Legacy Inheritance System: Revenge of The True Heir

A New General Manager

The morning sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Presidential Suite, casting a warm glow across the spacious living room. Raiden stood quietly beside the glass, his tailored charcoal suit replacing the casual clothes he had worn the previous day. The city stretched before him, alive with the rush of another ordinary morning.

His phone remained silent. Not a single update about Gerard.

A knock came from the door.

"Come in."

Arthur Hayes stepped inside, carrying a tablet in one hand. "Good morning, Mr. Bolt."

"Morning. Any news?"

Hayes shook his head. "Not yet. Our security team searched every major hospital overnight, and the investigator has already contacted his informants. No confirmed sightings so far, but everyone is still looking."

Raiden remained silent for a moment before replying, "Tell them not to stop until they find him."

"They won't."

Hayes hesitated briefly before adding, "The department heads are waiting in the executive conference room. They've all prepared reports for today's meeting."

Raiden nodded. "Let's begin."

***

Unlike the hotel's public meeting halls, the executive conference room occupied an entire corner of the administrative floor. A long walnut table dominated the room, surrounded by senior managers responsible for every department within Aurora Hotel.

The conversations ceased the moment Raiden entered. Nine executives rose from their seats.

"Good morning, Mr. Bolt."

Raiden acknowledged them with a slight nod before taking the seat at the head of the table.

"Please, have a seat."

The executives sat down almost in unison. Everyone in the room knew what had happened yesterday. Collins had been dismissed and Aurora Hotel had a new owner. And no one knew what kind of man he was.

Raiden's gaze slowly swept across the room.

Years spent assisting his father had taught him that first impressions often revealed more than carefully prepared speeches.

The Finance Director appeared composed but kept tapping a pen against his notebook. The Human Resources Director sat upright, hands folded neatly in front of her. The Engineering Director carried the weathered look of someone accustomed to solving problems rather than attending meetings.

Then his attention settled on the woman seated among them. She wore a navy business suit without a single unnecessary accessory. Her long chestnut hair was tied neatly behind her head, and several folders filled with color-coded tabs rested beside her laptop.

While others occasionally glanced at one another, she remained focused on the agenda placed before her, calmly reviewing a page without showing the slightest sign of nervousness.

The System activated.

[Mileena Shawn]

[Position: Operations Manager]

[Management Talent: S]

[Leadership Talent: S]

[Integrity: S]

Raiden dismissed the interface without changing his expression. He found this woman interesting.

He folded his hands on the table.

"I've read the reports Hayes prepared for me, but numbers only tell part of the story. Before making any decisions, I'd like to hear your own assessment of Aurora Hotel."

The Finance Director spoke first, explaining that increasing competition had reduced profit margins over the past year. The Sales Director attributed the decline to several multinational companies cutting their travel budgets, while the Marketing Director pointed out the aggressive promotional campaigns launched by newly opened luxury hotels.

Each explanation sounded reasonable and contained some truth.

Yet none of them fully explained why Aurora, once considered one of the city's finest hotels, had steadily lost returning guests.

Raiden closed the last report.

"Our occupancy rate has fallen by nearly eleven percent over the past twelve months. Competition alone doesn't explain that."

The conference room fell quiet. Several department heads glanced at one another, but no one offered another explanation.

Mileena looked down at the report in front of her for a brief moment before speaking.

"Mr. Bolt."

Raiden turned toward her.

"If I may."

He gave a slight nod.

"You mentioned that numbers only tell part of the story. I believe these numbers are pointing us toward the wrong question."

That immediately caught everyone's attention. She slid a report across the table.

"We've been asking why occupancy declined."

She gently tapped the chart.

"I believe we should first ask why guest satisfaction declined."

Raiden lowered his eyes to the report. The satisfaction score had started falling months before occupancy followed.

"The turning point coincided with the hotel's cost-reduction program," Mileena continued. "Reducing costs isn't a mistake in itself. Every business needs to manage expenses. The problem lies in where those reductions were made."

She opened another report.

"Housekeeping lost several room attendants. The remaining staff had to clean more rooms each shift. They still completed their assignments, but small details were missed more frequently."

She flipped to the next page.

"The Front Office also experienced staff reductions. During peak check-in hours, waiting times increased because fewer receptionists were available. The concierge team became smaller, causing guest requests to take longer. Maintenance operated with fewer technicians, extending response times for routine repairs."

She paused, allowing everyone to connect the pieces themselves.

"Individually, none of those issues are severe enough to drive guests away."

Her gaze swept across the conference table.

"But guests don't experience Housekeeping, Front Office, Concierge, or Maintenance as separate departments. They experience Aurora Hotel. If each department delivers ninety-five percent of the service guests expect, every manager may believe they're doing a good job."

She gave a faint shake of her head.

"The guest doesn't remember ninety-five percent. They remember the five percent that went wrong."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

"Our competitors didn't suddenly become better," Mileena said. "We simply became less consistent. In the hospitality industry, consistency builds trust. Once guests stop trusting that every stay will meet the same standard, they stop coming back."

Raiden leaned back slightly.

"What would you do first?" Raiden asked.

“I'd stop measuring departments independently."

Several managers looked at her.

"If Housekeeping succeeds while Front Office fails, the hotel still fails. Every department should share guest satisfaction targets instead of focusing only on their own performance indicators. That encourages cooperation rather than shifting responsibility."

She met Raiden's eyes without hesitation.

"The guest doesn't care which department made the mistake. They only remember whether Aurora Hotel met their expectations."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Raiden's lips. It was subtle enough that almost no one noticed.

He rose from his chair. The executives instinctively stood with him.

"I've heard enough."

His gaze settled on Mileena.

"The position of General Manager became vacant yesterday."

A brief silence followed.

"Effective immediately, Ms. Mileena Shawn is appointed as the new General Manager of Aurora Hotel."

For the first time since the meeting began, Mileena looked genuinely surprised. She stood slowly, clearly caught off guard by the announcement.

Around the table, several department heads exchanged glances before nodding almost imperceptibly to one another. No one objected. If anything, there was quiet approval in their expressions.

Mileena drew a slow breath before speaking.

"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Bolt. I'll do everything in my power to ensure I deserve it."

"I expect results," Raiden replied. "From today onward, every department will report to General Manager Shawn. Give her your full cooperation."

"Understood, Mr. Bolt," the executives answered almost in unison.

The meeting adjourned soon afterward.

As the department heads filed out of the conference room, many stopped to congratulate Mileena before leaving. She accepted each congratulation graciously, though the surprise had yet to completely leave her face.

Hayes waited until the room was nearly empty before approaching Raiden.

"An excellent choice, sir."

"I know."

At that moment, Raiden's phone vibrated. The caller ID displayed the private investigator's number.

He answered immediately.

"Yes."

A tense voice came from the other end.

"Mr. Bolt... I think we've found a lead on Gerard."