Chapter 4

Greyson's voice, still booming from the speakerphone, was laced with impatience. "Ella, what is there to be unsure about? Apologize to Ms. Short, immediately. You're making a spectacle." He clearly hadn't registered the shift in my tone, too focused on controlling the situation, on appeasing Imogen.

"A spectacle?" I repeated, a bitter taste in my mouth. "Is that what you see, Greyson? Not a gross abuse of power, not the disrespect of your staff, but a 'spectacle'?"

A tense silence descended, heavier than before. Even Imogen seemed to sense a change, her triumphant smirk faltering slightly.

"Ella, where are you right now?" Greyson's voice was suddenly sharper, a hint of genuine alarm replacing his earlier irritation. He must have picked up on something in my voice, something that transcended the "concierge trainee" persona.

"I'm right where you left me, Greyson," I replied, my voice dangerously soft. "Right here, in the heart of your hotel, watching you dismantle everything we supposedly stand for." My eyes flicked to the mayor's face, now visible on Imogen's screen, looking thoroughly uncomfortable. "And in front of very important witnesses, too."

He stuttered, "Ella, don't be ridiculous. Just apologize. We'll talk about this later." His gaze, visible on the screen, darted nervously to the mayor. His career, his image-that was all that mattered.

"Apologize?" I let out a low, humorless laugh. "You want me to apologize to her?" I gestured towards Imogen, who was now staring at me, a flicker of genuine confusion, perhaps even fear, in her eyes. "For what, Greyson? For upholding the standards you claim to cherish? Or for being blind to her manipulative games?"

"Ella, don't make this worse!" he pleaded, his voice a strained whisper, meant only for my ears, but carried by the speakerphone to everyone. "Just say sorry, please. For me. This negotiation is everything."

"For you?" My voice cracked, a raw edge of pain finally breaking through my carefully constructed calm. "You chose her, Greyson. You chose her manufactured drama over integrity, over loyalty, over me. You shattered our pact."

The words hung in the air, a final, definitive period on a relationship that was now dead. The silence was deafening.

With a deep breath, I reached for the phone Imogen held. Her eyes widened, but she didn't resist as I took it. I put the phone to my ear, looking directly at Greyson's panicked face on the screen.

"It's over, Greyson," I said, my voice clear and firm. "Our pact. Our engagement. Everything." I ended the call.

The restaurant was utterly silent. The staff stared, wide-eyed, mouths agape. Even Imogen was frozen, her sapphire eyes wide with shock. A strange quiet, like the calm before a storm, filled the space.

I reached into my uniform pocket, pulling out my personal phone. Not the staff burner phone, but my own. The sleek, expensive one with a direct line to the top. My fingers, still trembling slightly from the raw emotion, punched in a familiar number.

"Grandfather," I said, my voice steady now, resolute. "It's Ella."

A beat of silence, then his familiar, gruff voice, "Ella? What's wrong? You never call me on this line, unless..."

"Unless it's an emergency," I finished for him. My eyes swept over the stunned faces in the cafeteria: Eldon, Mr. Davies, the terrified kitchen staff, and finally, Imogen, who was now pale, a dawning horror in her eyes. "Grandfather, I'm at the Kerr Grand. And I'm no longer Ella Casey."

He took a sharp breath on the other end. "Ah. I see. So, the wolf has shown its teeth?"

"More than just teeth, Grandfather," I said, my voice hard now. "It's taken a bite out of our reputation, our integrity, and our bottom line. And the General Manager, your chosen successor, stood by and let it happen. Even encouraged it."

"Greyson," he growled. It wasn't a question.

"Yes. And Imogen Short. She just caused a scene in the staff cafeteria, demanded our Executive Chef, Eldon Michael, violate health regulations, and then, with Greyson's full backing, demanded apologies from Eldon and me, the 'concierge trainee,' for standing up to her." I paused, letting the full weight of the words sink in. "He just publicly shamed his staff to appease her, in front of the city mayor and a room full of employees."

There was a long, heavy silence on the line. Then, my grandfather's voice, low and dangerous, "I'm sending a team. Now. What specific instructions do you have, Ella?"

"First," I said, looking directly at Imogen, whose face was now ashen. "I want Greyson Holden's critical negotiation with Mayor Thompson immediately terminated. Any contracts or agreements signed today, null and void. This hotel does not conduct business under duress or compromised leadership." My voice was a steel rod, unbending. "Second, I want a full termination and severance agreement for Greyson Holden drawn up and delivered to him within the hour. Effective immediately." My gaze then settled on Eldon, who was watching me with a mixture of awe and dawning understanding. "Third, I want Eldon Michael promoted to Director of Food and Beverage for the entire Kerr Group, effective immediately, with full authority to implement any changes he deems necessary to uphold our standards."

"Consider it done, Ella," my grandfather said, his voice laced with pride. "Anything else?"

"One more thing, Grandfather," I said, my eyes burning with a righteous fury as I looked at Imogen. "Send a message to our media team. A carefully worded press release, confirming Greyson Holden's immediate dismissal due to 'gross mismanagement and a severe breach of company values.' Make sure it highlights our unwavering commitment to staff welfare and integrity."

"Understood, my dear," he replied. "It will be a pleasure."

I hung up the phone, the cafeteria still in a stunned silence. Greyson's image, now gone from the phone, still burned in my mind. He thought he could break me. He thought he could humiliate me. He thought he could use me.

He was wrong.

Just then, the double doors of the cafeteria swung open. Greyson stood there, his face pale, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and dawning comprehension. He must have recognized my voice, heard enough to know the jig was truly up. Imogen, seeing him, let out a small, terrified whimper, shrinking back.

"Greyson Holden," I said, my voice echoing in the sudden silence of the room. I held up my personal phone, the one he knew belonged only to me, not a trainee. "You're fired. Get out of my hotel."