Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!-Chapter 251: Forced Viper

Once upon a time, he had stood there—watching. Surrounded by faces, all smiles. Fake smiles, of course. In his eyes, most of these people were just heirs to old money, their last names carrying more weight than their actual personalities. Their estates? Too pristine, almost too good, like the universe had glitched and given them the VIP package at birth.

Their kids? The crème de la crème, golden spawns of nepotism, always leading the crowd like it was their birthright.

And yet—there he was.

Standing among them now, among those auras that could make even divinities pause, recalculate, and maybe rethink their existence. But he wasn't backing down. No hesitation. No doubt. He radiated confidence, the kind only a self-made man could wear. Like a gold medalist who had spent years grinding in silence, only for life to finally whisper SUCCESS in his ear.

Emanating royalty!

And now? Everything was his.

The same went for this man—the one they never believed in. The one they dismissed. He stood above them all.

But dreams? Yeah, they always had the worst timing. Right at the peak, right when they were so damn good—they ended.

A voice. Light, teasing, full of playful mockery.

Something tickled his ribs. He flinched. A giggle followed.

"You asshole…" he muttered, voice groggy, somewhere between irritated and amused.

"You're welcome." Her voice oozed smugness, her fingers tickling him more, sending them into a near-laughing, half-wrestling mess of tangled limbs.

And then—another voice.

A boy's voice. Sharp. Angry. Like a Roman emperor delivering a final verdict, cutting through the moment like a blade.

And just like that, reality snapped back. Their roles. Their status. The invisible script they were all supposed to follow. The hate the one and girl were supposed to show eachother followed. Like that his only friend had been turned into a viper.

****

"So you're telling me you're some kind of prince—nah, the Prince of Existence," Elena started, already looking like she regretted her entire life. "And not just any prince, but some ancient entity who's been reincarnated nine times like a damn cosmic cockroach. And your big awakening? Accidentally triggered by that vampire bastard who kidnapped Naomi. And because of that, we got smacked with some kind of energy wave, and now we've got powers?"

She blinked at Parker, face blank.

Parker just nodded like this was the most normal Tuesday morning conversation.

Tessa, curled up beside him, sighed all content and dreamy, hugging his arm like he was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality. Meanwhile, Parker just kept absentmindedly petting her head like she was a particularly smug cat.

"Damn, I knew you were trouble when you walked in." Naomi snorted, still clutching the actual cat, who looked one second away from committing war crimes.

Elena side-eyed her. "Did you just—did you really just quote a song right now?"

Naomi shrugged. "It fit." She smirked. "I mean, it's a good song. And come on, tell me our boss doesn't have that whole untouchable, royalty vibe. Hell, when I first met him, I couldn't even connect him to the infamous Parker Black from school. He wasn't that kid anymore." She shrugged. "He was something else."

Elena groaned, rubbing her face. "God, I hate that you're right."

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"I know."

"Okay but hold up," Naomi added, glancing back at Parker. "So you're saying Ere isn't just some overpowered, pissed-off housecat. She's your magical — a Primordial beast you said—that has been following you since, what, your third life? Like… centuries?"

Erebus flicked her tail like she was personally offended by that phrasing.

Parker just smirked. "Not just her. There are more."

Naomi narrowed her eyes. "More?"

"And if you value a long, peaceful life," Parker continued, "you'll never do anything that could be considered impudent around those statues outside."

The silence stretched.

Naomi swallowed. "Uh. Duly noted."

Then Parker's gaze slid back to Tessa, and his smirk shifted into something softer. "Of course, you're the exception, ma femme. You're their mistress."

Tessa hummed, smug as hell, squeezing his arm like yeah, that's right.

Elena exhaled like she was about to have an existential crisis. Naomi just grinned like she was living for the drama. Erebus licked her paw, completely unbothered.

"Why the hell would I do anything to a statue? Wait… are you saying they're—"

Naomi was cut off mid-sentence as Parker raised a hand. Nope. Not going down that rabbit hole.

"So, what's next, we gotta prep for these 'Origin Families'? Your supposed subjects?" Elena asked, arms crossed, skeptical as ever.

Parker waved her off. "Ignore it. Just be yourself, whether they're around or not."

At the mention of the Families, Tessa shifted slightly, just enough for Parker to catch. He didn't say anything, but he knew what was on her mind.

Parker had told her everything more than he'd told Naomi and Elena—everything—including the part about Maya. His supposed woman. The one who had been his since his first life. She knew about Maya. About how, even in his first life, she had been his woman—his wife. And that shit was hard to process.

How the hell was she supposed to compete with that? A literal immortal royal? A woman who had been with him across lifetimes?

{You don't have to,} a voice whispered in her mind, smooth and reassuring. Tessa stiffened. She had been hearing this voice since she awakened, and weirdly enough, she trusted it.

{If there's one thing in that Prince's stubborn-ass head, it's his unconditional love for you. It's above everything in his life—everyone in his life. Don't be worried he loves his first woman more than you!}

Tessa exhaled. Right. That was true.

{To him, his main wives—aka you and Maya—are equal. Your status is just below his. You are not inferior to her.}

Tessa nodded, gripping the fabric of his sleeve. She didn't doubt Parker's love for her. Not even for a second. But damn, it was a little uncomfortable knowing Maya had history with him from a whole different existence—existences in fact. There was nothing she could do about that except accept it.

And, honestly? She should be proud.

She, a completely normal human, nothing more than a billionaire's daughter, stood at the same level as a literal queen of existence. If that wasn't the ultimate flex, she didn't know what was.

Billionaire's daughter? Pfft. Compared to Maya's whole-ass cosmic lineage, that was like flexing a kiddie pool next to the goddamn ocean.