My Boss Put Me on Toilet Duty Until a French Tycoon Refused to Meet Anyone Else Chapter 07
The three French clients walked into the empty lobby and faced the check in kiosk. The blue screen flashed its standard prompt to scan a code.
They stood there, confused. On every prior visit, I had greeted them with a warm “Bonjcur”. Now only a machine stood in my place.
Isabelle tried to complete the digital check-in. She filled out forms and uploaded her ID photo.
The system displayed a message.
[Review in progress. Please wait.]
Five minutes passed, and no one appeared to assist them.
Isabelle walked over to the abandoned lobby desk. The potted plant had wilted, the pen cup was empty, and dust covered the printer surface.
Mr. Boone hurried down from the upper floors twenty minutes after their arrival. He apologized repeatedly and led the group to the meeting room.
The team followed standard system records for beverage service and food. They served oolong tea, but the clients had switched to white tea over a year prior. The system had never updated the
information.
The standard office fruit platter was set out, and Isabelle did not touch a single piece of fruit.
The projector failed halfway through the presentation. Maisie spent five minutes trying to fix it
with no success.
Mr. Boone’s expression turned grim.
Isabelle spoke up suddenly. “Is Elowen still employed here?”
Mr. Boone nodded. “She is.”
“She no longer works the lobby?”
“She was reassigned to the warehouse.”
Isabelle said nothing more, and the meeting continued. The atmosphere felt tense for everyone in
the room.
Phillip asked questions about delivery timelines and payment terms during the product presentation. Then Isabelle spoke again, directing her words straight to Mr. Boone.
‘Why is Elowen no longer at the front desk?”
Mr. Boone had no answer to give.
Isabelle began to recount a story from their very first meeting three years ago.
“We failed to reach an agreement on pricing that day. We told you we would wait for your follow-up.”
Mr. Boone remembered the day clearly.
“The power went out in your building at noon, and all elevators shut down. We waited outside for our ride, hot and frustrated after the tough negotiation.”
“Elowen came down to see us off. She apologized for the power outage and explained your entire team was rushing to fulfill a large order. She told us you had been staying on-site nonstop to oversee production.”
“Then she pulled three bottles of room-temperature bottled water from her bag. She noticed we hadn’t touched the drinks inside, and worried cold beverages would upset our stomachs.”
Isabelle paused.
“She paid close attention to every small detail.”
“She chatted with us warmly, not to push sales, but just to share stories about your company.”
“She recommended local tea shops and casual diners serving cold noodle salad. She spoke with care about your exhausted engineering team and spoke highly of your work ethic.”
“She talked about you as if you were family.”
“When our ride arrived, she waved us off and promised to have our preferred drinks ready next time we visited.”
A heavy silence fell over the meeting room.
“Every salesperson we work with boasts endlessly about great products and company strength. We have grown tired of hearing the same lines.”
“But Elowen’s thoughtfulness let us truly understand your company and your culture.”
“That is why we agreed to adjust our pricing. We did not make that choice because of data or sales pitches. We trusted that a company which values its guests so deeply would always deliver quality
work.”
“Your products can cost a little more, and we will still choose to partner with you.”
The room stayed quiet.
Phillip added his own thought.
“We have worked with dozens of companies across the country. You are the only business owner [
have ever heard praised so sincerely by your own lobby staff.”
