Evelyn Reed
Listen to The Zenith of Silence by Evelyn Reed as a bilingual audiobook with synchronized read-along text in English and Russian.
The gilded cornices of the Grand Philharmonic Hall gleamed under the searing brilliance of a hundred spotlights. Vivienne smoothed the folds of her midnight-blue hemp velvet gown, feeling the fine weave beneath her trembling fingers. Behind the heavy velvet curtains, the muffled roar of three thousand eager spectators reverberated through the floorboards. Tonight marked the culmination of a decade spent sacrificing every quiet hour upon the relentless altar of international renown. Her manager, Arthur, hovered in the wings with an anxious twitching of his mustache, clutching a silver pocket watch. Two minutes, Vivienne; the critics from five continents are sitting in the front row, he whispered, his voice taut with ambition. Vivienne offered a practiced, enigmatic smile, though her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped starling. Beside her, Jasper, her faithful golden retriever companion, rested his chin gently against her knee as if offering silent fortitude. She bent down to stroke Jasper’s soft fur, drawing a grounding breath from his peaceful, unhurried presence. The stage manager signaled with a sharp flick of his wrist, and the grand mahogany doors swung open.