Chapter 74



Hayden slapped him so hard that a red mark could be seen on Joseph’s face.

It was the first time he saw Hayden act like that, so he couldn’t help but feel annoyed by his action earlier.

“I’m sorry.”

Hayden was startled to hear his words. She hadn’t expected Joseph to apologize so easily. After all, no one had ever disobeyed a noble young master and like him. It was not strange even for him to do such a thing on a whim.

Hayden gripped her sore hand and felt a little uncomfortable. “Okay, forget it this time. I should probably get going with Stella.”

“Wait.”

Joseph called after her, “You don’t have to move. I’m leaving this afternoon for a long business trip, my flight is at 3 o’clock. I won’t be staying here for the time being, when I’m gone, please take care of Noah for me.”

Hayden stopped his pacing. He hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

There wasn’t really anywhere they could go if they left at that moment. She couldn’t take Stella with her to find a place to stay, a child couldn’t bear to follow an adult around looking for lodging.

Joseph changed his clothes and went downstairs. He didn’t continue eating breakfast, just said a few words to Noah. He told him to listen to Hayden and the housekeeper while he was away from home on his trip.

The sound of the engine in the yard gradually faded away. Hayden clenched his hands, his heart still beating like a drum.

She couldn’t deny that she felt an inexplicable fondness for Joseph, but he was getting married soon. She would never destroy someone else’s marriage. After what happened with Kingsley and Michelle, she hated people who meddled in other people’s relationships. How could she do something like that?

Joseph didn’t really come back that night. He found out from the housekeeper that Joseph had gone to S-Town on a business trip. This time, he was expecting a big client from the U.S. If all went well, he could be back in half a month. If not, he wouldn’t be able to return even in a month.

“Should I stay here?”. Late at night, Hayden leaned back on her pillow and talked to herself as she pinched her stuffed animal’s nose.

“Tell me, what should I do?”

She shook her head at that husky stuffed animal. She pouted her lips and thought, “You don’t know either?”.

Hayden let out a deep sigh in the gloom of the room.

The next morning, Hayden left for work at the company after taking the kids to Kindergarten.

Shortly after arriving at the hotel in the morning, the housekeeping manager met her: “Miss Downey, please take a look at room 1023. Something has happened there and the guest is still making a fuss.”

“What’s going on?” Hayden frowned. He walked straight out and asked more details about what happened along the way.

“A guest checking into room 1023 complained that there were cockroaches in her room. After we went in, we removed two cockroaches. I didn’t know if the previous room attendant had been very rude to her. Anyway, now they were fighting.”

As they were talking, they came to the door of room 1023 and there was a crowd of people watching outside.

Hayden yelled, “Doesn’t everyone have something to do right now?”

The housekeeping clerk next to him hastily motioned to them, “All right, go do your chores. What are you doing here?”

The crowd abruptly dispersed, and a loud shout rang out in the room. “Wait! Aren’t you bullying the guests just because this is a big hotel? Why are you leaving now? Keep reasoning with me.”

“Miss Harriet, please calm down.”

The housekeeping attendant rushed to reassure the guest, but she ignored him, “Where is the general manager of the hotel? I wanted to talk to her, you bunch of snobs.”

Hayden walked in with the housekeeper and saw a woman who at first glance appeared to have undergone many plastic surgeries.

She had a pointed chin, large European eyelids and a face painted with peach blossom makeup that was all the rage lately. She also wore star-shaped sequins at the corners of her eyes. She wore a ginger-colored shirt and was seated at a marble table, waving her beautiful legs as she gazed arrogantly.

Hayden had been working in this industry for several years. In those years she had seen all kinds of people. At that moment, she was still very calm and spoke, “The CEO has gone on a business trip, he is not here at the moment. You are Mrs. Harriet, right? If you are not satisfied with our service, you can tell me. I may be able to resolve it for you. If it can’t be resolved, then we’ll get the manager, okay?”

“Who are you, are your words any good?”. The woman glanced at Hayden and suddenly saw the ID card on his chest. The woman squinted slightly, “Hayden Downey, Lobby Manager?”

“Yes, that’s me.” Hayden followed her gaze and realized she was looking at his ID card. He nodded politely and held out his hand, “All of our hotel managers take turns running a specific department. So, if you have any problems, just let me know. It’s the same with all the managers.”

“You don’t need to tell me, I’m not interested in how your hotel works.” She crossed her leg impatiently and continued speaking, “This is a five-star hotel, known for offering the best hotel service in the country, and they can’t even meet hygiene standards? Isn’t that a rip-off of the guests?”

“Ms. Harriet, our hotel’s hygiene standards are absolutely up to par. If you don’t believe me, I’ll let my people turn the whole bed upside down for you to see. I am absolutely sure there will be no dust at the bottom of the bed. There is another hotel in this country that can compare with ours.”

Hayden’s words were confident, but the woman had a look of disdain on her face: “Who would want to look at the bottom of the bed? It’s not like I’m going to sleep under the bed. This cockroach business, don’t think you’re going to get off easy. You’d better give me a reasonable explanation.”

“To be honest with you, Miss Harriet.” Hayden frowned, “It’s highly unlikely that cockroaches are breeding in our hotel environment. If there really are, the only possibility is that they came from the garbage can outside or just happened to enter from somewhere. However, these are still our hotel’s mistakes. How about this, we will exchange you a new room, and your stay during this period would be totally free of charge. How about this?”.

“Do you think I would mind so little money?”. She jumped up from the table and looked at Hayden, “You said it as if I had wronged you. Could it be possible that the cockroaches came from me? What’s more, you’re not at all sincere when it comes to apologizing, so there’s nothing we can talk about. I will call the Trade and Industry Bureau and the Health Bureau directly. They can come and close your hotel, and they can check what happened in two days.”

This woman looked like eye candy, but her words were cutting and rude. It seemed like this could not be solved this problem easily. Every time Hayden would say something, she would start to object to his words.

The cleaning department manager immediately panicked, “Don’t do it, Miss Harriet. We can settle this matter personally.”

Of course, the ST Group was not afraid of the investigation by the Trade and Industry Bureau and the Health Bureau. However, if they made a move to seal hotel, the news would spread throughout the country. By then, the hotel’s performance could decline during that time period.

“That’s right, Miss Harriet, let’s sit down and discuss in peace. If you have any requests for compensation, let me know.” Hayden was also uneasy.

His knowledge of public relations crises was not bad, but the timing could not be changed any further. His bet with Joseph was still on. Although the anniversary celebration had been delayed a month, the party was about to take place. If anything went wrong now, the company’s performance during the celebration would definitely be ruined.

“Well, since you said so. If I keep not letting this matter go, it means I’m being unreasonable, right?”.

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