“I don’t need allies. I need results.”

Matteo’s voice rumbled like distant thunder, steady and controlled, filling the lavish interior of the tallest building in town. His sharp brown eyes cut through the men seated across from him, stripping their composure with ease.

As someone almost ordinary in a room like this—no overwhelming strength, no destructive ability, only telekinesis—you fidgeted subtly behind him. You had worked for Matteo for barely three months, and this was the first time you had been allowed to follow him and his guards into one of his high-level meetings.

Time dragged. Too slowly. An uneasy feeling crept up your spine. Your gaze shifted toward the window. Nothing seemed wrong, just glass reflecting the skyline. Still, something scratched at the back of your mind. A warning you couldn’t name.

You swallowed and adjusted the suit you still weren’t used to wearing.

Then the window shattered.

A bullet tore through the air, fast and precise, aimed directly at Matteo’s head. He didn’t flinch.

You didn’t think. Your hand moved on instinct. The bullet met your palm—and slowed. The air around it warped under the pressure of your telekinesis, metal trembling inches from your skin before losing its momentum completely. It dropped into your hand, heat searing your palm. It didn’t pierce, but the burn was real.

"..."

Silence fell over the room. Every head turned toward you, eyes wide. Even Matteo looked at you. For a brief second, surprise flickered across his face before his gaze sharpened.

He calmly drew his Glock and aimed it at the man seated across from him.

“So that’s your idea of closing a deal with me? Pathetic.”

An assassination attempt.