…
----------------------------------------
Signed
----------------------------------------
…
Hadrian smiled.
"Lionel." He greeted, seeing the man waiting near the private lobby.
To which the Head Manager returned with one of his own and a slight bow.
"Young master."
"Thank you for the breakfast yesterday. It was thoughtful of you. You didn't have to give me free food." Hadrian said with genuine gratitude.
Lionel looked a bit surprised.
The man clearly did not expect him to be forthright with his gratitude.
But Hadrian digressed.
Many would take it for granted, but as someone who was born in a time of war and conflict for a few lifetimes, the mage in disguise knew the importance and value of food.
Thus, it only felt right to Hadrian to thank those who made thoughtful gestures for him.
"It was of no matter, young master." The man shook his head, smiling. "Was the food up to your palate?"
Hadrian chuckled.
"I enjoyed it. My compliments to the chef." He then glanced at Natasha, who only looked at him and Lionel with a bemused expression. "We both did, actually. So, thank you for the free breakfast."
"Oh…"
Lionel then turned to the redhead, who looked thrown off by the Head manager's sudden attention on her.
"Did you enjoy the food, young miss?"
"Uh… yeah." Natasha said haltingly, after a few moments of silence.
The redhead moved to Hadrian, almost running.
Although, as she walked past Lionel –
"… thanks."
It was quiet, but Lionel and Hadrian heard it.
The two exchanged knowing smiles.
The girl was rough around the edges, but at least she also knew how to be grateful.
"I'm glad." Lionel smiled at the redhead, who refused to meet his gaze and hid her frame behind Hadrian.
Hadrian chuckled softly.
"Then, we will be going up now." The mage in disguise bid to the man.
"Ah…" Lionel nodded, then paused as his gaze lowered to their hands.
The head manager blinked, taking notice of their burdens.
"Please wait, young master." The man suddenly said.
Hadrian and Natasha, who were about to walk into the elevator, stopped and looked at the man in confusion.
"Hm?"
"…?"
Lionel didn't speak.
His calm gaze was to the far side and flexed his fingers.
A bellboy rushed over.
"Yes, Head Manager?" he asked, standing in attention.
"Please assist the young master and the young miss with their burdens." Lionel ordered, much to the duo's slight surprise.
Hadrian and Natasha exchanged dubious glances.
The redhead only shrugged after a moment, obviously uncaring about what was happening.
Before Hadrian could say anything, the bellboy was already in front of him and Natasha.
"Oh, uh… thank you." was the only thing Hadrian can say as the bellboy took the groceries and other bags off of his hands as well as Natasha's.
Bidding Lionel a good night, the trio soon entered the elevator.
Hadrian and the girl stood beside each other, while behind them was a bellboy that Lionel had tasked to assist them with the groceries and bags.
The man was truly living up to his duties in aiding him whenever he could.
"…"
It was mostly silent during the entire ride up to the penthouse.
"~ ~"
There was classical music playing in the background.
None of the occupants inside the elevator were talking.
Hadrian was silent as he was not much for idle conversation, even among friends and family.
The red-haired girl beside him seemed to be of the same mind, appearing content with being quiet and occupied by her own thoughts.
DING
They arrived, and exited the lift.
Then, they laid their burdens carefully on the floor.
Hadrian faced the bellboy.
"Thank you for the help." He said with a smile and a generous tip in one hand.
The bellboy looked surprise, clearly not expecting it.
Then, he did a bow, amusing Natasha, who was standing quietly at the side.
"Oh no, sir. It was my pleasure!" The bellboy looked a bit flustered.
Hadrian merely offered the tip to the staff member.
"Thank you, sir. Please do not hesitate to call if you need assistance." The bellboy informed.
With one last bow, the bellboy went to the elevator, with Hadrian seeing him off.
"What is it with people bowing to you?" Natasha asked suddenly.
Hadrian turned to her with a nervous chuckle.
"You know… I asked myself the same thing." The mage said with genuine curiosity.
PAT
PAT
PAT
The soft padding of tiny feet entered his hearing range.
The magician in disguise smiled when Maya ran up to him, stopping only to rub the side of her body against his leg.
Giving his furry familiar her well-earned head rubs, he then made his way to the lounge where the redhead was waiting for him.
Walking into the room, he found her staring at three duffle bags (made of dark brown leather) sitting innocently on the glass coffee table.
"Hmm… what's that?" Hadrian asked, after taking off the half-mask.
