"Well, I—"
"Did you check the reservation?"
"No, but—"
"Did you enter the number into the system?"
Daniel said nothing.
Margaret turned toward the older man.
"I'm so sorry, sir."
Daniel stared at her.
He did not understand.
"Ms. Collins?"
Margaret stepped closer to the older man.
"Are you all right?"
The man nodded.
"I'm fine."
Then Margaret turned slowly toward Daniel.
The look in her eyes made his stomach tighten.
Daniel suddenly realized that she knew this man.
Not casually.
Not as a guest.
She knew him personally.
"Daniel," she said carefully, "do you know who this is?"
He looked at the older man.
Then back at her.
"No."
Margaret took a breath.
Several people nearby leaned closer.
The security officers exchanged uneasy looks.
Margaret's voice was calm, but every word carried authority.
"You just tried to remove the man who built this hotel."
Daniel blinked.
"What?"
Margaret did not look away from him.
"The Grand Regent exists because of him."
Daniel stared.
His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
Margaret continued.
"This is Mr. Thomas Bennett."
The name meant nothing to Daniel for one more second.
Then everything changed.
Thomas Bennett.
Founder.
Owner.
The man whose portrait hung inside the executive boardroom.
The man whose story was mentioned during employee orientation.
The man whose vision and investment had created not only the Grand Regent, but an entire hotel group.
Daniel looked again at the older man.
The faded jacket.
The worn shoes.
The old leather bag.
Suddenly, none of those things seemed important.
Daniel felt the blood drain from his face.
But Thomas Bennett did not look pleased by his reaction.
In fact, he looked even more disappointed.
Because Daniel's respect had appeared only after he learned the man's name.
And Thomas had noticed.
Daniel could not move.
The man standing in front of him was Thomas Bennett.
The founder.
The owner.
The person Daniel had spent the last twenty minutes accusing of trespassing.
Margaret turned toward the security officers.
"Thank you. You can return to your positions."
The officers nodded quickly and walked away.
The crowd, however, remained.
No one wanted to miss what happened next.
Daniel finally found his voice.
"Mr. Bennett... I didn't realize—"
Thomas raised a hand.
Daniel stopped.
The older man's expression was calm, but his disappointment was unmistakable.
"That's exactly the problem."
Daniel swallowed.
"I sincerely apologize."
Thomas looked at him.
"Why?"
Daniel blinked.
"Because I made a mistake."
"No."
Thomas shook his head.
"You apologize because you now know who I am."
Daniel had no answer.
Margaret stood silently nearby.
She understood what Thomas meant.
If Daniel had learned that the older man was an ordinary guest, would he have apologized?