Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!-Chapter 167: Detained—Gods At Play

When Tessa reached the car, the murmur of the crowd grew louder. The sirens were deafening now, the flashing red and blue lights reflecting off the polished windows of the boutique.

Parker turned to face the onlookers, his blooded hands slipping casually into his pockets. He scanned their faces, his gaze landing briefly on the boutique manager. The man stared back, his expression unreadable, but there was a flicker of understanding between them.

Parker tilted his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. It was almost like he was saying, Don’t get in my way. Just watch. The manager said nothing, his arms still crossed as he stepped back into the doorway, signaling to the guards to stay put.

Before anyone else could react, the police arrived.

The flashing red-and-blue lights bathed the street in a chaotic glow as the sirens blared, piercing through the stunned silence of Rodeo Drive.

The police officers moved with the kind of sharp precision that only came from years of practice. Two of them immediately rushed to the man Parker had pummeled, crouching down to check his swelling face and bleeding nose. The guy looked like he’d just survived a round with a heavyweight boxer—eyes nearly swollen shut, blood trickling from his split lips, his entire face a grotesque map of bruises.

Parker, standing a few feet away, just watched with cold detachment, the knuckles of his right hand coated in crimson.

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"Sir, we’re going to need you to step aside," one of the officers said, his voice firm but calm as he gestured for Parker to move back. Parker raised his hands in a mock surrender, stepping away from the beaten man, his breathing eerily controlled despite the raw fury still simmering in his chest. Find adventures on novelbuddy

Another officer barked into his radio, calling for immediate medical assistance. The crowd had grown thicker, spilling out from nearby stores, their murmurs like the buzz of a thousand bees. No one dared whip out their phones to record—it was like an unspoken rule not to intervene, not here, not now.

Parker’s gaze swept over the scene, locking eyes briefly with Tessa, who stood trembling near the Rolls. She looked pale, her eyes glossy with unshed tears, her hands clutching Ere tightly to her chest. The sight tugged at something in Parker, but he shoved it aside. He had bigger shit to deal with right now.

"Alright, buddy, you wanna tell us what the hell happened here?" an officer asked, clipboard in hand, his expression a mix of annoyance and curiosity. Parker’s eyes flicked to the man, then back to the ground where the blood had started pooling.

"We were settling an old grudge," Parker said flatly, his voice void of emotion. "It was me. I attacked him."

The crowd erupted into gasps, whispers rippling like a wave through the onlookers. Even the guy on the ground, clutching his likely-broken ribs, stared up at Parker in shock, like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

"Wait, so you’re saying this was all you?" The officer frowned, glancing between Parker and the man on the ground.

"Yeah," Parker nodded, his jaw tight. "It was my fault. I hit him first. I’m guilty."

Tessa’s soft sob echoed faintly near the car, her voice trembling as she pressed her forehead against the window. Parker didn’t look at her this time. He couldn’t.

The officer turned to the man, who was now sitting up with help from the medics, his face an unrecognizable mess. "What about you? Is that true?"

The guy hesitated, his brain scrambling to process the situation. On one hand, if he told the truth—that he’d been caught sexually harassing a young girl—it wouldn’t just be Parker’s fists he’d have to deal with. There were cameras everywhere, and this crowd didn’t look like they’d let a predator walk away clean. And who the fuck knew who the girl was? She could’ve been the daughter of some big-shot for all he knew.

But Parker’s story? It handed him a golden ticket. If Parker wanted to play the villain, then fuck it—he’d be the victim.

"Yeah… Yeah, that’s right," the guy croaked, his voice shaky. "We had some… history. He started it."

Another wave of gasps rippled through the crowd, louder this time. Some people exchanged nervous glances, while others outright scowled, clearly unconvinced. A few brave souls stepped forward, but when the officers questioned them, they hesitated, uncertain. The tension in the air was suffocating.

The officer sighed, clearly frustrated. "Alright, Mr. Black. You’re being detained for assault. Turn around, hands behind your back."

Parker complied without resistance, his movements smooth and deliberate. The officer recited the standard Miranda rights as he cuffed Parker, his voice almost robotic.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights?" Parker nodded.

"Anything on you we should know about? Weapons, contraband?"

"Nope."

The officer patted him down anyway, his hands searching Parker’s pockets and belt. Once satisfied, he gestured toward the squad car waiting at the curb.

As they escorted him past the crowd, Parker glanced toward the Rolls. Tessa was inside, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. For a moment, their eyes met, and Parker offered her a small, almost imperceptible smile, as if to say, It’s okay. I’ve got this.

Inside the car, Tessa clutched Ere tighter, her tears flowing freely now. "This is my fault," she whispered, her voice cracking. "It’s all my fault."

The sales associate who’d been helping her earlier approached the car with a somber expression. "Miss, your items have been packed. Where should we send them?"

Tessa wiped her face hastily and gave the address of Parker’s penthouse, her voice barely audible. The associate nodded, handing her the receipt.

As the squad car pulled away, Parker’s figure grew smaller in the distance, but his composed smile was burned into her mind.

Tessa drove away in silence, tears streaming down her cheeks. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles white. "If I wasn’t so weak… if I wasn’t so fucking useless…" Her voice trembled, breaking into soft sobs as Rodeo Drive disappeared in the rearview mirror.