The older man looked at Marcus.
"Your colleague was explaining the dealership's rules to me."
Marcus glanced at Daniel.
Daniel immediately knew what the man was doing.
"He touched the Aurelia," Daniel said.
Marcus looked toward the car.
"Did you scratch it?"
"No," the older man answered.
"Then it's probably fine," Marcus said.
Daniel gave Marcus a sharp look.
The older man smiled again.
"Thank you."
Then he continued walking.
Daniel followed.
"Sir, I need to ask you to stop wandering into restricted areas."
The man had reached the far end of the showroom, where a large glass door separated the public area from the administrative offices.
He turned slowly.
"Restricted?"
"Yes."
The older man studied the door.
Then he looked back at Daniel.
"Do you know how long Sterling Motors has been operating?"
Daniel blinked.
"What?"
"Answer the question."
Daniel folded his arms.
"Thirty-two years."
"Thirty-three."
Daniel said nothing.
The man nodded toward the showroom.
"Do you know why this building was designed with so much glass?"
Daniel was becoming increasingly frustrated.
"Sir, if you're not here to buy a car—"
"Transparency," the man interrupted.
Daniel stared at him.
"That was the idea behind the design. No dark corners. No hidden treatment for different kinds of customers. Everyone who walks through those doors should feel welcome."
The man paused.
"At least, that was the original idea."
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"You seem to know a lot about this place."
"I do."
"How?"
The older man smiled.
"You never asked."
Then he reached into the inside pocket of his worn jacket.
Daniel immediately assumed he was looking for identification.
Instead, the man pulled out a small black access card.
Daniel watched as he walked toward the restricted glass door.
"Sir, you can't go in there."
The man ignored him.
He placed the card against the scanner.
A green light appeared.
There was a quiet click.
The glass door unlocked.
Daniel froze.
Employees needed special authorization to enter that section of the building. Even Daniel himself did not have access to every office.
The older man pushed the door open.
Then he turned around.
"Would you like to come inside?" he asked.
Daniel stared at the access card.
"Who are you?"
The man slipped it back into his pocket.
Chương 3
"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.