Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

"Excuse me," she said, voice smooth but slightly clipped. Without another word, she turned and made her way toward the bar.

Ava leaned closer, murmuring, "What the hell was that about?"

Parker didn't answer. His gaze was already locked on Cassidy as she disappeared into the crowd. Something wasn't right. He could feel it. The energy in the room hadn't changed for the others, but his senses—that other part of him—picked up the faintest pulse. Wrong. Twisted.

The system flickered in the corner of his vision as he focused, scanning to where Cassidy was heading. And there he was.

[Name: Ragnis Cortez

Age: 100+

Race: Demon

Power Level: Ascended

Superpowers: Darkness Manipulation, Hellfire.

Strength: 450

Agility: 430

Stamina: 460

IQ: 140

Corruption/Purity: 100% evil and villain!]

[Ding! Host can't see abilities of individuals not connected to host!]

What an status! Parker had nearly took a step back. He didn't see the abilities as like the system had said, he knew the reason.

He looked at the demon with squirted eyes.

Tall. Sculpted. Late twenty-million-dollar good looks even though his age broke into three figures. Pale gray eyes that practically glowed under the club's dim lighting. The kind of face that turned heads. But Parker wasn't stupid. This wasn't just some pretty boy here to stir the pot.

And Cassidy—damn it, she knew who he was. They were acquainted in some way that wasn't so good it seemed.

He stood slowly, adjusting his jacket, feeling the weight of eyes on him. Ava, Alina, and Claire exchanged looks but didn't stop him. They could tell he wasn't asking for permission.

As he wove through the crowd, the music dulled, a steady pulse matching the thrum in his chest. His fingers flexed slightly, resisting the urge to call on power. Not here. Not now. But he was ready.

Cassidy stood at the bar, her back straight, shoulders squared, but Parker caught it—the slightest tension in her stance.

The demon was speaking, his face inches from Cassidy's, voice as smooth as silk laced with poison. Parker couldn't hear the words—didn't need to. The look on Cassidy's face told him enough. She wasn't scared. Not exactly. But wary? Definitely.

Then the demon shifted, his eyes flicking past her as if he had sensed something unusual.

And met Parker's.

Challenge accepted.

Parker closed the distance,"Relax. You're just a rich guy protecting your employee. Let him think that. Let him be comfortable." He said to himself.

"Problem here?" He stopped just behind Cassidy's shoulder, voice smooth but carrying weight.

The demon barely reacted, eyes lingering on Parker with the faintest curl of a smile. The kind meant to make a man feel small. Except it didn't work. Cassidy turned slightly, just enough to see him.

Cassidy blinked, surprised. "Parker—"

"I was just having a private conversation," the demon said smoothly, voice silk but laced with venom. "Business, you understand. Nothing your... employee can't handle." Oh, so he knew he had hired her? How? Had he been following her around?

Definitely!

Parker didn't blink. "I'm sure she can. But...You're standing here, in my space, talking to my people. So yeah, I think I give a damn."

A beat passed.

The demon's smile stayed, but his eyes shifted. Evaluating. Calculating. Then came the tilt of his head, the subtle narrowing of his gaze.

"Do you know who you're speaking to, boy?"

The insult was casual. Testing.

Cassidy's hand brushed Parker's wrist, a silent warning. But he didn't need it.

He smiled. Calm. Cool.

"Oh, I know exactly what you are."

The demon flinched—just a flicker, a microsecond, but Parker caught it. Before he could react, Parker followed through, voice dropping to a dangerous calm.

"A man who thinks he can corner a woman at a bar and throw his weight around. Is that it? Or did you need a private booth to flex harder?"

The demon's eyes narrowed. His energy stirred beneath the surface, but he didn't let it flare. Couldn't.

Not here.

Not in a place surrounded by the elite. Cameras. Influence. He could feel it now—Ava Klein, Alina, Claire—all watching from the lounge, dressed in power. The kind of people you didn't want to cross without knowing their names.

And Parker?

Fuck, what if he was connected?

The kid was young, sure. Cocky, yeah. But those suits weren't cheap. The women around him? Not influencers. Not models. Power. Legal power in the mundane world where he can't just use his power as he wants.

What if he wasn't just rich?

What if he came from one of those families? The ones you didn't mess with.

The demon straightened, smoothing his lapels. "I see. Just looking out for your staff, then. Admirable." His voice was back to smooth venom, but the tension was gone. Calculated retreat.

Parker didn't move. Didn't blink... And then the demon's gaze lifted, he then leaned in just slightly, a whisper.

"We'll meet again." Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Parker? He smiled. Cold. "Sure. If you're still standing."

The demon's smirk flickered—gone.

And then he left.

Cassidy exhaled, slower than she meant to. "You didn't have to do that."

He turned to her, gaze steady. "Yeah, I did."

And for the first time—Cassidy saw it. Really saw it. Not the kid she once knew. Not just her boss.

A man. He didn't need to say a damn thing. His actions had already spoken loud enough. "Let's get back to the others," he said, voice calm but final.

But as they returned to the table, Parker couldn't shake the thought—that wasn't over.

The moment he was gone, Cassidy exhaled, tension bleeding from her shoulders.

But even as they returned to the table, Ere stirred in his shadow—silent. Watching.

Because this wasn't over. Not even close. Will he encounter this demon again? Sure he will. And the way he had retreated was enough for Parker to know the demon had rules binding him, rules he had to follow and... He had assumed Parker had some deeper influence to the big forces? Parker didn't know.

But it will take long before the demon comes by back to mess with Cassidy.

As for questions? Not now!