MNB : Come as you are part 1 : (Irina and Asma first meeting)

A/N: So this takes place after Zeus got hit at this night event. Paparazzis are going crazy on him and camp outside of Tartarus buildings. Irina heard about the fight and decided to come visit him to give him some support and this is how the two love interests meet for the first time. Asma can't bring herself to hate the girl and decides that the best for her is to move on from Zeus but that bitch stings and she can barely hold her composure. Zeus himself feels awkward because he's responsible for the whole mess, but he set things in motion and he can't back up. It's also the very first time I do write Irina. So it's Irina centric mostly.

Part1: first meeting

Part2: Compromise (Zeus and Irina and a little bit of Asma) {coming next}

Part3: Maturity/let's panic together (Irina and Asma talking)

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Irina Tchekovka was a lovely woman. She was raised as a good Catholic girl with a top-notch education because her parents were two famous scientists. The mother was working on an oil rig while the father was working at a lab, for a big pharmacological company. Both wanted their daughter to follow their paths so she studied hard but before she could go to college, she became a supermodel. At first, she auditioned just for fun and because a friend of hers was auditioning but when they offered her a contract, her parents agreed to it if they were her agents. It happened and she became in a span of 2 years, one of the very few last supermodels, next to Heidi Klum and Naomi Campbell. She was a friend of Cara Delevingne, was seen attending charities and gala with famous actors and people but always seemed to be very discreet. She never drank, never was plastered on tabloids and really flew under the radar of the press until she started to date Zeus Olympian.

Zeus was infamous, for his god-made looks, for his aggressive behavior in public events, for his father who was one of the most hated criminals in the country -he ran a Ponzi scheme who left millions indebted and threw many people into the streets or extreme poverty-. Of course, the son worked very hard to erase the father's history from his company and remove the bitter taste Hercules Olympian left in so many people mouths but he was an asshole. It didn't help his reputation despite his good looks and cunning mind. Zeus was known as Asshole Extraordinaire so imagine everybody's surprise when they learned he was dating the sweet and problem-free Irina Tchekovka? It felt like an Earthquake because they were polar opposites, at least, in public and people couldn't comprehend how on Earth these two could get along. Irina discovered what being on tabloids felt like, how it felt to be harassed on the streets by journalists, how it felt to be insecure about her relationship. It drained both of them and both went through on and off phases initiated by him or her because they couldn't deal with the pressure.

Irina knew Zeus. She got six years to know the man after all and those six years were quite eventful. She knew who he really was, far from being an asshole like he had to in public, in private Zeus, was very kind and respectful and concerned. He ensured she could study incognito and safely because she wanted to have a PH.D. In biochemistry. He ensured she never lacked anything and was willing to drop important moments with business partners if he could spend them with her. She never asked him to do it (save for once but it was an emergency, she had to go to the hospital) but he always did if he felt she needed his presence. He was vulnerable in front of her, talked about the way he was raised, the physical and mental abuse his father, the traumatism of witnessing his mother's suicide and of losing an unborn child because his fiancée got sick and he didn't behave the best way he could have.. he should have. Zeus confessed a lot of things to the blonde who listened to him and comforted him. He found peace by her sides and as surprisingly as it sounded like, he genuinely loved her. She loved him too, for this version of Zeus was so much better than the public image he suffered from. She knew he had a good heart, his company was a good company, doing good to their customers, inspiring the competition to go clean and adopt better policies to benefit their employees. Zeus might have been ruthless and demanding, his employees won the lottery and they knew it.

So of course, when that fight scandal broke, a few weeks after they officially announced their engagement, Irina decided to go to Tartarus and see Zeus. It could have been a PR move (and it was, she was showing him support) but she genuinely just wanted to make sure he was doing okay. The whole company went on fire, the moment they saw her walk in. She was appreciated by the staff, admired even but this time something spicier did happen. They all knew that something happened between the boss and Asma and gossips and bets took place. They wanted to know how the two women in their boss life would react when they met each other. Nobody really knew. Some, like Madeleine, thought that Asma would run away and avoid confrontation but others like Karina and Tom thought that Asma would assault Irina and fight and be loud about it -It was Tom who pushed the idea since he was prejudiced against black women-

Asma herself didn't know how to react to Irina's presence if she ever had to meet her. She always fantasized about telling her straight that she shouldn't have accepted Zeus proposal, that he had someone who loved him and kissed her during Irina and Zeus breaks up period and that if after six years nothing came out of it, then she shouldn't bother. That was the plan, right? It should happen like that. It didn't! Asma froze when she saw Irina that morning. She literally froze and let her come close enough for Irina to recognize her as Zeus personal assistant and come and greet her. Being warm and outgoing, he blonde just gave Asma a big hug and patted her back.

