He removed another document.
“This is the original passenger manifest.”
He placed it on the table.
Arthur examined the names.
His own name appeared beside seat 3A.
Emily Parker appeared beside the same seat.
But there was something else.
A third passenger had been listed for seat 3A.
Richard Bennett.
Arthur stared at the page.
“Three people?”
Daniel nodded.
“That's what the system shows.”
Emily leaned forward.
“Why would three people have the same seat?”
Daniel pointed to the booking references.
“Your grandfather's ticket was issued through the executive office. Your ticket was issued through an external travel agency. Richard's reservation was created by the company's internal charter department.”
He paused.
“The system should have flagged the duplication. But someone manually overrode the warning.”
Arthur's expression hardened.
“Who?”
Daniel looked at the bottom of the document.
“Richard.”
Emily frowned.
“So he knew?”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“He approved the final passenger manifest.”
Arthur sat very still.
The realization was becoming impossible to ignore.
“Then why would he arrange for me and Emily to occupy the same seat?”
Daniel looked uncertain.
“I don't know.”
Arthur turned toward Emily.
“Do you know who booked your ticket?”
She opened her email.
“It came through an executive recruitment agency. They told me the company wanted me to attend a final interview in New York.”
Daniel looked at her screen.
“What company?”
“Bennett Holdings.”
The businessman slowly leaned back.
Arthur stared at him.
“You brought my granddaughter to the same meeting?”
Daniel shook his head.
“No. I didn't know she was your granddaughter until today.”
Emily looked between them.
“Wait. Are you saying I was invited to interview at the company my grandfather founded?”
Arthur looked surprised.
“You were applying for a position at Bennett Holdings?”
Emily nodded.
“Yes. Senior financial analyst. I was told the company had been expanding its investment division.”
Arthur closed his eyes.
For the first time, he began to understand the scale of what was happening.
“Daniel, what is Richard planning?”
Daniel looked at the old man.
“I believe he intends to sell the company.”
Arthur's face became expressionless.
“To whom?”
“Northstar Capital.”
Arthur let out a slow breath.
“Northstar.”
He knew the name.
Northstar Capital had been trying to acquire Bennett Holdings for years.
The company had once made an offer that Arthur had personally rejected.
Its business model depended on buying struggling companies, selling their assets, and eliminating entire departments to maximize short-term returns.
Arthur had always believed that Bennett Holdings had a responsibility beyond generating profits.
It employed thousands of people.
Many employees had worked there for thirty years.
Some had joined when the company consisted of nothing more than a small office above a hardware store.
Arthur remembered their names.
He remembered their children.
He remembered attending their weddings and funerals.
To him, the company had never been merely a collection of buildings and financial statements.
It was a family.
And he had spent decades trying to protect it.
“Has the sale been approved?” he asked.
Daniel nodded.
“An agreement has been drafted. The board is expected to approve it today.”
Arthur looked toward the window.
“What time?”
“Three o'clock.”
Emily checked her phone.
“It is already nearly eleven.”
Arthur looked at Daniel.
“Then we have four hours.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Mr. Bennett, you don't understand. Richard controls the board. He has the majority of the voting rights.”
Arthur looked at him.
“Does he?”
Daniel nodded.
“Most of them.”
Arthur smiled faintly.
“Then you should read the last amendment to the company's original shareholder agreement.”
Daniel frowned.
“What amendment?”
“The one I signed before I retired.”
Daniel searched his briefcase.
He pulled out several pages.
Arthur watched him.
“Page seventeen.”
Daniel turned to the page.
His eyes moved across the text.
Then they stopped.
“What is this?”
Arthur folded his hands.
“A provision protecting the company's founding trust.”
Daniel read aloud.
“In the event of an attempted sale or transfer of controlling interest without the founder's consent, the Bennett Family Preservation Trust retains the right to suspend the transaction pending independent review.”
He looked up.
“Is this still valid?”
Arthur nodded.
“Very much so.”
Daniel stared at him.
“But the board has never mentioned this.”
“Of course not.”
Arthur's expression grew cold.
“Richard has spent twelve years hoping I would never return.”
Emily looked at her grandfather.
“Does that mean you can stop the sale?”
“Not by myself.”
He paused.
“But I can make sure the truth is heard.”
As the aircraft finally began moving toward the runway, Emily returned to seat 2C.
Arthur remained in 3A.
The flight attendant had apologized several times for the confusion and promised to investigate the duplicate booking.
Emily no longer cared about the seat.
She watched Arthur through the open partition.
He was reading the old documents with intense concentration.
Every few minutes, he stopped and looked out the window.
She wondered what he was thinking.
She wondered whether he was remembering her mother.
And she wondered why her mother had never told her the full story.
For years, Margaret had kept a small wooden box in her bedroom.
Emily remembered seeing it on several occasions.
Whenever she asked about it, her mother would say it contained old family photographs.
After Margaret died, Emily had found the box in the closet.
But she had never opened it.
She had been too overwhelmed by the funeral, the paperwork, and the sudden emptiness of the house.