Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!-Chapter 189: Deals and Devil’s Leash

Parker exhaled, finally sinking into the couch, letting his head tip back slightly. That was the first step handled—the easiest one, and even that had been a fucking mess. The cyber brats? Dealt with. But that was just the prologue to this bullshit. Everything after this? A whole different level of complicated, like stepping into a game where the difficulty was cranked up to hell mode.

He rolled his shoulders, shaking off the lingering tension from the little digital war he just waged. His mind was already moving to the next phase—because, yeah, he’d been considering what to do with those hackers long before this conversation. The thought had lodged itself in his brain the moment they tried to breach Naomi’s phone.

Talented, reckless, and already deep in the game? That wasn’t something you just discarded. But he wasn’t about to say that out loud.

****

The atmosphere in the living room had shifted. The TV was still on, still playing whatever mindless movie they had started, but none of them were paying attention to it anymore.

Because they were all staring at him.

Ava, Elena, and Tessa. Three pairs of eyes, locked onto him like he had just walked out of a damn portal from another universe. Like he had done something insane—pulled off a god-tier heist from the comfort of the couch. Which, technically, he had. Just not in a way they could see.

Tessa was the first to move. She got up, stretching her arms lazily before strolling over, her brows furrowed like she was trying to put the puzzle together. "Okay, spill. What the hell are you up to over there?"

Parker just lifted two fingers, beckoning her closer, his expression unreadable. Ava followed, slipping into that confident stride like she wasn’t about to let him get away with brushing this off.

Elena, though? She didn’t move. Didn’t speak. She just watched, eyes laser-focused, fingers curled against her leg, dissecting every single reaction he had made in the last ten minutes. She wasn’t just observing—she was analyzing.

Parker smirked slightly, shaking his head before pushing off the couch and cracking his neck. "I was handling something."

Ava crossed her arms, lips twitching. "Yeah, no shit. What?"

Pyris’ voice echoed in his head before he could decide how much to say. Might as well tell them. They’ll figure it out anyway.

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So, he explained.

Not everything—he wasn’t an idiot. Some details were better left unspoken. But he laid out the basics. The breach. The tracking. The new security system. The fact that Naomi wasn’t going to be blindsided like that again. By the time he was done, Ava was tapping her chin, her eyes narrowed in thought.

"As long as she’s fine!" They let out a sigh of relief. Tessa suddenly snapped her fingers. "Ava, tell me we’re on the same wavelength right now."

Ava exhaled, shaking her head. "If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, then yeah." She tilted her head, eyes sharp. "Boss should recruit them." Parker didn’t react. Not outwardly, at least.

But internally? There it is.

He had already thought about this—was waiting to see if they would say it. And now? They were saying it.

Parker just arched a brow, playing along. "They just tried to hack into Naomi’s phone."

"And failed." Ava raised a brow right back at him. "Spectacularly, might I add."

Tessa nudged his shoulder, all grins and mischief. "Come on, don’t act like you don’t see it. You’re moving too fast, Parker—at some point, you won’t have time to sit around handling cyber warfare. You need people for that."

Ava picked up the thread seamlessly. "And these guys? They just threw themselves at your feet."

Parker let out a short laugh, running a hand through his hair like he wasn’t already halfway convinced. "Oh, yeah. Because I’m dying to work with three panicked teenagers who just got their entire existence hijacked in real time."

Ava smirked. "That’s exactly why you should. They’re good, Parker. Scary good. Do you even realize how hard it is to pull the shit they just attempted? They were fast. Efficient. If you weren’t you, they might’ve actually gotten through."

Parker didn’t answer. Because she wasn’t wrong.

Tessa leaned against the couch, smirking. "Besides, wouldn’t it be so fun to make ’em sweat a little first? You already scared the hell out of them. Imagine the mindfuck if you suddenly flipped the script and told them to work for you instead."

Parker’s lips twitched. That was already part of the plan, sweetheart.

And then Elena finally spoke, voice calm but cutting straight through the noise. "You’d be giving them a leash, Parker. And let’s be real—they’re better off on your leash than someone else’s."

That hit differently.

Because that? That was exactly the kind of thought that would’ve cemented the decision in his mind—if he hadn’t already made it. Parker exhaled, rolling the idea around in his head for show. The truth? He was already mapping it out. The logistics. The integration. The how of it all.

He had planned on hiring cyber specialists eventually—professionals, handpicked, vetted. But these three? They were already in the game. Already bending and breaking rules. Already outside the system. And right now? They were desperate. They’d do anything to crawl out of the mess he had dropped them into.

And he didn’t need to worry about their loyalty.

Ava leaned in slightly, eyes gleaming like she knew he was already convinced. "I know how your mind works, Parker. You’ve already won. This?" She gestured vaguely, like the whole thing was obvious. "This would be a power move. You’d take a bunch of rogue hackers and turn them into your own personal cyber strike team."

Parker didn’t respond immediately.

Not because he was unsure. But because now? He was thinking about how much fun it was going to be. Because the best part? They thought they were convincing him. It was fun to tease them a few times.

Parker leaned back, stretching one arm over the couch as he let their words sink in, expression unreadable. He didn’t need convincing. Hell, he had already made his decision before Ava even opened her mouth. But watching them come to the conclusion on their own? That was the fun part.

Ava was pacing now, fingers tapping against her arm, clearly thinking a mile a minute.

Tessa had fully sprawled out, one leg over the armrest, her head tilted as she studied Parker like she could crack him open with sheer willpower. And Elena—she was just staring, sharp and calculating, like she had already connected the dots before anyone else.

Parker was already weighing his options. The cyber kids were desperate, which meant they’d be easy to leash. He’d keep them on edge, make them sweat a little longer before flipping the script. But first? He wanted to hear what his girls had to say.

Ava exhaled sharply, snapping her fingers as if sealing the thought in place. "Merde." She turned to Parker, eyes gleaming. "You should hire them no matter what I am telling you seriously." Again Parker didn’t respond immediately, just quirked a brow.

Tessa sat up dramatically, gasping like he had just shot down her dream wedding proposal. "Oh, come on! You know this makes sense." She scooted closer, poking his shoulder. "Don’t be a stubborn billionaire."

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Parker side-eyed her. "A what?"