Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!-Chapter 280: Foul Play Of Gods (Hidden Agenda)

In the back, Tessa and Atalanta were already clicking. Unlike her cold demeanor toward Maya, Tessa actually vibed with Atlanta. Probably because the Olympian had this calm, approachable aura instead of an arrogant one.

Not like Cleopatra.

He hadn't seen Tessa and Cleo face-to-face since their gym encounter, but judging from the online comment war they were engaged in, he could already tell—they were gonna hate each other.

He sighed. Great.

How many times had he been through this? His women vs. his friends.

It was always a fucking headache.

As he started the car, he glanced in the rearview mirror. Tessa and Atalanta were giggling at the screen. Weird. Not just the laughing—but the fact that they were both glued to a single phone.

Parker frowned. "You do know you both have your own phones, right?"

Tessa waved him off. "Shhh. It's funnier this way love."

Atalanta giggled. "It's more immersive!" Parker rolled his eyes. Right. Whatever the hell that meant. They had a different destination tonight. And as he pulled onto the dark streets, the city lights reflecting in the windshield, one thought nagged at him—

How the hell did Tessa warm up to Atalanta so fast?

And more importantly—

How much chaos was this new duo about to unleash?

He sighed and pressed the gas.

Whatever. He'd deal with it.

The Range Rover cruised through the city streets, neon lights flashing against the windshield as Parker drove in calm, brooding silence.

Meanwhile, in the backseat?

Absolute fucking chaos.

Tessa and Atalanta were still hunched over Tessa's phone, laughing like two drunk college girls on spring break. Whatever the hell they were watching, it had them wheezing.

Parker sighed. "Are y'all watching TikToks?"

Tessa barely glanced up. "And... It's important."

Atalanta nodded sagely. "This is cultural research."

Parker gave them a look through the rearview. "Cultural research, my ass."

Tessa ignored him, tapping the screen. "Oh my god, look at this one."

Atalanta leaned closer, and suddenly, both of them shrieked.

"NOOOO!"

"WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?"

Tessa clutched her chest like she had just been personally betrayed. "That cat trusted them!"

Atalanta gasped, eyes wide. "It got LAUNCHED. Like—pew!" She made an exaggerated hand motion, sending imaginary creatures flying.

Parker glanced at them. "Did y'all just emotionally invest in a cat video?"

Tessa looked personally offended. "FIRST of all, it was a kitten."

Atalanta nodded. "And SECOND, it's about the principle."

Parker snorted. "Right. The 'principle.'"

They ignored him, already onto the next clip.

Tessa gasped. "Oh. OH. You need to see this one."

Atalanta leaned in again, eyes sparkling with mischief.

Parker just sighed and kept driving. This was his life now. Two women in the back, losing their minds over cat compilations.

How the hell did this happen?

He didn't even know. But at this point?

He wasn't even surprised anymore.

The drive had settled into a comfortable rhythm—Parker focused on the road, the girls still scrolling through whatever TikTok hellhole they had fallen into. Everything was peaceful. Until Tessa, with absolutely no warning, hit Atalanta with:

"So… why the hell are you working as a waitress?"

Parker glanced at the rearview, curious. He'd lowkey wondered the same thing.

Tessa kept going. "Shouldn't earning money be, like, stupidly easy for Olympians? Just grab a few hundred kilos of gold, a handful of diamonds—boom. Millionaire."

Parker chuckled. "I actually thought about that before." He paused, then raised a brow teasingly. "Why don't y'all do that?"

Atalanta hummed softly, tapping a finger against her chin. "We were told to live normal lives. No using our powers for useless things like money—only when necessary."

Tessa scoffed. "Pfft. So gold is 'useless,' but y'all out here throwing fireballs and summoning lightning?"

Atalanta grinned. "Exactly."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "I mean, you could just, y'know… find a mine and do the rest."

Atalanta shook her head, amused. "Oh, we could." She leaned back against the seat, stretching slightly. "And honestly? We'd live pretty damn well if we did."

Tessa nodded, arms crossed. "Exactly."

Atalanta continued. "Buuut…" she smirked, "…we also have rules. And breaking them? Wouldn't sit well with the gods."

Tessa frowned. "That's dumb."

Parker chuckled. "Right?"

Atalanta shrugged. "Some of us follow the rules. Some…" her lips twitched, "…get creative."

Tessa's eyes narrowed. "Creative?"

Atalanta chuckled knowingly. "Cleopatra."

Tessa made a face. "Of fucking course."

Parker glanced at them, intrigued. "She actually did it?"

Atalanta grinned. "Oh yeah. Before we left the island, Cleopatra stockpiled pounds of gold and other treasure. That's how she bought us the mansion."

Follow current novels on freewebnσvel.cѳm.

Tessa clicked her tongue, unimpressed. "Rich, annoying, and a menace. Sounds about right."

Atalanta laughed. "I know you have a whole 'thing' with Cleo, but she's not that bad. Yeah, she's got a dark sense of humor—Ere and Nyx level. But she's kind-hearted. She takes care of us."

Tessa huffed. "Mm-hmm. Sure."

Atalanta smirked. "She literally made sure we had a place to call home. Bought us a mansion and everything we needed."

Parker raised a brow. "Everything?"

Atalanta nodded. "Everything—except cars. But we're good. We all got jobs for pocket money. Living a normal life is… fun."

Parker hummed, considering that. Normal, huh?

Tessa sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "I still think y'all should've robbed a mine."

Parker snorted. "What is with you and robbing mines?"

Tessa shrugged. "I respect the grind."

Atalanta just laughed.

Atalanta stretched her arms, smirking. "I mean, yeah, robbing mines would be fun as hell—like a heist movie, but make it divine." She flicked a stray strand of hair over her shoulder. "But in the gods' eyes, that'd be no different from harming humans. Even if it's indirect, we'd still be taking something that belongs to them without their consent."

Tessa groaned, slumping against her seat. "What is with you guys and these stupid rules?" She huffed. "What a boring-ass life to live. I bet my grandpa would agree with me on this one."

Atalanta shrugged, unbothered. "Eh. At least following the rules gives us a chance to live a new life—a second chance."

Tessa made a face. "Pfft. Second chance, my ass—" Then, without thinking, she nodded.

Parker, silent all this time, tapped his fingers against the wheel, deep in thought. He considered it. A second chance.

And then, before he could overthink, he spoke. "Atalanta… how come y'all are here?" Parker pressed on. "I mean, the old champions we used to read about in myths—hell, there are actual gods and goddesses walking around. Why?" His grip on the wheel tightened. "What's going on? How're you guys all here?"