Daniel looked surprised.
"Why are you telling me?"
"Because I want your opinion."
Daniel was silent.
Edward continued.
"What would have made your stay different?"
Daniel thought for a moment.
"Someone who listened."
He looked toward Sophie.
"Someone who understood that children don't always know how to express fear quietly."
Edward nodded.
"Anything else?"
"Flexibility. A little patience. And perhaps a place where parents don't feel embarrassed asking for help."
Edward wrote down the suggestions.
Sophie suddenly spoke.
"Will children be allowed to stay there?"
Edward smiled.
"Yes."
"Even if they cry?"
Edward looked directly at her.
"Especially if they cry."
Sophie smiled for the first time.
Ben leaned forward.
"Will there be ice cream?"
Edward laughed.
"We can certainly discuss that."
The children began laughing.
For a brief moment, the sadness that had surrounded the family seemed to lift.
Before leaving, Daniel shook Edward's hand.
"I hope you keep your promise."
Edward answered firmly.
"I intend to."
As the family walked away, Edward remained seated.
He looked at the empty ice cream cups.
Then he opened his notebook and wrote one sentence.
A hotel should never make a grieving family feel like an inconvenience.
He closed the notebook.
For the first time since returning to the Grand Imperial, he understood that restoring the hotel's reputation would require more than changing policies.
It would require repairing the memories of people who had been hurt.
And that work had only just begun.
The independent investigation continued for several days.
A team of external auditors reviewed financial records, employee files, guest complaints, and internal communications.
What they discovered was worse than anyone had expected.
Several employees had been dismissed after raising concerns.
Complaints had been deliberately categorized as minor service issues.
Some guests had received compensation, but only after signing confidentiality agreements.
And the restructuring plan had been designed to reduce expenses without properly considering the effect on service quality.
But the most troubling discovery involved a confidential payment account.
The auditors found several payments made to an external consulting company.
The company had received substantial fees for providing reputation management services.
At first, the payments appeared legitimate.
However, the auditors noticed that several invoices were identical.
Some services had never been delivered.
Others appeared to involve the removal of negative online reviews and the suppression of employee complaints.
James brought the findings to Edward.
"There's something you need to see."
Edward studied the documents.
"What is this company?"
"Northbridge Advisory."
"Who owns it?"
James opened another file.
The company was registered under the name of a former business associate of Victor Reynolds.
Edward looked up.
"How much money?"
"Approximately four hundred thousand dollars over eighteen months."
Edward slowly placed the documents on the table.
"Was the board informed?"
"No."
"Did the company provide any legitimate services?"
"Some, possibly. But several invoices are questionable."
Edward looked toward the window.
"Then this is no longer simply a management problem."
James nodded.
"We've referred the financial findings for an independent forensic review."
Edward took a deep breath.
"Good."
James hesitated.
"There's another issue."
"What is it?"
"Victor has requested an emergency meeting with the board."
Edward looked at him.
"Why?"
"He claims the investigation is damaging the hotel's reputation and creating unnecessary instability."
Edward gave a faint smile.
"Interesting."
James frowned.
"What's interesting?"
"That he is more concerned about the investigation than the behavior that made it necessary."
James nodded.
Edward stood.
"Schedule the meeting."
Later that afternoon, Victor entered the conference room.
He was accompanied by his legal adviser.
Several board members were already seated.
Edward sat at the head of the table.
Victor placed a thick document in front of him.
"I believe we need to discuss the direction of this investigation."
Edward nodded.
"Go ahead."
Victor opened his folder.
"The investigation has created significant uncertainty among staff. Employees are worried about their positions. Guests have begun asking questions. Our business partners are concerned."
James responded.
"Then perhaps we should reassure them that the company is committed to correcting any problems."
Victor shook his head.
"That's not enough. We need to stop the investigation before it causes further damage."
Edward looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because we are already reviewing the relevant complaints."
Edward opened the forensic report.
"Are we also reviewing the payments to Northbridge Advisory?"
Victor froze.
His legal adviser looked toward him.
Edward continued.
"Four hundred thousand dollars. Several questionable invoices. Undisclosed business connections."
Victor leaned forward.
"Those payments were approved by the finance department."
James interrupted.
"Without board authorization."
Victor's voice became louder.
"I was acting in the hotel's best interests."
Edward looked at him.
"Then why were the payments concealed?"
Victor said nothing.
The room fell silent.
A board member spoke.
"Victor, are these allegations accurate?"
Victor looked around.
"I need time to review the documents."
Edward nodded.
"Of course."
He closed the folder.
"You will have the opportunity to respond through the proper process."
Victor stood.
"This is becoming personal."
Edward looked up.
"No, Victor. It became personal when employees were afraid to tell the truth because they believed they would lose their livelihoods."
Victor's face tightened.
"You don't understand the pressure of running a hotel like this."
Edward stood as well.
"Perhaps I understand it better than you think."
He paused.
"I remember opening this building with thirty employees and barely enough money to pay the electricity bill."
The board members listened.
"I remember sleeping in the office because we couldn't afford a night manager. I remember carrying luggage when someone called in sick. I remember Margaret preparing breakfast because the kitchen staff couldn't arrive during a snowstorm."
Edward looked toward Victor.
"We worked hard. We made mistakes. We lost money. But we never believed that success gave us permission to treat people as disposable."
Victor looked away.
Edward continued.
"You had a choice every day. You could have protected the employees who built this place. You could have listened to the guests who trusted us. You could have admitted when something went wrong."
He paused.
"Instead, you chose silence."
Victor slowly gathered his documents.
"This meeting is over."
Edward nodded.
"Not yet."
He looked toward James.
"Please read the board's resolution."
James opened a document.
"Effective immediately, Victor Reynolds is placed on administrative leave pending completion of the independent investigation. His access to operational systems and financial approvals will be suspended in accordance with company policy."