Daniel smiled faintly.
"Those are the duties."
He paused.
"What makes someone good at them?"
Ethan thought for a moment.
"Patience. Respect. Understanding."
Daniel nodded.
"And the ability to recognize that every person who walks through those doors may be carrying something you cannot see."
Ethan looked at him.
"Thank you, Mr. Whitmore."
Daniel gave him a small smile.
"Don't thank me yet. Show me."
Ethan nodded.
As he walked away, he understood that forgiveness was not a reward he could demand.
It was something he had to earn through the choices he made afterward.
Three days after Daniel's arrival, a violent storm struck the city.
Rain poured across the streets, flooding several intersections and disrupting public transportation.
The hotel remained busy.
Guests arrived soaked from the weather, while employees rushed to assist with luggage and room assignments.
At approximately seven in the evening, a middle-aged man entered through the revolving doors.
His clothes were wet.
His hair was disheveled.
He carried no suitcase.
He approached the reception desk and spoke quietly.
"Excuse me. Could I possibly use your telephone?"
The receptionist on duty was Ethan.
He looked at the man.
"Certainly, sir. Is there an emergency?"
The man nodded.
"My daughter is at the hospital. I need to contact someone, but my phone stopped working."
Ethan immediately stepped out from behind the desk.
"Of course. Please come this way."
He brought the man to a nearby seating area and offered him a towel.
"Would you like some water?"
The man nodded gratefully.
Ethan brought him a glass.
Then he asked whether he needed help contacting the hospital.
The man explained that his daughter had been involved in a road accident.
He had been working outside the city when the storm began. His bus had been delayed, and his phone battery had died.
He had spent nearly an hour trying to find somewhere he could make a call.
Ethan listened without interrupting.
"Do you know which hospital she's at?"
The man gave him the name.
Ethan used the hotel's telephone to contact the hospital.
After several minutes, he managed to reach the emergency department.
The news was encouraging.
The man's daughter was conscious and receiving treatment.
He could visit her once transportation resumed.
The man covered his face with both hands.
"Thank you."
Ethan shook his head.
"You're welcome."
The man looked around.
"How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing."
"But I used your telephone."
"That's all right."
The man seemed embarrassed.
"I don't have much money with me."
Ethan smiled.
"You don't need to pay for a telephone call."
At that moment, Daniel entered the lobby.
He had been returning from a meeting with Richard.
He noticed the interaction.
He stopped near the desk.
Ethan was now speaking to the security supervisor.
"Could we arrange a dry place for him to wait until the rain slows down?"
The supervisor nodded.
Daniel watched silently.
The man looked exhausted.
His hands were trembling slightly.
Ethan brought him another towel and offered him a seat near the entrance.
Then he asked the kitchen whether they could prepare a warm drink.
Daniel approached.
"Good evening."
Ethan turned.
"Good evening, Mr. Whitmore."
Daniel looked toward the visitor.
"Is everything all right?"
Ethan explained the situation.
Daniel listened.
Then he turned toward the man.
"I hope your daughter recovers quickly."
The visitor looked up.
"Thank you, sir."
Daniel nodded.
"Please don't worry about staying here until the weather improves."
The man seemed overwhelmed.
"I don't want to cause trouble."
"You aren't causing any trouble."
Daniel glanced toward Ethan.
"Are we?"
Ethan shook his head.
"Not at all."
Daniel smiled.
"Good."
The man remained at the hotel for nearly an hour.
When the rain finally eased, Ethan helped him arrange transportation to the hospital.
Before leaving, the visitor turned around.
"I don't know how to thank you."
Ethan replied:
"Just take care of your daughter."
The man smiled.
Then he disappeared into the rainy night.
Daniel watched him leave.
After a moment, he turned toward Ethan.
"Do you know who that man was?"
Ethan shook his head.
"No, sir."
"Do you know how much money he had?"
"No."
"Do you know whether he could ever afford to stay here?"
Ethan paused.
"No, sir."
Daniel nodded.
"Yet you helped him."
Ethan looked slightly embarrassed.
"I just thought he needed someone."
Daniel smiled.
"Exactly."
He looked around the lobby.
"That is how this hotel was supposed to work."
For the first time, Daniel saw something that gave him hope.
The values Eleanor had written about twenty-five years earlier were not entirely gone.
They were simply waiting for someone to practice them again.
But the most difficult test was still ahead.
Because the changes Daniel wanted to make would not please everyone.
And one powerful member of the company's board was already preparing to stop him.
The following Monday morning, the Grand Imperial Hotel's executive board gathered for an emergency meeting.
The meeting had been called by Daniel Whitmore himself.
Around the long conference table sat nine executives, each representing a different department of the company. Some had worked with Daniel for decades. Others had joined during the hotel's expansion.