ON A SILVER PLATTER

“What do I do now?” Emma asked no one in particular. This had nothing to do with Honey, and she knew it. She still didn’t have the courage to lie down on Olivia’s bed, nor did she dare to browse through her phone. Everything still felt foreign, as though she were wearing a life that hadn’t fully accepted her yet. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Maybe… maybe I should act like Olivia, she thought suddenly. The rude, confident Olivia. She could ask Smith for his phone and call Max directly. Yes. That was possible. All she had to do was stay close to him. Get his attention. Seduce him slowly, carefully until he falls for her. She needed a plan. But before that, she needed something to anchor herself. A habit. A way to seal off the anxiety before it swallowed her whole. It had been a long time since it struck this hard. It started back when she was working endlessly just to feed her family, when the loan sharks appeared, threatening everything she loved. The fear of missing deadlines, of f