Chapter 184 This Is an Apology, Not Hush Money
The journey was quite long, and by the time they arrived, it was already past noon. Leopold got out of the car, stretched his shoulders, gave Indigo a few instructions, then picked up the fruit basket and walked into the lobby.
Since the guest chose to stay at a five-star hotel again for its high security, her priorities were clearly safety, accommodation environment, and service. So the idea that she was trying to scam them with the bed sheets didn't really make sense.
He knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the peephole on the door went from dark to bright, then back to dark again.
The person inside asked, "Who is it?"
Leopold smiled warmly. "Hello, Ms. Valois. I'm Leopold, the manager of Celestial Waters Hotel. I just called you."
"Oh, it's you."
Una Valois opened the door but left the security chain on, looking through the gap at the person outside. "Thank you."
Leopold looked down at her hand reaching through the door gap. "I'm sorry, Ms. Valois, for bringing this a bit late. I hope it didn't delay anything for you?"
Una stared at Leopold warily. Although she knew he was using the earphones as an excuse to get her to delete the video, she was somewhat surprised that he was willing to come all this way.
"No. You don't think I deliberately left my earphones behind to give you guys a chance to talk me around, do you?"
Leopold smiled. "Of course not. Earphones are so small that it's easy to forget where you put them. To be honest, I've lost five pairs myself. I still have three charging cases at home and two left earbuds—not even enough to make one complete pair."
Una laughed. "Alright, just give me the earphones."
Leopold said, "Ms. Valois, since earphones are electronic devices, you should test them right away. Then I can be sure there's no problem."
Una saw the fruit basket he was carrying—anyone could tell he was here to apologize.
She opened the door and invited him in.
Leopold placed the fruit basket and Bluetooth earphones on the desk, then stepped back to the entryway, keeping some distance to avoid making Una feel pressured.
He gestured politely. "Ms. Valois, please try the earphones."
Una picked up the earphones and said, "You can take the fruit basket back."
Leopold's tone was gentle. "I saw in your booking notes that you requested fresh fruit. The hotel just bought a batch of fruit from the market today—very fresh. I had the staff specially prepare this for you. I hope you'll like it."
Una looked at the man standing in the entryway. Compared to the previous manager's aggressive attitude, this Leopold was much more pleasant.
And another thing—this manager was quite handsome.
Una put on the earphones, operated her phone for a moment, then took them off. She said distantly, "I've checked them. No problem. You can go now."
Leopold smiled slightly and bowed. "Ms. Valois, for the unpleasant experience our hotel caused you, I want to sincerely apologize again. I'm sorry."
Una's face hardened. "No need. The previous manager was convinced I deliberately dirtied the sheets. I've never been so wronged in my life. The emotional damage is already done—what good is an apology? Anyway, I'll never stay at any Celestial Waters Hotel again."
Leopold continued to apologize, but his smile remained warm as a spring breeze, and his eyes showed genuine sincerity. He bowed again and said, "Ms. Valois, the bed sheet incident was indeed our fault. We failed to provide you with a clean environment, and I completely understand the harm this caused you."
Una raised her eyebrows challengingly. "You don't suspect I deliberately dirtied them to frame you?"
"Of course not. For our employee's rudeness, I apologize on his behalf. Afterwards, he felt very regretful. He originally planned to come apologize to you in person, but we were worried that seeing him would make you even angrier, so he didn't dare come."
Una's anger subsided considerably with his repeated apologies. "Didn't dare come? What, I'm going to eat him alive?"
Leopold said, "Ms. Valois, you're a long-time customer of Celestial Waters Hotel. After all these years of choosing our hotel, it must be because our service and environment meet your needs for rest after travel. Please don't give up years of trust in us because of one mistake. Celestial Waters Hotel's quality is worth giving us another chance to make things right."
He took out a card from his pocket. "This is a Celestial Waters Hotel Supreme VIP card. With this card, at any Celestial Waters Hotel chain location, the front desk will prioritize your check-in and provide any room type you want for free—as long as that room type is available, of course. Also, this card covers all dining, entertainment, and spa services under the Celestial Waters Hotel. You can even bring immediate family members to stay with you."
Una was moved by his words. "Every stay is free?"
Leopold nodded with a gentle expression. "Yes."
Una asked, "If I bring my parents, they're free too?"
"Yes."
Una asked, "What if I want a top-level suite?"
Leopold's lips curved into a pleasant smile, and he replied calmly, "Also free."
Una asked, "Their meals and entertainment?"
"As long as your parents are traveling with you, they enjoy the same treatment as you."
Una's eyelashes fluttered. She was a travel blogger who traveled all over the world. Her annual expenses on accommodation and food were not a small amount. If she could save that money, it would be great.
Leopold saw her eyes soften and respectfully walked to the desk to place the card down.
But Una didn't reach for it. She was worried that if she took the card, it would give them leverage and confirm she was maliciously trying to scam them.
After weighing her options, she chose to refuse. "You should take it back. I won't delete the video online either."
Leopold knew it wouldn't be easy to convince her, but he continued calmly, "Ms. Valois, we sincerely accept the supervision from your video. I personally believe that whatever happens can benefit the company's development. So you don't need to worry too much—this card is our company's highest gesture of apology to you."
This was an apology, not hush money.
Una admired him. From the moment he entered until now, he hadn't once asked her to delete the video, yet every sentence was working toward that goal.
Suddenly, Leopold's phone rang. He glanced at the screen, his expression immediately relaxing, and he looked at Una with more composure and confidence.
"Ms. Valois, there's a video here. You should take a look."
Una didn't understand. She watched him place his phone on the desk. The video showed her entering the Celestial Waters Hotel lobby.
While she was checking in, a middle-aged couple with two boys passed behind her. The boys looked about seven or eight years old and were holding chocolate ice cream. While chasing each other, one boy's ice cream smudged onto Una's backpack. The white backpack clearly had a dark spot.
Leopold switched to the next video. "Look, when you entered the room, the stain was still on your bag. Later, after you went in and came out, the stain on the bag was much cleaner. The child's ice cream must have accidentally gotten on your bag, and when you put the bag on the bed after entering the room, that's how the sheets got dirty."
Una frowned, thinking back. It was indeed after she picked up her bag that she noticed the stain on the sheets.
She grabbed the white leather bag nearby and examined it, finding a small chocolate stain. She looked up awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
Leopold's eyes were gentle as he smiled at her.
Una said, "I'm sorry. It was all a misunderstanding."
Now that the truth was revealed, Leopold showed no sign of blame on his face. He maintained his calm, refined manner and said, "Although it was a misunderstanding, it was still because our service wasn't timely enough. Your concerns and emotions that day weren't addressed promptly, and you were wronged. I'm very sorry."
Una thought about the video she posted online and her overly harsh, cynical comments, and her face grew even redder.
She said embarrassedly, "Since it was a misunderstanding, I'll delete the video and post an apology video."
Leopold bowed in gratitude. "Thank you for your understanding. I'm very sorry for taking up so much of your time."
He put away his phone and prepared to leave, but Una called him back. She handed him the card. "You forgot to take this."
Leopold nodded, his elegant voice saying, "This is Celestial Waters Hotel's apology to you, and also our gratitude to a long-time customer who has accompanied our hotel's growth over the years. Please accept it."
With that, Leopold left. Una watched his retreating figure and closed the door.