Natasha shrugged.
"I don't know. There's a note on top though." The girl pointed out, gesturing with her right hand.
"Oh?"
Lifting an eyebrow, Hadrian stepped closer.
Once he was near, he leaned down slightly to take the small paper.
Unfolding it, the words were short, and below were the initials of its sender.
…
Your spoils from the raids, sir
LA
Thank you
…
Hadrian huffed quietly in amusement as he closed the paper.
"Who's it from?" Black Widow asked, low in volume but audible enough to be heard.
Turning his gaze to her, Hadrian smiled as he pocketed the small note.
He then took off the coat, placing it on the arm of the couch.
"From a friend." The mage said simply, bending slightly to grab the three duffle bags by their handles before standing upright.
He turned to the redhead, who looked at him curiously in turn.
"I'm going to get these bags upstairs. And as for you, better put those new clothes of yours in the guest room. No sense in leaving them here in the lounge. I'll be right down as soon as I drop these off."
The girl looked at the bags with her purchases around her feet before letting out a sigh.
"Right…" She mumbled, sounding less enthused at the suggestion.
"I'll give you a bag later to put those clothes away properly." He said over his shoulder as he walked away.
With Maya padding in his wake, Hadrian made his way up to the master bedroom where he closed the door after his little familiar was inside.
Despite their bulky forms, the duffel bags were lighter than what their initial appearances entailed. One was a bit heavier than the others though, he judged by feeling their weight.
Opening the bags, he saw crisp euro bills stacked on top of one another.
Each stack of bills was an inch thick and strapped with a hundred bands, all of which were covered in a clear but durable plastic to prevent them from being damaged or wet.
Two duffel bags were filled to the brim with money.
The last one had something a bit different.
Inside, there were also stacked of money covered in plastic at the bottom, but there were two large rectangular wooden boxes with a nice black glossy finish on top.
Picking one up, Hadrian used the flat palm of his left hand to support the bottom and his right to pull the top lid open.
Three rows of pure gold coins sat upon the velvet cushion that was inside the box.
The coins were about nearly the length of his thumb, and in the center of each coin were pure platinum plates.
On one side, a detailed image of a figure wearing a robe with a hood on their head, depicting no hints of their gender, was engraved. Both hands were holding a book and a staff each.
On the other side of the coin, a crescent moon and a single teardrop were displayed.
The coins may look ordinary, but they are a special type of currency that was used in AEONS and other branches directly related to the organization.
There were two kinds of coin used: one was pure gold, and the other was gold with a platinum plate in the center.
The former was known as the 'gold', while the other was the 'plat' coin.
Gold coins were usually used in transactions through businesses and establishments contracted to AEONS, while the other was the same but mostly used in a sparing manner.
If Hadrian were to compare it to the mundane's system, one gold coin would be worth about $5000 - $6000 and one gold-platinum would be worth around $10,000 - $12,000. (1)
The one who created the coin system in AEONS was none other than his grandfather, who had done it out of boredom and did not expect it to grow as much as it does now.
But as AEONS and their little secret society grew over the years, the coin system also flourished in turn, and everyone had simply adapted to it.
Hadrian supposed that, because the system was a lot simpler and easier to handle than what the mundanes were using, the practice eventually became a part of their culture.
It also helped that almost everyone in AEONS (or related to the organization in some way) has special pouches or bags to keep their coins at hand.
The pouches and bags were little inventions of his grandfather, which were studied, and mass-produced by the contracted mages from the research division in AEONS.
Of course, such magical items were only exclusive to those contracted by the organization.
"Haah…"
With a sigh, Hadrian closed the box and placed it on the other one that was still on top of the stacked money.
He glanced at the door and back to the duffel bags, contemplating what he should do with them.
Hadrian was thinking of depositing the money and coins into his pocket (a unique magical item).
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The pocket was a magical item only exclusive to contracted members of AEONS.
Hadrian already had other methods of storing items without it, but he invented the 'pocket' for others. It was a multi-purpose device with limited spatial storage – a modified mystic code.
Upon introduction of the pocket to the High Council, Hadrian had explicitly limited its production only to a select number of high-ranking members of the organization.
Of course, some members of the High Council were not happy about that, who initially wanted the pocket to be an exclusive item for the high-ranking members.
A glare from Hadrian and Zelretch laid their protests to rest before they could make it known.
To rub salt on their wounded egos, Hadrian even went as far as to have all the High Council members under a Geis contract to adhere to his wishes.
