Soulmates? No thanks. Nadia would much rather spend her time bathed in the blue glow of her computer screens. The cyber-world? That is something she can control. Soulmates... not so much.
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Nadia has spent most of her life tracking down...
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"Nadia! There you are darling! We were beginning to think you would never show!" Nadia's boss, Grace, cooed. As she turned, she shot Nadia a look that she thought was particularly scathing, but Nadia simply rolled her eyes at Grace's sorry attempt. "Mr. Stark- this is our cybersecurity specialist I was telling you about!" "Ah, the infamous hacker. You don't look like much" Stark dismissed. He wouldn't lie- the girl certainly wasn't unattractive. In fact, he found her dismissive attitude and tardiness to be singularly intriguing in the uptight environment. Stark would not, however, give her the satisfaction of hearing these thoughts. He instead thought that she would be a fantastic little game to play while he was escorted through the bland facilities he had already been acquainted with. "Well, Mr. Stark, appearances are often deceiving. I, for one, thought that you would be taller. Seems we are both disappointed." Nadia's tone was biting. She didn't have time for this man's games. Now, Nadia was not one for the tabloids, but she knew Stark's type, and she had already written him off as an arrogant, self-obsessed egomaniac. "Nadia!" Grace scolded in a rather impressive mix between a hissing snake and a startled mother. "Mind your tongue!" "Don't worry, Gracie- I think Nadia and I are going to have a wonderful time. No offense taken." Stark chuckled out and then smirked over at the little spitfire. "Now, where is that tour I was promised?" "R-right." Grace stuttered out while blushing. Somehow Stark referring to her as Gracie turned her into a blushing schoolgirl, and one would never guess she was a leading official of an Ivy League University. "Nadia," she continued "the board and I would like for you to show Stark the N.U.C.L.E.U.S program you have been working on, as well as some of our high sector technology laboratories. As you know, Mr. Stark donates a significant amount to our program every year, and he is one of our most esteemed alumni. I expect you to be on your best behavior. Remember what I told you would happen if you were not." After addressing Nadia she turned politely- and with rather rosy cheeks- to bid adieu to Stark before trotting off to whatever corporate hole she had emerged from. Nadia waited for her boss to disappear around a corner before she looked at Stark with distaste. "Well, follow me. Be sure to keep up- I don't have time for whatever "playboy persona power" you think you wield." "Oh, Darling— I don't think, I know I have the power. I also have years of statistical data and women that would happily back it up. Actually, I bet that by the end of this little tour your knees will be quivering and you will be begging to see me again." With that, Stark turned on his heel and began to walk off as if he owned the place. The small, annoying part of Nadia's mind whispered that he probably did own the place- well, part of it anyways. Stark thought that he knew where he was going. When he was last here, most of the tech had been housed in the basement. Nadia, however, used this opportunity to shift the power back into her court. "Oh, Mr. Stark?" She called out rather sweetly "You are going in the wrong direction." And with that she turned on her heel and didn't even bother glancing back to see if the billionaire had heard her. Suddenly, almost as if it was an afterthought, she threw one last comment over her shoulder. "And by the way darling, I wouldn't be so sure about that. After all, I too am a genius, and I am willing to bet it will be you crawling on their knees soon- not me."
