Chapter 4 – The Manager's Orders
Chapter 4 – The Manager's Orders
Victor Salazar ended the phone call before Julian could reach him.
By the time Julian stepped into the hallway, the housekeeping manager was already walking away, his polished shoes clicking calmly against the marble floor.
He never looked back.
Camila followed beside him, whispering something that made Victor nod once.
Then both disappeared around the corner.
Julian's instincts screamed that whatever connected them was far from innocent.
Inside the clinic, Elena was gathering her things.
She folded the ultrasound image Dr. Bennett had printed for her and slipped it into the pocket of her worn housekeeping apron.
Julian reached for her hand.
"You don't have to go back to work."
She gently pulled away.
"I do."
"You almost collapsed."
"I still have six rooms left."
"You heard the doctor."
She smiled sadly.
"The doctor doesn't decide whether I can afford to eat."
Dr. Bennett stepped forward.
"Mrs. Rossi, medically, I have to recommend complete bed rest for at least a week."
Elena lowered her eyes.
"I understand."
"Will you follow that advice?"
Silence.
The doctor already knew the answer.
Julian took a deep breath.
"I'll take care of everything."
"No."
"You don't have to work another day."
"No."
"I'll pay every debt you have."
Her voice became unexpectedly firm.
"That's exactly what they want."
Julian frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Elena looked toward the clinic door before lowering her voice.
"If you help me openly..."
"They'll punish someone else."
Before he could ask another question, Rosa appeared outside the clinic.
She looked frightened.
"Elena..."
"What happened?"
"It's Victor."
Minutes later...
The housekeeping staff stood in two perfectly straight lines inside the basement laundry room.
Victor Salazar walked slowly in front of them, holding a clipboard.
No one dared look up.
Elena quietly took her place at the end of the line.
Julian remained outside the half-open door, hidden behind shelves of clean linens.
He watched.
He listened.
Victor stopped in front of Elena.
"Late returning from the clinic."
"I was undergoing a medical examination."
"You left your assigned floor unattended."
"The nurse requested additional monitoring."
Victor didn't even glance at the doctor's report in her hand.
"That sounds like a personal problem."
He marked something on his clipboard.
"Half-day salary deduction."
Several employees lowered their heads.
No one spoke.
Victor continued.
"You also failed to complete Rooms 1016, 1018, 1020, 1708, 1712, and 1715."
"I wasn't physically able—"
"I wasn't asking."
He looked around the room.
"Who would like to volunteer to finish Elena's rooms?"
No one moved.
Not because they didn't want to help.
Because they were afraid.
Victor smiled thinly.
"Excellent."
He turned back to Elena.
"You'll finish them yourself."
Rosa finally spoke.
"She's thirty-two weeks pregnant."
Victor looked at her coldly.
"Then perhaps she should work faster before the baby arrives."
The room fell completely silent.
Julian's fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Victor walked toward the supply cabinet.
He returned carrying two industrial-sized containers of cleaning chemicals.
"Suite 1803 requested deep sanitation."
He placed the heavy containers onto Elena's cart.
Each weighed nearly twenty pounds.
"You'll do it."
Elena stared at the containers.
"I can't lift those."
Victor shrugged.
"Then drag them."
Julian took one step forward.
His instinct was to walk into the room, identify himself as one of the hotel's owners, and fire Victor on the spot.
But Elena's words echoed in his mind.
If you help me openly... they'll punish someone else.
He stopped.
Instead...
He took out his phone.
He pressed Record.
Victor continued his inspection.
He approached another young employee.
"Maria."
The frightened woman looked up.
"Yes, sir?"
"You dropped a crystal vase yesterday."
"It slipped because—"
"Payroll deduction."
"It wasn't broken."
"I didn't say it was."
He smiled.
"I said you're paying for it."
Julian quietly recorded everything.
The illegal deductions.
The intimidation.
The threats.
Every word.
Every expression.
Every terrified face.
This wasn't poor management.
It was systematic abuse.
After the meeting ended, the employees scattered quickly.
Rosa caught up with Elena near the service elevators.