In return for their kind cooperation, Hadrian allowed the item's moderate production, albeit on a lower quality and capacity, for the mid and above-ranked members to use.
It was a sound decision, wholly approved by his grandfather even.
Hadrian knew that, if he had not forced the High Council to accede to his demands, the ones of average rank and below would feel resentment and envy towards their superior officers.
His decision prevented that ugly seed from festering before it happened.
In the end, everyone was happy with his invention, and no one had complaints.
Hadrian looked around the room.
His gaze settling on the door.
CLICK
Coming to a decision, Hadrian used a bit of telekinesis to lock the door, then –
VROM
SNAP
– warded the room with a silencing spell with a click of his fingers.
That way, any sound that occurs here will not leave the room.
Although it was one way, he can still hear sounds from outside of the room in case someone (the redhead) calls him or knocks on his door.
Quickly, he went to work, taking out each plastic-covered stacked paper and depositing them into the 'pocket'.
It took him a minute or two to finish, but by the time he was done putting all the money and the coins in the pocket, the duffel bags at his feet were empty.
Hadrian did leave two stacks of money on the bed, which was around twenty thousand euros, intending on using them as spare money of sorts.
Grabbing the money, he placed them inside the drawer, one on each as they cannot fit inside one due to their width and length.
Setting aside two empty duffel bags on a recliner beside the bed, Hadrian grabbed one duffel bag in hand and headed to the door.
He smiled as Maya leaped down from the bed to follow him out.
FOOSH
Dismissing the silencing spell around the room, he unlocked the door and pulled it open, only to be surprised by someone already waiting for him outside.
'…!"
It was the redhead, looking just as surprised to see him.
She was standing still, right hand up and fingers slightly curled, as if in the process of knocking on his door.
She also looked as if she had recently taken a bath.
Her cheeks were a bit flushed, probably from bathing in hot water. Her curly deep red hair, while looking mostly dry and brushed, looked a bit damp and glossy.
She also changed into new clothes. Her attire was still black and a bit loose on her frame, but at least they were new and fresh.
"…"
"…"
A somewhat awkward silence fell between them, but Hadrian shrugged it off as he gave his young companion a small, polite smile.
"Yes?" Hadrian said, keeping his attention on the redhead even as he pushed the door wide open for Maya to exit.
"I was about to knock on the door, but it seems like you're done with whatever it is you're doing inside." The redhead monotoned with a huff, dropping her hand at her side.
"Yes, well, it was quite a lot." Hadrian said, nose wrinkling slightly before perking up and lifting the empty duffel bag in his hand. "Oh, here, you can use this to store your belongings."
Taking the bag, the redhead watched as he closed the door behind him.
She then followed him at a sedated pace as he led them down the stairs.
"What was in the bags?" she asked nonchalantly.
Ahead of her, Hadrian smiled, though the redhead could not see it due to his back to her.
The reason for his amusement was because of the girl's curiosity.
She phrased the question casually, but the curiosity in her voice was clear as day to an empath like him.
With a quick glance over his shoulder, Hadrian flashed her a small smile.
"Spoils." He said with a sideways look, smile widening at the redhead's confused expression.
"…?"
The young girl's brows furrowed as she waited, hoping, for him to elaborate more.
"…"
But much to her annoyance, Hadrian simply flashed her another one of his mysterious patented smiles (which did more 'harm' than good, unbeknown to him) before walking to the kitchen.
PAT
PAT
Her green eyes blinked as she slowed and watched the short-haired dark gray feline, Maya, follow after her master.
"Haaah…"
The exasperated sigh that Hadrian heard as he moved about in the kitchen made him chuckle under his breath.
He felt a bit bad about being vague around the redhead.
But he also knew that there was no need for her to know that he was putting away the valuable spoils into a compressed spatial storage.
Even though the two of them were being cordial with one another so far, the girl had yet to sign the contract.
Hadrian gave her some time to think, but he would rather keep her at arm's length until the contract was signed.
Perhaps, if he continues to act vague and mysterious around her, it might influence her decision to sign the contract.
Or it might motivate her to distance herself from him.
Either way was fine with him, to be honest.
'Speaking of which…'
"By the way, would you like to help me with dinner?" Hadrian asked aloud, turning around to face her from his position by the counter.
"Dinner?" The redhead blinked as she walked closer. "You know how to cook?"
