But for now, Chibuzor's command gave the room a temporary pause. The chaos didn't disappear, it simply froze. The whispers thinned out, the crowd slowly exhaled, and a restless, uneasy silence settled over the ballroom. The stage was set. The next move would define everyone involved.
As the noise died down, another kind of whisper began to rise, older, sharper. A whisper from the past.
The already heavy atmosphere had turned even more heavy, almost suffocating. It felt like the walls were holding their breath. A history that never fully faded was crawling its way back into the room.
Two women leaned close, speaking in low voices as they watched the Arinze family.
"Do you remember the first Mrs. Arinze?" one whispered.
The other's eyebrow lifted, her face tightening as she searched her memory. "Of course. Onyinye. How could anyone forget? The tragedy of it all…"
