatha flips her hair over her shoulder and walks out. Rio watches after her, watching as the crazy mane of hair disappears.
That’s never happened to Rio before. Not only as a Dominant, but in general. She can already tell that Agatha was going to be a little bit of a firecracker.
“Don’t take it personally. She’s a bitch to everyone.” Rio turns to Jennifer, surprised. She then looks over at Lilia who just shrugs and smiles. “Don’t worry. Agatha herself wears it like a badge of honour.”
Rio chuckles. “I’d prefer to make my own opinion of her, if that’s alright. I don’t believe in allowing other people to dictate my impressions of somebody.”
“Take it from me,” Jennifer says, leaning forward with a coy smile on her lips, “she’s a nightmare.”
“That’s not a nice way to speak about your CEO,” Rio says, but it’s light. She did her research about Agatha, sans a photo, sans any personal information. She’d read that Agatha is considered to have a strong personality.
“I’ve known her longer than she was CEO.” Jennifer rolls her eyes. “I must admit, though, I’m a little wary about the merger, too. So I’m actually on her side there. Stephen, here, pushed for it with the board. It’s causing a bit of a divide between them. Which means headaches for everybody else.”
Stephen sighs. “Agatha will realize that this is the right thing for the company. Hopefully later rather than sooner, but you know how she is.” Jennifer looks like she has an insult on the tip of her tongue, but Stephen continues, “she has the pride of a lion. She hates being wrong and she hates being outvoted.”
“She probably feels betrayed that her CFO went against what she wanted for the company,” Rio murmurs, playing devil’s advocate. She doesn’t disagree with Stephen, she herself believes that this merger will be good for both Rio and Harkness Industries. “My role here is to get ready for the acquisition. I know she probably won’t go down without a fight, but it will be much easier for the crossover if she plays nice.”
Jennifer snorts. “She doesn’t know how to play nice, so I wouldn’t hold your breath. She will be kicking, scratching and screaming the whole time, even if she’s in the wrong.”
“How about you show me around and introduce me to the rest of the staff?” Rio asks Lilia and Jennifer. “I’m sure you and I will have a meeting very soon, Mr. Strange.”
“Stephen, please, Rio,” Stephen says amiably.
Rio nods, smiles, even though she’ll surely still call him Mr. Strange, at least to start. Luckily Jennifer and Lilia steal her away and lead her out of the conference room before the conversation can continue.
“A lot of the office staff are in three to four days a week. A lot of people have children so we allow them to work from home one or two days a week. Except for the intermediate and high up staff members, that is. It’s not necessarily required, but it’s just something to be expected.” Rio nods. She plans on being in the office five days a week, regardless of whether or not she’s offered the hybrid schedule.
Rio is introduced to everyone currently in the office from the lower level team as well as marketing and accounting. Everyone seems nice, in Rio’s honest opinion. It’s a good group, a mixed bag of people as well. Not just Submissives, but Switches and Dominants. It’s nice.
There is a spacious kitchen, which includes a full stove and two fridges. Rio’s honestly impressed by this level of care toward the staff. She guesses that there are a lot of long days, so having a full kitchen is good for those who are here late. She thinks she likes this a lot.
Lilia bows out when Rio is finally she’s brought to her own office. It’s nice, full glass. Her desk is spacious, her chair looks comfortable, there’s room on her walls for decor. It feels homey in a way that her prior office just didn’t.
There is a kid with curly hair sitting in a desk outside. He waves happily at Rio and Jennifer.
“That’s William,” Jennifer tells her. “Agatha never remembers his name, calls him Teen. He seems to find it hilarious. He’s interning, but he’s mostly just a glorified secretary. He’s yours, Stephen’s and Agatha’s. And don’t worry, he looks young but he’s shockingly good at keeping up.”
Rio feels her lips twitch and she raises her hand to wave back at him. He looks delighted before turning back to his work.
“Your office is right beside Agatha’s, by the way,” Jennifer says. “Sorry about that. We just felt like it would be important considering how much of your jobs will overlap with each other. Makes it easier.”
Rio merely shrugs. “It’s no problem, Jennifer.” And she means that. Rio has met her fair share of hard-to-get-along-with people while in corporate. It’s not anything new, and she’s not intimidated by the likes of Agatha Harkness.
But she is curious. Undeniably so, as she cranes her neck to look through the clear glass of Agatha’s office. Agatha is in there, sitting at her desk. Her blouse is a button looser than it was when Rio was introduced to her, and she’s on the phone, hand splayed against the desk. She looks frustrated.
“Don’t worry,” Jennifer says from behind her, “she’s always like that.”
Rio almost finds the pettiness amusing. But she can’t help but ask, “what’s her deal?”
“She’s a bitch,” Jennifer responds, tone flat and bored. “There’s not much of a story there. Her mom was the founder of this company, she was a nightmare. She forced Agatha into the company and when she died, Agatha had to take over her position whether she wanted to or not.” Rio assumes she hadn’t wanted to. She doesn’t say it out loud, but from the look on Jennifer’s face, she thinks it might be an obvious thought. “She’s honestly not that bad of a boss. I honestly think she’s better than Evanora.” Jennifer’s eyes turn sharp. “Never tell anyone I said that.”
Rio raises her fingers. “Scout’s honour.”
Jennifer doesn’t offer anymore information, and doesn’t give the information Rio wants. And just when Rio opens her mouth to ask, or to prompt Jennifer into giving her what she wants to know, she hears the doors to Agatha’s office open and then close behind her. The heels clack until she’s in Rio’s doorway.
“Settling in?” Agatha asks, leaning against the doorframe. Her hip is jutted out, the purple of her pants a stark contrast to the crystal clear of the glass. Her white blouse has the sleeves pulled up to her elbows.
