IT WAS UNNERVING AND mildly ludicrous as an extravagant room—cradled with mahogany tables that gleamed under the soft glow of crystal chandeliers, linen napkins folded like origami swans, and stemware catching the light in a thousand tiny reflections—was eerily quiet. 

It should have been alive with conversation and clinking glasses. Instead, it felt like stepping into a royal ballroom after the kingdom had collapsed: opulent, empty, and holding its breath.