Y/N first person POV

We were racing against time

No, we're not in a battle, nor are we doing a project with a looming deadline--no

It's Ophelia's birthday

"Yeah, yeah, the balloons I think that's the last thing-... Huh... Wha-?! I THOUGHT YOU HAD THE CAKE-.. .. oh.. . So I was the one who was supposed to be picking it up...? Oh... Oh.... Sorry Julie" I groaned to myself, I would've face palmed if it weren't for the fact that I had a box held in my hands for the utensils,
casually walking around my boss's house- no, a mansion that fits a description of a palace-- into the dining room, the OTHER dining room that seemed to belong to a monarchy and not a factory owner

"How much money does Walden make...? " I uttered to myself as I gently kicked the door open with my foot, greeted by the sight of two men, one was arranging the utensils and the other was covering the food away from non-existent flies, Walden was too hygienic to have even an atom of a bug seen in his house, he's impeccably clean

One of the men had bright red hair, not ginger, literally red, and as he turned to me, he gave a small smile

Second person POV
"Hey Y/N" The man, Edward, or Eddie as many call him, greeted you, his southern accent palpable

"Yep, lemme take care of that for ya' , ya can go an' get the cake aight?, make sure to not be seen by our birthday girl" he said with a wink as he took the box from your hands,

"Will there be more food coming? " the ravenette, Eddie's dear husband, Flynn, also known as Franklin or Frank, asked with concern to you, eyeing the bundle of food on the table

" I guess...? " You said as the ravenette's shoulders slumped "it may be too much" he murmured, assuring him with"ah don't worry, I'm sure we'll finish it, and if not, I guess we can store the rest for later" where Franklin just gave a smile and walked away to aid his dear

You then went on to your car to pick up the cake, the bakery wasn't that far from the mansion, but you'd rather drive in a safe type of rushing and not the run type of rushing with asthma side effects.

You parked in front of said bakery according to your GPS, stepping out of the car to be greeted by a giant board of the stores name

"Sunny bakery.... Kind of cute" you said to yourself as you entered, the bell on the door ringing as a small shuffling was heard from the back of the counter "in a moment" a voice groaned as you went through your phone "ah okay, take your time, I'm here for the cake reserved under the name Walden darling-" you said but the girl popped up and beamed "I Know" she said with a smile

The girl was blonde, maybe around her early or late 20's, her hair was held up in a messy bun under a beanie with an eclipse accented clip, her arm showed a unique type of tattoo as her smile seemed too bright, the name tag on her chest suggested her name was Salina

"Well, hold right here" Salina said as she went down again behind the counter and showed a beautiful cake

The cake itself is in the shape of a beaker. the middle layer, the cake has a mesmerizing rainbow spectrum, each tier displaying the traditional hues with seamless gradation. The top layer, slightly elevated, showcases Ophelia's name in playful edible letters and is surrounded by delightful science-themed decorations like stars and planets. The frosting is meticulously applied, creating a smooth surface for the intricate details. Rainbow-colored sprinkles add a touch of whimsy, while edible glitter and shimmer dust give the entire creation a magical shine, small glittered candles were around the main edible candle that's in the shape of the number nine,

Salina gave you a smile again "pretty complex huh? But not for me, I worked on this in just a few hours" she said, noticing you silence "ah well, hello there, I'm Salina, you seem close to Julie right? Y/N maybe? Well, you're now in luck to bask in the glory of this performer, Salina Starlet, but please call me Sally" she winked, her accent seemingly a mix of American or British, her pride seemed to glow her very bright as it gave you a giggle

"Oh there, a smile, well better rush with it now dea and BE CAREFUL with yourself and the cake, a masterpiece can't be made twice" the blonde quoted with a nod to herself as you smile "of course"

You went on to be VERY VERY careful with the cake, arriving at the mansion as you then placed the cake on the table, friends flocking in and out of the room to help, even Julie's siblings are here

Howdy arrived later on, along with the mother bird of the group named poppy

You went on to help, going around here and there, mostly with prepping the dishes and food as your phone pinged

_______
Walden Darling
                     Oct 29

Coffee 

                                   that's all?

                     Dec 3

  Julie's not seeing my messages,
   is she busy?

________

You chuckled at how long it was since you've talked online

_________

Julie's not seeing my messages,
Is she busy?

                               yeah pretty much

Are you almost done?

                              Pretty much

Good, Ophelia's begging to go

                              You're helping by 
Distracting  her
Seen

                              Alright

You then turned to the others, as you announced
"Well, people, birthday girl's almost here, be subtle" you said as everyone seemed to panic even though you're all done, and went around to make sure everything was prepared

       3rd person POV

Everyone closed the windows in case Ophelia's curious eyes wandered up, they heard Walden's fancy ass motorcycle's engine park by the mansion (you'd know if it's fancy due to how broke you are, not broke broke but still broke)

Everyone heard walden's steady steps apart from Ophelia's excited ones "You must be hungry" walden's voice said as they neared the dining room "very! " Ophelia said enthusiastically as she stood in front of the door, waiting for her father to open it

The door opened

As a popper went off and everyone stood

"Happy birthday" everyone grinned as Ophelia's eager eyes lit up "Cake! " the little girl said as she was lifted up by Walden to the chair, Julie placing the birthday hat on her head,

