Robert looked from Marcus to Ethan and then back again, as though waiting for someone to explain that he had misunderstood.
Ethan did not answer the question directly. He gestured toward the gate device and asked Marcus whether a first-class passenger's assigned seat could be changed without consent, whether a minor could be separated from a parent without written approval, and whether a terminal manager could authorize the alteration without recording a legitimate operational reason.
Marcus's eyes shifted toward Robert. Robert opened his mouth, but produced no explanation.
Ethan asked whether the original passenger data could still be recovered. Marcus said every change would have been timestamped and attached to the employee account that made it. Ethan then asked whether the aircraft could legally depart while the passenger list contained an unauthorized modification. Marcus did not answer immediately; he already knew the implication.
Robert finally found his voice and attempted to step closer. He said the situation had been a misunderstanding caused by pressure to keep the flight on schedule. He insisted that Ethan and Emma were about to be reseated and that there was no need to escalate the matter.
Ethan looked at him without anger. "I am not asking for my seat back," he said.
Robert seemed confused.
Ethan continued questioning the process. He asked whether Clare had verified Vanessa's assignment before moving him, whether Robert had reviewed the reservation history before approving the change, and whether either of them had confirmed that the revised cabin record matched the people physically occupying the seats. Robert admitted that he had relied on Clare's summary.
Marcus looked toward the aircraft door, and the seriousness of the problem became visible in his expression. Ethan told him to lock the reservation data immediately, preserve every version of the passenger manifest, and prevent anyone from making further changes. He ordered the flight suspended until the entire record could be reviewed. He also instructed Marcus to contact Rachel Monroe, the airline's director of legal affairs and compliance, and bring her to the gate before any passenger was allowed to depart.
Robert stared at Ethan as though the request were an act of personal revenge. He reminded Marcus that a suspension would create delays, missed connections, and significant cost. Ethan answered that an unreliable passenger record was more serious than an inconvenient schedule.