Ethan’s face changed instantly.
The confidence he had earlier disappeared.
He looked at Marcus, remembering every word he had said.
The assumption.
The judgment.
The disrespect hidden behind polite sentences.
“Mr. Bennett, I…”
Marcus raised his hand gently.
“You don’t have to explain.”
Ethan looked down.
“I made a mistake.”
Marcus studied him for a moment.
Then he said something nobody expected.
“The problem isn’t that you didn’t recognize me.”
Everyone listened.