Bittersweet and Unspoken

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 game, but you can't keep up with everything, amigo. Letting them work for you means you own them."

Parker hummed, 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 game. The tech world moves fast—do you really want to waste time 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."