Just typing.
Diana told herself to be patient.
Maybe Linda Kramer was finishing another important meeting.
That happened.
Senior managers were busy.
It was normal.
Then the glass doors opened.
A young man in a light gray suit entered the bank.
He looked around confidently, like someone who already knew everyone inside.
He approached Melissa.
The change was immediate.
Diana noticed it before she even heard the conversation.
Melissa smiled.
Not the polite customer-service smile.
A real smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Lancaster."
Her voice suddenly became warm.
Friendly.
Almost familiar.
The man smiled back.
"Morning, Melissa. How are you?"
"I'm wonderful, thank you."
Melissa stood immediately.
"Miss Kramer is waiting for you. Please go right in."
Diana watched silently.
The man had not waited.
Not even one minute.
He walked through the same glass doors Diana had been waiting beside for nearly twenty minutes.
Diana looked at the clock.
10:25.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
She tried to dismiss it.
Maybe he had a different appointment.
Maybe he was an important client.
Maybe there was a reasonable explanation.
She wanted there to be one.
Because Diana had spent her entire life believing people should be judged by their actions, not assumptions.
Then another client arrived.
A middle-aged woman wearing an expensive cream coat and carrying a luxury handbag.
Melissa immediately stood again.
"Mrs. Lancaster, it's wonderful to see you."
The woman's smile was effortless.
"Thank you, Melissa."
"Miss Kramer and Mr. Lancaster are already inside. Please go right in."
Diana froze.
Mrs. Lancaster.
The same last name.
Another Lancaster.
Another person who walked straight through.
Another person who did not wait.
Diana looked around the room.
Nobody reacted.
Everyone seemed comfortable pretending they had not noticed.
She sat there quietly.
But something inside her had changed.
This was no longer about being delayed.
This was about being ignored.
At 11:00 a.m., Diana finally stood.
She walked back to the reception desk.
"Excuse me, Melissa."
The receptionist looked up slowly.
"I've been waiting for an hour. Could you please check again with Miss Kramer? My appointment was at ten."
Melissa sighed lightly.
Not loudly.
Just enough for Diana to notice.
She typed a few keys.
"She's still with a client."
"Does she know I've been waiting?"
"Yes."
Melissa's answer came immediately.
Too immediately.
Diana studied her face.
"Are you sure?"
Melissa looked up.
"Miss Bennett, I already informed her. She will call you when she is ready."
The words were polite.
But the message underneath was clear.
Stop asking.
Diana returned to her seat.
She did not argue.
She did not create a scene.
That was not who she was.
But she felt something she had rarely experienced.
Powerlessness.