"That's becoming a familiar response."
Thomas laughed nervously.
"Well, welcome back, sir."
Arthur looked around the kitchen.
"How's business?"
"Busy as always."
"Are the staff happy?"
Thomas hesitated.
"Mostly."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
Thomas sighed.
"To be honest, morale has been low."
"Why?"
"Staff shortages. Longer shifts. Budget restrictions. We've been asked to reduce waste, which I understand, but some of the changes have made our work harder."
Arthur nodded.
"Tell me more."
Thomas explained that several kitchen employees had been asked to work additional hours without sufficient notice. Equipment repairs had been delayed, and requests for replacement supplies had been rejected.
Arthur listened carefully.
He asked to see the maintenance reports.
Thomas showed him.
Several pieces of equipment had been marked as needing repair for months.
Arthur shook his head.
"Why hasn't this been addressed?"
Thomas shrugged.
"Budget approval."
Arthur looked at him.
"A luxury hotel charging hundreds or thousands of dollars per night cannot afford to repair its kitchen equipment?"
Thomas gave an embarrassed smile.
"That's what I said."
Arthur looked toward Daniel.
"Write that down."
Daniel took out his phone.
"Yes, sir."
By the time they finished the tour, Arthur had collected enough information to understand that the problem at Whitmore was not limited to one manager.
It was an entire culture that had gradually shifted away from the values on which the hotel had been built.
And he intended to change it.
At 2:30 that afternoon, Arthur returned to the presidential suite.
The room was enormous.
It featured a private dining area, a grand living room, two bedrooms, a marble bathroom, and a balcony overlooking the city.
A large arrangement of fresh white roses stood near the windows.
Daniel placed the vintage suitcase beside the bedroom entrance.
"Is there anything else you need, Mr. Whitmore?"
Arthur looked around.
"Actually, yes."
"Of course."
"Would you mind joining me for lunch?"
Daniel blinked.
"Me?"
"Unless there's another Daniel in the room."
Daniel smiled awkwardly.
"Sir, I'm still on duty."
Arthur checked his watch.
"What time does your break begin?"
"Three o'clock."
"Then I'll wait until three."
Daniel hesitated.
"I don't think that's necessary."
Arthur looked at him.
"Daniel, I have spent most of my life surrounded by people who tell me what they think I want to hear. I would appreciate having lunch with someone who has been honest with me."
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
"I don't know what to say."
"Then you can start by telling me what you would order."
Daniel laughed.
"Probably the chicken sandwich."
"Excellent. I've always liked a good chicken sandwich."
At three o'clock, Daniel returned to the suite.
He had changed into his regular clothes: a dark-blue shirt, black trousers, and simple sneakers.
Arthur was sitting near the balcony with a menu.
"Ready?"
"Yes, sir."
They ordered lunch.
While they waited, Arthur asked about Daniel's family.
Daniel spoke about his mother, Denise, and his younger sister, Olivia.
He explained that his mother had recently developed a chronic back problem after years of working long shifts.
He also explained that Olivia wanted to study nursing.
"She's very determined," Daniel said.
"That's wonderful."
"She studies all the time. Sometimes I tell her she needs to sleep."
Arthur smiled.
"Young people often believe they can change the world without getting enough rest."
Daniel laughed.
Arthur asked about Daniel's education.
Daniel explained that he had been studying hospitality management before his father's death.
"Do you still want to finish?"
"More than anything."
"What's stopping you?"
"Money, mostly."
Arthur nodded.
"How much would it cost?"
Daniel hesitated.
"I haven't calculated everything recently."
"An approximate amount?"
"Maybe twelve thousand dollars for the remaining tuition and expenses."
Arthur looked at him.
"That's manageable."
Daniel smiled politely.
"Maybe for you, sir."
Arthur laughed.
"Fair point."
Their food arrived.
For the next several minutes, they ate and talked about ordinary things.
Daniel told him about his favorite basketball team, his mother's cooking, and the time his sister had accidentally locked herself out of their apartment.
Arthur shared stories about his own childhood.
He had grown up in a small rented house in a working-class neighborhood of Detroit.
His father had worked in a factory, and his mother had cleaned offices at night.
There had been five children in the family.
Money was always tight.
Arthur remembered sleeping in a small room with two of his brothers, sharing old blankets during the winter.
He remembered his mother bringing home leftover bread from the restaurant where she worked.
He remembered the day his father bought him a secondhand bicycle.
It had a damaged wheel and rusted handlebars, but Arthur had loved it.
"I used to imagine I was riding through the whole world," he said.
Daniel smiled.
"Did you always want to own a hotel?"
"No."
"What did you want to do?"
Arthur laughed.
"I wanted to become a train engineer."
Daniel looked surprised.
"Really?"
"Absolutely. I loved trains. I thought they were magical."
"What changed?"
"My mother told me that I needed a job that paid enough to support a family."
Arthur smiled.
"So I worked wherever I could. Construction sites, restaurants, warehouses. Eventually, I started saving money."
He paused.
"At thirty-two, I bought a small building that had once been a boarding house."
"That became Hotel Whitmore?"
"Eventually."
Arthur leaned back.
"It took twelve years to turn that little building into the hotel you see today."
Daniel listened with fascination.
"That's incredible."
"It wasn't easy."
Arthur's expression became thoughtful.
"There were years when I almost lost everything. I remember one winter when the heating system broke, and we couldn't afford to replace it. My brother and I spent three nights repairing the pipes ourselves."
He smiled faintly.
"We had no idea what we were doing."
Daniel laughed.
Arthur continued.
"But people believed in us. The staff believed in us. Guests came back because they felt welcome. That's how we survived."
He looked toward the city.
"I built this hotel because I wanted people to feel respected. It didn't matter whether someone was a millionaire or a factory worker celebrating their anniversary. Everyone deserved the same courtesy."
Daniel nodded.
"That's how it should be."
Arthur looked at him.
"Yes. It is."
Then he asked a question that Daniel would remember for the rest of his life.
"If I offered you the opportunity to return to college, would you take it?"