Chapter 69
Vincent cleared his throat. “Doris, your actions have already caused a negative impact at the hotel. In order to protect Hampstone Hotel’s reputation, I’m officially notifying you that you’ve been terminated. Please go to the finance department to settle your salary.”
Doris sneered, a cold smile playing on her lips as she looked at Vincent. “Mr. West, Lily’s behavior is the real issue here. She’s the one who should be fired.”
Lily’s face changed. “Doris, stop making baseless accusations.”
“Mr. West, if Lily isn’t fired, then you have no reason to fire me.” Doris pressed, refusing to get into a back–and–forth with Lily and instead putting pressure on Vincent.
Her colleagues couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up.
“Mr. West, you can’t just favor Lily.”
“Mr. West, you should treat everyone fairly. You can’t show favoritism.”
“Mr. West, if you don’t fire Lily, none of us will accept it.”
Lily hadn’t expected her popularity to be so low. No one stood up for her. She’d always been arrogant at the hotel, never friendly with her colleagues, and now it was coming back to bite her.
Vincent was at a loss. “Fine. I’ll fire both Lily and Doris. Is that acceptable?”
“Wait.” Lola, who had just arrived, stood firmly in Doris‘ defense. “Mr. West, Lily’s actions are her own fault, but I don’t agree with firing Doris. She hasn’t done anything wrong, and you can’t just fire her.”
“Lola, this is none of your business,” Vincent snapped, trying to push Lola aside. “Just focus on your work.”
Lola looked at Leia and understood most of the situation. “Mr. West, as a leader, you didn’t investigate the truth or protect your own team. You let others walk all over us and, to please Leia, you’re sacrificing an innocent person like Doris,
“All this will do is make loyal employees lose trust in you. Everyone will be on edge, wondering who will be the next to be thrown under the bus. If you fire Doris today, I’ll resign.”
Doris frowned and scolded Lola. “Ms. Bates, what nonsense are you talking about?”
“I’m not talking nonsense. What I’m doing is for you, for me, and for every other ordinary employee at the hotel. We shouldn’t be pawns sacrificed by management just to keep things quiet. I won’t accept it.” Lola’s argument was clear and justified.
“Instead of worrying about being fired for no reason, I’d rather take control and leave with my head held high,” she added.
The colleagues present felt like they could relate to what Lola was saying. They, too, were afraid of the same fate, but none of them had the courage to stand up like she did.
“Mr. West, Ms. Bates sure has a lot of guts. Her authority is even stronger than yours as the general manager,” Leia said, casually playing with her freshly manicured nails.
“Lola, are you really going to make a scene?” Vincent’s authority was clearly being challenged by Lola.
I’m not making a scene. I’m speaking the truth, Lola replied.
Ive already decided to fire Doris. If you want to resign, feel free,” Vincent said.
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Though he had once admired Lola and considered promoting her, her defiance had put him off. He couldn’t allow himself to be threatened by her
“Fine. If there’s no place for me here, I’ll find somewhere else that will value me.” Lola removed her name tag from her uniform and placed it on the coffee table.
“Doris, let’s go.” Lola grabbed Doris and walked out decisively.
“Ms. Bates…” The front desk staff hated to see Lola go.
She was kind–hearted and had always supported her team, especially when difficult customers came along. No matter what happened, Lola always found a way to make things right. She was well–liked by everyone in the front office.
“Mr. West, fire Lily and keep Ms. Bates and Doris. Otherwise, we’ll all quit.”
Faced with this threat, Vincent’s face turned pale, his temples throbbing. “You really think you can get away with this? Are you trying to show off your so–called camaraderie? Lola resigned on her own; I didn’t fire her. What’s all this fuss about?
“Lola’s from a rich family; working here is just a hobby for her. She could quit and live off her inheritance for the rest of her life. What about you? You’re just workers, so be honest and do your jobs. Don’t compare yourself to Lola.
He added, “You can’t match her in either ability or family background. Instead of feeling sorry for someone else, how about feeling sorry for yourselves? If you think you can find a better place than Hampstone Hotel, then go ahead. I won’t stop you.
“The employee handbook clearly states that personal behavior must not harm the hotel’s reputation. In serious cases, termination is necessary. Doris is being fired for her attitude problem.
“As long as you don’t cross the line, no one will fire you. So, be more professional. I’m sure you’re not like her.”
“Then what about Lily?” someone asked. “She also has an attitude problem. Doris even provided evidence. Are you really going to cover for her?”
Lily, now facing resistance from everyone, panicked. “Mr. West, I didn’t do anything. Doris is just framing me.”
“Are you saying Mr. Watson is lying?” one colleague questioned her.
Lily quickly defended herself. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Lily, stop making excuses. Mr. West, we all demand that Lily be fired.” The group had completely turned against Lily.
“Please don’t fire me.” Lily begged, shaking her head, then turned her gaze to Leia, who had been silent the whole time, silently pleading with her to speak on her behalf.
Leia caught Lily’s silent plea. “Ms. Brown, don’t make things harder for Mr. West. Since you testified for me earlier, I can help you find a better job in return.”
Leia’s words not only gave Vincent a way out, but also reassured Lily that she had another option.
Lily had already embarrassed herself at the hotel and had trouble getting along with her colleagues. Finding another job was definitely the best move.
“Thank you, Ms. Martin,” Lily said, gratefully accepting the offer.
“Now, can we all agree that Lily is fired? Are you all happy now?” Vincent tried to calm everyone down. “Go on, and get back to work. Stop lingering here.”
With her goal achieved, Leia calmly left the hotel.
Doris and Lola, already changed, came out and ran into Lily in the staff locker room. Seeing Lily here, everyone knew what
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had happened.
“Well? Ms. Martin couldn’t save you?” Lola sneered.
“Doris, I won’t let you get away with this,” Lily threatened.
“You managed to achieve this by groveling at her feet?” Lola mocked her, smiling at her arrogance.
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“Lola, I’ve had enough of you. Just because your dad has a little money, you think you’re better than everyone else?” Lily sneered.
“That’s my father, and I can rely on him however I want. At least I don’t sell myself out. It’s better than you, obsessed with finding a man to cling to.” Lola raised her eyebrows. “So what if I don’t care about you?
“You deserve to lose your job, and you made Doris lose hers. As long as you’re at Hampstone, I won’t let you have it easy?”
“Lola, Ms. Martin already promised to help me find a better job,” Lily said, grinning smugly. “Doris, we’ll see about this.”
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