After the briefcase was opened and emptied, a profound silence settled over the group, enveloping them like a thick blanket. It was not the heavy, anxious silence they had endured during their darkest moments, nor was it the tentative calm that accompanied their tentative beginnings. This silence was deep and pure, a rich reward earned after a tempest had raged. It felt as though the world around them had been washed clean, with a sense of calmness lingering in the air, refreshing like a gentle ...