Peter shook his head.
"That shouldn't be possible."
"Then who approved the service?"
Peter remained silent.
Michael leaned forward.
"Peter?"
Finally, Peter admitted that he had arranged an external repair several months earlier.
He claimed the authorized technician had been unavailable.
He had wanted to save time.
But the documents showed that the repair had been paid for through a company account.
There was no proper service authorization.
Arthur looked disappointed.
"Do you understand what this watch represents?"
Peter nodded.
"It's a valuable item."
Arthur shook his head.
"No. It's more than a valuable item."
He explained that the watch represented the work of his father and the first generation of craftsmen who had helped build his company.
The original design had taken nearly three years to perfect.
The movement had been developed through hundreds of experiments.
Each piece had been assembled by hand.
The watches were not simply products.
They were part of a history.
Michael looked at Peter.
"You will provide every document relating to this repair."
Peter nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"And you will cooperate with the internal investigation."
"Of course."
Arthur remained quiet.
He was beginning to realize that the store had a deeper management problem than one rude employee.
CHAPTER 8: THE EMPLOYEE WHO WAS NEVER TRAINED
Michael returned to the showroom.
He asked Vanessa to join him.
She looked frightened.
"Mr. Reynolds, I really am sorry."
Michael sat down.
"Let's talk about your training."
Vanessa nodded.
"When you started working here, what were you taught about customer service?"
"We were taught to identify customer needs, explain products, and recommend suitable items."
"Anything else?"
"We were encouraged to focus on high-value sales."
Michael frowned.
"Who told you that?"
"Our previous store manager."
"Did anyone tell you to judge customers by their clothing?"
Vanessa looked down.
"No."
"Then why did you do it?"
She struggled to answer.
"I thought I was protecting the store."
Michael shook his head.
"Protecting the store from what?"
"People who waste our time."
Michael looked at her.
"How do you know who is wasting your time?"
Vanessa remained silent.
Michael continued.
"Do you know how many wealthy collectors prefer to dress casually? Do you know how many customers come here to inspect products before making purchases worth hundreds of thousands of dollars?"
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
"No, sir."
"Then you don't know enough to make those judgments."
She began crying.
"I didn't mean to disrespect him."
Michael answered calmly.
"But you did."
Vanessa wiped her eyes.
"Will I lose my job?"
Michael paused.