« Thank you, thank you so much for dragging Zeus out of that party. I am so sorry he caused you some troubles. He tends to be very hot-blooded in public. »

« I...It was nothing. I was just doing my job Miss Tchekovka. » Asma swallowed a lump and held her boss' girlfriend back so not to seem disrespectful. Her eyes were wide open as she didn't know how to react to this behavior. It wasn't something she expected at all and it took her back. Irina broke the embrace and smiled warmly at Asma who quickly took her to Zeus office. His heart jumped at the sight of the two ladies who were side by side and he quickly glanced at Asma who was mortified and justifiably so and Irina who was just happy to see her fiancé. She didn't even wait and entered the office to give him a hug and a kiss. Zeus blue eyes stared into Asma as he watched her face lose composure at the sight of him kissing his fiancée. She cleared her throat and whispered a weak « I have to go. I have some work to do. » before she closed the door and Zeus had to look at Irina.

« So how was it to see the real competition Asma? » Tom asked as she walked past his office.

« Shut the fuck up Tom. You're an idiot! » She said as she quickly walked towards Madeleine's office. She slammed the door behind her and leaned against it. Madeleine was alarmed at her friend and stood up from her chair to come and comfort Asma who let herself fall onto the ground. « I can't do this... I can't do this Maddie. »

« You can't do what? »

« I wanted to hate Irina. It was easier right? I wanted to but she's just too damn good. She's perfect! She's perfect and I'm an asshole. » She said holding her head together with both hands and sobbing.

« Don't be silly. Yes, Irina is a good person so what? You are great too. Listen, the plan here is not to get Zeus. He made his decision when he chose Irina. He chose her ! And you're too good of a babe to be wasted like that by an asshole like him. Do you hear me? » Asma nodded and looked down at her lap. « Asma, I'm serious. He's only bringing you pain and heartbreak. Irina has nothing on you. » Madeleine was impatient. She did want her friend to get better faster but it was a long game they were playing. Asma genuinely fell in love with Zeus and that type of love never really left. Madeleine herself was in this on and off relationship with Zoe, whom she knew was terrible for her mental health given how manipulative and possessive she was. So who was she to push Asma to hurry up and escape from the woes caused by love? She stood up to get Asma some handkerchief and crouched again in front of her friend. « Please Asma, please. Don't ever think that you're not good enough. »

« ….If you say so. » She said, puffing her cheeks and wiping tears off of her face with the handkerchief. « I don't know... I mean, you're right, Irina isn't perfect but she's damn close to it. » She said, as she took her phone from her bag and started to search for pictures of Irina and showed them to Madeleine. « But look at her though, look at her! In real life, she's even prettier! »

« Asma! It doesn't work like that! Stop doing this! » She said as she removed the phone from her friend's hand and put it on her desk. «  Take a deep breath. Do you have some work today or not? »

« Not really. He's busy with her and hadn't given me any assignment so I suppose I'm free for an hour? » Madeleine grinned at her.

« Then you can chill at my office for an hour. I could use your help on some stuff, sit there. »

(TBC)

(MNB) superstars and Bullies (Madeleine x Asma)

A/N: Exploring the relationship between Asma and Madeleine. Along with the resident bullies of the building Karina Newton and Tom Huckabee. This takes place just after Tom put the news of Zeus engagement to Irina. They belong to me. 

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« See Asma? He got engaged to Irina, your little daydream would forever remain a failed dream. » Tom's mocking voice echoed through her head as she stared at the screen.

The whole office stopped working for a few minutes. Earlier on, Tom Huckabee informed his coworker that he would put on the news at lunch break. Of course, he would. The day before, he eavesdropped a conversation between his boss Zeus, and Irini Tchekovka the model he was dating on and off for six years. He popped the big question, much to Tom's enthusiasm because now he had something he could rub on Asma's face. He was aware of her feelings for the boss, it wasn't difficult to guess. Her naiveté made it easier for people to read her like an open book so very early on, everyone knew she was in love with Zeus. Some had witnessed how close she grew to their asshole of a boss and how good this relationship was for the rest of them. Indeed, Zeus was more tolerable whenever she was around and they all hoped for a real change of heart and behavior if this relationship became even more serious. Besides, Asma was a very kind soul and befriended some of her co-workers. Others, on the other hand, despised or straight up hated the woman and refused to see their boss with this newcomer. Tom Huckabee and Karina Newton were infamous in the office and notorious for their bullying of the boss personal assistant.

