Part 3
The heavy glass doors of the executive elevator slid open with a soft chime.
A tall man in a tailored three-piece suit rushed out, his tie slightly askew, his breathing heavy.
Arthur Vance, the night manager, had clearly sprinted from his office.
He had received the high-priority system alert on his personal device.
An alert that only triggered when the creator account was accessed on-site.
Arthur took one look at the scene—the terrified clerk, the quiet man in the black hoodie, and the little girl holding a teddy bear.
His heart dropped into his stomach.
He recognized Marcus immediately, not from corporate headshots, but from the tech galas where Marcus was the guest of honor.
“Mr. Johnson,” Arthur gasped, straightening his jacket frantically as he approached.
“I am profoundly sorry. I had no idea you were visiting this branch tonight.”
Marcus turned his head slightly, his expression completely unreadable.
“Clearly,” Marcus said.
Arthur turned his glare toward Derek, his eyes burning with absolute fury.
“What did you do?” Arthur demanded, his voice shaking with anger. “What did you say to him?”
Derek couldn’t speak. He just stared at his keyboard, a broken man.
Marcus intervened before Derek could sputter an excuse.
“He told me the hotel was fully booked, Arthur.”
“He told me my daughter and I had to leave.”
Arthur felt a cold sweat break out down his spine.
Turning away a regular guest based on bias was a PR nightmare that could cost a manager their job.
Turning away the literal owner and tech mastermind of the entire hospitality empire?
That was an extinction-level event for this branch.
“Mr. Johnson, please,” Arthur said, his hands raised in a pleading gesture. “This is a catastrophic misunderstanding. We have the Presidential Suite completely prepared for you. It is always kept vacant for your arrival.”
Marcus looked down at Zoe.
She had buried her face deeper into his neck, overwhelmed by the sudden influx of tense adult voices.
May you like
“My daughter needs to sleep, Arthur,” Marcus said quietly.
“Get us the keys. Now.”
