Chapter 44
“Elise, Dorothea is a shareholder now. She’s the legal representative. What’s the point of me saying anything p>
Elise’s face tightened. “Alright, I’ll talk to her p>
Dorothea had just finished her morning yoga and was about to dig into breakfast when her phone rang. She put it on speaker. “Hi, Mom p>
“I heard from Walton that you’ve already stirred up some trouble at the hotel p>
Dorothea paused, egg halfway to her mouth. “That’s what Walton told you p>
“What else? Would Walton lie to me p>
Elise’s tone was gentle but firm. “Dorothea, I get that you’re eager to prove yourself and make your mark. But you’re new to all this, and Walton’s been running the hotel for ages p>
“You’re not a kid anymore. You need to listen more, learn more, and stop trying to boss everyone around. Otherwise, why should Walton bother teaching you p>
“Alright, go apologize to Walton. If that doesn’t work, maybe you should just start from the bottom like everyone else p>
Elise kept going, and Dorothea found herself just staring at the egg in her hand, appetite gone.
Latham had just come out of the bathroom and caught every single word. He watched Dorothea peel her egg, her head bowed, lips pulled into a frown.
He strode over, took her phone, and spoke into it. “Elise, it’s Latham. If you keep this up, my wife’s going to start crying. It’s not even that big a deal, but if she cries, I’ll have to spend all day cheering her up p>
Elise fell silent, caught off guard. She couldn’t tell if Latham was joking or not, but he was definitely defending Dorothea.
She forced a laugh. “Latham, I didn’t mean it that way. I just worry she’s getting ahead of herself p>
“Elise, don’t you think Walton is a little too eager to run and tell you everything p>
Latham’s voice sounded easygoing, but there was a warning in it that made Elise back off.
Dorothea stared at him, a little dazed. “You… Thank you p>
But when had she ever cried?
Latham handed her phone back. “Next time, don’t answer calls you don’t want to take p>
Dorothea managed a wry smile. She had no idea Elise would start in on her first thing in the morning.
“So, you guys lost some clients at the hotel p>
Dorothea took a bite of her egg, cheeks full. “Yeah, I think we did. I haven’t been in yet, and Walton hasn’t mentioned it p>
The truth was, the lost business was actually Latham’s doing, though Dorothea had no idea. If Latham hadn’t invited those reporters, Albert wouldn’t have blamed The Gresham.
Latham handed her a tissue. “I’ll drive you to work later p>
Dorothea shook her head. “It’s fine. I’ll drive myself p>
Latham clicked his tongue but didn’t push it.
When she got to the company, the first thing Dorothea did was ask Nash to hire new management for the hotel’s security team. The reason Albert found a weak spot was because the hotel’s security systems and procedures were a mess.
She soon discovered that the job was held by the son of Walton’s cousin She realized she’d have to start clearing out all of Watton’s family connections from the company, one by one.
“Dorothea, Lenard’s looking for you,” someone called out.
Dorothea paused, then picked up the internal line. “Hey Lenard, what’s up p>
“Dorothea, could you come by our
department when you have a sec? I had no idea you had ties with Stephens Group. Their rep is in my office right now, wanting to discuss a long-term partnership p>
Dorothea immediately thought of Latham.