Third Person's POV
Elena's House
Piper Redding stood still. Her body was frozen mid-motion, her finger still resting on the trigger.
The room was silent. The bullet hung in the air, unmoving, just inches away from Elena's last position.
Then—
Something shifted.
Time returned.
The bullet shot forward and slammed into the wall with a sharp crack.
Piper blinked as her body moved again and her breath came back all at once.
She looked ahead at the empty space.
Her eyes widened. She turned quickly, her gaze sweeping across the room.
There was nobody in sight. Elena was gone.
A cold feeling crept into her chest.
Her fingers tightened slowly around the gun.
"She… escaped?" she said to herself.
Her voice was low, almost disbelieving. Piper stepped forward slowly.
She reached the spot where Elena had fallen earlier and stared at it for a moment.
Then she looked at the wall.
The bullet was buried deep inside it.
Her jaw clenched.
For the first time, uncertainty flickered across her face.
"How…?"
She whispered it like a question she didn't want answered.
Then her expression hardened.
Without another word, she turned and walked out of the house.
****
The Birch's Mansion
The doors to Seraphina's office opened slowly.
Peyton-Rose stepped in carefully.
Seraphina stood by the window, her back facing the room. Her fingers rested lightly on the curtain.
She didn't turn.
"Speak," she said calmly.
Peyton swallowed.
"I… I failed you, mistress."
"..."
The words hung in the air. Seraphina didn't move.
"I went to her house," Peyton continued, her voice slightly shaky. "Everything was set. I had the shot. But… something happened."
Seraphina slowly turned.
Her eyes were calm, but something dark sat behind them.
"What happened?" she asked.
Peyton hesitated.
"I don't know," she admitted. "One moment I pulled the trigger… the next moment… she was gone."
Seraphina stared at her, her expression unreadable.
Peyton lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, mistress."
Silence filled the room again.
The calm on her face was gone, and something sharper took its place.
Her fingers curled slightly at her side.
"She escaped," she said quietly.
Peyton nodded.
Seraphina let out a soft breath.
Then she began to pace the room back and forth.
Her heels tapped against the floor in a steady rhythm.
Peyton remained still, not daring to speak.
Seraphina stopped suddenly. Her expression changed.
The calm on her face was gone and something sharper took its place.
"I don't like loose ends," she said.
Her voice was quiet.
But it carried weight.
She turned fully to Peyton.
"I gave you a simple task."
Peyton's throat tightened.
"I'm sorry…"
Seraphina raised her hand slightly.
Peyton fell silent immediately.
A small smile appeared on Seraphina's lips.
But it wasn't a kind one.
"I'll handle it myself."
The words came out soft but they sent a chill through the room.
Peyton's eyes widened slightly.
Seraphina stepped closer to her.
Her voice dropped lower.
"I'll kill her myself."
Peyton nodded quickly.
"Yes, mistress."
Seraphina turned away.
Her gaze drifted toward the window again.
Outside, the world looked calm.
But her eyes held something else.
Something dangerous.
And for the first time, Elena was no longer just a problem. She had become a target.