Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

Cassidy and Claire stepped out of the SUV like they owned the damn city. The vehicle was a beast—big, black, and the type that made valet guys rethink their life choices. Right in front of them? A towering, twenty-story skyscraper, all glass and steel, standing tall under the New York night.

The city lights bounced off its slick surface, making the whole place look expensive as hell.

Above the entrance, the building's name flickered in half-dead neon. Not that it mattered. Cassidy had already made sure the damn sign was coming down. The workers were at it, scrambling on ladders, stripping the letters like they owed her money.

And, well, they kind of did.

NovaCast Entertainment was on its knees, bleeding cash, and Cassidy? She was here to play her little games. The CEO needed millions, and she had them. But before she signed any checks, she had one tiny, petty demand—get rid of the agency's name. Wipe it off the building like it never existed.

Was this necessary? Hell no.

Was it hilarious? Absolutely.

Cassidy had been spending too much time with Ava. The Real Estate Avenger had corrupted her brain, and now here she was, pulling off power moves just for the fun of it.

Claire gave the skyscraper a quick glance before letting out a sly chuckle. "It's nice. No wonder you're paying so much to get it."

She wasn't talking about the building. Oh no. They could get 100 buildings better than this anytime if they wanted to.

She was talking about NovaCast Entertainment itself.

In reality, before Parker unapologetically nuked its reputation while dragging Robert Blackwood through the dirt, NovaCast had been an entertainment industry darling—young, hungry, and climbing fast. But after the scandal? It was like watching a plane nosedive into the ocean. Sure, the scandal alone wouldn't have been enough to destroy them completely, but the real industry giants?

They had been waiting for this moment. A thorn in their side had finally loosened, and they hadn't wasted a second stomping it into the dirt.

And now? Cassidy was here, standing over the wreckage, deciding if she wanted to buy the corpse.

But in trying to crush NovaCast, the entertainment giants had unwittingly handed Parker a golden ticket—an already established agency, fresh for the taking. And knowing Parker? That was going to be a problem.

"I know. And knowing Parker—" Cassidy started.

Claire smirked and finished, "It's just a stepping stone before he swallows others in the industry."

Cassidy nodded. Parker hadn't spelled out his next moves, but she didn't need him to.

Men like Parker—ambitious, relentless, insatiable—didn't stop at one win. This was just the start. Once his shiny new entertainment agency took its first baby steps, the real takeover would begin.

As they stepped inside the building, all eyes turned to them. It was impossible not to notice them.

The way they carried themselves, the sheer presence—it was the kind of confidence that made corporate men feel like unpaid interns. Cassidy, wrapped in a sharp purple suit, exuded that effortless power move energy. Claire, in a pristine white dress, balanced it with an untouchable elegance. Together? They looked like they were here to buy the whole damn building.

The smooth click of their heels echoed across the polished marble floors, each step a reminder that they didn't wait—they were waited on.

Cassidy glanced at Claire, raising a brow. "Okay, is it just me, or is your stomach bigger than last week?"

Claire shot her a look as their heels clicked in unison. "I don't know either. Our appetite's been crazy lately." She gave Cassidy a knowing smirk. "And by 'our,' I mean me and Alina. Maybe we should be worried."

Before Cassidy could roast her, a woman who practically screamed assistant energy approached them. Poised, professional, and moving with that rehearsed efficiency that only came from dealing with rich people daily, she gestured them forward.

"Ms. Callista is waiting for you."

Cassidy and Claire exchanged a quick glance before following her toward the elevators.

As the doors slid shut, Claire leaned against the mirrored wall, arms crossed. "By the way… what's up with Ava? She seemed off when she came back."

Cassidy huffed a laugh. "What'd you expect? She met with Parker."

Claire let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Right. That boy is a walking existential crisis. He's got numbers on her although she wouldn't admit."

Cassidy just grinned. Parker was exactly that. And soon, so would NovaCast Entertainment.

Claire nodded. Right. There was that.

The assistant, all professional and dead-eyed, didn't even flinch at their conversation. No raised brows, no side-eyeing, nothing. Just pressed the button for the twentieth floor and let the elevator do its thing, like she hadn't just heard two powerhouse women casually discussing a project so big it could buy out half of Delaware.

Claire cleared her throat. "So… uh, how far along are we with the land marking and all that? When do we start throwing bricks at the ground?"

Cassidy side-eyed her. "You mean, the office complex in Delaware? That one?"

"Yeah."

Claire thought for a second. "If we drown it in cash? A week."

Cassidy lifted a brow.

Claire smirked. "A fuck ton of cash. The whole thing's too damn big. Officials are gonna pull the usual 'oops, paperwork takes time' excuse and some other unnecessary laws till they bleed at least a million out of us."

Cassidy sucked her teeth. "A million? That, I'd pay."

Claire snorted. "Try five."

Cassidy's head snapped to her. "Five?"

Claire nodded, all serious. "You know how these hungry bastards work. The moment they see the scale of it, their greedy little souls will combust. They'll hold everything hostage till we pay them enough to fund their grandkids' college tuitions."

Cassidy clicked her tongue. "Parker's gonna love that."

Claire laughed. "Please. Knowing Parker? He'll pay them even more just to keep their damn traps shut about whatever the hell is really going down on that site."

Cassidy let out a deep sigh. "For real. That man's got spending issues. The bigger the price tag, the more he wants it." Right on cue, the elevator dinged open.

But just before they stepped out, the assistant—who had been robot-level unbothered till now—suddenly stiffened. A flicker of something passed through her expression. Like a realization hitting her way too late.

Oh. Oh.

She just figured it out.

The real buyer behind this whole damn thing.

The new boss of NovaCast Entertainment.