Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

It had been one hell of a long-ass day that makes your soul feel like it needed to stretch and crack its back a few times. LA was a maze of chaos, heat, smog, and weird vibes that just stuck to your skin like glitter after a rave.

After a full day of driving around the city for Nyxavere's sightseeing, checking properties, meeting people, and just doing Parker-level shit, they finally dropped off Tessa. She waved like she was trying to pretend she wasn't sad to be left behind. Parker didn't say much, just gave her a nod that somehow said a thousand things—like yeah, he saw through it all.

Then, without a break or even a proper snack (which honestly should be a crime at this point), the navigation screen inside the Rolls quietly glitched. For a moment from where they should have been heading next—but then with the cold, smooth arrogance of a villain in a thriller, it shifted the destination to Hollywood. Just… Hollywood. No explanation.

Ere twitched on his shoulder like even she was thinking, "Oh, great. What now?"

By the time they checked out the building in Hollywood and wrapped up whatever Parker had to mentally cross off his god-level checklist, it was already night. A warm, bougie, city-that-never-sleeps kind of night. The night felt too humid for a jacket but too judgmental for just a tank top. They rolled out straight to the airport after, no stops, no bathroom breaks—just vibes and exhaustion.

The private jet was already there. Obviously. Because Parker didn't do commercial, and frankly, nobody in that car looked like they belonged in an airport lounge fighting over charging ports with sweaty tourists and crying babies. Helena and Noctavine were stood by the edge of the runway when the car pulled up, wind playing with Helena's hair like she was some kind of villainess in a fragrance ad.

He didn't even give a dramatic goodbye, just flicked a glance at them and said in that low, clean voice,

"Finish the tasks I gave you. I'll be back."

The car doors opened like some rich kid fantasy commercial, and out stepped the chaos crew: Atalanta, Seraphina, Maya, Nyxavere, Bella, and Ere doing her whole mysterious-cat thing on Parker's shoulder like she ran this whole damn story.

The second they stepped out, staff were already lined up in formation—polished, sharp suits, faces like they got trained by the Secret Service and styled by Balenciaga.

They bowed as if Parker was about to ascend the damn throne, not board a plane.

But he didn't move right away. No. He turned and looked at Bella. Just looked at her. This was awkward. And not the kind of awkward you laugh off with a dumb joke.

"Can you remind me," he asked, voice smooth but laced with clear why-the-fuck energy, "why you're here again?"

Bella froze. Her whole body just kinda… stalled. Like a robot who ran outta lines. She looked down at the ground, her cute designer flats suddenly the most interesting thing in the entire galaxy.

And then Nyxavere. Goddamn Nyxavere—his daughter, his troublemaker, his otherworldly brat—broke into a grin so wide it could cause property damage.

"She's in love with you, daddy~"

Parker blinked. "A what now?"

Bella's soul basically evaporated. Her face lit up red like someone had just plugged her into a charger. She didn't deny it. Didn't run away either. Just stood there, cheeks hot, lips tight, eyes screaming shut up shut up shut up.

Parker raised a brow, almost amused. He turned to Nyxavere, voice dry and savage. "Since when are you a love expert?"

She shrugged, tossing her silvery-black hair like she wasn't stirring chaos on purpose.

"Not my fault people don't cover their minds. Bella's is wide open. Since yesterday, right after the punishment... boom. Girl's in loooove."

This time, Parker stepped a little closer to Bella, lowering his voice but not his authority.

"Look," he said, straight up, no filter, "you need to rest. Like, actually rest. Help your boyfriend Julian get back on his feet. Help each other heal or whatever y'all do when you're not being insane. I'm serious."

Bella didn't move. Her head just kept tilting down.

"And even if your punishment's over, that doesn't mean we're suddenly friends. Or anything else. You hurt people. You hurt me. I'm not some rebound just because your old world broke down. You need to fucking process that."

There was a silence. The kind that wasn't empty. The kind that pressed against your ribs.

Then Nyxavere? Oh, she doubled over in laughter like she just watched the best episode of her favorite sitcom. "God, this is delicious," she wheezed, gripping her stomach like she was in physical pain. "Her face, Daddy~ Her whole face just turned into a Valentine's card."

Bella looked like she wanted to sink into the asphalt.

And Parker?

He sighed. Long. Deep. The type of sigh that said, why is my life like this.

"What now…" Parker muttered under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was physically trying to hold in the migraine forming behind his eyes.

Then louder, sharp and biting, "For Aphrodite's fucking sake, could someone say something before I lose the last damn neuron keeping me from snapping?"

He threw a glance around the group—arms folded, authority dripping off him like divine cologne—and his jaw ticked. "I swear to the gods, this whole thing feels like a third-rate soap opera accidentally written by a drunk Cupid."

Nyxavere giggled instantly, not even hiding it. Bella looked like she wanted to dissolve. And Maya? Maya just let out the most emotionally exhausted sigh a human could make without physically turning into smoke.

Seriously—why the hell was his daughter the only one who knew what Bella was thinking? And more importantly, how the hell did Bella's damn romantic crisis become his business? Like he didn't already have the weight of Earth on his shoulders, interdimensional threats tapping at the door, and divine politics playing chess with his soul. Now he had clingy teenage drama to deal with? Fucking perfect.

"Can you back to the Palace, go throw that whole love thingy to Julian, alright?"

"She's saying they're not a couple," Nyxavere casually dropped, chewing her bottom lip like she was holding back another giggle fit.