Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System! - Chapter 427

Chapter 427: Callista Nova Plea
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, revealing Callista Nova stepping into the impossible lobby. At thirty-two, she possessed the kind of natural elegance that couldn’t be taught in finishing schools. Her long, lustrous brown hair cascaded past her shoulders in perfect waves that caught the lobby’s impossible lighting, framing a face of striking beauty—high cheekbones, full lips painted in professional coral, and intelligent dark eyes that missed nothing.

Her cream-colored sleeveless top was impeccably tailored, paired with a charcoal pencil skirt that spoke of expensive taste without being ostentatious.

Diamond earrings caught the light as she moved with the confident grace of someone who had earned her position through competence rather than connections.

She spotted Cassidy and Ava first, offering them the practiced smile of professional familiarity.

“Ladies, good to see you again.” Her eyes moved to Parker, and that’s when her carefully maintained composure cracked seeing the two unruly women being so respectful to him.

“This is our boss?” The words escaped before she could stop them, her gaze taking in Parker’s youthful appearance with barely concealed shock.

She’d been expecting someone matching the gravitas of his reputation—distinguished, seasoned, radiating the kind of earned authority that came with years of experience. Instead, she was looking at what appeared to be someone who should be in college rather than commanding corporate empires.

“Mr. Black,” Cassidy supplied smoothly, “meet Callista Nova. She’s been waiting for us.”

Callista recovered quickly—you didn’t survive in her position without adaptability—and extended her hand with practiced poise. “Sir, it’s an honor to finally meet you in person. I’ve heard… stories.”

“I’m sure you have,” Parker replied with a smile that contained multitudes, accepting her handshake. If Callista noticed the subtle crackle of energy where their skin met, or the momentary feeling of standing on the edge of an infinite abyss, she gave no indication beyond a slight widening of her expressive eyes.

“I was expecting someone…” she began, then caught herself with the diplomatic grace that had served her well in corporate settings.

“Older?” Parker supplied. “I get that a lot. Age is just perception, Ms. Nova. Results are what matter.”

Ava watched the familiar scene unfold with barely concealed amusement. Another professional struggling to reconcile Parker’s appearance with his reputation—it never got old.

“Actually,” Parker said, pausing mid-stride in the impossibly long corridor, “let’s take a moment.” He gestured toward a seating area that had been built into an alcove—plush chairs arranged around a low table in what appeared to be a small waiting area.

“I realize we’ve never properly met, Ms. Nova.”

Callista blinked, her corporate instincts warring with the surreal environment. “Of course, Mr. Black. I appreciate you taking the time.”

As they settled into the surprisingly comfortable chairs, Parker studied her with those ancient eyes that seemed far too knowing for his apparent age. He knew how to get to her heart so he started;

“I should apologize for the circumstances of our… association. The acquisition of your agency wasn’t exactly planned.”

Callista’s composure tightened slightly. The memory of that particular disaster was still fresh—how her agency had been mysteriously used to provide influencers for what turned out to be Robert Blackwood’s downfall at that yacht party. The fallout had nearly destroyed everything she’d built from scratch. “Water under the bridge, sir. These things happen in business.”

“Do they?” Parker’s tone was conversational, but there was something else beneath it. “Your agency was about to collapse completely. The Blackwood scandal had poisoned every potential client relationship you had.”

She nodded, not trusting her voice. The week following that disaster had been the darkest of her professional life—watching a decade of work crumble because she’d taken what seemed like a straightforward influencer booking.

“And then I bought it,” Parker continued, as casually as discussing the weather. “Not exactly a typical rescue scenario.”

“No sir, it wasn’t.” Callista chose her words carefully. “Most acquisitions involve due diligence, negotiations, market analysis. Yours was more… immediate.”

“I had my reasons.” Parker’s smile suggested depths she couldn’t fathom. “What matters is that you maintained operational control. More than ten percent ownership, full management authority? That’s unusual for a buyout situation. You agree we were generous, right?”

Cassidy and Ava exchanged glances. They’d handled the paperwork for that acquisition, but even they didn’t know all of Parker’s motivations.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to rebuild,” Callista said diplomatically. “The agency is performing well under the new structure.”

“Nova Entertainment,” Parker mused, his tone shifting to something cooler, more calculating. “I heard you want to keep the name. Most people would have rebranded after that kind of scandal.”

“The name represents what I built, not what others destroyed.” There was steel in her voice now, the same determination that had gotten her this far. “I wasn’t about to let someone else’s mistakes erase my identity.”

Parker nodded, but his expression remained unreadable. “Actually, that brings up an important point. We’ll be restructuring the entire entertainment division under a unified brand. The Nova Entertainment name will need to change.”

The words hit Callista like a physical blow. Her perfectly composed expression cracked, revealing the raw panic beneath. “Mr. Black, please—”

“It’s a business decision,” Parker continued with the casual indifference of someone discussing weather patterns rather than dismantling someone’s life work. His eyes held no warmth, no recognition of her distress—just cold assessment. “Brand consolidation is more efficient.”

“You don’t understand,” Callista said, her voice breaking slightly as she leaned forward in her chair. “I built Nova Entertainment from absolutely nothing. I started in a studio apartment with a laptop and a dream. I worked eighteen-hour days, lived on ramen for months, pitched to hundreds of clients who wouldn’t even return my calls.”

Her hands were trembling now. “That name isn’t just a brand—it’s everything I am, everything I’ve sacrificed for.”

Parker watched her plea with the detached interest of a scientist observing a specimen. The ruthlessness in his gaze was chilling—this wasn’t a young entrepreneur anymore, but something ancient and unmoved by human suffering.

“Please,” Callista continued, desperation creeping into her voice. “I’ll give up more shares. I’ll reduce my stake to five percent, three percent—whatever you want. I’ll work for minimum wage if necessary. Just… please don’t take my name away from me.”

Cassidy’s heart clenched watching the scene unfold. She caught Parker’s attention, her own eyes pleading as she gave him the slightest nod—a silent request for mercy.

Parker had expected this reaction. Hell, he’d known she would beg the moment he’d mentioned restructuring. The question wasn’t whether she’d ask—it was whether he cared enough to grant her request.

He let the silence stretch, watching Callista’s composure completely dissolve as she waited for his decision. Finally, he sighed—a sound that contained centuries of weariness.

“Fine,” he said simply. “Keep the name.”

The relief that flooded Callista’s face was immediate and overwhelming. Her shoulders sagged as though a massive weight had been lifted, tears of gratitude threatening to spill from her eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Thank you so much, Mr. Black. You won’t regret this, I promise.”

“See that I don’t,” Parker replied, already standing and straightening his jacket. The moment of mercy was over, his attention already shifting to more pressing matters.

Cassidy, Ava, and Callista followed suit, rising from their chairs. Callista moved with renewed purpose, her step lighter despite the emotional rollercoaster she’d just endured. The name would survive—her legacy would remain intact.

As they resumed walking toward the pulsing doors, Parker’s brief display of calculated cruelty served as a stark reminder to all of them: beneath the youthful appearance and occasional displays of kindness lay something far more dangerous than any corporate rival they’d ever faced.

Callista had just learned that working for Parker Black meant dancing on the edge of an abyss, never knowing when he might decide to let you fall.

But at least Nova Entertainment would live to dance another day under the same name.