“Not yet.”
“She physically had you removed after insulting you.”
“Security touched me.”
“She instructed him.”
“Possibly.”
Evelyn looked incredulous.
“What do you mean possibly?”
“I mean we have cameras.”
“Witnesses.”
“Policies.”
“Training records.”
“Prior complaints.”
“Management structures.”
“I want facts.”
Charles looked at Marcus.
“You want an investigation.”
“I want an audit.”
The CFO frowned.
“Of Claire?”
“Of the customer experience.”
Silence.
Marcus leaned back.
“If one person had a bad afternoon, that matters.”
“If the organization taught her which customers deserve effort, that matters more.”
Evelyn shook her head.
“I know this company.”
Marcus looked at her.
“You knew the company at board level.”
“I was chairwoman.”
“Yes.”
“That is not the same as knowing what happens at a counter when nobody from the board is downstairs.”
Her face tightened.
But she did not argue.
Because she knew he was right.
Marcus continued.
“I want twelve months of customer complaints.”
“All stores.”
“Denied-service incidents.”
“Security removals.”
“Refund disputes.”
“High-value allocation criteria.”
“Clienteling procedures.”
“Any internal scoring systems.”
“Sales incentives.”
“Loss-prevention guidelines.”
“Demographics where legally available.”
General counsel asked:
“What are you expecting to find?”
Marcus looked toward the glass wall.
Below, tiny figures moved along Rodeo Drive.
“I don’t know.”
“That is the point.”
Charles said:
“I can have regional materials tonight.”
“Not through store leadership.”
Marcus answered.
“I want compliance and outside counsel to preserve before anyone cleans language.”
The general counsel nodded.
“I’ll handle.”
Evelyn watched him.
“You’re surprisingly calm.”
Marcus looked at her.
“No.”
“I'm disciplined.”
There was a difference.
The meeting they had planned for two hours lasted twenty-seven minutes.
Marcus canceled the acquisition celebration dinner.
He did not feel like smiling over champagne.
He returned to his hotel suite shortly after seven.
His older sister, Simone, called before he removed his jacket.
“You bought another company.”
Marcus stared at the phone.
“How do you know?”
“You sent Mom a press release draft.”
“I sent Mom.”
“Mom sent me.”
“Of course.”
“What is Arden & Vale?”
“Luxury retail.”
“Watches?”
“Jewelry.”
“Some leather goods.”
Simone laughed.
“You hate stores.”
“I don’t hate stores.”
“You buy everything online.”
“I bought a grocery store in person yesterday.”
“You mean you went to Whole Foods.”
“Same principle.”