The morning was indeed too damn peaceful.
The kind of morning Parker didn't get often—the kind where he wasn't juggling supernatural bullshit, corporate warfare, or so god-tier drama. Just a simple morning. Light breakfast, soft chatter, TV playing in the background. Even he had let himself get lost in it, leaning back into the couch, eyes lazily focused on the screen.
Maybe, just maybe, he could pretend he was normal for a second.
Until he wasn't.
[Hey, lazy host.]
Parker exhaled through his nose. "What's up, mom?" he muttered, rolling his eyes. Because, of course, it had to be the system. Lately, it had been acting more like Erebus than the cold, robotic interface he was used to. No—scratch that. It was worse than Ere.
[Are you seriously forgetting sothing this important? While you're basking in the useless soft glow of the morning?]
Parker frowned. "First of all, this morning isn't useless, I needed this. Second—" He paused, replaying yesterday in his head. "—I don't think I forgot anything."
[Really? Like Ere says, you're a blockhead.]
Parker groaned. "Remind again, who's the master here? Oh right, not , because apparently I'm just a 'host' for you."
[Ohhh, you finally get it. Congrats, dumbass.]
He ran a hand down his face. "You know, if you're gonna insult , at least tell what I forgot instead of dragging through the dirt."
[Oh wow, thanks for asking nicely. Since you pleaded with such good manners, I'll tell you.]
"Fuck off."
[Yesterday. You got a notification alert. About sothing important.]
Parker froze. Then, under his breath—"Oh, shit."
[Ding ding ding, there's my genius host.]
He imdiately peeled Tessa off him—who, by the way, had been hugging him like a damn koala—and stood up. "I need my laptop."
Tessa blinked. "What's with the sudden seriousness?"
"Annoying work."
That was all they got before he disappeared into his room. When he ca back, laptop in hand, he didn't sit with them. He dropped himself onto the single-seater, cracked open the screen, and got to work.
The notification the system had reminded him about? Yeah, it was one of his security alerts—the ones that would trigger if anyone tried to install spyware on the phones of people close to him.
And Naomi's phone had been bugged. But he had received it when he was going to deal with the annoying pest he had to dispose off.
Parker stared at the log, feeling a headache creep up his skull. "Who the fuck," he muttered under his breath, "would be out of their damn mind enough to target my innocent maid?"
Well. Ti to find out.
A soft ding! echoed in Parker's head, followed by the system's usual dramatic flair.
[Mission Generated!]
Mission: Protect Infinity Loyalty
Rewards: Bottle of Loyalty Pills!]
Parker blinked. Then snorted. Then full-on chuckled.
"Loyalty Pills? What the actual fuck—" He shook his head, a slow grin creeping onto his face. "You fucking psycho system. I love you."
The system, of course, remained silent, because apparently, it could dish out the insanity but not take a complint. Typical.
****
See, Parker's software wasn't so basic antivirus bullshit. No, no, his software didn't just stop hacking. It did way more than that.
Because he wasn't just about blocking spyware. He was about tracing it.
Problem was—he had fucked up.
He had programd the software to give him a 48-hour window before completely wiping out enemy spyware. The idea was simple: if he ever missed an alert, it would buy him ti in any case if he he'd forgotten—like right now— and later to track the source.
Buuut in those 48 hours, the spyware could still function in limited capacity. Which ant whoever planted it? They could've been gathering information this whole ti. Not good.
Luckily, Parker wasn't stupid, although he'd made a mistake in designing the software itself. His software worked like an AI, automatically securing and encrypting the most sensitive data on the phone. So while the spyware could track Naomi's location, it wouldn't have accessed anything actually important—not like there was anything to find on her. The girl was so clean that she'd give the WHITE HOUSE a run for it's money!
Still. This wasn't so random phishing attempt. Soone had deliberately gone after Naomi.
Parker's fingers drumd against the keyboard. "Guess it's ti to dig up whoever's behind this." This went beyond just a mission, it was did. Parker was overprotective even for his maid.
After all without considering anything else, Naomi and Elena were like a portal into his enclosed sanctuary.
****
Parker sat back in his chair, fingers flying across the keyboard like a goddamn pianist at a concert. Naomi's phone had been bugged. By who? He didn't know yet.
Did he care? Not really.
Because whoever it was? They were about to have a very bad fucking day. The spyware had been sitting there, lurking, quietly siphoning data for nearly forty-eight hours. Smart. It disguised itself like a background process, mimicking legit apps, moving with stealth.
But here's the thing.
Parker's security wasn't just good—it was surgical. His software had already isolated the spyware, analyzing every line of its code before he even sat down. It didn't just stop the hacking; it cataloged everything. Where it ca from. How it worked. Who it talked to.
And now?
Now it was ti to end it.
His fingers tapped a few keys. Execute.
Naomi's phone? Scrubbed.
Spyware? Fucking obliterated. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
And the best part? The planter—whoever the hell they were—had no fucking clue. Yet. Now, most people would've gone in quietly, traced the source like a polite little detective, maybe even waited to collect more data.
Parker?
Nah.
He was about to let these clowns know exactly what kind of monster they just pissed off. Instead of hiding his presence, he did the opposite. He slamd into their network loudly.
He let his digital footprint stomp all over their system, like a goddamn wrecking ball crashing through their front door. No finesse, no subtlety—just pure, violent intrusion. And the mont he did?
They'd fucking notice—that's what he wanted.
Parker cracked his knuckles, eyes sharp as he watched the lines of code shift across his screen. Normally, tracking soone through spyware was damn near impossible—it was designed to be a one-way mirror, not a fucking homing beacon. But who was Parker?
A blockhead according to Ere and his "mom" (the system). A nightmare according to his enemies. And a cheat code when it ca to breaking the rules of cyberspace.
His fingers flew over the keyboard, bypassing encryption, digging through layers of digital noise until—
There.
A pin on the map.
A location that shouldn't have been possible to find.
Parker's brow lifted. "Huh."
They weren't in so dark basent or a shitty apartnt filled with empty Red Bull cans and dying LED strips. Nope.
They were in a damn mansion.
Parker whistled low. "Damn. Y'all living like kings, huh?"
He leaned back, eyes scanning the satellite view. The place was massive—three stories, a sleek driveway with a Tesla parked outside, a backyard that had an actual fucking pool shaped like a guitar.
They weren't just so desperate kids taking dirty gigs to survive.
They were well off. Probably from money.
Which ant this? This hacking gig?
It was just a ga to them, or that's how it looked, like.
Parker's expression darkened.
They weren't starving, they weren't struggling. They just wanted extra cash and thought it'd be fun to ss with his people?
He didn't know but he was going to find out and that would determine their fate!
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