Richard straightened his jacket and tried to recover his confidence.
“Mr. Coleman, I had no idea she was your daughter.”
Marcus looked at him for several seconds.
“That’s exactly the problem.”
Richard frowned.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Marcus answered quietly, “You shouldn’t need to know who her father is before you decide to treat her with respect.”
Elizabeth lowered her eyes for a moment.
She finally understood why Zara’s surname had seemed familiar. Marcus Coleman wasn’t simply an executive with influence; he was connected to several of the airline’s largest operational contracts.
But none of that explained the red folder.
Marcus hadn’t come because his daughter was embarrassed.
Something much larger had been triggered.
The operations officer opened the folder again.
“Mr. Bennett, your reservation was changed at 6:42 this morning.”
Richard’s expression froze.
“Changed by whom?” he asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to determine.”