"You need to rest."
"I'll be fine."
"No, you won't."
Rosa reached into her apron and discreetly slipped Elena half a sandwich wrapped in napkins.
"You didn't eat lunch."
Elena smiled gratefully.
"Thank you."
Julian watched from a distance.
The woman who had once organized charity galas worth millions...
Was now accepting half a sandwich because she couldn't afford her own meal.
His heart shattered.
Later that afternoon...
Julian requested a meeting with General Manager Adrian Keller.
The executive office overlooked the sea, furnished with rare Italian wood and priceless artwork.
Keller welcomed him warmly.
"Mr. Rossi, what a pleasure."
Julian didn't bother sitting.
"I want to discuss your housekeeping department."
Keller smiled politely.
"I assure you, our guest satisfaction scores are excellent."
"I'm not talking about guests."
Julian placed several printed payroll records on the desk.
"What are these deductions?"
Keller adjusted his glasses.
"Our internal disciplinary policy."
"Is it legal?"
"We've followed the same procedure for years."
Julian slid another document across the desk.
"This employee was ordered to lift industrial chemicals while thirty-two weeks pregnant."
Keller's smile disappeared.
"I'm unaware of that incident."
"You are now."
Keller leaned back in his chair.
"If Mr. Salazar exercised poor judgment, we'll address it."
"When?"
"I'll conduct an internal review."
Julian looked at him without expression.
"Start today."
As Julian left the office, he noticed something unusual.
Victor was standing at the reception desk outside Keller's office.
The two men exchanged a glance.
A silent understanding.
Too practiced to be accidental.
Victor immediately entered the office after Julian left.
Julian didn't continue walking.
Instead, he stepped into an empty conference room across the hallway.
The door remained slightly open.
Just enough.
Inside Keller's office...
Victor spoke first.
"He suspects something."
Keller sighed.
"I expected this."
"What do we do?"
There was a long pause.
Then Keller quietly answered,
"Call her."
Victor frowned.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"If Julian Rossi starts digging..."
"...she'll want to know."
Julian felt a chill.
Her.
Not him.
Not the hotel's owners.
Someone else.
Someone above both Victor and Keller.
That evening...
Elena struggled to clean Suite 1803.
The industrial chemicals burned her already cracked hands.
The bucket felt heavier with every step.
She leaned against the bathroom counter, breathing carefully through another wave of pain.
The baby kicked.
She smiled weakly.
"I'm trying."
She whispered the words to her unborn son.
"I'm trying."
Outside the partially open door...
Julian watched in silence.
He couldn't stop her without exposing her.
He couldn't walk away without abandoning her again.
So he made a different decision.
He called Marco Benedetti.
"I need a favor."
Marco answered immediately.
"Name it."
"I need everything on the Grand Alcazar."
"The owners."
"The managers."
"The investors."
"The financial records."
Marco laughed softly.
"That's a massive investigation."
Julian's voice turned cold.
"I don't think this is just a hotel anymore."
"What do you mean?"
Julian looked at Elena, who was quietly scrubbing the marble floor despite the doctor's orders.
"I think someone built a prison..."
"...and disguised it as a luxury resort."
An hour later...
Marco called back.
His voice was unusually serious.
"Julian..."
"I found something."
"What?"
"The Grand Alcazar changed ownership nine months ago."
Julian frowned.
"So?"
"The purchase wasn't public."
"Who bought it?"
Marco hesitated.
"You won't believe me."
"Try."
"The controlling shareholder..."
"...is a shell corporation registered in Luxembourg."
Julian waited.
Marco continued.
"The shell company has only one authorized representative."
"Who?"
There was a long silence.
Finally...
Marco answered.
"Your mother."
Julian's blood ran cold.
"No."
"I'm looking at the documents right now."
"The hotel where Elena has been trapped for eight months..."
"...is secretly controlled by Isabella Rossi."
The phone nearly slipped from Julian's hand.
Suddenly...
Everything Elena had said made terrible sense.
She hadn't been hiding from him.
May you like
She had been hiding inside his own family's reach.
End of Chapter 4
