“Elen is not to face any retaliation for what happened tonight.”

“Understood, sir.”

“And I want her employment record reviewed. If she has been denied opportunities because she refused to follow discriminatory instructions, I want to know.”

Elen looked startled.

“Mr. Matthews, I don’t want special treatment.”

Daniel gave her a small smile.

“Neither does my mother.”

He glanced toward the trash bin.

“But basic respect should never be considered special treatment.”

Chapter 5 — The Manager’s First Lie

Anna was beginning to realize that the situation was slipping beyond her control.

She straightened her jacket.

“Mr. Matthews, I understand you’re upset because this involves your mother.”

Daniel looked at her.

“But I need you to understand something.”

“What?”

“This restaurant has a reputation to protect. We serve influential clients, business executives, celebrities, and international visitors.”

“And?”

“Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made to preserve the environment.”

Daniel remained silent.

Anna interpreted his silence as an opportunity.

“I have managed this location for four years. Our revenue has increased significantly during that time. Our customer satisfaction scores are among the highest in the district.”

“Interesting.”

“I have always acted in the company’s best interests.”

Daniel turned toward Marcus.

“Can you bring up the restaurant’s customer complaint reports for the last twelve months?”

Marcus nodded.

“Of course.”

Anna’s face changed.

“That’s unnecessary.”

Daniel looked at her.

“Why?”

“There are hundreds of reports. We should discuss this in a more appropriate setting.”

“Why?”

Anna had no answer.

Marcus opened the management dashboard.

He scrolled through the records.

Then his expression became serious.

“Sir, there are several complaints involving treatment of customers.”

“How many?”

“Twenty-three formal complaints in the past twelve months.”

Anna immediately spoke.

“Those were investigated.”

Daniel looked at her.

“By whom?”

“By the management team.”

“Meaning you?”

“Yes.”

“And what were the conclusions?”

Anna crossed her arms.

“Most were misunderstandings.”

Marcus continued reading.

“Seven complaints were submitted by customers who claimed they were denied seating despite available tables.”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed.

“Continue.”

“Four complaints involved staff being instructed to refuse service to customers who appeared underdressed.”

A woman near the bar covered her mouth.

Marcus continued.

“Three complaints involve customers being asked to leave shortly after ordering.”

Daniel looked at Anna.

“Why wasn’t I informed?”

Anna answered quickly.

“Because none of the complaints were considered serious enough to escalate.”

Daniel gave a humorless smile.

“You investigated twenty-three complaints about discriminatory treatment and decided none were serious?”

“Sir, we have to distinguish between genuine complaints and unreasonable customer expectations.”

“Did you interview the employees involved?”

Anna hesitated.

“Not in every case.”

“Did you interview the customers?”

“We don’t always have their contact information.”

“Did you review the security footage?”

Anna looked away.

Daniel nodded slowly.

“Then you didn’t investigate anything.”

He turned toward Marcus.

“Send the full records to the corporate compliance department tonight.”

“Yes, sir.”

Anna’s breathing became uneven.

“Mr. Matthews, I have always been loyal to this company.”

Daniel looked directly at her.

“Loyalty is not measured by how long someone occupies a position. It is measured by how they treat people when they believe nobody important is watching.”

The words landed heavily.

And for the first time, Anna realized that her greatest mistake had not been humiliating Luly.

It had been assuming that the only people whose opinions mattered were wealthy enough to recognize.

Chapter 6 — A Forgotten Face in the Crowd

A man seated near the entrance suddenly stood.

He was in his late sixties, wearing a dark blue suit.

His wife sat beside him.

“Mr. Matthews,” he said.

Daniel turned.

“Yes?”

“I believe you should know something.”

Anna’s face went pale.

The man introduced himself.

“My name is Thomas Whitaker. I own Whitaker Financial Group.”

Daniel recognized the name.

Thomas was a longtime business associate of several companies in the Matthews network.

“What can I help you with?”

Thomas looked toward Luly.

“I witnessed what happened tonight.”

“Thank you for speaking up.”

“That isn’t all.”

Thomas took a breath.

“Three months ago, my wife and I came here for dinner. We had just attended a charity event. My wife was wearing a simple dress because she had been helping organize the event all afternoon.”

He paused.

“Your manager refused to seat us.”

Daniel turned toward Anna.

Thomas continued.

“She told us the restaurant was fully booked. We could see empty tables. We waited outside for twenty minutes before deciding to leave.”

Anna tried to interrupt.

“That evening was extremely busy—”

Thomas shook his head.

“There were empty tables.”

His wife spoke.

“She looked at my shoes and told me that the restaurant was probably not what we were looking for.”

Daniel’s expression hardened.

Thomas continued.

“I didn’t complain because I didn’t want to create a scene. We went somewhere else.”

He looked at Daniel.