At that moment, upon hearing what Mr. Zakaria just said, the entire hall froze.
Chairs stopped creaking. Forks hovered mid-air. Conversations that once filled the grand room like soft music were suddenly gone. A silence thick enough to cut with a knife fell across every corner of the gathering. The glimmering chandeliers above, the velvet curtains swaying by the windows, even the waiters who had just stepped in with silver trays everything seemed suspended in that moment.
No one could believe what they had just heard.
Most of the guests had arrived dressed in their finest clothes, expecting nothing more than a grand celebration, some light entertainment, good wine, and a chance to meet the new genius Cecilia the woman who had saved Mr. Zakaria's life. Whispers about her brilliance had spread far and wide, and many were eager to see her up close.
But now? The atmosphere had completely shifted. It wasn't just about honoring Cecilia anymore.
