The Neighbor

Chapter 55**

A month has passed, and Wanda drums her fingers against the conference room table, each tap echoing her mounting frustration. Her jaw clenches, the muscles tightening visibly, as she listens to Steve's excuses. Her eyes, normally a serene green, flash with a dangerous intensity. She shifts in her seat, her posture rigid and unyielding, as if every fiber of her being is coiled, ready to strike.

Her breathing becomes more pronounced, each exhale a barely contained growl of impatience. She crosses her arms tightly across her chest, her nails digging into her own skin as she struggles to contain the storm brewing inside her. Th energy in the room thickens, a noticeable force radiating from her, making everyone acutel aware of the barely restrained power simmering beneath the surface.

"How is it," she starts with a hiss, her voice dripping with venom, "A month has gone by... you had them located, and then you lost them. How is it that this happens?"

Steve sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wanda, we're doing everything we can. They have resources and are well hidden. Every time we get close, they manage to slip away."

Wanda's emerald eyes blaze with a fiery mix of anger and frustration. She stands up abruptly, slamming her fist against the table with a force that makes everyone in the room jump. The sound echoes through the conference room, and a faint, crimson energy crackles around her fingers. Her entire body vibrates with an intense, barely controlled rage, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides as she glares at Steve.

"Every time?" she snaps, her voice escalating to a fierce crescendo. "How can you expect my family to feel safe when we can't even track them down for more than a few hours? My family is out here, vulnerable, while we fumble around!"

Her presence dominates the room, her posture radiating power and authority. She takes a step closer to Steve, her eyes narrowing as she glares at him. "This is unacceptable, Steve," she continues, her voice sharp and unwavering. "You had them, and then you lost them. How do you think that makes me feel? My children, my wife...they are out here, exposed, while you come back with nothing but excuses!"

Steve opens his mouth to respond, but the intensity of Wanda's glare silences him. She points a finger at him, her expression fierce and unyielding. "Do you have any idea what it's like to live in constant fear for your family? To know that every moment, they are in danger because of our enemies, because of my delusional ex-husband? We are supposed to be the best, and yet here we are, letting them slip through our fingers!"

Her voice cuts through the air like a blade, each word dripping with raw, unfiltered anger. The room is charged with her power, an almost tangible force that makes everyone else feel small and powerless. The crackling energy around her fingers intensifies, casting an eerie glow that underscores the seriousness of her words. Her entire body is a taut wire, ready to snap, and the air around her seems to hum with the tension.

"We can't afford mistakes," she continues, her voice unwavering and cold. "My family is at risk, and I will not tolerate any more failures. You find them, and you bring them to me, or I will do it myself." She leans forward, her eyes burning with an almost terrifying intensity. "And believe me, you do not want me hunting them down on my own. I will unleash a wrath you cannot imagine. Nothing will survive in my path."

The room falls into a heavy silence, the weight of Wanda's words and the ferocity of her determination palpable. The sheer force of her will is like a storm ready to be unleashed, and everyone knows that if it comes to it, Wanda will stop at nothing to protect her family.

The crackling energy around her fingers flares brighter, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Her breathing deepens, and the air around her seems to pulse with the intensity of her emotions. "Do you understand what that means, Steve?" she demands, her voice a low, menacing growl. "I will tear the city apart brick by brick if that's what it takes. I will hunt them to the ends of the earth, and I will not stop until they are nothing but ash."