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Chapter 5 Taking Office, First Move

The gossip and betrayal about Evelyn by these high-level executives were boldly displayed on the computer screen.

"How dare they! They are so foolish!" William Flynn, Landon's secretary, exclaimed with a flushed face from the passenger seat.

"Oh dear, I don't even care. But you're angry about it," Evelyn narrowed her eyes and reached over to pinch William's cheek. He was so innocent, his face turning as red as a peach.

"Evelyn, you are the future president of KnightSpear Group. Can't you act like a person in power? Don't touch William like that," Landon slightly frowned.

"What's wrong? Male bosses can flirt with female secretaries. As a female boss, am I not allowed to touch the male secretary?" Evelyn snorted, "I'm touching him. It's his honor!"

Landon shook his head, a doting and gentle smile on his handsome face.

The top executives crowded around Evelyn and Landon as they entered the hotel.

Mike Golden, the hotel's vice president, had been leading them toward the VIP elevator. However, unexpectedly, Evelyn suddenly said, "I want to go to the restaurant first."

How thrilling! Without exchanging pleasantries, she strode in and went straight to inspect!

Mike guided Evelyn and the others apprehensively to the buffet restaurant.

Landon remained silent and played the role of a highly present "invisible person," allowing Evelyn to act freely.

It was not yet lunchtime, so there were no customers in the restaurant, but the waitstaff had already started setting up the dishes.

Evelyn's sharp gaze scanned the dishes, and she suddenly stopped at the seafood section.

Rolling up her sleeves, she reached into the glass container. From hundreds of shrimp, she accurately picked out one that was dead.

"Explain."

"This, this one is not dead..." Mike stammered, underestimating.

"Is it not dead? Well then, Mr. Golden, prove it. Take a bite," Evelyn smiled slightly.

"Ms. Taylor, as you can see, there are many shrimp here. It's normal for one to suffocate..." Mike muttered.

"Shrimp dying is normal. But if a guest eats it and gets food poisoning, do you still think it's normal?"

Evelyn instantly retracted all her smiles. "Also, in this glass container, there are a total of three hundred and fifty-six shrimp. I roughly glanced at it, and there were five dead shrimp, and at least thirty shrimp were barely alive.

"I don't know what guests who pay three hundred dollars per person for a meal would think, but my thought is that I will forever block this hotel and never step foot in it again!

" Dispose of all seafood ingredients immediately and find a new supplier. If I see another dead shrimp at tomorrow's lunch, I will bring it back for you to taste."

Mike was so frightened that his legs gave out. The top executives were also shocked.

Only Landon and William knew that Evelyn was a fast learner, able to remember something after just one look. When she was younger, she used her keen observation skills to help the police solve a major criminal case.

Identifying issues with shrimp was child's play for her.

They arrived at the guest room area, and Evelyn immediately asked William for a white handkerchief, using it to wipe the walls and picture frames gently.

"There's dust here, not properly cleaned. It needs to be redone."

The managers complained in their hearts.

"You must all be secretly criticizing me, thinking I'm making a big deal out of nothing, nitpicking, right?"

Evelyn remained composed, but her tone was particularly serious. "But even a century-old hotel can be defeated by overlooked details. If the star rating committee finds these two issues, they can revoke our rating!"

She signaled to William. He understood and ordered in a low voice, "Open the door to this guest room."

The guest room supervisor hurried to open the door. When previous leaders came, they would tidy up two sample rooms to show them, pretending that all the rooms were clean and tidy.

But Evelyn was cunning, completely breaking the routine!

She entered the guest room, first looked at the bathroom, then walked into the room and sat on the bed.

Instantly, her delicate face turned cold.

But ultimately, she didn't say anything. She just ended the inspection and went to the general manager's office with Landon.

"You've inspected everything. What are your thoughts?" Landon asked with a smile.

"Huh, someone has been doing something wrong. Everything is terrible!"

Evelyn weakly sat on the sofa, her elbow resting on the armrest as she sighed. "Is Charlie testing me or playing a trick on me? This hotel is really terrible! Is this truly the Taylor family's legacy?"

"Evelyn, this hotel was founded by our grandfather. The Taylor family also expanded slowly through the hotel industry in its early years, managing it with dedication, eventually leading to the KnightSpear Group today.

"This hotel isn't a terrible place, but rather a place that carries the sentiments of three generations of the Taylor family. However, because our family now has too many properties, and the hotel industry has indeed been in a downturn in recent years, your three brothers and I have neglected its management."

Landon sighed with self-blame and helplessness. "Evelyn, we can only rely on you now."

At that moment, Evelyn noticed a black piano in the corner.

She held her breath.

"I had someone place that piano there. I remember you used to play the piano when you were in a bad mood or go for a run at the racetrack to blow off some steam."

Landon blinked his warm eyes. "I think you'll be busy for the next two months. Going for a run with the horses is not realistic. If you're tired, why don't you play a few tunes? I remember you're really good at playing the piano..."

"Thank you, Landon, but she hasn't played the piano in a long time," Evelyn replied sadly. The healed scars deep within her heart were silently reopened. The blood flowing from her injured and icy heart was unexpectedly still scalding hot.

"What happened?" Landon asked, startled.

"When I was out in the field as a doctor for Doctors Without Borders, I had an accident while tending to wounded soldiers in a conflict zone. It was my little finger, the ligaments torn apart in a split second. It wasn't fully severed, but it might as well have been. The functionality was gone. I had to give up playing any piece that required a stretch, which meant giving up on playing altogether," Evelyn recounted, her voice steady, belying the turmoil within.

Landon felt saddened and hurriedly held her fair hand. "Did you get injured because of Edward?"

"Yes and no," Evelyn replied. The mention of that name still broke her heart into countless pieces, but she managed to force a bright smile. "I got injured for world peace and family honor, OK?"

Five years ago, she had encountered the man she liked, Edward, once again. It happened on the battlefield at the border of Kinsland.

She was a field doctor, and he was a soldier in a peacekeeping force.

He fought for peace, and Evelyn risked crippling her hand to bring him, who was severely injured, back to the safe zone.

Once, she considered it honorable. Now, every time she looked at that numb little finger, her heart felt shattered.

But it was all in the past. Even if Evelyn loved the wrong person, she would never regret it to the point of shedding tears.

William knocked on the door and rushed in. "Ms. Taylor, as per your instructions, I found out that Eilie Furniture is the supplier of our hotel's bedding and some furniture, which Mr. Golden is responsible for."

"Oh, so it's Eilie Furniture," Evelyn said, crossing her beautiful legs and squinting her clear, watery eyes. "Tell the finance department to organize the hotel's accounts from the past two years. Also, immediately contact a new supplier for the beddings and replace everything from Eilie Furniture."

"Such a big move?" Landon raised an eyebrow.

"Edward's lover's brother established Eilie Furniture," Evelyn explained.

"Oh, you're using your authority to retaliate against them," both Landon and William said in unison.

"No, no! It's because Eilie Furniture produces subpar products but sells them as high-quality to KS World Hotel. That's why I want to replace them!" Evelyn replied with a grumble.

Just the thought of those uncomfortable, stiff mattresses infuriated her. A lack of comfort greatly affected guests' impressions of the hotel, so it's no wonder there were so many negative reviews online.

"Oh, and one more thing..."

William was busy again, saying, "Mr. Taylor asked me to pay attention to the Wellington family these days. I just got news that Mr. Wellington had a stroke and was admitted to the hospital. He happens to live in the hospital under the Taylor family!"

"Grandfather is in the hospital?!" Evelyn stood up abruptly, very anxious.

Just then, Landon's phone rang.

He lowered his long lashes and looked at the screen, then smiled slightly.

"Evelyn, it's your ex-husband."

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