405: Testing Loyalties

The group sat in suspenseful silence, their eyes periodically flicking to the entrance of the lounge where they had gathered. Emma, caught between amusement and anxiety, fiddled with a napkin, her mind replaying the phone call. Viola's fabricated urgency, designed as a playful test of Bauer's commitment, had indeed set the stage for a revealing evening. "Really, Viola, you could write drama scripts," Jada teased, breaking the silence with a light chuckle. "That call was quite a performance." Viola grinned, shrugging nonchalantly. "Sometimes you need a little drama to see the truth, right? If Bauer drops everything and comes here, we'll know just how committed he is to Emma." Emma rolled her eyes, though her stomach knotted with a mix of anticipation and regret. "What if he's really busy? I don’t want him thinking I'm some damsel in distress—or worse, using emotional blackmail." "You’re not," Jada reassured her, patting her hand. "It’s just friends looking out for you. Besides, it’