"Those are serious allegations."
"They are," Edward replied.
"And I came here to determine whether they were true."
James looked at Olivia.
"Have you heard anything about these issues?"
Olivia hesitated.
"Yes, sir."
Victor turned sharply toward her.
"Olivia."
She ignored him.
"I have received several complaints from employees. Some guests have also contacted me directly."
"Why weren't these complaints reported to corporate headquarters?" James asked.
Olivia looked down.
"Some were reported."
"And?"
"They were marked as resolved."
James frowned.
"By whom?"
Olivia slowly looked toward Victor.
The room became silent.
Victor leaned forward.
"Let me clarify something. Every large hotel receives complaints. Some are exaggerated, some are misunderstandings, and some are simply impossible to satisfy."
Edward listened without interrupting.
Victor continued.
"My responsibility is to maintain the hotel's reputation. We cannot allow isolated incidents to damage the business."
Edward looked at him.
"Do you believe treating people badly is an isolated incident?"
Victor sighed.
"That's not what I said."
"Then explain what you meant."
Victor glanced toward James.
"We operate in a highly competitive industry. Guests expect luxury, efficiency, and exclusivity. Maintaining those standards requires difficult decisions."
Edward nodded slowly.
"Standards are important."
He paused.
"But cruelty is not a standard."
Victor said nothing.
James opened his laptop.
"Let's review the complaints."
A list of reports appeared on the screen.
There were twenty-seven formal complaints over the previous six months.
Edward leaned forward.
"Read them."
James selected the first report.
It concerned an elderly woman who had arrived at the hotel with a reservation but had been asked to wait outside because the receptionist believed she could not afford the room.
The reservation had eventually been found.
But by then, the woman had left.
The second complaint involved a disabled guest whose request for assistance had been ignored because staff members were busy attending to a group of wealthy conference attendees.
The third described a family who had been publicly embarrassed after asking for a payment arrangement.
The list continued.
Each complaint revealed something different.
But together, they painted a disturbing picture.
Edward listened to every report.
He didn't raise his voice.
He didn't interrupt.
Yet with each passing minute, his expression became more serious.
Finally, James closed the document.
"These incidents should never have happened."
Edward looked toward Victor.
"How many of these reports have you personally reviewed?"
Victor adjusted his tie.
"All operational matters are reviewed by my department."
"That wasn't my question."
Victor hesitated.
"I don't remember every individual report."
Edward nodded.
"Then perhaps you should remember the people behind them."
He reached into his suitcase again.
This time, he removed a small photograph.
It showed Margaret standing in front of the original hotel entrance.
Edward placed it on the table.
"When we opened this hotel, we had very little money."
James smiled faintly.
"I remember."
"We couldn't afford expensive furniture. We couldn't afford advertisements in major magazines. We had only thirty employees, most of whom had never worked in a luxury hotel before."
Edward touched the photograph.
"Margaret and I spent our first months teaching them how to welcome guests."
He looked toward Olivia.
"We didn't teach them how to identify rich people."
Olivia smiled sadly.
"We still need that lesson."
Edward continued.
"One night, during our first winter, a man came to the hotel during a terrible storm. His car had broken down, and he had nowhere to go."
James remembered.
"He was the old gentleman who repaired the heating system."
Edward nodded.
"That's right. His name was Thomas."
Victor looked confused.
Edward explained.
"Thomas was a maintenance worker. He had spent forty years repairing heating systems across the city. That night, he arrived soaked and exhausted. He couldn't afford a room, so Margaret invited him to stay in one of the empty rooms."
Edward smiled.
"She gave him dry clothes, a warm meal, and a place to sleep."
He paused.
"The following morning, Thomas discovered that the heating system in our main building had failed. He spent the entire day repairing it."
James laughed softly.
"And he refused to accept payment."
"Because Margaret had helped him when he needed it."
Edward looked toward Victor.
"That's how this hotel began."
Victor looked uncomfortable.
"That was a different time."
Edward's eyes remained steady.
"Human dignity doesn't have an expiration date."
Nobody spoke.
Then Olivia noticed something unusual.
On the final page of the complaint report was a handwritten note.
It was dated just four days earlier.
She read it silently.
Then her expression changed.
"Mr. Whitmore?"
James looked up.
"What is it?"
Olivia turned the laptop toward him.
"This complaint was never included in the monthly report."
James read the note.
It concerned a young employee named Emily Carter.
She had worked in housekeeping for three years.
According to the report, Emily had been dismissed after refusing to follow an instruction that required her to remove a guest's personal belongings from a room without permission.
The guest had been an elderly man traveling alone.
Emily had objected because the guest was still inside the room and had specifically requested privacy.
Victor immediately spoke.
"That was a personnel matter."
James looked at him.
"Why was she dismissed?"
Victor sighed.
"She refused a direct instruction."
"What instruction?"
Victor looked toward Olivia.
"That is irrelevant."
Edward leaned forward.
"Nothing involving a person's dignity is irrelevant."
Olivia opened another document.
"Emily filed an appeal. She claimed that she was punished for protecting a guest."
Edward looked at the screen.
"Where is she now?"
"She hasn't worked here for several weeks."
James closed his laptop.
"Victor, I want the full personnel file."
Victor's face tightened.
"Of course."
Edward stood and walked toward the window.
Below them, the city stretched into the distance.
Cars moved along wet roads.
People hurried beneath umbrellas.
Thousands of lives were unfolding beyond the walls of the hotel.
He thought about Margaret.
He remembered the promise they had made when they first opened the Grand Imperial.
They had promised that nobody would ever feel invisible inside their building.
Yet now, years later, people were leaving its doors feeling smaller than when they had entered.
Edward turned around.
"James, I want an independent review."
James nodded.
"Immediately."
"I want every complaint examined. Every dismissal reviewed. Every employee given the opportunity to speak without fear of retaliation."
Victor interrupted.
"Edward, with respect, that could create significant operational disruption."