"Of course." Hadrian nodded, smiling. "Hotel food is fine and all, but I like to cook. So, can you help me?"
The redhead's face became impassive as she met his gaze.
"… I don't know how to cook." She admitted, her voice hesitant and soft.
Chuckling softly, Hadrian nodded, having expected as much.
"That's fine. I'll do the heavy lifting. You can just cut the vegetables. I've seen you with a knife, so I'm sure you'll do just fine." He said with a dimpled smile, sending her a knowing look.
"…"
The redhead gave him a strange look, most likely at his casual mention of her skills with knives.
Hadrian can only assume that that was the first time someone had asked her such a thing.
She seemed to not know how to react, though he could sense her surprise, confusion, and a bit of irritation drifting from her.
That… or perhaps it was because she was asked to use her knife skills to cut away vegetables instead of people, and she does not know how to feel about it.
Regardless, Hadrian was just happy to cook again.
He rarely gets a chance to do so at home, especially when there were too many attentive aides and retainers always ready at hand to assist and provide him with nearly everything that he wants or needs.
Yes, the servants and retainers do tend to spoil him and his family often, so it was almost a novel experience for Hadrian to do menial chores on his own.
It was a good feeling, that independence.
"…?"
The bemused stare that he received from his red-haired companion was understandable, even if she does not know the actual reason for his good mood.
Unbothered, Hadrian went to work on the ingredients with a smile.
…
----------------------------------------
…
Thirty minutes later, dinner was ready.
Using one of the butters he bought earlier, Hadrian chose to cook shrimp scampi with garlic bread toast on the side.
While she was clearly inexperienced, the redhead was quick to learn and follow his instruction in cutting the vegetables (which were just garlic, tomatoes, and parsley) while he had been busy preparing the sauce, pasta, prawns, and a small batch of toast.
For Maya's dinner, he prepared a freshly cooked fish fillet – one of her favorites.
Placing one plate for the redhead and himself, each of equal serving, dinner was served and the three of them ate in comfortable silence.
From what he was sensing, the girl was enjoying the food.
Although, she gave him curious glances at the beverage he was drinking from time to time.
For tonight, Hadrian chose to drink a special wine that he withdrew from the spatial treasury, the Gate of Babylon.
It was not the wine that his benefactor was always fond of drinking.
That one was way too strong, and he would drink that if he wanted to get really intoxicated.
The wine he chose was quite extraordinary, dangerously addictive for mortals to consume, but it was enjoyable for his palate.
If he were to give it a rank, it would be second to the 'King's Wine'. (2)
Because it had no alcohol content, the wine would rank below his benefactor's favored wine.
There was no alcohol.
But the taste on its own was heavenly, quite addictive to the point that it would be dangerous for humans to even try a sip from it.
Hadrian had no issues in drinking the divine wine though, seeing as he was too strong-willed and has strong magical defenses to be affected by the liquor's supernatural effects on the mind.
"…"
The curious glances from the girl were understandable, as it seemed like he was just drinking a high-quality-looking liquid of deep gold coloring from a glass of wine in her eyes.
But little did she know; he was actually drinking a divine wine called 'Soma'.
It was not the ritual drink that grants the consumer immortality and divinity from the Hindu legends. No, this 'soma' simply had the divine taste, not the benefits of immortality or divinity.
Two years ago, when he turned five in this dimension, Hadrian had the idea of creating a brewery business.
He then set the task up to Diluc (who held a deep interest and great talent in such a venue) to supervise it for him, considering he was too young to partake in testing the wine himself.
Hadrian had a lot of wine in the storage (Moon Cell's version of Gate of Babylon), and Soma was one of the wines that appealed to him as a potential profit.
It took a few months to recreate the taste of soma, but Hadrian accomplished it with the help of the semi-sentient automaton (Moon Cell).
Unfortunately, while the taste was divine and accurate to the original's, it was too heavenly and dangerously addictive for humans to consume.
The taste testers of the prototypes, which were Angra and Childe, had almost turned into addicts themselves.
What happened after was a sore topic that the two will never bring up on their own, much less discuss it with one another.
Luckily, Hadrian and the others had been present at that time to dispel the effects of the wine from their systems, much to their mutual relief and embarrassment.
The event remained memorable to Hadrian and his cohorts, often coming up in their casual conversations as a jest to tease the ones affected by the wine.
In the end, it was decided (by Hadrian) that the product had to be put through various testing to lessen the effects of 'Soma'.
