Philip opened his eyes. His hands remained still on the keys for a moment. Then he slowly lifted them and placed them on his knees.
For three long seconds, nobody moved. Nobody spoke. The silence was absolute.
Then, like a wave, the applause began. First one person, then two, then ten, then everyone. The entire hall erupted in thunderous applause. The guests clapped loudly. Some shouted "Bravo!" Others simply shook their heads in disbelief.
The elderly gentleman with the mustache was the first to speak out loud. "Extraordinary! Absolutely extraordinary! In forty years of teaching at the conservatory, I have never seen such a performance in a private drawing room."
"He's a professional," someone said.
"Where did you learn to play like that?" shouted another.
Philip stood up from the piano bench and turned toward the room. His face showed no pride, no triumph. There was only a calm dignity, a quiet strength. His eyes met Catherine's.
She was paralyzed. Her face, previously so confident and mocking, was now as white as a sheet. Her hands trembled slightly. She tried to say something, but the words would not come out.
Philip made a small bow toward the room. "Thank you," he said simply.
The applause continued. Some people approached him wanting to shake his hand, to ask him questions. But just at that moment, from the back of the room, a voice shouted something that changed everything.
"Wait, I know him! I know him!"
Everyone turned. A man in his fifties with gray hair and elegant glasses made his way through the crowd with his phone in his hand. "It's not possible. It's not possible," he repeated, looking at the screen and then at Philip.
Catherine finally found her voice. "What? What are you saying, Arthur?"
The man named Arthur came closer, still staring at his phone. He looked at Philip as if he were seeing a ghost. "This is no simple delivery man," he said loudly so that everyone could hear. "This is Philip Mercer."
"Philip Mercer?" someone in the room repeated.
The name passed from mouth to mouth like a whisper that grew. The guests looked at each other in confusion. Some shook their heads, not understanding, while others widened their eyes in recognition. Arthur kept staring at his phone, then at Philip, then back at the phone.