Chapter 8 - THE NEW ORDER
Dennis’s eyes went wide with panic. "Mr. Hart! You can't just... the regional board—"
"I am the board, Dennis," Gabriel cut him off smoothly, his voice dropping into a register that shut down any further defiance. "I hold seventy-two percent of the voting shares in this property. If the regional director has a problem with my operational mandates, he can come present his grievance to me in person at my office on Michigan Avenue tomorrow morning at eight o'clock."
Gabriel paused, letting the weight of his words settle in Dennis’s mind. Dennis looked down at the floor, his posture slumping as he realized the absolute futility of fighting back.
Gabriel turned his attention to the rest of the kitchen staff. The cold, intimidating aura vanished, replaced by the decisive efficiency of an executive running an operation.
"Here is the new policy," Gabriel declared, addressing the entire room. "At the end of every banquet, event, or service shift, all untouched, safe food will be packaged immediately into thermal catering containers. Marcus?"
The young prep cook snapped to attention. "Yes, Mr. Hart?"
"You are in charge of coordinating night-shift overage delivery to your church pantry on 14th Street. Use the hotel’s service van. The hotel will cover fuel and driver overtime."
Marcus’s face lit up with a mix of shock and pure joy. "Yes, sir! Absolutely, Mr. Hart!"
Gabriel looked over at the rest of the servers and kitchen crew. "Any remaining packaged food is open to hotel staff to take home for their families. No questions asked. No logbooks. No permission slips required from management."
A low, spontaneous murmur of excitement rippled through the kitchen. A couple of line cooks exchanged disbelieving grins, while the server polishing glasses let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Maeve stood beside Gabriel, her hand holding the two warm takeout containers tightly against her chest. She watched the transformation of the kitchen with a profound sense of awe. In less than ten minutes, this man had taken an oppressive, humiliating workplace standard and completely rewritten it, turning a place of waste into a source of dignity for every worker in the room.
Gabriel then turned back to Dennis. The atmosphere shifted again, growing sharp and focused.
"And as for you, Dennis," Gabriel said quietly.
May you like
Dennis flinched, looking up with fearful eyes. "Sir?"
"You are going to help Marcus pack every single tray currently sitting on those racks," Gabriel ordered, pointing a long finger toward the heating pass. "You will personally load them into the service van. And if I ever catch you standing over a trash can with good food again... you will be looking for employment in another city."
