"Thank you for making sure the operational plan wasn't forgotten during the deal."
Grace shook her head.
"That was my responsibility."
Nia smiled.
"Still. Thank you."
Grace returned the smile.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then the chief operating officer looked toward the facility.
"Your mother built systems that were supposed to make people's lives better."
Nia nodded.
Grace continued.
"Now we have to keep proving they're doing that."
The employee-benefit arrangements also received renewed attention.
During the acquisition negotiations, many workers had worried that their protections would be reduced or eliminated.
Some assumed the founders' stewardship structure existed only to benefit executives.
Others had never received a clear explanation of what the trust was intended to provide.
Nia worked with the authorized administrators to improve communication.
The goal wasn't to promise benefits beyond the trust's actual resources.
It was to make the rules understandable.
Eligible employees received clearer information about how the arrangements operated, what they could expect, and whom to contact with questions.
The administrators also improved reporting.
At one meeting, a warehouse technician asked whether the trust would still exist if Jade Passage eventually changed owners.
Nia explained that the answer depended on the governing agreements and the terms of any future transaction, which would have to be evaluated properly.
She didn't offer a simplistic promise that nothing could ever change.
Instead, she explained the protections designed to ensure important obligations were considered before major decisions were made.
The technician listened.
Then nodded.
"That's all I wanted to know. Who's making sure somebody checks."
Nia smiled.
"That's a fair question."
For a moment, she remembered Lorraine asking exactly the same kind of thing.
And she realized that accountability often began with people who simply wanted an honest explanation.
Sofia left the restaurant the following spring.
She had completed a certification program in hospitality management and received an offer to join the opening team of a new hotel.
She was excited.
And terrified.
On her final shift, the staff organized a small celebration after closing.
Mei prepared a special meal.
The chefs contributed desserts.
And Nia brought flowers.
Sofia stood near the dining room entrance, trying not to cry.
"I can't believe I'm leaving."
Mei smiled.
"You're moving to a better opportunity. That's what I want."
Sofia looked toward her.
"You've been like family."
The older woman waved one hand.
"Then visit your family."
Everyone laughed.
Later, as the staff cleared the table, Sofia found Nia beside the windows.
She looked toward the city.
"Do you remember when you told me the rich guys were coming for that dinner?"
Nia laughed.