Tom did it for openly racist reasons, he told countless times to Asma that it was a dream she had to give up because Zeus never had a history of dating anything else than pale, blonde supermodels and she shouldn't hope too hard. He didn't like Asma for no other reason than him being prejudiced. He always treated some of his non-white colleagues with obnoxious and loud prejudiced remarks. It didn't help that most of his co-workers at the External Relations department were of different ethnicities but that didn't stop Tom from feeling superior to them. He would very often boast and use aggressive tactics to catch Zeus' eye and make himself more visible. Ambitious and ruthless, he would never hesitate to throw anyone under the bus if that could help him get his promotion. The only person he wouldn't touch would be his partner in crime and colleague Karina Newton who seemingly was as prejudiced as he was. But Asma? He hated her guts. He wanted her gone from the minute he saw her. She looked too original with her pink locks and her colorful outfits, too discreet and too old fashioned with her conservative outfits. She was kind and sweet and helpful and quite skilled and the naiveté in her eyes achieved to make him dislike her.

«..... » She couldn't answer him, she didn't have any comeback. Truth be told, her heart sank and if it was capable of making a noise, the whole building would have heard it. Zeus himself, who was in his office but had a very good view of the meeting room could see how rigid and stiff her body was and how tensed she became as she watched the news. He could tell by her body language that her heart broke and had to clench his fists so he wouldn't chase after her. Asma quietly exited the room,

« Way to go Tom! Proving once again that you're an asshole! » Madeleine's sharp voice broke the awkward silence as she exited the conference room and tried to reach out to Asma who was doing her very best not to burst into tears.

Truth be told, she should have but as usual, she held back everything inside and pretended she was fine. Her steps were fast and unnatural as she tried her best to quickly leave the building. It was lunch break anyway so she had to get herself something to eat, cover up her tears and come back to work with a fake smile plastered on her face. That was her plan but her best friend grabbed her arm and took her to the closest empty conference room they could find.

« What is it for? » Asma complained before her friend pointed at the chair and forced her to sit down.

« You tell me what's going on. »

« Isn't it obvious? I was trying to get some lunch. » She said, shrugging at the question.

Madeleine was the very first person who befriended a clueless and nervous Asma. She was absolutely gorgeous, Chinese-American with long brown straight hair, a sweet sun-kissed skin with gorgeous hazel eyes. She was a superstar in the building, renown for her beauty and her wit. She was courted by the men despite the common knowledge that she was actually lesbian. She was admired by women because she knew who she was and lived in her truth without any regrets and everyone knew of her complicated relationship with Zoe -a manipulative and abusive asshole-. She took a liking in Asma the minute she saw her and made the first move towards the young woman. She quickly found out that Asma was a good soul and sought after her company. It didn't take long for Madeleine to become Asma's friend and influence some positive change in her life. She took better care of her hair, changed her wardrobe and came out of her shell. Of course, she knew that Asma fell in love with their boss and despite her own distrust of Zeus, Madeleine encouraged her friend to at least try and see what it would bring. Apparently, it brought heart breaks and despair to the young woman, which made her best friend feel guilty for her previous advice.

« You're not. Quit it. You're trying to hide your tears. I know you Azz... » Her voice was soft yet Asma could read anger. Madeleine was upset but not at her, she gave Asma a tight smile and sat next to her. « I know you are, I know you Azz. »

« What... What on Earth do you want me to do Maddie? I can't exactly come around and wave my hands at Zeus. He chose Irina. He witnessed me spill my guts about my feelings for him and he fucking CHOSE Irina! » She leaned in her chair, eyes wide open as she couldn't believe her eyes and ears. It was so humiliating! He sent her mixed signals since he broke up with Irina, went so far as to tell her that he wanted her and didn't know how to resist her and now that she gathered enough strength to confess her feelings, he went and proposed to his ex.

