CHAPTER 2: Humiliated for Kindness
Victoria was around forty-five years old, wearing a fitted black evening gown and a diamond necklace. Her hair was styled perfectly, her makeup was flawless, and her eyes were sharp with contempt.
She was part of the gala organizing committee and one of the hotel’s major sponsors. Every employee knew she was arrogant, demanding, and obsessed with protecting “the hotel’s image.”
Victoria stared at Elena kneeling beside the elderly woman.
“I asked what you are doing.”
Elena quickly answered:
“Ma’am, this guest is having trouble breathing. I’m waiting for someone to call a doctor.”
Victoria stepped closer. She did not look carefully at the elderly woman. She only looked at Elena’s uniform.
“You are housekeeping staff?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then do you know the hotel rules? Housekeeping staff are not allowed to touch VIP guests without permission.”
Elena froze.
“But she needs help…”
Victoria suddenly bent down and pulled Elena’s hand away from the elderly woman’s shoulder.
Elena lost her balance and almost fell.
The elderly woman weakly reached toward Elena, but her breath caught again.
Elena cried out:
“Please don’t pull me away. She’s in serious discomfort!”
Victoria shouted:
“You still dare to talk back?”
Her voice echoed across the marble lobby.
Guests stopped. Some frowned. Others whispered while looking at Elena as if she had committed a terrible mistake.
Victoria pointed straight at her face.
“Do you know how important tonight’s event is for this hotel? If you cause chaos here, can you take responsibility for it?”
Elena tried to stay calm.
“I’m not causing trouble. I only saw that she couldn’t breathe, so I—”
“Silence!” Victoria cut her off. “What would a housekeeper like you know about important guests?”
Elena’s face turned pale.
She looked back at the elderly woman. The woman was still trying to breathe, her trembling hand pressed to her chest.
“Please, ma’am. Let me support her until the doctor arrives.”
Victoria laughed coldly.
“You act so well. Are you trying to look kind in front of the guests so you can get praised?”
Those words hurt Elena more than any slap.
She had never wanted praise.
The moment she saw the elderly woman struggling, she had only thought of her own mother, who had once collapsed at a bus station. If a stranger had not supported her mother and called for help that day, Elena might have lost her.
That was why Elena could not walk past someone who needed help.
But in this place, even kindness from a girl in a gray uniform seemed to require permission.
The hotel manager, Mr. Martin, hurried over.
“What is going on here?”
Victoria turned to him.
“How do you manage your staff? This girl is kneeling in the middle of the lobby, touching a guest, shouting for people, and ruining the hotel’s image before the gala.”
Martin looked at Elena, then at Victoria.
He did not ask Elena first.
He did not ask about the elderly woman’s condition first.
He only looked at Victoria’s angry face and understood whose side he needed to choose.
“Elena,” he said heavily, “stand up right now.”
Elena was still kneeling beside the sofa.
“Manager, she really is having trouble breathing.”
“I told you to stand up.”
Elena slowly stood, but her eyes never left the elderly woman.
A hotel medical staff member finally arrived with a first aid kit. After a few minutes, the woman’s breathing became more stable. She was taken into a private rest room near the lobby.
Before she left, the elderly woman turned her head and looked at Elena.
That gaze was strange.
It did not look like the gaze of a helpless old woman.
It looked like the gaze of someone who had seen everything.
Victoria crossed her arms.
“I want her removed from the event area immediately.”
Martin hesitated.
“Mrs. Victoria, Elena has worked here for years…”
“That makes it even more shameful,” Victoria said coldly. “A longtime employee who still does not know her place.”
Elena’s eyes widened.
“Manager, I only helped someone who could not breathe. I did nothing wrong.”
Victoria leaned closer and said softly:
“Remember this. You do not belong in rooms like this. Your job is to clean the floor, not play hero.”
Elena did not answer.
She bent down to pick up a towel that had fallen beside the sofa. Her hand trembled slightly. As she turned to leave, she heard guests whispering behind her.
“She probably wanted attention.”
“Employees these days don’t know their limits.”
“Good thing Mrs. Victoria handled it in time.”
May you like
Elena walked toward the staff hallway.
Every step across the shining marble floor felt heavier than the last.