So far, results were not yet satisfactory, and progress remains slow, especially now that Hadrian was more occupied with being active with his current identity.
But he has faith that the 'soma' wine can be sellable in the future.
He and his aides simply had to make sure that its effects were diluted enough to be consumed by the masses safely and without concern.
The soma wine he was currently drinking though was pure in its taste and quality.
Too dangerous to be consumed by mere mortals.
It was quite fragrant and pleasing to the nose, enough to garner the girl's curiosity, something that Hadrian does not blame her for.
Sending a small smile to the girl, Hadrian lifted the glass to his lips.
"It's wine, little spider." He said in a light tone, breaking the soothing silence at the table.
The girl blinked, then frowned.
"Doesn't look like any wine I've seen." She commented idly, staring at the beverage in his hand.
Hadrian chuckled, amused at how right her observation was.
"You're a teenager, what would you know about wines?" The magician shook his head with a wry smile.
"…"
He snorted lightly as the girl simply went quiet.
The redhead looked annoyed by his remark and glared at him mildly for bringing up her age.
Hadrian changed the subject by asking her something important.
"Have you made up your mind?" he asked suddenly, causing the girl to pause in her eating.
After swallowing her food, the girl took a few moments to think before answering.
"Maybe…" She said, vague and staring at the table, not making eye contact.
"What makes you hesitate then? Is it the part where you lose your memories regarding any knowledge about me?" Hadrian guessed.
"…"
And by the slight tenseness of her shoulders, he felt that he was right on the mark.
Hadrian sighed, leaning on one hand with his elbow on the armchair as he looked at the girl.
"Don't concern yourself too much about it. The contract is simply an assurance that covers both of our secrets. For as long as you do not tell others what secrets you discover about me and I do the same with yours, and that is if I do find some within these next few days, then there's nothing to be worried about." Hadrian explained in a casual tone.
The girl frowned, thoughtful.
"That's true…" She mumbled, reluctant but convinced by his point of view.
"Well, you don't need to if you really do not want to. Just think of it this way, signing the contract will make it easier for me to accept this favor of yours. As I mentioned before, I don't really need any favors of the sort. You can even walk away right now, and I would think nothing bad of you." Hadrian said with a shrug.
"…"
Sighting the expression on her face, the magician smiled wryly.
"Hmm… by the look on your face, it's obvious what you think of that." Hadrian chuckled when the frown on her face deepened. "You have pride. Understandable."
The mage nodded, finishing the rest of the soma wine in his glass before speaking again.
"Whatever path you decide, contract or none, I will respect it. But it's best that you don't take too long though. The next assignment is due to appear within the coming days, after all."
Satisfied in seeing the thoughtful look on her face, Hadrian stood up from his chair.
BRRR
BRRR
He was about to pick up the empty dishes when his holo-phone vibrated.
Mumbling an 'excuse me' to the girl, he walked towards the balcony while pulling out the holo-phone from his pocket, closing the glass door behind him.
Seeing a message from Luka, who was simply confirming if he had seen the spoils from the raid, Hadrian had decided to give the man a call instead.
One ring to the man, and Hadrian was connected.
"Good evening, Luka, and yes, I've seen the spoils. Thank you for arranging them for me." Hadrian said.
He glanced up at the night sky of Moscow and watched the air he exhaled appear in mist.
"Good evening, sir. And you're welcome." Luka said, sounding surprised but pleased at his call.
"By the way, where did the coins come from? There were two boxes." Hadrian asked, stopping at the edge and leaning with his elbows resting on the railings of the balcony.
"It was from the client, sir. HQ had asked me to include the coins in the bags, and so I did." Luka explained.
"The client? Hmm, that's generous of them." Hadrian commented, surprised.
"HQ mentioned that they were gifts for you, from the client, sir." Luka said, elaborating.
Hadrian blinked, then his eyes narrowed in thought.
"I see. Can you please pass along my gratitude to the client? Pass it on to the HQ since they're the ones who always meet with them anyways." He said with a huff.
"It shall be done, sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Luka asked, polite and respectful.
"No, nothing else. But I would like it if you kept the lead when it comes to the raids in the future. I'll be active for quite some time, and my targets will most likely have safehouses anywhere in the world. And I wish for you to be the one to lead the raids in those future side operations." Hadrian said absentmindedly, glancing down at the mild traffic below.
"… It would be my honor, sir." Luka said with deep emotions, sounding a bit overwhelmed.
