"Because of the way you looked."
Thomas nodded.
"My clothes?"
"Yes."
"My bag?"
Daniel lowered his head.
"Yes."
"My age?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Maybe."
Thomas took a slow breath.
Then he looked around the lobby.
"This is why I still visit my hotels."
Margaret watched him carefully.
Thomas had built an enormous business, but he had never completely separated himself from the people who worked inside it.
Every few months, he visited one of his properties without an announcement.
Sometimes he spoke with guests.
Sometimes he spoke with housekeepers.
Sometimes he sat in the restaurant and simply observed.
But Daniel had never known that.
And even if he had, it probably would not have mattered.
Thomas had arrived that afternoon looking exactly the way he wanted to look.
Not like a billionaire.
Not like an owner.
Not like someone whose name appeared on company documents.
Just like an ordinary traveler.
And Daniel had revealed exactly how such a traveler might be treated.
Thomas turned toward Margaret.
"How many people work here?"
"One hundred and eighty-six, sir."
Thomas nodded.
"How many guests stay here every year?"
"Thousands."
Thomas looked back at Daniel.
"Then imagine how many people could be treated the way you treated me."
Daniel's face burned.
The truth was impossible to escape.
Thomas had not needed a formal inspection.
He had not needed to read customer surveys.
He had not needed a board meeting.
One employee standing near the entrance had shown him everything.
Daniel took a step forward.
"Mr. Bennett, please. I know I was wrong. I let my assumptions control the situation."
Thomas studied him.
"Do you?"
"Yes."
"What assumption?"
Daniel looked around the lobby.
Then back at Thomas.
"That someone who didn't look wealthy didn't belong here."
Thomas nodded.
"Good."
Daniel looked hopeful.
But Thomas continued.
"Recognizing the mistake is the beginning. It doesn't erase what happened."
Daniel's hope disappeared.
Margaret stepped closer to Thomas.
"Sir, how would you like me to handle this?"
Thomas looked at Daniel for a long moment.
Then he said something neither Margaret nor Daniel expected.
"I want him to finish his shift."
Daniel blinked.
Margaret looked surprised.
Thomas continued.
"And tomorrow morning, I want him in the employee training room."
Daniel's heart began beating faster.
"What for?" he asked.
Thomas picked up his bag again.
"For a lesson."
Then the founder walked toward the reception desk.
And Daniel suddenly understood that the most difficult part of his day had not happened yet.
The next morning, Daniel arrived at the Grand Regent Hotel an hour early.
He had barely slept.
Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered Thomas Bennett standing in the lobby.
The calm voice.
The disappointed expression.
The question he could not answer.
If I had not been the owner, what would have happened to me?
At nine o'clock, Margaret entered the employee training room.
Daniel was already sitting inside.
He expected to see Thomas Bennett.
Instead, the room began filling with employees.
Receptionists.
Bellhops.