« He is an asshole and that was an asshole move! He could have rejected you plain and simple and he didn't. He kissed you, hugged you, told you what you wanted to hear and now he broke your heart. I never liked him, but now it's personal! »

« It's not his fault. It's not his fault Maddie. Yes, that was an asshole move but in all honesty, he's been in that on and off relationship with Irina for the last 6 years! What was /I/ thinking uh? What was I thinking ?! » She ran her hand through her pink locks and leaned her forehead against her hand. Tears finally started to stream down her face as she couldn't hold them back. « What do I do now? I have all of these feelings and I cannot... I can't.... it's... too... it's too … much ! It's too much! » She said sobbing her eyes out. Madeleine came closer to her friend and pulled her into a hug. As her hand ran into her pink locks, her eyes were shooting invisible daggers at an invisible Zeus.

That asshole didn't know what he was missing out. He could have found some peace with Asma. He could have found someone who treated him well and understood him. Madeleine didn't know everything because Asma protected Zeus but she knew that he was definitely a different man by her sides. She had noticed his change of behavior towards the rest of his employees and she suspected that he was actually very smitten over her friend but refused to act on it. Madeleine tightened her grip on Asma and then leaned her chin on top of her friend's head. She didn't have comforting words to say to her, only anger directed at her boss, so instead of aggravating the situation, she comforted her the best way she knew, a hug. Asma cried harder, breaking her voice in the process as her hands clung onto the fabric of Madeleine's shirt.

« I hate to see you like this. » Madeleine said. « You don't deserve to cry, he doesn't deserve your tears. »

« I know..I know. » She said in between sobs « I don't think I can handle going back to work Maddie. Tom and Karina, they would taunt me all day. I have to work with Zeus.. he didn't even have the guts to tell me he was engaged when I saw him this morning!! He didn't! »

« We'll show them! You will go grab some lunch, then we'll pimp you out! I want you to look your best when you come back into this building. The following days, you'll be on your A game! Fucking delicious and breathtaking you hear me? » Asma blinked as she pulled away and ran her hand through her hair.

« I don't know... I-I Don't know. » Madeleine's plan was a good one, but Asma was uncertain.

« You can pull that off! I will lend you some clothes if we have to do it. You will look fabulous and that motherfucker would cry for turning his back on you. I'll make sure you look on point when we're back from lunch. Hair fixed, lips purty and plump, cleavage on point and that tight nice ass tucked in that pencil skirt you're wearing. I'm gonna help you fix your look and you will make those heads turn! » It made Asma chuckle and she nodded while she picked a handkerchief to clean up her messed up face. Tears were still falling at random so she knew it would take some time before she stopped crying.

« Yeah? I can pull that off you think? »

« I'm positive! » Madeleine smiled at her and then pinched her cheek. « You're a superstar here, we are! So if I tell you that I'll help you shine like a motherfucker, you'll shine like one! » She then cupped her cheek and sighed. « I wish I could help you feel better with just a snap of my fingers but I know you were genuine in your feelings for him so it's gonna hurt for a long time. »

« I don't want it to hurt anymore. » Asma said, sobbing again.

« I know precious, I know. It'll pass but you need to get yourself back in the saddle as soon as possible. You're super fine Asma and if Zeus can't see it, then screw him! You're hot and you deserve to have fun. So we're going to help you have fun. »

« You'll have to help me on that. » She said, leaning against the table and holding a fist of pink hair.

« I will gladly do so. Now, time is running out. Let's go outside and grab some lunch and then proceed with the rest of the plan? »

« What about Karina and Tom? They would have a field day with me. » She asked unsure of how to deal with those bullies.

Karina was a special case. She hated most people in the company and have a love/hate relationship with Madeleine. They both competed for the title of the superstar of the company. They both were excellent at their jobs and rescued Tartarus so many times that their names were known by every single person working there. But if there was a popularity contest, Madeleine won it by a landslide because she was much more sociable and caring than Karina ever was. So there was this old rivalry between the two of them. Things got a little out of hand since Asma arrived because Karina grew a very weird and intense hatred of her. Nobody understood why she disliked Asma but it probably was because of her position. While not paid enough, it gave Asma a visibility Karina always dreamed to have and a proximity to their boss she wished she had.

« I will deal with them, I'll always have your back, Azz. »

« I know. »

« You do? Then dry those tears and come over. We have lunch to take. »

She said as she grabbed her wrist and kindly helped her back onto her feet. She took the handkerchief and cleaned her face up. Asma didn't resist much since she was in no position to do so and once her face was clean, she followed Madeleine out of the conference room and headed outside. Zeus broke her heart but feelings couldn't be processed as they should have so Asma decided to put them aside for a while. It was the first time it hurt that much because Asma didn't have the opportunity to avoid Zeus. He was her boss and because he was, she had to spend most of her time with him.

Ah ! Stupid heart!

(TBC)