Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

Chapter 80 I don't hire lawyers—I send them

Parker sat bolt upright, nearly knocking Ere off his lap.

"Holy shit."

No more red tape. No more worrying about the IRS breathing down his neck. No more worries of feds lurking whenever he dropped insane billions.

The thought made him want to laugh. Hello, CIA, FBI—catch me now, suckers.

Ere blinked up at him, unimpressed. This idiot's really celebrating being able to commit financial crimes.

"Don't judge me," Parker grinned, standing up and scooping her into his arms. "You'd flex too if you were this loaded."

She just yawned dramatically.

****

By the time Parker arrived downstairs, the exclusive dining section was already set up—dim lights, soft music, the kind of place where rich people whispered instead of talked and the wine cost more than some people's mortgages.

Ava Klein was already there, perched in a high-backed chair with her phone face-down and a glass of sparkling water in front of her. She caught sight of him—and then Ere—and did a double take.

"...A cat?"

Parker smirked, sliding into the seat across from her while still cradling Ere. "Not just a cat. Her name's Ere. And yes, she's coming to dinner."

Ava blinked. "You're bringing your pet to a business dinner?"

Ere, as if on cue, meowed loudly in her direction.

Parker deadpanned. "Ere says you're being rude."

Ava pinched the bridge of her nose. "Of course she talks now too."

The waiter approached before Ava could interrogate further, dropping menus as he threw cautious glances at Ere, who was now perched on the table near Parker.

Parker ignored it, leaning back as the waiter scurried away.

Ava gave him a long, assessing stare. "You seriously bought out this entire section around us for privacy? Seems… excessive." Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

Parker just shrugged. "I like my space." Then, more serious, "Plus, we've got things to wrap up. I'm leaving for LA after this. Let's make it quick."

They ordered—Parker barely glanced at the menu before pointing at the most expensive steak. Ava, still half-distracted by the cat, ordered a salad like she was questioning her life choices.

"So," Parker leaned in, voice lower. "The contracts all finalized?"

Ava nodded, sliding a folder toward him. "Final signatures, Dubai estate, and the Monaco deal. Once you sign these, you're officially sitting on over four billion in assets."

Parker smirked, flipping the folder open. "Good. Then I can stop playing small."

Ava arched a brow but said nothing as he scrawled his name across the dotted lines.

And just like that—billion-dollar deal, signed and sealed.

Ere, meanwhile, swatted at a breadstick like she owned the place her eyes looking around.

The private dining area was stupidly elegant—crystal glasses, candles flickering, the kind of setup meant for people who wore old money like a cologne. A low hum of classical music played in the background, but it wasn't enough to drown out the soft thunk of Parker setting Ere on the table.

The fluffy creature stretched out like she owned the place, purring as Parker absentmindedly scratched behind her ears. Ava, seated across from him, had been too professional to say anything yet, but the way her eyes kept flicking between Ere and Parker? Yeah, she was curious.

"Seriously, Klein. Relax," Parker said, noticing her staring. "She's not gonna order the lobster."

Ava blinked. "I wasn't—" She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "It's just...a cat? At a business dinner?"

Parker smirked. "Again... She's not a cat. She's Ere." He gave Ere another scratch, earning a contented purr. "And she's smarter than half the guys you've probably worked with. Right, girl?"

Ere blinked slowly, which Parker took as agreement. Ava looked somewhere between amused and mildly concerned but shook her head as the waiter arrived, taking more orders—Parker getting a rare steak for Ere since she had even everything now, Ava still settling for a salad she had ordered previously which she clearly didn't care about.

For a while, they talked business. Finalizing the paperwork. Property tax strategies. Ava explaining something about offshore holdings that Parker half-listened to while scrolling through his system notifications in his head.

But then, as the steak arrived and Parker cut into it, a thought hit him. One of those thoughts. The ones that left most people speechless when he said them out loud.

He swallowed a bite, wiped his mouth, and leaned back casually. "Hey, Klein...so, uh...what would it take to buy a law firm?"

Ava froze. Like full-on glitch in the Matrix froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. "I'm sorry, what?"

Parker shrugged, like he hadn't just dropped a billionaire-sized nuke on the conversation. "You know. Buy one. Own it. Not flashy like stick my name on the damn letterhead or whatever. Someone maybe runs the place, of course. Seems...efficient."

She blinked. Twice. Then leaned forward, both elbows on the table like she needed to physically ground herself for this conversation. "Parker. That's...not how this works. You can't just...buy a law firm like it's a pair of sneakers."

He arched a brow. "Why not? People sell companies all the time. Hell, I could start one from scratch if I wanted, right?"

Ava exhaled sharply, setting her fork down. "Legally speaking? Sure. But law firms operate under different rules. Heavily regulated. Ownership often requires a licensed attorney as a majority stakeholder. You'd need someone like me—or a board of licensed lawyers—to hold controlling interest. Plus, firms build reputations over years. It's not just about money; it's credibility, legal standing, and a damn ton of paperwork."

Parker didn't flinch. Just nodded, considering it while Ere blinked up at Ava like she was the one being tested.

"So...what if I do have you as my partner?" His tone was too calm. Calculated. "You run it. My name doesn't have to be public. Call it...I dunno, 'Klein & Associates.' I just want full control without the headache of, you know, actually being a lawyer."

Ava opened her mouth. Closed it. She was this close to calling him crazy. The kid was a billionaire—clearly. But now he wanted to own an entire damn firm? And he'd only known her for...what, hours?

"Parker," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully, "why do you want a law firm? You already have my team. We're handling your real estate. What are you planning here?"

Parker leaned back, cutting another piece of steak. "Simple. I don't like asking people for help. If I own the whole firm, you answer only to me. No middlemen. No bullshit. If someone tries to sue me or pull some shady crap? I don't hire lawyers—I send them."

Silence.

Ava studied him, her salad long forgotten. The kid wasn't just rich—he was thinking rich. And the scary part? He wasn't wrong.

"Okay," she finally said, exhaling. "It can be done. But it'll take time. Vetting. Trust. And if I do this...you're not gonna micromanage every damn decision, are you?"

Parker smirked. "Please. I can barely think of myself sitting through those meetings without falling asleep. You're the boss to the public, I just give orders."

Ava shook her head, half laughing, half horrified. "You're insane."

"And you're underpaid."

A beat of silence.

Parker reached into his jacket, pulled out his phone, and—without a word—tapped the screen.

Ava's phone buzzed. She pulled it out, eyes widening. "Two million dollars?"

He winked. "Consider it a retention bonus. Stick around long enough, you might get more."

Ava just stared at him, like he'd just offered her the moon with a side of caviar.

"You're impossible," she muttered, shoving the phone back in her purse.

Ere blinked. Third-wheeling hard.

Parker grinned. "I know."