Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!-Chapter 183: Perseus’s Agendas. Soft Morning

Perseus leaned forward, eyes sharp as his plans for Parker walked off. He could already tell Chione wasn’t fully convinced. The way her fingers curled slightly, the way her gaze lingered on the blood-streaked ground—it was subtle, but it was there.

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Finally, she spoke, voice like ice cracking. "He protected her, sure. But he took a life for it."

Perseus nodded, standing up. "I’m not against a man protecting his woman. But outright killing? That’s a step too far."

Cassandra let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. "Since when does a single mortal’s life mean that much to you? Aren’t you overplaying the hero role a bit?"

Perseus met her gaze, unflinching. "Every mortal life started mattering the moment we were summoned back as champions and guardians."

Chione’s chin lifted. "Exactly." Chione’s voice was cold, cutting through the tension like a blade. "Yeah, he protected her. But he killed a man—just because he touched his woman."

"Hah." Cassandra scoffed, flipping her braid over one shoulder. She didn’t argue further, but her eyes flicked toward Perseus, noting the way his lips twitched—like he was trying not to smile.

Atalanta, who had been silent, suddenly let out a sharp breath. "I can’t believe I’m hearing this from another woman." Her tone was edged, biting.

Cleopatra, standing beside her, gave a slow nod. More than anyone here, she understood how dark this could get for a woman who experienced what Tessa had experienced. It did look small but it wasn’t. Not at all. A woman could experience any humiliation but not what Tessa had experienced. Cleopatra’s resolve for Tessa softened.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot," Atalanta continued, crossing her arms. "You’re a goddess. How are you even—a mighty Ice Goddess—supposed to have let alone understand mundane emotions like a mortal woman?"

The words landed like a slap. Chione’s fingers twitched, but she didn’t respond.

Atalanta didn’t wait. She turned and walked off, her steps sharp. Cassandra and Cleopatra followed without hesitation. They didn’t have the hero complex Perseus and Chione did, and they sure as hell weren’t about to start hunting Parker down over this.

The Olympian Champions had just split sides.

Perseus exhaled, watching them go. "They’ll understand when we get to the bottom of this." His voice was steady, meant to reassure.

Chione didn’t answer.

Isis, who had been watching the whole thing with unreadable eyes, finally let out a quiet snort. "Yeah, no shit." Then she turned on her heel and walked away.

While the Olympians were splitting between themselves—Perseus practically spoon-feeding Chione reasons to go after Parker while others, well, they weren’t exactly on Parker’s side, but they weren’t losing sleep over his methods either—the guy in question?

Yeah. He was just waking up from a long-ass sleep.

****

Parker woke up with a low groan, his body reminding him exactly what it had been through. Pain shot through his muscles, a dull ache lingering from getting absolutely wrecked by the Ice Goddess. Damn, she hits like a truck.

Before he could even process much more, a soft giggle made him turn his head. Tessa sat beside him, elbows propped on the bed, hands cupping her cheeks as she watched him with a smile—one of those sweet, knowing smiles that made it damn near impossible to stay grumpy.

"Finally awake, sleepyhead?" she teased, eyes glinting.

Parker cracked an eye open, barely turning his head. Tessa was sitting beside him, her chin resting in her palms, watching him like she had all the time in the world. A teasing smile played on her lips, dark eyes twinkling with amusement.

Parker immediately masked the discomfort, pushing himself up with a stretch that felt way too forced,pushing past the pain like it wasn’t there. No weakness. No complaints. His body was wrecked, yeah, but he wasn’t about to let her see that. He met her gaze, lips twitching into a smirk.

"Morning, beautiful."

And then he leaned in, pressing a slow, lazy kiss against her lips.

Soft. Warm. The kind of kiss that made you forget injuries existed.

He glanced around, taking in the familiar sight of his bedroom—then his eyes landed on the clock.

Shit.

"Too late," he muttered. It was already past ten in the morning.

Tessa, as if expecting his reaction, reached out and placed a firm hand on his chest, stopping him from moving. "Relax. No need to rush."

"School," he said flatly, like it was an unchangeable law of the universe.

She arched an eyebrow, lips quirking up. "How about skipping today? After everything that happened yesterday, I think we both deserve it."

He hesitated for a second, then exhaled. Yeah, she had a point. He still wasn’t at a hundred percent—not physically, at least. A day off actually sounded good.

"Alright," he agreed. "...That might actually work," he admitted after a second.

Tessa grinned, clearly pleased with herself. "Good. Now, shower. You stink and I refuse to be around that."

Parker rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. She wasn’t wrong..

By the time they were done in the shower, the pain? Gone. Well, not exactly. More like forgotten. Completely overshadowed by other... activities—

Tessa’s things had already been moved into Parker’s walk-in closet, her presence blending seamlessly into his space. It was weirdly... nice. Like she now finally belonged there. It added a subtle touch of warmth, like her presence had settled into the house itself.

They got dressed, Parker throwing on his usual all-black ensemble while Tessa picked out something casual but undeniably her—elegant, form-fitting, and just the right amount of intimidating.

When they made their way downstairs, though—

"Well, well," a familiar voice called out, laced with amusement.

Ava Klein.

Sitting in his living room like she owned the damn place, clad in her usual crisp office suit, looking every bit the professional lawyer who also had zero business being here this early.

She smirked at them. "You two really are like newlyweds."

Tessa didn’t miss a beat. "We technically are."

Parker just exhaled. "I see we’re starting the morning with bullshit."

Ava chuckled but didn’t deny it.

They settled in.

Parker got straight to the point. "What’s the damage?"

Ava’s teasing smile dropped, professionalism sliding into place. "Everything’s been handled. Some minor details might have slipped through, but Tessa’s identity? Completely sealed."

His shoulders eased. That was the most important thing.

"Good," he said. "Thanks."

Ava nodded like it was nothing, then glanced toward the kitchen. "Breakfast?"

Later, they settled at the kitchen table for breakfast. The atmosphere was light, easy. Naomi had already left for school, which wasn’t surprising—unlike him and Tessa, she actually had some sense of responsibility. Even the female lawyer who had been around earlier had left when Ava arrived.

So now, it was just Parker, Tessa, Ava, Elena, and Ere—who, as usual, was perched on the counter, absolutely devouring a plate stacked with meat. Probably making up for the energy she had burned through yesterday.

Ava side-eyed the little creature. "She ever eat anything that isn’t meat?"

"No," Parker and Tessa said at the same time.

Ava snorted, her first time meeting Ere, the hard to impress cat, arrogant as her master.

Ere paused mid-bite to flick her tail, as if offended by the question. {Meat is superior.}

’Is there any meat you don’t eat?’

Ere barely glanced up, chewing. {Lies.}

Parker shook his head, letting the moment settle into the easy rhythm of casual conversation as they ate. A rare, peaceful morning. He exhaled. ’Yeah. This morning was... surprisingly normal.’ For now.