The little girl's eyes brightened even more as everyone sang her happy birthday, and as soon as the song ended, Ophelia stared at the candles and the cake

"Well, whatcha waiting for kiddo, " Eddie encouraged "make a wish"

Ophelia then closed her eyes and clasoed her hands together, then blew the candle out, and Julie turned the lights on,

"We'll get to your presents later, let's eat! "  Julie encouraged as everyone grinned, of course the party was centered on her, Walden was supportive in his own way of course, even if he looked pretty much brooding

Second person POV

"What did you wish for anyway? " You heard Walden ask his daughter as she shoved as much cake in her mouth as she can with Walden telling her to slow down

"... Birthday wish rules! " Ophelia countered stubbornly as Walden chuckled "you're not gonna tell anyone? " "NO" Ophelia shook her head "not even Daddy? " Walden asked with a small grin as Ophelia seemed to be weak to that "... Okay fine... Just you and mommy"

And 'probably me too' you thought

"I wish for every day to be like this... Where everyone is happy... We're a family" Ophelia smiled, her maturity shown, taken from her father

"... We'll always be like this... Right?" Ophelia asked

"Of course" Walden answered with a small smile
"Can we go to the factory later? " Ophelia asked, and before Walden could ask, she added "I forgot my bunny" she added with a sigh, and then a grin

The party died down nearing six PM, presents placed on the couch of the living room, so much toys, dresses, books, and accessories

You gave her a necklace and a dress in which she's wearing right now

You asked if you could accompany them too, since you've got some unfinished report to bring home  in which Walden of course agreed,

Since it's work

When you arrived at the factory, Ophelia ran in, greeting the workers who wished her a happy birthday again, receiving small gifts too as she caught sight of her second favorite worker, (the first being you)

"Aqua! " she beamed as she ran towards the ravenette co-worker of yours who seemed to be in distress in his mind "ah Ophelia" he jumped a little "happy birthday" he said with a small smile, yet you noticed a small bead of nervous sweat run down his cheek onto his neck

"Thank you" Ophelia grinned as Solaris reached into his pocket and gave her a locket that looked like a small... Cloud thingy?

"Happy birthday" Solaris said again as Ophelia accepted the gift greatfully "Oh, have you seen my bunnydoll Sol? I left it somewhere" she said, looking up

"I think it's in my office...? " Solaris said with a small pause "yeah definitely "he said with a snap of his fingers as Ophelia gave a greatful smile and ran off to the man's office,

Walden gave Solaris a look before going to his own office to get something

" are you okay? " You asked the man gently

" I don't know Y/N I don't know... I just have to his impending sense of doom" the man said with a sigh

"That might be a sign of a heart attack" you said, in which Solaria chuckled, in realizing you weren't joking he sighed again "you think so? "
"You've been working yourself to the bone" you murmured with concern "maybe get some rest"

"But you do the same" he countered against your statement

"Coaches don't play" you suggested with a joke in which earned a laugh from both of you
"Mmn, don't you think that Ophelia taking long? " Solaris asked, his concern evident "I'll go check on her" he said as he walked away to his office

Walden then stood beside you out of nowhere, a folder under his arm "what's interesting in him? " he asked as he handed you the folder

"He's a good guy, I don't judge" you rolled your eyes playfully as you took the folder from walden, who gave you a glare

"It's not judgement, it's observation" he said gruffly "it's the same thing" you argued "it's my opinion" before Walden would turn into Google and explain a dictionary accurate description of each word "an opinion can't do much to a fact" walden rolled his eyes as you said again "it's my opinion that it's not, "

There was silence as walden asked "Are you happy-? "

The sound of glass shattering and a scream rang out

You and walden looked at each other

It sounded like it came from Solaria's office area

You both rushed there, your concern for your co worker and Ophelia while walden's is just the latter,
As you ran downstairs, you could see Solaria's petrified form in front of his office by the end of the hall, his mug of coffee pooling at his feet

That... Was not good

You ran, Ophelia was there, did something happen?

Walden ran past you, as he yelled at the ravenette "What happened?! " he asked angrily, turning Solaria to face him,holding his arms tightly, yet the latter's face remained pale as his head fell to look down, that was when walden looked to the side

Walden was a tough nut to crack, he rarely gets scared

But he froze as you shakily walked beside the two men, looking into the office
Ophelia was on the ground, She is laying on the floor face down, her head leaning on the ground, seemingly unconscious

or possibly dead.

Her legs lay spread out behind her, but turned slightly to the side. Her one hand is visible, and clutching a stuffed bunny her other arm curled to her chest, Her hair is splayed out in tangles, hiding away her face, yet the sight of the blood discoloring her aubergine hair, crimson flowed on the floor as the color seemed to grow, Ophelia's hand started to grow paler and paler, from her bright pink skin slowly turning to gray, slowly blending to the color of the floor

The sickening sight did not disappear, as many things came to your mind,

The only thing that snapped you out of your reverie was when Solaris suddenly buckled and fell backward,

Walden reached out and caught him, nor like his usual cold self as he held Solaris in a sitting position

"Get... Help"

Walden's voice broke, as his shoulders visibly shook, placing Solaris' head on the floor gently yet rushedly as he then rushed to the room, holding Ophelia as he turned her around and looked at her eyes

Dead

Dead

Dead

Ophelia's dead...

Author notes

Happy birthday Ophelia