Alexander Whitmore was already waiting.
"Good morning," he said.
"Good morning."
He looked at the folder in her hand.
"I assume you've seen the reports."
"Every page."
Alexander sighed.
"I was hoping the European division would cooperate."
"Did you know about these problems before the acquisition?"
He looked uncomfortable.
"Some of them."
"Which ones?"
"Employee turnover. Customer complaints. A few disagreements between regional managers."
Victoria placed the folder on the table.
"Alexander, these aren't disagreements. They're repeated violations of company policy."
He nodded.
"I know."
"Why weren't they addressed?"
Alexander looked toward the window.
"Because Charles was very effective at producing results."
Victoria studied him.
"At what cost?"
He didn't answer.
The other executives began entering.
Charles Harrington arrived last.
He was sixty-one, with silver hair, an expensive navy suit, and a polished manner that made him appear almost impossibly confident.
He greeted the board members individually before taking his seat.
"Victoria," he said with a small smile. "Good to see you."
"Good morning, Charles."
"I hope you've had a chance to review the operational concerns."
"I have."
"Excellent. Then perhaps we can move quickly."
He opened his laptop.
"Before we begin, I want to make something clear. Maison Laurent is not a traditional retail business. Our customers expect exclusivity. They expect discretion. They expect an environment where every detail reflects the value of the brand."
Victoria listened.
Charles continued.
"We have spent decades developing that reputation. I understand your desire to improve customer experience, but there is a danger in trying to make a luxury establishment feel like an ordinary department store."
Several executives nodded.
Victoria folded her hands.
"What exactly do you believe our new policy changes?"
Charles displayed a presentation.
"It encourages employees to spend equal time with every customer, regardless of purchasing history or demonstrated buying potential."
"Is that incorrect?"
"No. But it's inefficient."
"Why?"
"Because our most valuable customers deserve priority."
Victoria nodded.
"Do they?"
Charles looked surprised.
"Of course."
"Then let me ask you something. If a customer spends two hundred thousand dollars a year with us, should we treat them well?"
"Absolutely."
"And if someone enters the store for the first time and spends twenty minutes asking questions before buying nothing, should we treat them badly?"
Charles smiled impatiently.
"That's not what I'm suggesting."
"Then what are you suggesting?"
"I'm suggesting that employees should be trained to recognize serious buyers."
Victoria looked at the screen.
"How do they recognize them?"
"Experience. Presentation. Purchasing behavior."
"Presentation?"
"Clothing, accessories, general appearance."
Victoria remained silent for a moment.
Then she asked:
"What if someone arrives wearing an inexpensive coat but owns a successful investment company?"
Charles shrugged.
"That would be an exception."
"What if someone arrives wearing an expensive watch but is simply trying to impress someone?"
"That's why we train our staff."
Victoria nodded.
"What if someone arrives wearing ordinary clothes and has no intention of buying anything, but simply wants to look at a beautiful product?"
Charles leaned back.
"Then we should still be polite, obviously."
Victoria looked directly at him.
"That's precisely what our policy requires."
The room became quiet.
She continued.
"Maison Laurent sells luxury products. We do not sell human worth. The value of a customer is not determined by the amount of money we believe they might spend."
Charles sighed.
"With respect, Victoria, that's an idealistic position."
"Perhaps."
She opened the folder.
"But it's also a commercially sound one."
She displayed the company's customer retention figures.
"Since we introduced the new customer service standards at the flagship store, repeat visits have increased. Customer complaints have decreased. Employee turnover has fallen."
Charles glanced at the numbers.
"That's a relatively small sample."
"Then let's examine a larger one."
Victoria displayed the findings from an independent customer survey.
More than sixty percent of respondents said they were more likely to return to a luxury retailer if employees made them feel comfortable regardless of whether they intended to purchase something immediately.
Another forty-three percent said they had previously avoided certain luxury establishments because they felt judged by their appearance.
Victoria turned toward the board.
"We've spent years investing in advertisements to convince people that Maison Laurent represents elegance. Yet some of our employees have been doing the opposite every time a customer walks through the door."
Charles closed his laptop.
"This is becoming a philosophical discussion."
"No. It's a business discussion."
Victoria turned another page.
"And I believe we should also discuss the internal complaints."
Charles's expression changed.
"Which complaints?"
"The ones from Paris, London, Milan, and Geneva."
"Those matters are being handled."
"By whom?"
"Regional management."
"Which reports directly to you."
"Yes."
Victoria nodded.
"Then you understand why I've requested an independent investigation."
Charles looked toward Alexander.
"Alexander, surely you don't intend to support this."
Alexander glanced at Victoria.
Then he spoke.
"I believe the investigation is necessary."
Charles stared at him.
For the first time, his confidence began to weaken.
Victoria closed the folder.
"The policy will remain in place. The investigation will proceed. No regional director will be permitted to interfere with employee interviews or alter complaint records."
She looked around the table.
"Is there any objection?"
Nobody spoke.
Charles slowly gathered his papers.
"Very well."
But his expression suggested that he had no intention of accepting the decision quietly.
That afternoon, Victoria received an anonymous email.
There was no greeting.
No signature.
Only one sentence.
You should investigate who really benefited from the company's previous management structure before trusting the people sitting around your boardroom table.
Attached was a spreadsheet.
It contained payments made to several external consulting firms over a period of four years.
The names were unfamiliar.
The amounts were not.
More than $8.6 million had been transferred to three companies registered in Delaware.
The stated purposes included security consulting, customer experience optimization, and regional operational support.
Victoria forwarded the documents to the legal department.
Then she called Natalie.
"I need you to find out who owns these companies."
Natalie examined the spreadsheet.
"Do you think they're legitimate?"
"I don't know yet."