Chapter 19 Lucas's Aunt is Here!
That day the court was unexpectedly closed, so my divorce proceedings with Lucas had to be postponed again. But now it had been almost a month since we submitted the divorce application - just three more days.
In other words, in three days at most, I could get divorced.
That afternoon, James suddenly called me. "Ms. Sorelli, a customer is unhappy with the coffee temperature and slapped one of our servers. She's asking to see you specifically. Can you come over?"
"I'll be right there." Gale and Marcus had gone to Dawnharbor and hadn't returned yet. When James encountered problems he couldn't solve, he could only turn to me.
"I'll be there within half an hour. First, tell me what exactly happened." I asked James, "Do you know the customer's identity and background?"
"Her name is Grace. You should know her."
"Yes, I know her." I took a deep breath. "She's Lucas's aunt!"
Grace Valeri took her husband's surname after marriage, but she lost three husbands in a row and had no children. At forty, she returned to the Valeri family and decided never to marry again.
She was the youngest daughter of the current Valeri family head, but she wasn't very popular in the family. Lucas and she had an especially bad relationship!
A few years ago, she tried to interfere with Lucas's marriage, wanting him to marry one of her nieces.
Lucas firmly refused her and married me instead. Grace felt disrespected and would mock me sarcastically and make things difficult for me every time we met.
Among Lucas's relatives, she was the one I disliked most.
I asked James, "Did anyone else see the server get hit?"
James: "Yes. It happened in the dessert restaurant. Many people saw the server get slapped."
I immediately ordered him: "Have security save all the original surveillance footage. Seal off Grace's table and preserve all the food on it - no one can touch it! If it turns out to be our fault, that server will be retrained. But if it's not our problem, that customer must publicly apologize to the employee who was hit and compensate them!"
"Yes!" James sounded somewhat excited. "I'll do it right away!"
I continued giving instructions: "Send the injured employee to the hospital - no matter how serious the injury is, they must go. Do a thorough examination, the hotel will cover the costs, and have the doctor provide a detailed injury report. Also, send a complimentary dessert to all the other customers who were dining in the dessert restaurant just now, plus give them a 40% discount. Make sure to calm everyone down."
James: "Yes!"
Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the hotel. The doorman opened the door for me very attentively, looking at me with bright, enthusiastic eyes.
I found it a bit strange but didn't think much of it. However, many employees I encountered along the way looked at me with similar expressions.
I met James at the elevator. He came to greet me, and I asked him curiously, "Everyone seems really happy to see me?"
After my birthday, I'd come to the hotel fewer than five times, and each time I went straight to see Gale. In the staff's minds, I shouldn't have had much influence.
"Please forgive me for taking matters into my own hands," James apologized. "When I was on the phone with you earlier, I had it on speaker."
I raised my eyebrows slightly.
James said with a smile, "Originally everyone's impression of you was 'Mr. Sorelli's most beloved sister,' but after hearing your instructions, everyone discovered that you're not only clear-headed with strong adaptability, but your control and decisiveness match Mr. Sorelli's. Most importantly, you care about the staff, so everyone has a very good impression of you now."
I was somewhat surprised. "That many people heard our conversation? It's only been this long, and even the doorman knows?"
James explained calmly, "News spreads among staff at the speed of sound. But the reason it attracted so much attention is because that Grace is too arrogant and domineering!"
From James I learned that Grace checked in yesterday afternoon. At dinner she ordered over fifty dishes, only tasted one bite of each, and not only was she picky, she harshly demanded the chef remake all the dishes.
In the evening she complained the bathtub wasn't clean, and housekeeping had to scrub it three times for her. At 3 AM she complained the bedding gave her allergies and insisted on having the same luxurious silk comforter as the presidential suite.
This morning she got into a conflict with other guests at the yoga studio, at lunch she criticized the chef's cooking skills again, and then came the dessert restaurant incident.
The doorman I met at the entrance had been called "thief, lowly, ill-mannered" by her yesterday. The doorman didn't dare offend a guest and could only smile apologetically even when being insulted, which is why he was especially moved by my defending the staff.
"Do we often get customers like this at our hotel?" I asked James.
"Of course not. Since the hotel opened, this is the first time we've encountered such a terrible customer!" James said with disgust.
"You've all had a hard time these past two days." I felt there might be a tough battle ahead and told him to have security send more people over.
James: "I'm just glad you don't blame me for making the call public."
"Of course not." I shook my head. "You went to the trouble of building up my reputation. James, thank you."
Tears welled up in James's eyes. He quickly pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes twice, saying with relief, "As long as you four siblings keep getting better, any trouble I go to is worth it."
Grace had returned to her room not long ago. I followed James to the 133rd floor, the VIP Garden Suite.
James remembered something important: "I almost forgot - Amelia is here!"
"Her?" I asked in confusion. "She's at the hotel too?"
James pointed at the door of room 13306 in front of us. "She came to see Grace. They know each other and seem quite close."
I nodded to show I understood.
When Grace saw me, she first looked me up and down with dissatisfaction, then said jealously, "So the rumors are true - you've become the owner of Platinum Haven Hotel. So young, with more wealth than me. How do you deserve it?"
She put down the cookie she was eating, wiped her fingertips with a handkerchief, then threw the cloth at my feet.
"Go wash this handkerchief for me. How can there not be a single person in this hotel who knows how to work? Remember to use cold water - this is a silk handkerchief. If the water's too hot, the silk threads will deform. After drying, it must be ironed without a single wrinkle."
Amelia sat to the side watching me gleefully.
"Are you ordering me around?" I took a small step forward and stepped on the handkerchief.
"Get your filthy foot off it!" Grace stood up abruptly and sneered. "Your status has changed and so has your nerve - you actually dare to talk to me like this! Don't forget you and Lucas aren't divorced yet. The hotel shares you own are half Lucas's, and I'm Lucas's aunt!"
"Openly seizing assets - is the Valeri family declaring war on the Sorelli family?" I asked.
"So what if we are?" Grace said contemptuously. "Not just now - even five years ago, the Valeri family could have easily destroyed your little Sorelli family!"
"In that case, go ahead and try." At my command, security staff immediately seized Grace's four personal bodyguards and quickly confiscated their weapons.
"Are you crazy! What do you think you're doing?" Grace was shocked.
Amelia nervously stood up to stop me. "Bella, she's Lucas's aunt!"
"So what?" I smiled easily. "You come to my territory to cause trouble and assault my staff, yet you only bring a few bodyguards and dare to declare war. Aunt Grace, are you getting old and losing your mind?"