Elaine Foster, who had joined the call, answered that the company's governing documents gave its major investors access to specified compliance information through proper channels. Marcus's firm had already raised questions about unresolved customer complaints as part of due diligence. The incident could trigger an additional governance review, but it did not give Marcus the legal authority to fire employees himself or to publish confidential files to a live audience. Marcus agreed without hesitation; he had no desire to bypass the accountability process in the name of enforcing it.
"Our agreement includes a material-conduct review provision," Marcus said. "My investment committee needs to know whether the safeguards you described were functioning. That is a question for your board, not a decision for me alone."
Patricia was quiet for a moment. "Understood. We can convene the independent directors today."
"Good," Marcus said. "And Patricia, please don't call this a customer-service misunderstanding in a statement just because that is easier."
"I won't," she replied.
The call ended. Marcus remained in the small room for another minute while Janet printed a confirmation that the ticket had been valid and the downgrade unauthorized by the passenger. Santos completed his notes and advised Marcus that he was free to go or return to the flight if the airline cleared him for boarding. There was no reason for security to retain him, and Santos was unwilling to suggest otherwise because a supervisor had requested assistance.
When Marcus returned to the gate area, the gathering crowd had grown to around fifty people. The original live stream was still running, supplemented by fragments from other phones, and the delay board showed Flight 447 running twenty-three minutes behind schedule. A few people cheered when they saw him, but he raised one hand gently to discourage the performance. They had all come to the airport for a reason, and he did not want his experience turned into their afternoon's entertainment.
"The airline has confirmed my original ticket was valid," he said clearly. "They are correcting the record and reviewing how the change was made. I'm grateful to the people who offered evidence, and I know everyone is waiting to travel."
A man near the desk asked whether Marcus was going to sue for millions. Marcus answered that he had not yet decided what civil remedies, if any, he would seek. His immediate priorities were preserving facts, avoiding a premature accusation against an employee who had not been heard, and making sure the airline understood the procedural failure. Those answers disappointed spectators hoping for instant punishment, but Marcus had spent too many years negotiating complicated problems to promise results before the work began.
Patricia Voss asked him what the headquarters call meant. Marcus explained that Chen Industries was a substantial shareholder and commercial customer of Atlantic Airways, which made the event relevant to oversight discussions already under way. He did not ask her to view that as a victory over Sarah. He asked whether she would be willing to tell an independent reviewer what she had witnessed before she knew who he was.