“I’ll pull labor and litigation team.”
“No broad email.”
“Small group.”
“Under privilege.”
“Agreed.”
“Do we tell our board?”
“Not yet.”
“Closing is in thirteen hours.”
“I know.”
Lena paused.
“You’re willing to delay?”
“I’m willing to know what we’re buying.”
She said:
“Okay.”
Then:
“Get some sleep.”
Adrian looked out over the city.
“Sure.”
Neither believed it.
At 11:18 p.m., Lena called back.
Adrian had not slept.
He sat at the small desk in his room wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms.
A room-service dinner remained untouched beside him.
“What do you have?”
Lena sounded different.
No sarcasm.
No fatigue.
“Enough that I want you sitting.”
“I am.”
“We found a complaint category.”
“What category?”
“EPV.”
“What is EPV?”
“Enhanced Payment Verification.”
Adrian leaned back.
“Official?”
“In the guest-services manual.”
“What triggers?”
“That’s the problem.”
“Read it.”
Lena did.
“‘When a payment method appears inconsistent with guest profile, booking pattern, presentation, behavior, or expected spending category, staff may request supplemental validation before authorizing incidental charges.’”
Adrian stared at the wall.
“Guest profile.”
“Yes.”
“Presentation.”
“Yes.”
“Expected spending category.”
“Yes.”
“Who wrote that?”
“Manual approved by operations two years ago.”
“Corporate?”
“Yes.”
“Across properties?”
“Twenty-nine flagship locations.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
“What does supplemental validation mean?”
“Second card.”
“Government identification.”
“Bank call.”
“Manager approval.”
“Sometimes security notification.”
“Sometimes?”
“We found incident codes.”
“How many?”
“Still searching.”
“What have you found so far?”
“Adrian.”
“How many?”
“One hundred eighteen EPV events over eighteen months at twelve properties.”
His stomach tightened.
“Demographics?”
“Not systematically recorded.”
“Names?”
“Yes.”
“Complaints?”
“Thirty-seven.”
“Settlements?”
“Nine.”
“Nine settlements?”
“Confidential guest-service settlements.”
“For what?”
“Refunds.”
“Free stays.”
“Cash in three cases.”
“Any civil complaints?”
“Two threatened.”
“None filed.”
“Why?”
“One settled before filing.”
“One guest walked.”
Adrian stood.
“Were these disclosed in diligence?”
“Not as discrimination matters.”
“How categorized?”
“Routine customer relations.”
There.
He walked toward the window.
“Lena.”
“Yes?”
“Can you infer race?”
“I’m not comfortable without data.”
“Good.”