Marcus approached the panel and swiped a black premium card. The doors immediately hissed open to the wide eyes of the onlookers. He stepped inside without a backward glance, letting the doors slide shut on Agent Jones's frozen face.
The entire lobby remained quiet for a moment until a faint ding sound from the elevator, which signalled its ascent.
Agent Jones's face which still had the apologetic and feet licking smile finally dropped to an unreadable expression. He squeezed the phone so tightly in his hand it felt as though it might break at any second.
Then the lobby exploded. The whispers began to turn to murmurs, then quickly escalated to unrestrained hot takes.
"Did you see that? Marcus just ignored him completely."
"He's back. Actually back."
"And he went straight to the executive elevator..."
"He's here for a secret signing. Mark my words,"
"The AC breaking was a sign. Chaos incoming,"
"Sheesh, keep quiet!"
