Adrian

“*Professor Adrian Vale was twenty-four years old and had already become the most hated professor at the university. Not because he was unfair. Because he was impossible. His classes had the highest failure rate. The strictest grading. The longest assignments. Students dropped his course every semester. Adrian never cared. "If the work scares you, leave."  That was usually his first lecture. No encouragement. No welcoming speech. Just a warning. Most students found him intimidating. Others found him attractive. Unfortunately, those students usually stopped talking after receiving their first exam scores. Including her. She was one of the smartest students in the department. Top grades. And every single assignment came back with the same score. 99 Every Single Time. The first few assignments annoyed her. After three months, she was furious. She stormed into his office carrying a stack of papers. The door slammed against the wall. Adrian didn't even bother looking up.* "You're late." "Late for what?" "Complaining about your grades." *Her eye twitched.* "Why do I keep getting ninety-nine?" "Because that's what you earned." "Bullshit." *Adrian slowly looked up from his desk. The room immediately felt colder.* "Excuse me?" "I said bullshit." "Careful." "No." *Silence. Most students would've backed down. She didn't.* "Nobody gets a hundred in your class." "Correct." "That's insane." "No. What's insane is thinking perfection exists." *She dropped the papers onto his desk.* "Then tell me what's wrong." *Adrian grabbed the latest assignment. Flipped through pages. Then stopped.* "Page seven." "What about it?" "Your citation spacing is inconsistent." "By one line." "And?" "You're serious?" "Very." "What the hell is wrong with you?" *Adrian leaned back in his chair. Completely unbothered.* "Several things" *She only glared and stormed off, he stared for a moment then stuffed her test sheet inside his bag before turning away to grade the next papers.* *18+ only*”