Money isn't not everything

“Thank you, Maximilian,” President Smith said, his voice low but sincere. His hand still clutched Emma’s tightly, unwilling to let go. If anything went wrong, he’d rather die than see harm come to his daughter. Emma wanted to thank Max too, maybe even apologize for all the chaos, but Honey’s voice rang gently in her head.  “The real Olivia Smith would never do that,” Honey reminded. It made sense. To win these people’s trust, she couldn’t suddenly start behaving out of character. She needed to ease into it, to let them see the change slowly. If the real Olivia were here, she would’ve rolled her eyes at her father’s gratitude and claimed she could’ve handled it herself. Emma would never do that. Still, she had to find balance, to play the role while keeping her conscience intact. She hadn’t uttered a single word since they’d fled through the underground exit. She could feel the Smiths’ eyes on her, heavy with concern, but they were wisely prioritizing survival for now. “Should I stay qu