“Then perhaps Bellmere no longer values my business.”
Richard closed his eyes.
Aaron watched.
This was the line.
He had expected it.
Still difficult.
Richard answered:
“We value your business.”
“We do not exchange employment decisions for it.”
Aaron looked toward him.
Good.
Victoria’s voice became very quiet.
“You should think carefully about what you’re saying.”
“I have.”
“Have you?”
“Yes.”
Another silence.
Then:
“I will cancel the foundation dinner in December.”
Richard flinched.
Aaron saw.
Thirty thousand dollars, perhaps more.
“Okay.”
“And the Langley Trust lunches.”
Richard closed his eyes.
“Understood.”
“I will also advise colleagues.”
Aaron’s jaw tightened.
There.
Punishment expanding beyond her own spending.
Richard remained calm.
“That is your decision.”
Victoria laughed once.
“You sound very principled.”
Richard looked toward Aaron.
Then said something neither had drafted.
“I wish we had been earlier.”
Victoria went quiet.
Richard continued.
“We reviewed older complaints.”
“Several times, we gave employees corrective action primarily because we were afraid of losing your account.”
Aaron stared.
Victoria’s tone changed.
“What are you accusing me of now?”
“Nothing.”
“I’m telling you what we did.”
“That is our responsibility.”
“We made your dissatisfaction more powerful than our own policies.”
“That was unfair to staff.”
Victoria said nothing.
Richard continued.
“We are correcting it.”
The line went dead.
She had hung up.
Richard placed the phone down.
No triumph.
He looked sick.
“How bad?”
Aaron asked.
“December alone is thirty-eight thousand booked.”
Aaron whistled softly.
“Worse than I thought.”
“Yes.”
“Can we absorb it?”
Richard thought.
“Yes.”
“Without cuts?”
“Probably.”
Probably.
There was the cost.
Aaron looked down.
Richard said:
“Do not tell staff revenue details.”
“I wasn't planning to.”
“Good.”
Then:
“Call Maya.”
She answered on the second ring.
“Am I fired?”
Aaron closed his eyes.
“Hello to you too.”
“Sorry.”
“No.”
“You’re not fired.”
Silence.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“We found the holder in linen.”
“Ben told me.”
“Of course he did.”
“He apologized.”
“Good.”
Aaron continued.
“We reviewed video.”
“You did not touch Victoria’s belongings.”
“You did not block her.”
“We are documenting that.”
Maya’s voice changed.
“Why document it?”
“Because her complaint is also documented.”
“Your response should exist beside it.”
She went quiet.
Then:
“Okay.”
“You’ll get coaching on how to handle missing property.”
“I know.”
“No guest searches.”
“I did not search.”