Chapter 5 - The Corporate Storm
"He’s turning our flagship hotel into a reality TV show!" Harold Finch slammed his hands onto the boardroom table on the 5th floor of the Grand Regent. A special emergency board meeting had been called. Ethan sat at the head of the table, dressed in a sharp black suit today, his face unreadable. Lily was in the adjoining room, coloring happily under Lupita's watchful eye.
"You fired two veteran front-desk agents and promoted a maid to Guest Relations Manager based on an emotional whim, Ethan," Finch sneered, sensing a chance to seize power. "The shareholders are panicked. The media is painting us as a company divided. You are letting your grief cloud your judgment. It’s been three years since Sarah died, yet you are still wandering around in old jackets playing games!"
The room went dead silent. The other board members held their breath. Mentioning Sarah was a line no one crossed.
Ethan leaned forward, his eyes locking onto Finch with a terrifying, predatory stillness.
"Finch," Ethan said, his voice dangerously calm. "Do you know why I wear that old jacket? Because I wore it the day I signed the loan to buy the land this very building stands on. It reminds me of hunger. It reminds me of hard work. Things you know nothing about, sitting in your inherited chair."
Ethan stood up, towering over the board. "The shareholders aren't panicked. Our stock just jumped 4% this morning because the public loves a company that holds its staff accountable for discrimination. And as for Lupita..."
Ethan opened the boardroom door. Lupita walked in, holding a tablet. She looked nervous but carried herself with immense dignity.
"Mr. Finch," Lupita said, her voice steady. "In the last five hours, I have reviewed the customer complaint logs from the front desk over the past year. Patricia and Karla had over forty-two formal complaints regarding biased behavior against guests who didn't 'look wealthy.' Those complaints were consistently buried by management. I have already drafted a new, mandatory empathy-based training module for all Midwest properties, and three major corporate accounts that left us last month have just called back, stating they want to do business with a company that values human decency."
May you like
The board members looked at each other, whispering in approval. Finch’s face turned bright red. He had completely underestimated the "maid."
"This company bears my name," Ethan said, looking around the room. "And as long as I breathe, it will bear my values. Finch, your shares are being bought out by the corporate treasury by the end of the business day. You're dismissed."
