70 Plans and Plots

Emma, feeling the weight of her friends' stares, firmly set Maryann's extravagant gift box on the table. She faced Jada and Bonnie with a look of exasperation. "Please, don't look at me like that. I'm not planning to jump into another relationship. I've just escaped one, and that's enough for now." The idea of entangling herself with someone else, especially so soon after her divorce from Alex, was unthinkable to her. She cherished her newfound independence—running her own business, making her own decisions. Bonnie, still holding the box, looked at Emma skeptically. "But with Maxwell's photo and now this, don't you think it seems... a bit too coincidental?" Emma sighed, weary of the insinuations. "Coincidental or not, it’s irrelevant. I'm focusing on my career now." Maryann, having watched the exchange, intervened. "I understand, Emma. But, you know, keeping these wouldn’t hurt. They're just profiles, after all." She then produced two smaller, red velvet boxes from her b