Chapter 40: Good start

For a moment, Harris assumed she was some guest who had taken a wrong turn.

Then the woman stopped and looked around. Her gaze moved over the neglected reception desk with a calm that was almost unsettling. Without a change in her expression, she simply took everything in, quietly and thoroughly.

"Is that her?" Flora, the receptionist whispered.

Linda’s eyes narrowed slightly, "Miss Sienna Qing."

The realization passed through the room. This was the chairman’s daughter?

Harris’s expression fell.

They had expected someone older. Someone with years of experience running a property, or at least someone who looked like she knew what she was doing.

Instead, Sienna looked barely into her twenties. Young, beautiful and completely unfazed by the sorry state of the resort standing before her.

Sienna took in the lobby without saying anything. The peeling walls, the dusty corners, and the general air of defeat hanging over the entire place... and people.

She finally looked toward them, "How long has the eastern wing been closed?"

Harris glanced at her before answering dismissively, "About eight months."

"Why?" She questioned.

"Maintenance issues."

"And the restaurant?"

Luna answered this time, "Closed three months ago."

"Why?"

"No supplies. No staff."

Sienna nodded once.

She asked about the occupancy rate, the remaining employees, the maintenance budget and the condition of the guest rooms. Every answer she received was short, vague and thoroughly unenthusiastic.

Finally, she looked at the people gathered before her, "Let’s start properly. Introduce yourselves."

Harris stepped forward first, "Harris. General Manager."

His tone made it clear that he considered the introduction a waste of time.

Luna crossed her arms, "Luna. Head Chef."

Flora quietly introduced herself as the front desk manager, barely meeting Sienna’s eyes.

Uncle Jin, the head of maintenance, simply gave a nod.

"Jin," His expression was stoic, but his eyes remained quietly observant.

The last woman stepped forward, "I am Linda. I was the previous managing director’s secretary," Her posture was perfectly professional, her expression impossible to read.

Sienna looked at all five of them. Then she smiled, "You all look like you’re attending a funeral."

Nobody responded to her words. But the smile on her face did not budge.

Sienna didn’t seem bothered, "I have two pieces of good news."

That finally caught their attention.

"Starting today, your salaries will be doubled."

The silence that followed was completely different.

Harris’s expression shifted. Luna actually uncrossed her arms. Even Flora looked up.

Sienna continued calmly, "And I’m accepting resignation letters from anyone who wants to leave."

The brief spark of interest in the room disappeared.

"If this place is as hopeless as all of you believe it is, I won’t force anyone to stay," Sienna looked from one face to another.

"But if you choose to stay, you don’t get to spend your days complaining about how miserable your job is while doing the bare minimum. Every position here comes with responsibilities, and I expect those responsibilities to be taken seriously," Her voice remained even, but there was enough authority behind it to quiet the room completely.

"So, if anyone wants to quit, you can step forward now," Sienna waited.

Nobody moved.

One second passed.

Then another.

Still, no one stepped forward.

A faint smile touched her lips, "Good."

She straightened and looked at them once more, "I’m Sienna Qing. It’s a pleasure working with you."

All the people present were stunned in their spots.

Sienna spent the next hour going through the resort with Linda who was now her secretary, and the more she saw, the more convinced she became that Qing Horizons had been left to die rather than simply neglected.

Forget the internal neglect, even the basic maintenance of this place alarmed Sienna.

Dust had gathered in corners that should have been cleaned months ago, several of the light fixtures were broken, the reception area needed to be refurbished, and even the flower arrangements looked as though they had been mourning their own deaths.

She finally stopped in the middle of the lobby and looked around, "All right. Before we discuss expansion, we need to make this place look alive again. Start with the basics."

Everyone looked at her in silence, their faces reflecting different expressions.

Sienna didn’t care to stop and address their internal conflicts, "I want every room inspected, the common areas cleaned, the broken fixtures listed and the exterior cleared.

Make a complete report of everything that needs repairing or replacing, and don’t try to save money by leaving something half-done."

Linda nodded and immediately began taking notes.

Sienna stepped aside to let her get to work, and her phone suddenly chimed.

She glanced down and was greeted by the sight of a familiar name.

[Personal Demon: Congratulations on the good start.]

For a few seconds, Sienna was completely speechless.

Her eyes immediately swept across the lobby before moving toward the ceiling and the security cameras.

Another message appeared:

[Personal Demon: I am not stalking you. I assumed.]

Sienna’s lips twitched. Wow, he could read her thoughts now?

She was still annoyed with him after last night. After glaring at the message for half a day, she finally began to type a reply.

At this moment, Linda showed up with a document in her hand.

"You are efficient. Let me take this," Sienna took the file and put her phone away.

...

Qing Mansion.

Kira returned home in a fury.

The moment the front door closed behind her, the last thread of her composure shattered.

She swept a flower vase and it crashed against the floor, sending pieces of porcelain across the marble.

"That bitch!" Her chest rose and fell sharply as she stared at the broken pieces.

She had barely taken another step when she heard footsteps. Kira looked up and saw her father coming down the stairs.

The hatred vanished from her face in a split-second, "Daddy."

She hurried toward him before burying her face in his chest as she sobbed.

Daniel sighed and gently patted her back, "I received a call from Qing Grand. I know what happened."