Hadrian smiled, shaking his head.
"Well, that'll be all for now. Thank you for your hard work, Luka."
"Thank you, sir. Have a good evening."
With the call disconnected, Hadrian pocketed the holo-phone and looked up at the night sky with a loud sigh.
…
…
…
"So… enjoy listening in, little spider?"
Even though his eyes were on the night sky, he smiled when he sensed the small body behind him jumping slightly via elemental sight.
With a turn of his body, he looked at the girl – who was standing behind a wall – with a small smile over his shoulder.
"…"
Step
Step
He watched in amusement when she slowly appeared out of her hiding spot.
Reluctantly, she walked towards him before stopping with a three or four-feet distance between them.
Emerald eyes piercingly stared into calm and relaxed vibrant cyan orbs.
"You know, it's rude to listen in on people's conversation." Hadrian began in Russian, his tone gentle and casual.
"…"
The girl stared at him, face impassive.
But her green eyes were eerily observant.
"Who was that?" she asked after a few moments of silence, pointedly ignoring his gentle reprimand.
Instead of answering right away, Hadrian deliberated her question.
If she was asking him that question, then it meant that the girl understood English.
There was also the possibility that she can speak it as well, which made him wonder why she kept talking to him in Russian.
Then again, he had always spoken to her in Russian merely because he had no idea whether she knew any other language other than her own native tongue.
'Perhaps…'
Sighing, Hadrian scratched the side of his head before turning back to her.
"A friend." was all he said in English, smiling lightly.
"Were they the ones that brought those bags inside?" She asked in a monotone, replying in English.
While calm and collected outside, Hadrian was amused.
He threw the ball at her by speaking in English suddenly, and the girl responded appropriately without looking flustered.
Interestingly, she had a slightly noticeable American accent, almost indistinguishable as to how a local native would speak.
'Hmm…' Hadrian hummed in his mind.
Try as he might, his curiosity about the girl's past was steadily growing.
It was a few moments before Hadrian spoke again.
And it was not to answer her inquiry.
"I didn't know you could understand and speak English." Hadrian remarked lightly.
Bright cyan eyes piercing into surprised emerald ones.
"…!"
The young redhead paused, surprised by the sudden comment before composing herself immediately.
"There had never been a chance." The girl said, then continued by staying on topic. "So, the person you spoke to?"
"Yes… to your earlier question."
"And the bags? What was inside?"
Hadrian shook his head.
"Can't tell you."
Green eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"Sign the contract." Hadrian said with another smile, switching back to Russian briefly.
The girl frowned, looking unsatisfied by his response.
Then, she took a deep breath, eyes closed momentarily, before exhaling deeply.
"Haah..."
Bemused, Hadrian watched as she pulled a rolled-up paper out of her back pocket.
"…?"
Blinking, he quickly realized that it was the contract he gave her.
He looked on as she stepped forward, just close enough to offer the paper to him.
"I just did..." She retorted, face impassive.
"..."
Hadrian stared at her for a few moments, surprised by her action.
Amused, he slowly took the contract from her hands.
He opened it.
And true enough, the contract was signed.
Hadrian smiled as he saw her name above her signature.
...
Natasha
...
No surname though, but that was fine.
The contract only needed the person's signature for the enchantment's effect to work.
And considering that it was now active, then it only means that the name she wrote on the paper was true, even if it was half of her full name.
It also means that the girl was being truthful with him so far, despite the secrets she still keeps.
Nevertheless, the mage in disguise was pleased by her sincerity.
Trust is hard-earned, even more so from those with a past like hers.
He can only respond with honesty in return, in the same equal measure that she gives.
Time can only tell how far and how much veracity she would show to him.
For now, he was satisfied with this.
Hadrian smiled.
"So, it is."
Languidly, he turned his gaze back to her, adopting a rather cheeky demeanor as he raised a brow at her.
"Natasha, huh?"
"What about it?" The girl, Natasha, challenged.
"Oh, nothing. It's arguably better than Black Widow." Hadrian said offhandedly, chuckling softly at the strange look he received.
At least he now has a name to call her by, instead of that strange alias she uses.
Life would, undoubtedly, get interesting with her around.
…
…
…
As he followed her inside the penthouse, there was this feeling he had.
For some reason though, as he indulged her curiosity by answering her earlier questions with sufficient answers, Hadrian felt that she was strangely familiar.
It was a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that would continue to bother him as he spent more time with her.