Chapter 12
I learned something uncomfortable about myself too.
I liked disciplined rooms.
Staff quiet.
Schedules exact.
No interruptions.
I had never ordered anyone deprived of sleep.
But I rewarded environments where discomfort stayed invisible.
If a waiter looked exhausted, I assumed management handled it.
If a maid trembled, I noticed only if the tray shook.
That night with Aveline, I intervened because visible cruelty interrupted my dinner.
What had I missed when cruelty stayed neat?
That question changed how I ran events.
Break rotations.
Clear shift limits.
No family member overrules rest schedules.
Staff can leave if unwell without begging.
Basic.
Boring.
Apparently radical in houses built around service.
One manager complained that luxury required flexibility.
I said:
“Then hire enough people to afford it.”
May you like
Problem solved.
Money often solves what tradition pretends requires suffering.
