âThe boss of England branch of SG Travel Group is coming in the afternoon. She is going to personally examine the qualifications of our hotel. So, no one can make a single mistake, including the cleaning ladies and the chefs. Understand?
Great! Letâs go for it!â
Anna just finished a meeting in the conference room of the Carousel Hotel. Previously, the headquarters had negotiated long-
term cooperation with SG, a well-known foreign tourism group. The preliminary work had been completed, and all that was left was the on-site examination. Coincidentally, the SG group had selected Annaâs hotel in the draw.
Therefore, as long as the team thought the hotel was qualified, they could sign up for a long-term partnership. After that, all SGâs England branch travelers would stay at the Carousel Hotel.
It was a scorching afternoon, and the hotel managers were waiting for the group to come to the entrance.
After a while, a black Bentley pulled up at the front door. Then, an assistant got off from the passenger side and opened the back seat door.
The first thing everyone saw was a pair of four-inch shiny high heels. Then, it was followed by a pair of long, slender legs.
The woman held the door and stepped out of the car. The black jumpsuit she was wearing made her look particularly tall. Her hair was delicately pinned up, with curly bangs on one side of her face. She was wearing diamond earrings from Bulgari and red lipstick, looking like a mighty and domineering woman.
Everyone looked at each other suspiciously. SG was a well-known international travel group, and Birmingham was a famous tourist city. So, no one expected that the manager of their England branch looked just in her mid-twenties. The woman was not only young, but also very pretty. So, of course, people were puzzled.
The hotelâs general manager was the first to come forward and ask, âHello. Are you Charlotte Wilson, the president of SG England?â
âYes, itâs me.â The woman took off her sunglasses and smiled gracefully âHello, Iâm Vincent Jones. Weâre ready for the examination. So, come on in.â
Charlotte nodded and said, âAh, that would be great. Iâve just been transferred back to England. I know that the Carousel Group is well known and classy. But, this is my first contract since I took over this position. So, I want to make sure my clients can get the best service. Please donât mind if Iâm being picky.â
âNo, we wonât. Please come in.â Vincent said.
Everyone entered the hotel after Vincent and Charlotte exchanged pleasantries at the door.
However, Anna always felt that Charlotte had looked at her several times, and she hoped it was just an illusion.
âOur hotel is the oldest of the Carousel hotel chain. However, our facilities are all up-to-date. You see, the decor here...â
âWait a minute.â Charlotte suddenly interrupted Vincent.
She stopped at the lounge area. Staring at the vase of flowers on the coffee table for a moment, she then walked over quickly.
She said sternly, âWhy are there flowers here?â
Vincent tensed up but had no idea what she meant.
Charlotte said with displeasure and frustration, âYou know, everyone may come to the hotel. people from the upper class often have some special personal habits.
You have placed flowers in the lobby, and thatâs nice and pretty. But, have you considered that there might be guests who are allergic to the pollen?â
âOh my God! Sorry, we didnât notice it. Weâll get rid of the flowers right now.â Vincent said.
Then, he glared hard at his assistant and said, âPut away all the flowers in the hotel as soom as possible.â
Charlotte frowned as she saw the assistantâs work tag and said, âWait. What kind of accountability mechanism do your hotel have? The lobby manager is supposed to be in charge of this matter today. But clearly, theyâre not.â
Vincent froze for a moment, and then immediately looked nervously to his side.
Anna was the duty manager of the lobby today. However, everyone knew about the fact that Anna and Wayne were dating. Even if she was accountable for this matter, Vincent knew he couldnât embarrass Anna in front of so many people.
Just at this tense moment, Anna, standing in the crowd, suddenly said, âYes, itâs me. Iâm the manager on duty in the lobby today.
Sorry, I didnât notice the flowers here.â
Charlotte looked at Anna. In a beige lobby managerâs uniform, Anna stepped firmly out of the crowd Charlotte read aloud the name on her badge and said, âAnna Gabriel. You have a nice name.â
Anna frowned for a moment and replied, âThank you. Iâll take care of the flowers right away. And, I will assure you that nothing like this will ever happen again. I hope this mishap will not affect your companyâs overall opinion of our hotel.â
Charlotte glanced at Vincent and said meaningfully, âOh, you can fix the mistake, but itâs not easy to fix the person who made a mistake, isnât it? Vincent, it looks like just about anyone in your hotel could be a manager.â
Her remark was so harsh that it was like slapping Anna in front of everyone. Anna felt very embarrassed. She thought that maybe because she might have been praised a lot recently, she suddenly felt humiliated by such a severe rebuke.
Afterwards, her face was flushed.
âStay here, Miss Gabriel. You donât have to come with us,â Charlotte said indifferently and then left with the crowd.
After everyone got into the elevator, Wendy immediately comforted Anna. She said indignantly, âMiss Gabriel, why donât you explain to that woman? You didnât put that flower here. You Donât Have to Follo... You shouldnât be blamed by her for no reason.â
Anna gave a bitter laugh and said, âI canât, Wendy. I canât say that Vincent put the flowers here. You know, a lot of people were here just now.â
If I say that, I would be asking the entire hotel to take the blame. If an employee like me made a mistake, we could be forgiven.
Also, our errors wonât affect the company in any way. But a senior manager like Vincent would be in big trouble if he does something wrong. Iâm not a senior manager, so I can take the blame, Anna thought to herself.
âOh, no! You must feel terrible! Iâm so sorry.â Wendy said as if she looked was the one being misunderstood.
Anna squeezed her hand and said with a fake smile, âCome on, Wendy. I donât feel bad at all, so donât be upset. You go to work now. Iâm happy that she doesnât need me to keep her company because I can take a break now. Okay, Iâm going back to my office to read the papers. Bye.â
After that, she went to wait for the elevator, as if she was not affected by what had just happened. However, as soon as she entered the elevator, Annaâs smile quickly disappeared. She looked at herself in the mirror and then let out a long sigh.
What a shame! She thought to herself. Charlotte stayed in a VIP suite on the top floor that afternoon.
âCharlotte, this is the room we prepared for you. This is the most expensive room in our hotel, and there are only two suites like this on each floor.â
âThank you,â Charlotte said.
After they left, Charlotte closed the door and sat on the sofa to make a phone call. The moment the phone was dialed, Charlotte immediately became a different person. She said, âHey. Karl, Iâm back! Guess where I am now?â
âIâm in Wayneâs hotel!â
âOh, no. Iâm not here to have fun, but to work. My company is cooperating with Carousel Hotel. Iâll talk to you later, okay? Letâs have dinner together tonight.â
âYouâre not available? Oh, thatâs okay. But, you have to to get me a date with Wayne.â