"You should have asked me that when I walked through the front door."

And then he disappeared into the private offices.

Daniel stood alone in the showroom.

For the first time that morning, uncertainty replaced his confidence.

Daniel waited outside the glass door for nearly two minutes.

It felt much longer.

Marcus walked over.

"What happened?"

Daniel kept his eyes on the private hallway.

"I don't know."

Marcus looked through the glass.

"Who was that guy?"

"I have no idea."

Marcus laughed.

"You were pretty hard on him."

Daniel's expression darkened.

"I wasn't hard on him."

Marcus looked at him.

"You basically told him he couldn't afford the cars."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

Daniel turned away.

He hated when Marcus was right.

A moment later, the door opened.

The older man stepped back into the showroom.

But this time, he was not alone.

Behind him stood Evelyn Grant, the dealership's general manager.

Daniel felt his stomach tighten.

Evelyn was a woman in her fifties with a reputation for noticing everything. She had managed Sterling Motors for more than fifteen years and had personally approved Daniel's promotion.

"Daniel," she said.

Her tone was calm.

Too calm.

"Could you come with us?"

Daniel followed them through the glass door.

The hallway behind it was quieter than the showroom. The walls were decorated with framed photographs showing the history of Sterling Motors.

Daniel had walked through this hallway before, but he had never paid much attention to the pictures.

The older man did.

He stopped in front of one.

It showed a much younger man standing beside the first Sterling Motors building.

Daniel looked closely.

The man in the photograph had darker hair and no wrinkles.

But the eyes were unmistakable.

Daniel suddenly felt cold.

The older man noticed him staring.

"Recognize anyone?"

Daniel swallowed.

"No."

Evelyn looked at him.

"Daniel."

Then she turned toward the older man.

"Mr. Bennett, I'm sorry about what happened."

The words struck Daniel like a physical blow.

Mr. Bennett.

Evelyn rarely used formal titles with employees.

Daniel looked again at the photograph.

The older man stepped closer.

"My name is Thomas Bennett."

Daniel's mouth went dry.

Everyone in the company knew the name.

Thomas Bennett was the founder of Sterling Motors.

He had started the business decades earlier with a small repair garage and eventually built it into a chain of luxury dealerships.

Daniel had seen his name in company documents.

But he had never met him.

Thomas Bennett had stepped away from daily operations years earlier.

There were rumors that he traveled constantly. Others said he lived on a farm outside the city. Some employees joked that he only appeared when something was seriously wrong.

Daniel had imagined a man surrounded by assistants and security.

Not someone wearing faded jeans.

"You're..." Daniel began.

"The owner?" Thomas asked.

Daniel nodded slowly.

Thomas looked toward Evelyn.

"That seems to be the part everyone is interested in."

Evelyn's face tightened.

"I'm very sorry."

Thomas waved his hand.

"Why?"

"Because of the way Daniel treated you."

Thomas looked at Daniel.

The silence became unbearable.

Daniel finally spoke.

"Mr. Bennett, I didn't know who you were."

Thomas nodded.

"That's the problem."