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Scene 1 – The Chess Game and Shadows of Absence
Awatif gently placed her phone on the table, her eyes glancing toward the doorway. With calm, measured steps, she approached and opened the door, then descended the staircase quietly, until she reached the grand living room where Minister Fouad Al-Shenawy and his wife Rania Al-Shenawy were seated on the luxurious leather sofa, engrossed in a game of chess. The chess pieces glittered under the crystal lamp’s light, each movement slicing through the silence of the room like a portent of decisions yet to come.
Awatif paused for a moment, observing the scene, as if she were part of this solemn stillness.
Minister Fouad greeted her warmly with a smile:
— “Welcome, Awatif.”
Awatif replied in a calm but firm tone:
— “I’m going out to meet
