“What?”
“Don't ask him as though he caused the problem.”
The younger salesman swallowed.
The regional director pointed toward a conference room.
“Everyone who witnessed the interaction.”
“Now.”
The receptionist.
Three salespeople.
The general manager.
A delivery specialist.
The younger salesman.
They gathered around a long table.
The regional director closed the door.
“No one is losing a job because of what they say in this room.”
The general manager shifted.
The regional director noticed.
He added:
“And no one will have their schedule, leads, or evaluations affected.”
The younger salesman looked toward him.
That wording mattered.
The regional director asked:
“Does anyone believe today's incident was unusual?”
Nobody answered.
He waited.
Thirty seconds.
Then the receptionist raised her hand slightly.
“No.”
The general manager looked at her.
She continued before fear stopped her.
“He does that.”
“How often?”
She looked down.
“I don't know.”
The regional director asked:
“What does ‘that’ mean?”
“Decides people aren't buyers.”
“Based on?”
She hesitated.
“Clothes.”
“Age.”
“Sometimes race.”
The room went still.
The general manager said:
“That is a serious accusation.”
The receptionist flinched.
The regional director turned toward him.
“She knows.”
He looked back at her.
“Continue.”
The receptionist swallowed.
“Sometimes he tells us not to assign walk-ins.”
“Why?”
“Because he says they're tourists.”
“Does he have authority to do that?”
“Not officially.”
The regional director looked toward the general manager.
“Do you know about this?”
The general manager answered carefully.
“I know senior salespeople often help qualify traffic.”
“That wasn't my question.”
The room tightened.
The regional director asked again:
“Did you know he told reception not to assign certain customers?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
“Did you approve it?”
“Not formally.”
“Did you stop it?”
Silence.
The regional director looked toward the younger salesman.
“What happened today?”
The young man took a breath.
“He saw her near the pink SUV.”
“And?”
“He asked me whether I had spoken to her.”
“What did you say?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“He said not to bother.”
“Why?”
The younger salesman looked at the table.
“He said she was there for Instagram.”
The regional director’s jaw tightened.
“Exact words?”
“Pretty much.”
“Exact.”
The young man hesitated.
Then:
“He said, ‘Don't waste your turn. She's here for Instagram.’”
The general manager closed his eyes.
The regional director wrote it down.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“Why?”
The young salesman’s face reddened.
“He's number one.”
The room became silent.
The regional director waited.
The younger man continued.
“He gets first access to high-value leads.”
“He can complain to management.”
“People who argue with him get bad shifts.”
The general manager immediately said:
“I have never retaliated against an employee because of him.”
The receptionist looked toward him.
That was enough.
The regional director saw it.
“So schedules have changed after conflicts?”
The general manager became defensive.
“Schedules change constantly.”
The regional director leaned back.
“I'm asking a simple question.”