"Leave now!" Julian bellowed, his neck veins bulging. "People like you don't belong here!"
Victoria stood beside him, smirking with her arms crossed, shaking her head in mockery.
Marcus did not flinch. His gaze remained steady, cutting straight through Julian’s manufactured rage.
"Are you sure about that?" Marcus asked quietly.
"Positive," Julian spat. "Officer, remove this trespasser immediately!"
Before the lead officer could lay a hand on Marcus's shoulder, Marcus smoothly reached into his trousers pocket. He produced a matte-black, laser-engraved titanium credentials card bearing the platinum seal of the Sterling Global Hospitality Trust.
Marcus held it out between two fingers.
Julian scoffed, snatching the card to expose what he assumed was a fake ID or an expired club pass. But as his eyes locked onto the raised platinum lettering, the color drained from his face with sickening velocity.
Victoria leaned in, squinting at the name etched beneath the sovereign corporate seal: