"Yes."
"Did you kick it afterward?"
He looked down.
"Yes."
"Why?"
He swallowed.
"I was frustrated."
The lawyer made another note.
Then asked, "Would you have treated a recognized high-value customer that way?"
The manager looked up sharply.
"Of course not."
The room became quiet.
The lawyer didn't need to say anything immediately.
The manager had supplied the answer himself.
He understood that a customer's value, as he perceived it, determined how much respect he believed they deserved.
He looked toward the executive.
For the first time, genuine fear appeared in his face.
But instead of acknowledging the underlying problem, he reached for another defense.
"I've protected this store for seventeen years."
The executive nodded.
"We'll review your full employment history."
The manager leaned forward.
"I brought in clients who kept this brand alive."
"That will be considered where relevant."
"And now you're going to destroy my career because a woman took offense?"
The lawyer looked directly at him.
"She didn't merely take offense. The incident involved reported discriminatory statements, unauthorized handling of property, and conduct witnessed by employees and customers."
The manager's jaw tightened.
For a moment, he looked as though he might stand and leave.
Then he remembered the expensive apartment.
The pension contributions.
The private club membership.
The financial obligations built around a salary he had assumed would continue indefinitely.
He sat back.
Suddenly, the future looked less certain.
While the manager defended his conduct, the owner was meeting with the company's financial team.
The acquisition had provided new capital, but Leonne Elegance remained fragile.
The business owed money to lenders.
Some suppliers had not been paid on time.
Several stores were underperforming.
And the upcoming holiday season would be crucial to generating enough cash for the restructuring plan.
The chief financial officer was a reserved white American man in his late fifties.
He had spent much of his career in retail finance and had joined Leonne during its most aggressive expansion.
He understood the company's numbers intimately.
He also believed the new owner underestimated how difficult the turnaround would be.
During their meeting, he presented a summary of inventory, store performance, supplier obligations, and projected cash flow.
The figures were concerning.
But the owner had seen worse businesses recover.
She asked questions.
The finance chief answered.
Then she noticed something unusual.
Several categories of luxury accessories showed unusually high reported margins despite a decline in physical sales.
She looked toward the table.
"Explain this."
The finance chief adjusted his glasses.