Deirdre responded to Vlad's smile with one of her own, delivered around the edge of her wine glass. She'd seen the Beast the night of the transformations, and the thought of him using the keyboard was indeed humorous.
She nodded at his woes of finding a suitable partner. She couldn't imagine trying to find someone that she would be able to work well enough with to entrust a portion of her own business to.
"I'm glad to hear we won't be losing you then. At least not for a while. Who knows the type of person that might take over your apartment if you were to leave." She quirked one side of her mouth in what could be a smile, though she was actually a bit horrified at the thought of being left on the floor with only the owner of the too-loud rap music.
She gathered her thoughts before answering Vlad's question, determining how much of her past she wanted to reveal to a fellow resident. She finally decided on what she hoped was the least personal response. "I found my classes in college easy enough, and made some corporate connections in my first job out of graduate school. I went as far as I could there, and was not satisfied to simply stay, so I acquired some start-up capital and with a bit of guidance from one of my old professors, I was able to make my connections into my own business." She smiled a bit to herself. "I make it sound so easy, but there were plenty of long hours in there as well."