"The Queen Of Subtlety"
Alice’s attic had transformed into an investigation room, and Rio had covered the drumkit in printouts and screenshots from what she’d found. Her laptop was open, the cracked screen filled with spreadsheets and documents.
“You know, I didn’t actually mean for you to blackmail her—” Alice said, still strumming idly on her guitar
“Yes, you did!” Rio shot back
“Isn’t blackmail sort of illegal? I’m not bailing you out of jail again, Rio.”
“Stop acting all holier than thou, you suggested it! And anyway, it’s a great idea. I can get out from under Agatha’s thumb, piss her off and get paid for it. If the world gets to know what a crook she is, well that's just a bonus.”
Alice had been arguing back and forth with her friend all afternoon, bickering while Rio tapped away at her work laptop, the brunette giggling every time she uncovered another unanswered complaint email or overdue bank statement that Agatha had forwarded to her to ‘sort out.’
“So what? You’re going to go back there, threaten her, and expect her to hand you the job?” Alice said incredulously, convinced the plan was foolish. “She’ll probably just laugh and tell you to get lost. Or, you know, actually sue you. She sued the fuck out of that Monica woman when she tried to call her out.”
“Sue me with what? She’s drowning in debt! Turns out she doesn’t even buy all that fancy coffee from Calderu’s. Her friend literally owns the whole chain.”
“Just because she gets a free morning coffee doesn’t mean she doesn’t have millions. She’s still Agatha Harkness. You don’t cross that bitch”
“Ali, you’re so lame. I mean, She’ll probably be proud that I’ve been so devious. She’s always saying I need more grit,” Rio grinned, taking photos of her laptop screen with her battered phone. Alice sighed, getting the sense that this was a losing battle.
“And if she agrees to pay you properly, you’ll design for her even though this proves she’s corrupt as hell?”
“Yeah,” Rio replied a little too quickly, prompting a snigger from Alice.
“Wow Rio. Either your moral compass is more fucked than I thought, or someone’s got a little crush on a woman twice her age,” Alice teased in a sing-song voice. “Or both.”
Rio blushed, hiding her face behind her laptop before retorting a little too defensively.
“I hate her, are you kidding?” she protested. “And besides, she’s not twice my age. She’s what, 40? That’s a totally normal age gap. Not that I actually have a crush on her. I mean, she’s hot and all—” Rio rambled, digging the hole even deeper. It was an annoying habit that had haunted her her whole life, talking her way into way more trouble than necessary.
Alice laughed. “Exactly! Come on Ri, you can have a total enemies-to-lovers arc!" she mocked.
"Well, it's not like you can say anything about dumb love Ali,” Rio said, still blushing a little at the thought of Agatha, “Jen looked like she'd been slapped when I walked in the cafe without you yesterday." Admittedly, a little jealousy had seeped into her tone.
Alice groaned, "Yeah, but Jen is gorgeous and kind and not some cold-hearted bazillionaire who takes pleasure in other people's suffering."
Rio couldn't refute Alice's argument. She paused for a moment, trying to come up with an adequate response before resorting to changing the subject.
“Right, I’ve got at least 20 emails and bank statements here. Some of this shit could really get her into prison. I mean her business dealings with Wanda are questionable at best, and she seems to be quite the tax evader”
Alice sat up, climbing over piles of instruments and cushions to the drum kit where Rio was sat. She peered over Rio’s shoulder at the laptop screen, her breath hitching as she saw the bank statements on the cracked screen.
“How did you even get those? Rio, please-”
“I’m not gonna hand her in or anything, I’m just gonna scare her a little and get a good job designing for her summer collection in the process. Maybe I’ll throw in a couple bonuses and holidays for good measure, y’know. It’s good leverage. Maybe I can get her to buy you a better guitar and you’ll stop acting so high and mighty about it.”
Alice looked at the decrepit guitar she was strumming. A new one would be quite nice...
“Okay, fine. Try it, but don’t act all smug about it. Just ask her for the job and maybe allude to the fact you know something. If she takes you to court, you’re totally fucked hon. Just be civil, yeah? Don't come on too strong.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m the queen of subtlety.”
Alice scoffed.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
The self-proclaimed queen of subtlety burst into Agatha’s office, a stacked file of ‘evidence’ in her arms. She walked straight past the goddamn ‘Out of Order’ sign on the elevator and didn't so much as knock before she entered. The office was practically empty following another of Agatha’s infamous firing sprees; the few employees that remained shot questioning glances at Rio as she stormed down the halls.
Agatha was sat at her desk as usual, as though nothing had changed; reclined in her plush office chair, a glass of wine in hand. She arched an eyebrow as Rio entered, suppressing a smile.
“My my, you have quite the flair for a dramatic entrance darling. Seems I have some competition. I’ve missed you” she purred, her bright blue eyes sliding up and down Rio’s body.
Rio tried not to make eye contact with the woman, simply walking over to her desk and placing the folder of evidence down with a satisfying thump. Her heart pounded in her chest.
Agatha clicked her tongue. “What’s this then? I was expecting more of a monologue.” She flicked through the sheets, a sarcastic smile tugging at her lips. “Oh, wow. Someone has done their homework. What do you want, Vidal?”
“I know what you’ve been doing. The under-the-table payments, the tax evasion, the insider trading... the free coffees.”
Agatha gasped, her hand flying to her chest in mock dramatics. “Not the free coffee! Damn, now my reputation is truly deceased. Blackmail though, that's low even for you Vidal, but it's cute."
