There was an astounding silence in the room.
As Desmond stood, he took a quiet bow and left the stage without hearing the audience's response.
It was because he knew that it would take them a long time to recover from the music he played.
In his heart, he was rejoicing the more that he heard the silence. This was because he knew that he was able to achieve the effect he was aiming for.
"Good job… You did it very well." Eli smiled and praised him in a hushed tone.
Desmond smiled in relief. He knew that his mentor was just as elated as him as he saw the contained excitement in her smile.
No one knew when or how, but it was only for a few minutes that the jury and the audience were able to snap out of their trance.
When they turned their eyes to the stage, they realized that Desmond had already long exited.
At the backstage, the waiting pianist all had terrified looks on their faces.
