Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

When his stomach finally growled loud enough to cut through his little sleep two hours later, he exhaled sharply, locking his phone to leave. The library felt colder than when he'd first arrived, or maybe that was just him. Either way, he needed food.

Just as he pushed open the heavy oak doors, his phone buzzed in his hand.

Naomi: Boss, I'm waiting at your classroom.

Parker blinked, thumb hovering over the keyboard before tapping back a quick reply.

Parker: Meet me in the library from the library. I'm heading out.

She replied instantly.

Naomi: On my way.

Satisfied, he slid his phone back into his pocket and stepped into the hallway.

The lunch time had clocked a few minutes ago, so the corridors were packed—rows of students spilling out of classrooms, talking, laughing, shoving each other in that rich-kid, zero-consequence way.

Luckily, he didn't get any weird glances. Most people outside his class didn't know who the hell he was, save for a few bullies from earlier this semester. To the rest of the student body, he was just another rich kid, though... the way he carried himself? Taller now, more controlled, more cold? Yeah, they probably thought he was some transfer from one of those obnoxious private academies on the east coast.

Then again, he did stand out. Just not as much as Naomi.

He saw her before she saw him, long before, actually. His senses were sharp, eyes cutting through the crowd like the entire student body was moving in slow motion. Naomi was coming toward him, easy to spot even among the sea of uniformed students. The faint shine to her skin like she'd just stepped out of a high-end skincare commercial.

Elena's work, no doubt.

She noticed him at almost the same time, her face lighting up slightly as she waved in his direction.

Parker gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. He wasn't the waving type.

When Naomi reached him, she greeted him softly, her voice respectful. No small talk. Just straight to business.

"Boss," she said, falling into step beside him as he turned toward the cafeteria. He didn't say much in return—just walked, hands in his pockets, as if she was some kind of errand girl trailing her boss. Which, honestly, wasn't far from the truth. Not entirely.

But while Parker might've been flying under the radar, Naomi? Not so much.

People noticed her. Heads turned. Whispers. A few lingering stares. She was already well-known around the school for her insane grades—probably the only person here who could pull a 4.5 GPA and make it look effortless. Now, though? With her refined look, the glowing skin, the perfectly pressed uniform?

She was drawing attention, and people were definitely wondering why she was walking so quietly beside him. Who the hell was Parker Black to make someone like her follow him like that?

Well... let them wonder.

The cafeteria was nothing short of ridiculous.

The place looked like it had been ripped straight out of a luxury hotel—high vaulted ceilings, modern chandeliers with those long dangling crystals, and massive windows letting sunlight flood the entire space.

The tables were not your typical lunchroom setup either. Dark polished wood, all square and round shapes with plush, high-backed chairs, everything arranged in a way that screamed excessively expensive. The smell of freshly cooked food hit him first—rosemary chicken, something with truffle, and the faint sweetness of pastries baked fresh for lunch.

The chatter filled the space like a constant white noise. Laughter. Phones buzzing. People calling each other across the room.

Parker, naturally, beelined for a four-seater table in the back corner, away from the heaviest clusters of students. He dropped into one of the chairs, half-sprawling, already pulling his phone out again as Naomi silently took the seat across from him.

She grabbed the menu, holding it lightly as she looked over the options. "What do you want to eat, Boss?"

Parker didn't look up. His focus was on a message thread—Cassidy's name glowing at the top of the screen.

Parker: You free later?

Cassidy's reply came almost instantly.

Cassidy: What do you need, troublemaker?

Seriously? he thought, rolling his eyes slightly before typing back.

Parker: Food first. Talk later. I will tell you then. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire

Naomi cleared her throat slightly, drawing his attention back to the menu.

"Boss?"

"Uh... whatever. Chicken. Something with protein," he muttered, waving a hand dismissively, eyes still on his phone. Naomi nodded, slipping away to grab the food.

She returned a few minutes later, placing the plate in front of him—a perfectly plated rosemary chicken breast with roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, and some gourmet bread on the side.

Parker finally looked up, locking his phone. "Thanks."@@novelbin@@

"Of course, Boss."

Naomi left again, returning shortly with her own plate—some kind of salad with grilled salmon, light but clearly pricey. They ate mostly in silence, the only sound between them the soft clink of cutlery and the low buzz of the cafeteria.

Until trouble arrived.

At first, it was subtle—just the faintest ripple.

Parker felt it more than saw it. A shift in the flow of energy around him, like the room itself was reacting.

Then, from the crowd, came Cleopatra.

She moved like she owned the damn place—head high, dark eyes scanning the tables as her heels clicked lightly against the floor. She was the most talked-about girl in school for a reason—impossibly attractive, statuesque, with a kind of magnetic presence that could shut down entire conversations the second she walked into a room.

And now she was heading right for him.

Parker's jaw tightened as she reached the table, pulling out a chair and sitting without waiting for permission.

"What a coincidence," Cleopatra said, lips curving into a practiced smile. "Who would've thought LA was so small? My gym student, right here at school."

Parker set his fork down, expression calm. He had already seen her on the blog days ago, the surprise by then was enough "Yeah... pretty wild. Didn't know you went here. Thought you were... You know, went somewhere around but not here."

"I used to. Transferred just this week. But you?" She tilted her head, clearly fishing. "I never imagined you were the private school type."

Parker shrugged. "Been here a while. Guess that makes you the newbie."

She laughed, trying to crack his cold exterior. But he didn't budge. Just kept eating.

Naomi, meanwhile, watched the exchange quietly, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as Cleopatra kept pushing for... whatever this was. And Cleopatra? She was starting to realize something too.

Parker wasn't playing along. And damn, was that making her curious.

*****

Thank you everyone for letting me know of the mistakes you find and I am trying to change them as we progress. Please I ask if you to be patient with this humble guy.