Parker side-eyed her. "A what?"
"A whore for control," she corrected, as if that made it any better. Then she grinned. "You like having your hands in every little piece of the ga, but you can't keep up with everything, amigo. Letting them work for you ans you own them."
Parker humd, still acting indifferent, even as his mind turned the idea over. 'Exactly what I was thinking.'
Ava didn't even let him speak before jumping back in. "Seriously, Parker, don't be stupid."
Tessa gasped again, clutching her chest. "She called you stupid—mon dieu, you gonna let that slide?"
Ava ignored her. "You need people who understand the ga. The tech world moves fast—do you really want to waste ti building a team from scratch when you have three prodigies right there?"
Elena finally spoke, her voice steady. "And let's be real," she said, leaning forward slightly, "you'd rather have them working for you than against you. They're loose ends right now."
That was the line that really sealed it.
Not that Parker wasn't already there, but hearing Elena phrase it like that? Like it was an inevitability rather than an option? That pleased him. He didn't show it, of course. Instead, he let the silence stretch just long enough to make them think he was still deciding.
Ava crossed her arms. "Oh my god. Parker. Just say it."
Tessa groaned, flopping back against the couch. "Dios mío, this is worse than watching paint dry. Just admit you're gonna do it so we can start planning how to make them shit themselves."
Parker exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly before finally speaking. "Fine."
Ava's smirk was instant. Tessa fist-pumped.
"Smart move."
Parker ran a hand through his hair, eyes gleaming with sothing dangerous. "But I'm not just hiring them." He tilted his head, a slow smirk creeping onto his lips. "I'm owning them." And he couldn't fucking wait to see their faces when they realized it. Parker stretched his arms over his head, exhaling slowly before finally deciding to put them out of their misery. "I already had this plan anyway."
The room went dead silent for half a second before—
"You fucking—" Ava stopped herself, dragging a hand down her face as Tessa actually gasped like she was witnessing a cri. Elena, ever the quiet observer, just exhaled through her nose, unimpressed but not surprised.
Tessa threw her hands up. "So you just let us run our mouths like we were coming up with your master plan?"
Parker smirked. "It was a good speech. Thought I'd let you get it out of your system."
Ava rolled her eyes, arms crossing as she muttered, "Unbelievable."
Tessa grumbled sothing under her breath before flicking his forehead, she fell in his chest, "You suck."
"I'm aware."
Elena tilted her head, her sharp eyes cutting through the playful tension. "Then why did you let us talk?"
Parker shrugged. "Wanted to see how well you all think. Besides, your reasoning was solid. They'll be more useful under than against ." He flicked his gaze toward Tessa and Ava. "But more than anything? You two need to work on your damn language."
Ava's lips twitched. "Oh, that's rich coming from you."
Parker gave her a look. "You both sound like you were raised in a saloon."
Tessa snorted. "Parker, we live in an era where even toddlers say 'fuck' before 'mama.'"
Elena sighed, clearly done with all of them. "And whose fault is that?"
Tessa grinned. "The internet's. And I, for one, am grateful."
Parker shook his head, deciding this conversation wasn't worth the brain cells he was losing. He pushed off the couch, giving Ava a pointed look. "You should head back to New York."
The shift in atmosphere was imdiate.
Ava's easy smirk faltered for a split second—so fast that most people wouldn't have caught it. But Parker did. And so did Tessa, who imdiately tugged to his arm, watching Ava closely like a cat watching a rival for its territory. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire
Ava played it off quickly, rolling her shoulders like it didn't bother her. "Yeah, I figured." But there was hesitation in her tone. A pause that hadn't been there before.
Parker watched as she stood, smoothing down her clothes like that extra second would help her gather herself. She turned toward her bag, clearly gearing up to leave, but her movents weren't as sharp as usual.
Tessa, still hugging his arm, leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "You do know she has a thing for you, right?"
Parker's lips twitched. He nodded. "Of course."
Tessa raised a brow. "Even though, you know, what happened with her, Claire, and Alina was more of a one-night thing?" Parker had opened up to her what happened that night as he didn't want to be in a complicated relationship full of secrets.
"Yeah."
"Even though Claire and Alina are married?"
"Yeah."
Tessa humd, watching Ava grab her coat. "Do you think they're all into you?"
Parker sighed. "I hope it's just Ava."
Tessa tilted her head. "You hope?"
Parker exhaled, shuddering slightly. "Can you imagine? A married lesbian couple, both in love with ?" He ran a hand down his face. "So fucking awkward."
Tessa let out a full laugh, shoving him lightly. "What, scared of won now?"
Parker just pulled her cheek, ignoring her yelp. "Stop letting your mind run wild."
Tessa stuck her tongue out at him but didn't push further. Instead, her gaze drifted back to Ava, who was now fully packed and standing near the door, shifting on her feet in a way that felt out of place for her.
Tessa sighed. "A farewell would be good for her, you know?"
"I know."
A beat of silence.
Then Tessa muttered under her breath, shaking her head. "Can't believe I'm just handing my man over on a silver platter to another woman. And with a smile on my face." She stretched, leaning her head on her knees, a mischievous smirk forming. "Well, I did go from servant to empress. Letting my man have a few concubines is the least I can do, right?"
Parker side-eyed her.
Tessa just grinned. "And while I'm at it… I should probably brace myself for my punishnt. Knowing you, him either planned it already or he's in the process of scheming." She humd, tapping her chin. "Well, we'll see what you've got in store for this empress of yours."
Parker walked over to Ava, stopping just close enough that she had to tilt her head up slightly to et his gaze. He didn't say anything. Just reached for her, pulled her in, and kissed her.
Ava stiffened for all of one second, eyes widening slightly as if he had genuinely caught her off guard. But then, she lted into it, her fingers curling against his shirt as she kissed him back.
For a mont, she forgot all about New York.
Reviews
All reviews (0)