“It’s a nice space,” Rio says. “Nicer than my last office, that’s for sure.” Jennifer gives a small smile, but Agatha’s mouth doesn’t even twitch. Her arms seem to cross more firmly over herself.
Agatha doesn’t say anything, and Rio assumes that it’s likely because she doesn’t remember Rio’s resume, assuming she’s even seen it at all. She’s staring at Rio in a way that can only make Rio feel like she’s being studied, and Rio can’t say she hates it. Her blue eyes are full of scrutiny and judgment.
“You seem to have a very happy staff. They seem to enjoy working here.”
Agatha’s shoulders roll back and she finally unfolds her arms to flick her hair away from her face. Interesting.
“Yeah, well.” She seems genuinely uncomfortable with the praise. “If you want people to do their job properly, you need to give them a certain incentive. I’m sure Stark Industries gave you a nice cushion to sit on while you were there.” So Agatha has seen Rio’s resume. Enough that she remembers the fact that she got her start at Stark Industries.
“It was definitely a good starting company,” Rio says diplomatically. Stark Industries actually has stock in Rio’s current company, but Rio isn’t about to tell their biggest competition that. Not when there’s a merger that Agatha already doesn’t like. And Rio isn’t particularly interested in being on the receiving end of that anger.
Agatha tilts her head. “What made you decide to join Oscorp? What is your official position there, anyway? Considering you were shipped to my company to make the acquisition more palatable.”
Rio smiles tightly. “I was the Vice President of Operations at Oscorp and when your Board conceded to a merger, they chose me to be interim COO as a gap bridger.” She’s rehearsed this, it comes out like she’s said it a hundred times. But she’s not used to feeling like she has to explain herself and well, but Agatha is making her second guess.
There’s an awkward silence, and before Rio can break it to try to learn more about Agatha, William knocks on the window to try to get Agatha’s attention. He mouths something that Rio can’t make out at her and Agatha rolls her eyes and makes her depart. Without a goodbye.
Even after that conversation, Rio still can’t seem to pick up on Agatha’s category. And it infuriates her.
As far as onboarding goes, Harkness Industries is pretty standard. Rio spends a little more time with William and Lilia, and occasionally Jennifer when she’s around. She comes to like these three the most, realizing that they are very gentle and kind people, even though Jennifer is a little prickly.
She also likes that Lilia will bring too much food and force Rio to eat when Rio doesn’t leave her office for hours on end.
(Rio notices that Lilia is the only one able to crack through whatever armour Agatha has around herself. When Lilia talks to Agatha, Agatha listens. When Lilia tells Agatha to eat, to drink water, to take a break, Agatha does. That’s interesting.)
Rio also comes to learn that Agatha isn’t the CEO that sits idly by and lets their CFO and COO do the grunt work for them. Rio is, admittedly, used to this behaviour when it comes to company owners and CEO’s. And she has to say, she doesn’t hate it. Especially when Agatha is unbearably hands on. And Rio doesn’t think that it’s necessarily an issue, but she seems to be combative about everything.
“Agatha,” Rio says slowly, like she’s trying to pick up a cornered feral kitten. “We’re on the same side here. Me, Stephen, you… we all want what’s best for Harkness Industries and your customers. And your employees. We aren’t the enemy.”
Agatha scoffs. “You’ve been here for five minutes and your position was a throwaway. It was only given to you because Oscorp wants their best puppet front and center.” Okay, ouch. And not even a complete lie. Rio knows why Oscorp picked her, and Agatha’s not that far off.
Rio has to admit it pisses her off. She almost can’t keep her composure when she speaks next. “I am here so that your company can get the technology it needs to keep your customers happy.” Rio’s voice is a little forceful. “Your Board reached out to Oscorp, Agatha. It’s time to get over this. You need to think beyond your own feelings and think about your company.”
And, well, Agatha doesn’t like that. She gets a sort of crazed, manic look in her eyes and for a moment, Rio thinks she might actually physically fight her. Which could be fun, but not what Rio had planned for today, after all.
No, instead, Agatha walks out of the room. Distantly, Rio can hear Jennifer’s snide so fucking dramatic, but she pays it no mind. Instead she follows behind Agatha, because this needs to be settled here and now before Rio reports back to Oscorp, and if she says Agatha isn’t playing nice and is making it difficult, Oscorp will pull out.
And honestly? Rio doesn’t want that. She likes Harkness Industries, both as a company and as an actual workplace. She certainly likes it more than Oscorp.
“Agatha, stop, come on. We have to learn to work together or else this is going to be hell for everybody involved. Not just us, not just Stephen, not even just Jennifer. There’s a lot of employees who have their jobs at stake if this merger doesn’t go through properly.”
Agatha’s jaw rocks, her fists at her side are clenched tightly. For a moment, Rio thinks that Agatha is going to respond, going to say something to her, but she doesn’t. She just huffs and goes to walk off again, toward her office.
Before Rio can stop herself, she grabs Agatha by the wrist. A little too hard, Rio admits, but she’s frustrated and Agatha needs to get it through her head.
Agatha gasps and stumbles at the contact, obviously not expecting it, forcing Rio to catch her before she falls onto the floor. Rio’s grip is tight, probably too tight, and Rio expects Agatha to lash out but she… doesn’t.
Rio maneuvers herself until she’s able to get a good, clear look at Agatha’s face. Her cheeks are dusted with pink, her lips are parted, her eyes are a little darker. She seems frozen in place, almost like she’s placated, like a kitten whose getting its scruff tugged on. Almost like—
Oh.
Holy fuck.
“Agatha,” Rio starts, voice a little too thick for her own liking, and that seems to kickstart Agatha back into motion. Agatha pushes Rio away, a look of disgust on her face. “Agatha,” Rio tries again.
When Agatha walks away this time, Rio doesn’t stop her.