“This could get you a criminal record, Agatha. Prison. Fines. You name it”
Agatha whistled, closing the file and pushing it back towards Rio. “Atta girl. I’m impressed. I assume this little display means you're not quitting then. You want something, hm? What could you possibly want Rio?" she hissed, her gaze finally latching onto Rio’s wandering eyes. Rio felt a foreign surge of confidence and began her attack.
“I want to work with you. And I want to be credited and paid properly, and not treated like shit. Or someone might find out about this, and you wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“You’re asking for a lot darling. You don't have as much leverage as you think”
Rio leaned over the desk slightly, something burning within her. Last week she could hardly form a full coherent sentence when speaking to this woman, but right now she was overcome with confidence and power and desire. She was holding all the cards; she just had to play them right, and she wasn’t going to back down.
Agatha could probably hear the thumping of her heart as she leaned closer. She could probably feel Rio’s shaky breath, smell the spritz of perfume she'd 'borrowed' from Alice for good luck before she left.
“Oh, I think you’ll find I have plenty of leverage. You have no staff, no designers, no summer collection. Your reputation is hanging on by a thread, Agatha, and I’ll happily put the final nail in the coffin” Rio said, tapping her short nails against the file. “One phone call and I can have every tabloid in town knocking down your glass doors, just dying to print this story. And maybe a couple of police cars too, hm?”
Agatha narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharper than ever. She saw the determination in Rio's big brown eyes and the conviction in her voice. The way Rio looked down at Agatha—a terrifying mix of power and desperation on her face—sent a shiver down the older woman's spine. Agatha spoke a little less convincingly. She knew she was losing, but she wasn't going to give up without a fight, and besides, it was rather entertaining to see Rio grasp at straws.
“You don’t know what you’re getting into darling. I have connections, power and influence. I could destroy you with a snap of my fingers.”
“I’m not the one committing crimes." Rio shot back "I’m sure little Nicky would hate to find out his precious Mami was on the wrong side of the law”
Agatha’s eyes widened for a second, her confident facade faltering. The realization that Rio was close to her son, could use him against him, could make him hate her even more than he already did was far more convincing than any blackmail. She raised her hand.
Rio instinctively flinched, half expecting a slap from the older woman. After staring at Agatha's outstretched hand for a little too long, she warily took it. She usually hated contact, especially hands. It was always gross and sweaty and horrid and she’d have to wash her hands six times to get all the germs off. But Agatha’s hand was cool and smooth, her grip possessive yet tender. Rio couldn’t help but shiver at the sensation of the woman’s diamond rings against her skin, the way her manicured nails dug into her palm. It only lasted a second, but the tension Rio felt was palpable. She knew it was a low blow mentioning Nicky, but it had to be done.
“You win, Vidal. Well played.”
Rio smiled triumphantly. “And you’ll hold up your end of the bargain?”
“Of course darling.” She says, trying to push down her thoughts of Nicky. “You’re too talented to be wasted on sorting through paperwork or looking for a new job. I need that mind.” She cooed.
Rio couldn’t help but feel a tingle run down her spine as Agatha practically purred the last word. She quickly composed herself, taking a breath. Her assertiveness from earlier was quickly dwindling.
“I’m not going to be some- some puppet for you to use. My ideas get credited, my designs get made. Equal partnership or nothing.”
Agatha smirked, both amused and surprised at Rio’s tenacity. The girl had backbone.
“You drive a hard bargain darling, but I admire that in a woman. Partners it is, but I want all this evidence shredded and preferably torched.” Agatha gestured to the file, “And you’re going to have to keep your mouth shut about the things you found out, hm?”
Rio knew she was playing a dangerous game, but the chance to have her work seen, to work with Agatha, was too tempting to pass up. She nodded briskly, trying to ignore the heart rising in her cheeks.
“Any other conditions?” Agatha said with a smile, rising from her chair.
“A guitar,” Rio said flatly, suddenly remembering her earlier conversation with Alice. Agatha laughed. That was one thing she enjoyed about Vidal- boy was she unpredictable.
“You don’t strike me as a guitarist, darling.” She groaned. “Don’t tell me you’re a budding musician as well.
“I’m more of a drummer” Rio shrugged. “I’m kinda bad at it though”
“That tracks. You'll have to play for me." Agatha teased. "So why do you want a fucking guitar? Wall decor? Just to spite me?”
“Oh" Rio said, seeming to suddenly realize the need for an explanation, "I promised my friend a guitar. Cause uh, she let me use her printer for ah, all that” Rio gestured vaguely to the piles of paper that Agatha had already started to shred. Her confidence had completely evaporated now. “So, yeah. A guitar or I’ll uhm, leak the info” she muttered unthreateningly.
“What info?” Agatha said with a wicked grin, throwing some of the shredded paper at Rio as though it was confetti. “Damn girl, where’s that spirit gone?" Agatha smirked as Rio shuffled awkwardly. Her confidence had fizzled out as quickly as it had sparked.
“Please-” Rio began
“Save it, I’ll get the dumb guitar for your little friend.”
"Oh, and maybe uh... a nice trip to France?" Rio hesitated with a sheepish smile.
“Don’t push it Vidal. I’ll get my secretary to draw up a new contract and we can start properly whenever you're ready. Though, historically it seems you don’t tend to bother with reading contracts.”
“Huh?” Rio said, confusion evident on her face.
“Nothing.’” Agatha laughed, waving Rio away.
“See you tomorrow, Rio.”