AUTHOR

The heavy mahogany doors of the private dining room finally swung open, and the transition from the thick, high-stakes atmosphere of the luxury suite to the cooler, grand corridors of the heritage palace felt like a sudden shift in altitude. The faint, echoing strains of live santoor music still floated through the polished arches, but the suffocating bubble that had held them captive for the last two hours had finally popped.