The ValeTech office smelled of coffee and money, a sterile contrast to the streets Nyra had left behind. She rolled her shoulders, ignoring the polished desks. Even at the top of the corporate ladder, she felt like a glitch in their system the hood didn't just wash off in a lobby fountain. But Nyra didn't mind the friction. She knew her own mind, knew she was a genius, and, If they didn't like her edges, they could at least respect her results.One thing for sure was her focus on the screen code, patterns and results. Nothing else mattered.
Until he appeared.
Tall. Expensive cologne. Shoes too clean for someone who'd ever known struggle. The kind of man who'd never had to raise his voice because the world always listened when he spoke ,Adrian Vale.
Sharp suit. Impeccable hair. Eyes like a predator who thought every woman belonged to him until proven otherwise. And Nyra? She didn't flinch. Didn't smile. Didn't give a damn.Nyra had seen men like him before. Different names, different suits, same energy. Rich boys raised on approval, handed power early, never told no. Spoiled, polished, and convinced they were self-made.
"You've got a unique approach," Adrian said, leaning against her desk. "I don't often see students solve problems like this."
"Good," Nyra said flatly. Her fingers didn't stop moving. "Most students aren't worth watching anyway."
He raised a brow. "I think I'd like to watch you."
Her smirk was faint, sarcastic, untouchable. "Try. You'll get bored. I don't play games."
"Games?" His voice was smooth, confident. "I don't play. I win.He leaned back, eyes tracing her not as a programmer, but as a challenge. He liked things that looked like they wouldn't break easily; it made the 'winning' part more satisfying.
"Good for you," she said, eyes on the screen. "I don't care."
He took a step closer, invading her space, confident, predatory. "Nobody talks to me like that."
Nyra finally glanced up, her round eyes calm, sharp, and bored. "And I'm nobody. So I guess we're even."
Something flickered in Adrian's expression intrigue, irritation, something he hadn't felt before. Every girl he'd met had either smiled, giggled, or melted. Nyra? She was a wall. And he wanted to tear it down.
"Interesting," he murmured, stepping back just enough to give her space, but not enough to leave her alone.
Nyra rolled her eyes and slipped her headphones back in, Lana Del Rey humming softly, a shield between her and every man in the room. You're not special, her mind whispered. You're just a man who thinks he is.
But Adrian Vale was already hooked.
And Nyra? She didn't care yet.