Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

The quiet hum of the car filled the space between them, the glow of streetlights casting fleeting shadows across Parker's face as he drove. His fingers tapped idly against the steering wheel, his thoughts running ahead of him. Ere lay curled on the passenger seat, her golden eyes locked on him, unblinking, like she was peeling back his layers one by one. She always knew when something was up, and right now, the faintest shift in his demeanor practically screamed it.

"You know," Parker broke the silence, keeping his eyes on the road, "Tessa's back. She's staying with us again," he said, his tone flat, almost like he was announcing the weather.

Ere's ears perked up, but she didn't say anything at first. Instead, she tilted her head, watching him. And there it was—that tiny, almost invisible smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. She could see it, even if he was trying to hide it. There was a warmth in his expression she rarely saw, a palpable happiness that hung in the air like a secret he didn't want to admit.

"Hmm," Ere finally murmured, her tail flicking lazily. She studied him like a predator toying with its prey, her voice cutting through the silence. "You're really love her, huh?"

"Love?" Parker scoffed, shaking his head. "Ere, stop kidding yourself. I don't do love. Tessa… she's just—important, okay? Valuable. That's it."

Ere rolled her eyes dramatically, the corners of her mouth twitching into the faintest hint of a smirk. "Right. Sure, she's just 'valuable.' Is that your way of lying to yourself or your way of protecting her?"The words hit him harder than they should've, and for a second, he gripped the wheel tighter.

Parker didn't respond right away. His knuckles tightened on the wheel as if the act of steering could ground him in this conversation. Finally, he sighed. "Tessa…" His voice faltered, and for a moment, it seemed like he might actually say something honest. Instead, he let out a low, bitter laugh. "She's a beautiful lie in my ugly reality."

Ere blinked, intrigued. "A beautiful lie? What the hell does that even mean?"

He glanced at her briefly, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Why do people love life over death, Ere?"

It wasn't really a question, not one he expected an answer to, anyway. Still, Ere thought about it. For most beings, life was the obvious choice—it was familiar, comforting, and filled with fleeting moments of joy. Death, on the other hand, was an unknown void. But she knew Parker wasn't talking about fear or survival instincts.

He didn't wait for her to respond. "People don't choose life because it's better," he said, his voice calm but cutting. "They choose it because it's the prettier option. It's the same reason people pick lies over the truth—because lies are fucking easier to live with. They're prettier, shinier, and they don't hurt as much."@@novelbin@@

Ere tilted her head, but the truth was obvious. Life was familiar. Death was… something else.

The road ahead stretched into the dark, the faint glow of the estate's gates coming into view. Parker's voice carried on, low and steady. "You see, Ere, unlike others my life has been nothing but ugly truths. Cold, hard, relentless truths. I never experienced those beautiful lies in my life. Even now—with the system as you already know, the money, the powers—it's all just one big pile of ugly truths to me. Nothing beautiful about them to pose as beautiful lies, my life would've been filled with ugly truths even with all this... But Tessa. Tessa?" He paused, the corners of his mouth twitching as if he were laughing at some private joke. "She's different. She's the most beautiful lie I've ever known. The only Beautiful Lie in my life!"

Ere stayed silent, her ears twitching slightly. She knew Parker well enough to let him keep talking.

"I know what you're thinking," Parker said suddenly, his voice low, almost conversational, like he wasn't talking about something that gnawed at him constantly. "You're probably wondering if I'm giving her too much credit. If I'm holding her up on some pedestal like she's untouchable."

Ere, perched comfortably in the passenger seat, tilted her head with a slow blink. She didn't even bother lying. She nodded, her tail flicking once, like she was saying, Yep, exactly that.

Parker huffed out a quiet laugh, his lips twitching into a crooked grin. "Yeah, see, that's the thing. I don't think I am. If anything, I'm giving her less credit than she deserves."

Ere's ears twitched, curious but still quiet. She was letting him talk, which was rare enough on its own.

"She's the only beautiful lie that keeps me tethered to this mess I call my life." His voice softened, dipping into something more reflective, more raw. "Every time I see her smile, I'm reminded of how fleeting happiness really is. How much I've never actually had it."

The gates closed behind them with a low clang as Parker pulled the car into the garage. The engine rumbled one last time before sputtering into silence, the faint sound of cooling metal filling the void. Parker stayed seated, his hands still gripping the wheel, his head tilted back against the seat like he was trying to steady himself.

"But you know, Ere," he continued, his voice dropping into something quieter, more bitter, "all that's just bullshit excuses. If I'm being real, she's the one beautiful lie of them all that ties me back to my reality—the ugly truths. She balances my life between ugly and beautiful—the humanity balance. Without her, I don't even know what the fuck I'd be anymore." Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire

Ere watched him, her sharp golden eyes glinting in the dim light. She wasn't exactly the sentimental type, but even she could feel the weight of his words.

Parker sighed, finally pulling his hands away from the wheel. "TESSA IS THE GLITCH IN MY MATRIX," he said again, the words coming out softer this time, almost like he was admitting it to himself for the first time.

Without another word, he stepped out of the car, his boots hitting the concrete floor with a dull thud. Ere followed, but not by climbing out like a normal cat. Instead, her form dissipated into a puff of black smoke before reappearing, perfectly balanced on his shoulder.

She glanced at him, her tail brushing against his neck as she studied his expression. "Glitch, huh?" she murmured, her voice carrying a rare note of curiosity. She didn't push, didn't prod. Just waited.

But Parker didn't say anything else. He walked out of the garage, his shoulders straight, his steps steady. Whatever he meant by those words wasn't something he'd explain, not yet. Maybe not ever.

Ere let out a soft sigh of her own, her sharp gaze lingering on his profile as they moved through the quiet halls of the estate. She didn't understand everything he'd said, not fully, but she understood enough.

Tessa wasn't just important. She wasn't just another piece in his intricate game. She was the first and only True weakness of Parker Nyxilith Black.