Richard swallowed hard, his throat clicking in the silence.
“Julian invited me to London for an informal summit. We were scheduled to finalize an equity partnership regarding Bennett Strategic Holdings.”
“An equity partnership,” Marcus repeated evenly. “Which required you to leave New York tonight, on this exact airframe, seated directly in front of the forward communication console.”
“I didn’t choose the seat,” Richard stammered, pulling at his collar. “My assistant received an automated confirmation directly from Croft’s office. It said Seat 2A was cleared and secured.”
“Did your assistant verify that confirmation?” Marcus asked. “Or did you simply assume the universe owed you whatever seat had your coat draped across its leather armrest?”
Richard lowered his head. For a man who ran multi-million-dollar hedge portfolios, he suddenly looked small and deflated.
“I assumed it was a VIP courtesy. I didn’t question it.”
“You didn’t question it because entitlement rarely inspects its own credentials,” Marcus said without malice. “You saw a teenager, assumed she was inferior, and demanded she move thirty rows back.”
